Almost Feels Like Home
by Mable
Summary: (Sequel to Can't Go Home Again) Mike and Marionette's lives are suddenly thrown back off the rails when one devastating moment lands them with a responsibility they never anticipated. Now with the task of adjusting to an unexpected situation, the human and puppet must rebuild their lives around the death of another's.
1. Chapter 1

**Important: This is the sequel to 'Can't Go Home Again'. If you haven't read it, or haven't read it in its entirety, then you might be confused. Just a head's up! ^-^**

 **Mable: Well, I can't believe I'm doing this… Heck, I can't believe I'm starting this before my novel is finished, but here I am excited and terrified to begin again! Welcome back once more, and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter One_

" _Third Child goes Missing: After the disappearances of two children in the Hurricane area- names and photos below- eleven-year-old Jason Coleman has also gone missing. While this is the first of the disappearances outside of the city limits, Jason lived within the city, and it is believed to be connected to the previous disappearances. Jason was last seen outside of Magictime Theater and Arcade located on Highway Fifteen. Family members and rescue workers have already begun to search the desert alongside the highway for signs of foul play."_

"Alright." Mike Schmidt set the newspaper aside on the dining room table and crossed his arms as he took in what he had just read. "This has just been promoted from moderately disturbing to an actual problem."

It had been easy to pretend that the first child was a fluke. Then it had been harder to swallow that the second missing child was a coincidence. Now there were three, and there was no doubt that there would be more.

Mike looked at the slender, striped animatronic standing in front of him, who was currently facing away. His striped arms were folded over his chest as he tried to somehow withhold his obvious concern. The Puppet had been understandably on edge when news got around about two disappearances, but now that there was a third one he was positively restless. Three missing children in the last three weeks; it was a terrible sign.

"When did this one go missing?" Marionette quietly asked. He slightly turned his head to look back towards Mike, all while dread painted his mask. Mike looked back at the newspaper to check.

"Friday afternoon. Wasn't at the same time of the day and wasn't the same day of the week… But it was five days after the last one. I don't remember if the one before that was five days too, but that could be a pattern if it was," Mike revealed. He pushed it further away and took a swig of his coffee. The caffeine was the best thing to swallow the growing feeling of dread. "We'll have to keep watch."

"That poor child…" Marionette raised a hand to cover his mask. "Those poor _children_. Why wasn't anyone with him? So young, and in broad daylight!"

"I guess because he wasn't in the city," Mike suggested with a semi-shrug. He didn't mean to seem disinterested, but he didn't have any other immediate ideas and didn't want to get worked up when there was nothing he could do. "Do we know Magictime Theater?" Marionette shook his head while still covering his face. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that we probably should. When we get into work, I'll see if any of the others have heard about it. Better safe than sorry."

Mike wasn't callous enough to suggest the possibility that this was somehow connected to Freddy's. He would suspect it inwardly without worrying the Puppet by saying anything more than that. With another exhale, Mike stood from the table and walked over to the animatronic. He laid a hand on Marionette's back to comfort him, even when he knew he couldn't.

"We should head over to the pizzeria. Maybe we'll have enough time that I can run all this by Fritz and Jeremy. Maybe one of them has heard about this place," Mike suggested. Marionette nodded stiffly; it wasn't as though he wanted to stay at home with his thoughts anyway.

The last month had been a brutal sort of reminder for a town that had dealt with 'missing children' years before. In a matter of one day, a child was gone, and the past had come to haunt them once again. Then there went a second child, and now here was a third, and still nobody knew anything. It was a devastating revelation for both Mike and Marionette. Yet they still went into work as though it was a normal workday. In a way it was, being that they had no immediate connections to the three children, but it was hard to pretend that they weren't distracted.

Foxy's pizzeria was still managing to do well even though parents should've been afraid to let their children wander free. More parents did come in with their children, thankfully, but that didn't mean that they were all supervised, and it became clear that the staff would have to keep an eye out.

Mike and Marionette let themselves into the back of the pizzeria. The Puppet immediately started heading into the dining room and to the Prize Corner. He had been quiet, obviously lost in thought, but Mike let him go and instead looked in the office. Seeing that nobody was there, he helped himself to the computer and started it up. _"Let's see if we can find anything on this Magictime Theater,"_ Mike mentally remarked as he went to the search engine and typed the name in.

While the pizzeria didn't have its own website- alas, Foxy's didn't either- there were a few online articles about the business. It certainly wasn't the most popular restaurant if the lack of information was any sort of indication. One of the results was simply a recap of the boy who went missing outside of the theater. The other result was much more helpful, as it was an article detailing information about the restaurant.

" _This is only from last year. So, it's a new place?"_ Mike was slightly confused, especially as, by now, he saw pictures of animatronics and knew that it was some sort of animatronic theater like Chipper's. _"I'll be damned, I found Chipper's only competition."_ He then scrolled down through the lengthy amount of basic information. At first nothing seemed amiss and he couldn't recognize anything that would stand out. _"I'm going to need Fritz and Jeremy to take a look at this… Or to see if this place is even worth being in competition with."_

He got lucky. Stepping out of the office, he immediately spotted Fritz bent over in the supply closet. From how he was sliding out small cardboard boxes and checking them, it seemed like he was looking for something. Mike stepped in behind him, "Hey Fritz-."

Fritz responded in an exaggerated display. He jumped, juggling one of the boxes, and then stood up so fast that he knocked over a couple of plastic wrapped cups. He looked back to Mike with a flustered look.

Mike sent him an unenthused one in return, "Let me guess: another long night with the HandUnit and a programming manual."

"Heh, you know me too well…" Fritz confirmed. Mike partially rolled his eyes at the comment. Ever since getting the challenge of reprogramming Baby, Fritz had been in a constant battle between working himself to death and resting. At first it had been because he was such a hard worker, but it was apparent that Fritz was becoming more frustrated and determined the longer that he made little progress. So far, he had not even reached the point to wake and test Baby, and it was clearly eating at him. "What's up?"

"Another kid went missing," Mike answered. He noticed Fritz's slight cringe. "Yeah, I know. It's that bad. Anyway, it was outside some place called Magictime Theater and I'm trying to find out something about it. I looked online and there's practically nothing about it." The technician furrowed his brows in thought. Before he could respond, an answer came from an unexpected source.

"I saw it on the news last night," Jeremy announced from right behind Mike. The security guard jolted and spun around to face the younger man.

"Thanks for the warning, Jere. You might've given me a heart attack if you just popped up behind me without saying anything," Mike remarked sarcastically. Fritz leaned in behind him and muttered.

"Let me guess: another long night with the Puppet and a programming manual?" Fritz inquired with a smirk. Mike sent a slight glare back at him.

"I bet you think that was clever," Mike quipped. "It wasn't." Fritz still smiled as though it was the best comeback possible. Considering that he got such a strong reaction, he had a feeling it was. Seeing that he was losing control of the conversation, Jeremy cleared his throat and tried to reign it back in.

"But yeah, I saw it on the news. It's a lot like Chipper's. Or what Chipper's was like before they expanded. They've got four or five animatronics, but they're sort of, you know… They're not really anything special, it didn't look like. They kind of looked like knock-off Freddy's," Jeremy admitted. "But I think they've been open longer that Foxy's."

"I got that impression too. The knock-off part, not the open longer part," Mike agreed. "Did you see the bear one? It looked like Freddy's drunk uncle, and I swear I saw Orville the elephant. Now that's a seal of quality if I've ever seen one," he cracked with a smirk. "I can't believe we're expected to consider this competition."

"Okay, you both got me curious. Let's go see this drunken Freddy," Fritz coaxed. Mike and Jeremy both agreed, and they headed back to the office. Fritz dropped into the chair wearily and looked at the webpage that it had been left on. Mike leaned on the desk beside him while Jeremy stood behind them, peering over both of their shoulders. Fritz scrolled down to a low-quality picture of three animatronics standing on a stage. His brows raised immediately. "Yeah, I recognize them."

"Of course!" Mike said with exasperation. "Because if missing children are involved, then of course it involves Freddy's!"

"Don't get too twisted up about it yet. I said I recognized them, not that we need to be concerned." Fritz tapped on the screen above the animatronics. "These characters were pretty much absorbed by Fazbear Enterprises a long time ago, but I- and I might be wrong- I _think_ they were sold off afterwards. They weren't popular, they weren't authentic, and I don't think I even saw them in more than maybe one restaurant. And even then, they were just temps for when the main cast was down."

"So, they don't belong to Freddy's?" Mike asked in confusion.

"Probably not," Fritz agreed. "I don't know. Either they bought them when Freddy's went fully under or they're the last restaurant from that last chain. Freddy's bought out a lot of the small pizzerias in the area, you know. Animatronic pizzerias got popular, people opened them, and then I'm assuming that either William or Henry swooped in and put them out of business."

"Sounds like a great way to make friends," Mike quipped. "…Doesn't really explain why the kid went missing there."

"Well… I don't know. That is suspicious," Fritz agreed. "But, I mean, Purple Guy's long gone. Couldn't be him. Not sure why a copycat would hit there and not here."

"Don't jinx us. Mari's worried enough as it is," Mike murmured. They fell into a moment of silence until Jeremy cleared his throat.

"Maybe we're going about this all wrong… On the news, they said that the other two disappearances were in town, nowhere near that theater. So, maybe whoever is taking these children actually isn't connected to Freddy's at all!" Both workers silently exchanged a doubtful look. "Hear me out. What if this is just another man or woman kidnapping kids who just went to that theater because they didn't want to risk getting caught in town again?"

"…That's actually not a bad idea," Fritz admitted. "I mean, yeah, for us it all seems connected, but if we're honest with ourselves kidnappings like this happen all the time across the country. Besides, this place?" He tapped the screen again, "This place has a clean record if there's this little information on it."

"I second that," Mike almost reluctantly agreed. He wasn't sure how much he believed this, but there was little evidence that this truly was a Freddy connected incident. For once, he decided to stay blissfully unaware a bit longer, and pretended that his suspicions didn't exist.

Fritz gave a tired exhale and looked towards Mike. "Just keep an eye out whenever you get over there, and if they ask we're looking to buy something…" Fritz then looked back again. "And if you see anything they're willing to sell, then buy it. We could use whatever."

"I'm fine with that, but I'm less clear on this 'when I get there' thing. I'm not heading over there," Mike insisted. Fritz and Jeremy both looked surprised, which Mike noticed as he looked between them. "I'm serious. Chipper's, Hickory's, Afton's, Chance's- Even a broken clock's right twice a day. I can't afford another hospital visit."

"Oh… Alright, well. If you end up there then it still applies," Fritz remarked. He looked back to the screen while Mike continued staring at him.

"…You think I'm going straight up there after work, don't you?" Mike accused flatly.

"I didn't say that…" Fritz answered. His tone was still rather suggestive to it though. "…But yes, I am thinking it."

"You need more sleep, Fritz. Your truth-to-lie filter is botched," Mike remarked. He then straightened and headed to the office door. "I'm going to go get everything ready for opening." As he started out, he was briefly interrupted by a question from Jeremy to Fritz.

"Hey, is that Orville the Elephant?"

There was no way Mike was going to the theater anytime soon.

* * *

Marionette had only just returned to the Prize Corner after a long couple of hours feverishly circling his track around the front door. He had originally hoped that he would able to put aside his worries just enough to function rationally, but he couldn't. He was too on guard to perform or interact properly. Thankfully, Foxy was picking up the slack, but this was because he had been rather determined in not hearing about the disappearances. He saw the first report and then made it clear that he wanted to try staying in the dark. The restaurant depended on it.

Yet Marionette was not capable of putting it aside and it was beginning to show. Even while passing out tokens and exchanging tickets, he was becoming flustered and distracted. That was why he had eventually forced himself back to the Prize Corner. He couldn't keep staring at the door, waiting for someone who wouldn't appear. That never worked with the Purple Man and he knew it wouldn't work in this case either. That didn't mean he was anymore comfortable in his box. He tried to keep distracted looking over the prizes, but his mind was a tangle of thought threads.

He needed a distraction. As though an answer to this, it was then that she appeared outside the Prize Corner.

It would've normally been odd to see what was effectively a college-aged girl entering a children's pizzeria who neither worked there nor was escorting someone. It almost surprised Marionette, or it would've if he hadn't recognized her off the bat. Longer brown hair, soft facial features, vaguely distant look; it was Charlie, the daughter of Henry Johnson. Or more specifically, the daughter of who had been _Golden Freddy_.

Why this was so peculiar was that since that night where Marionette told her the truth, which felt like so long ago, Marionette had not seen or heard a word about Charlie. They simply hadn't crossed paths and, considering that he now had to worry about the children and couldn't afford to worry about her too, that didn't seem like such a terrible thing. He wasn't too surprised that she would be distant after he had effectively told her that her father, who she thought died in a simple accident, had become the soul of an animatronic bear.

Charlie looked into the Prize Corner and her eyes transfixed onto his mask. As though in a trance, or slightly hesitant, she slowly entered the room and approached his box. He rose higher to meet her and was glad that there weren't any children nearby. The girl looked off towards the prizes for a moment before gaining her nerve to speak. "Is this a bad time? Are you free to speak?"

"…Yes, unless someone comes in," Marionette answered quickly. "I didn't expect you to come here looking for me, but I am glad to see you again." He noticed her peculiar body language and how uncomfortable she seemed. "…I don't suppose this is a friendly call, is it?"

"No, it's not," Charlie admitted. She gave a tired sigh and met his gaze again. Her distant look melted into a much more somber one, "I'm sure you heard about the children that disappeared? I knew the most recent one, Jason." Marionette didn't hide the slight widening of his eyes at the revelation. "He's my friend's younger brother… I don't know if you saw the news, but he disappeared at an animatronic pizzeria down by St. George."

"It's an animatronic theater I believe, and yes, I've heard of it," Marionette answered. He leaned on the edge of his box, "I saw the newspaper this morning, but I… I was keeping an eye out after the last two."

"So, you don't know anything else?" Charlie inquired. She almost seemed surprised and perhaps a bit disappointed. "What about this place they were talking about? Have you been there?"

"Not yet. Today was the first time I even heard word of it… Which is peculiar considering that we were aware of most locations in the area. It's either not doing well or truly is out in the middle of nowhere."

"I drive by it almost daily," Charlie revealed. "But I never thought anything of it. I didn't even know that he knew about the place, or that anyone was planning on taking him there. I think he went with a couple of friends and someone's folks, but there's just details that I can't ask about… Which was why I was hoping that you would know." Her gaze lowered back to the floor and she folded her arms loosely.

Marionette wasn't sure how to feel. He was surprised first and foremost, and perhaps a little glad that Charlie felt safe enough with him to come to him with her worries. Though there was also an unyielding disappointment, because he knew absolutely nothing about the situation at hand. It was eating at him on the inside, and he had a suspicion that those were feelings she shared, but there was little he could say.

"I've been thinking about going over there myself and checking around," Charlie admitted. For the faintest split second, Marionette was washed over by dread and protectiveness.

"No. Don't do that," he nearly commanded. He raised his head and stared her down as his fingers tightened on the box. "It's not safe when we have no idea what we're getting into."

"But they won't suspect anything. I can walk right in and they'll just think I'm a customer," Charlie pointed out. "Or I can just- I can go at night and look through the windows. I have to do something."

"Let us say that there is someone at the theater who has been kidnapping children. That person could be dangerous, for we can assume that he would want to cover his tracks," Marionette explained. She looked ready to disagree and his fingers tightened again. She was headstrong, just like Mike was. However, unlike Mike, Marionette couldn't keep a constant eye on Charlie, and certainly wasn't close enough to her to convince her to stay. "If you are thinking of going over there-…" He knew that look and made up his mind. "…Then don't, and I will go instead."

"What?" Charlie asked in confusion and slight surprise.

"I promised your father I would protect you." Or something along those lines. Goldie never asked for that outright, but Marionette believed that it was implied. "And I… I want to protect the children too. The thought that someone could be… If there is something happening, and that theater is involved, then let Mike and I go first and scout out what we see. It is already possible that it was just a target due to its closeness to town."

"…Thank you." He managed to get a smile out of her. It was a small one, but it was a smile, and he considered that a victory. There was a moment of silence between them.

"I've had dreams about him," Charlie admitted with a disgusted grimace. Marionette tilted his head curiously. "Of the murderer- the Purple Man- suddenly appearing alive and well, being behind this, secretly returning to finish what he started years ago." She shuddered at the thought and he resisted his own. It made sense for her to be worried, especially since he had shielded her by not giving too many of the details. He wondered if she would've trusted him as much if he had told her about his connection to the man.

"…You're certain he's dead, right?" Marionette nodded in assurance. "What did he die of? It wasn't any way where he could fake it or come back later, right?" While it was definitely a possibility that William would do such a thing, he knew that this wasn't the case.

"He died of excessive bacon consumption," Marionette remarked. "Along with being out of shape and possibly genetic predisposition." This had been a joke, but from Charlie's confused look she didn't realize it. "He died of a heart attack," the Puppet clarified. "He didn't fake his death. Trust me; the Purple Man is no longer a threat to anyone… Unless anyone is unfortunate enough to share an afterlife with him."

"That… Makes me feel a little better," Charlie admitted as she rubbed at her sleeve. Marionette reached for her and she looked to his hand with hesitation. Seeing her reluctance, Marionette retracted his arm.

"I will see if I can uncover anything else about the theater. If it means I must go over there myself, then so be it, but I'm asking you to please not do anything to risk yourself… Not until I risk myself and Mike. We're pretty used to this," Marionette quipped with his smile fully returning. He hadn't even realized that he had let his expression slip; no wonder she looked a bit anxious. "And we've been to much worse. You should've seen Chipper's before their big overhaul in the spring."

"I'll take your word for it," Charlie answered with that small, amused smile still there. At least they could end on a slightly more comfortable note. She crossed to the counter and fumbled around for a Foxy head topped pencil and a flyer, where she scribbled down a number on the back. "This is my number. Call me if you find anything, please."

Marionette agreed and accepted the flyer. She turned to head out as he slipped the paper into his box for future reference. That might've been the end of it, if not for Mike stepping in as soon as she stepped out. The Puppet's smile grew tense as he realized that the security guard must have heard every word of that. "Now let me explain-."

"I leave you alone for five minutes and you start getting girls' numbers. To think I trusted you," Mike remarked. Marionette was less than enthused by the crack but was slightly relieved that Mike didn't seem upset about the arrangement. Or at least, he wasn't upset enough not to joke about it. "You could've warned me before you made us reservations at the theater."

"I'm sorry. I know I should've spoken to you first, but I was on the spot and I caved," Marionette almost meekly apologized. He rubbed his arm guiltily as he looked down towards the floor. "I don't know if you heard but she intended on going herself, and I'm sure that will be putting her in some sort of danger. Especially if she slips over there after nightfall…" He moved to tap his fingers together thoughtfully. "…But of course, I wouldn't be trapping you into going. It is your choice."

"At this point, Fritz is already convinced that I'm diving straight there after work, so there's no point in disappointing him," Mike pointed out. "Could've lived without him being so smug about it, but you can't win them all." Marionette raised his head to look at him, but there was still that lingering guilt. Mike's features softened with a tired sigh, "You really think this place is connected, don't you?"

"I don't know what I'm thinking," Marionette admitted. "All I know is that not knowing is driving me mad. I feel like I need to do _something,_ but I have no idea what!" His hands tightened together with an irritated hum of static. "I just can't stand not knowing."

"Yeah, well… To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely convinced that it's not somehow connected," Mike admitted. He paused only a moment before making his decision. "Alright, let's just do it. We'll go over there and check the place out."

"Thank you, Mike," Marionette thanked with a small smile appearing. "As soon as we close, we will head over there."

"Actually, I'm thinking of going now. If we wait until we're closed, then we're risking them being closed. Just teleport into the car and I'll put up the 'out of order' sign." Marionette looked absolutely shocked by the idea as Mike retrieved said sign from behind the prize counter.

"You're suggesting we just abandon work? I don't know if that's such a good idea," Marionette pointed out. He sent a wary look out into the dining room. "Foxy's having a tough time watching the children as it is, and if the prize corner is closed-."

"We'll stick Jeremy in here and the sign on the box. Nobody will ask, Foxy will be fine," Mike added. He approached the box again with a slightly smug smile, "Besides, I don't remember us having a boss."

" _We_ don't, _you_ do… But I'm lenient," Marionette playfully answered. He leaned over the edge of the box, reached for the security guard, and affectionately rested his hand on his shoulder. "Don't be too long," he added in, then vanished away before he could second guess it again. Mike proceeded to close the box and set the sign atop it. The sign was merely a plastic plate with the words "Taking a rest" painted on it along and finished with a small, cartoonish picture of his mask. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it worked well enough.

Mike passed by Jeremy on his way towards the hallway and stopped him. "Hey," he alerted as he stopped the man. "Don't tell Fritz, but Mari and I are taking off to see this theater. I need you to watch the prize corner." Jeremy stared at Mike blankly, seeming like he was trying to keep from smiling from how his mouth twitched. "Don't tell Foxy either, and don't get any ideas; this was Mari's plan." He had a feeling that Jeremy probably didn't believe him.

Mike had driven to St. George a few times in the last few years. While it was one of the closer cities, there weren't many reasons for him to pass through. It was the perfect place when he needed a hospital outside of town, but elsewise it didn't have much that held his interest. Not to mention that there wasn't much to see on the drive. The road between the two cities was mostly desert.

Though this did lead to one positive. About five minutes into the drive, once it became apparent that the roads were largely empty, and the desert was as barren as could be, Marionette moved into the passenger seat. He tilted back the seat enough that he would be beneath the window and propped his crossed legs on the dashboard. It was much more comfortable than being folded up in the backseat, especially since he was able to be in the air conditioning when it was such a warm day. Even now the sun was beating down.

It became apparent quickly that the radio wasn't going to be a viable option for entertainment. After passing three fuzzy music channels and a news cast that was purposely avoided, Mike ended up just turning the radio off entirely and switched to a discussion about the theater.

"Wasn't there a pig on that old Fredbear cartoon?" Mike asked seemingly out of the blue. "Because there's a dumpy looking pig animatronic at this place and Fritz was saying they were old Freddy's animatronics."

"Pigpatch? Yes, he was the token bully character," Marionette answered, almost lazily tilting his head to look in the human's direction. He then became curious, "…I don't remember him having an animatronic."

"Makes sense. Fritz said they were dragged in as temporary replacements whenever Freddy decided that he just wasn't going to function," Mike added in. "There was a hippo, some snake or alligator looking thing, and probably the most busted looking bear I've seen in a while. I can't imagine what pizzeria was bought out by Freddy's to get that thing."

"Oh, I wouldn't say anything was 'bought out'," Marionette quipped with an almost dark amusement. "Let's be honest with each other. Freddy's was a ruthless monster ran by a couple of ruthless monsters. They weren't above walking into a pizzeria with a mound of paperwork and demanding retribution for what may or may not be a legal knock-off."

"There's such a thing as a legal knock-off?" Mike asked with a small smirk.

"Depends on the color of the bear and the shape of the head," Marionette quipped back. "Everyone wanted to have their own Freddy-Bear."

"Couldn't understand it even if I wanted to," Mike remarked with the continuing smirk on his voice. "I have seen _a few_ animatronics that look better on stage. Why have a clumsy bear stomping around like a dinosaur when you can watch something more appealing?"

Marionette folded his fingers together and rested them on his buttons as he watched Mike. His smile turned a bit coyer. "I'm not sure if this is the most appropriate time to be flirting with me, Mike." Mike chuckled at the blunt comment.

"I'm already skipping work to go hang out at the competition. Why not up the ante and start flirting with my boss while out in public and while driving?" Mike cheekily quipped back. "It's not like you don't know what you're doing, stretching out, trying to look cute."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm sorry to say that I don't do this to look appealing. I do this to get comfortable," Marionette said. He then readjusted his striped legs and smoothly moved himself to get comfortable again. "Anything else is an unintentional side effect."

"That's why you're a good entertainer. You're entertaining even when you're just lying there," Mike added. Then his focus suddenly shifted as his eyes fell on something off the side of the road. "Here we go, I think we're creeping up on it."

"Already?" Marionette asked in surprise and sat upwards abruptly. He then attempted to duck back down while peering over the edge of the window. As Mike had predicted, they were driving up on the parking lot of some sort of single level building. If not for the orange words mounted above the entrance that read "Magictime Theater & Arcade" it would've almost been missed. It certainly wasn't decorated as extravagantly on the outside. It wasn't even set up as nice as Foxy's, and the reflection on the windows made it almost impossible to see the inside.

"That's definitely it. I recognize it from the website," Mike muttered. He slowly turned to start to pull in and noticed a large group of cars parked at the edge of the parking lot. _"I hope that's the search party and not customers, because if it is then this place actually is competition,"_ he thought, deciding not to voice the opinion. Instead he decided to offer something else, "Maybe I should go in first and check to make sure the place is cleared out. I don't want to risk you sneaking around if the place is jam packed with already suspicious adults."

Marionette silently nodded and slipped into the backseat once more. Mike turned off the car and considered removing some of his uniform, but then settled on leaving it on. A man casing the restaurant after a child disappeared would be genuinely creepy, but a competitor coming to scout the location was only a little sleazy in nature. Mike would rather not be approached by the cops if he didn't need to be.

"I'll come tell you if I see something noticeable and we'll make plans to come back tonight if there's anything really disturbing," Mike suggested. He started to open the car door when a hand slipped out and took his arm. The black fingers pet over him affectionately, but there was also a lingering hesitation in the touch, and silent worry.

"Be careful," Marionette forewarned. "…And keep an eye out." Mike agreed to both conditions, but he doubted that he would see much of anything. This left Marionette alone with his thoughts and memories. With Mike gone, he was left here with limited information and an infinite amount of questions. He could only hope that the children were still alive and safe wherever they were.

…Because if they weren't, it had been too long to bring them back. Marionette wouldn't have any gifts to give.

* * *

 **Mable: Alright, so the plan is for weekly updates, but if all goes well I might be able to post chapter two sooner than later. ^-^ I hope you enjoyed and continue reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Mable: Here we are with chapter two!**

 **So, I got a kindly review asking about my book, so I decided to put a little information here about it. ^-^ I just wrapped up chapter fourteen and am halfway through fifteen, which should be the last chapter unless the post-climax lasts longer than I anticipated it would. The book is called** _ **A Fool's Endeavor**_ **and is a medieval-fantasy novel involving the trials and travels of a jester and his unlikely companions.**

 _ **After a ruthless attack on the Kingdom of Acalathoy, the young princess is stolen away to be the child bride of the man who murdered her father. With the castle in shambles, the kingdom on its last legs, and any attempt to save the princess seen as an act of suicide, the self-designated challenge is laid upon the princess' personal jester, Lure, to go after her. Accompanied by an inexperienced apprentice of an alchemist and a sole-surviving knight, who has virtually no faith in the mission, the three must struggle to survive a quest that is much larger than they can handle. Confronted by all manner of overgrown and overpowered wildlife, thieves, strange pale folk with saccharine smiles, and their own shortcomings, Lure must push forward with his foolish endeavor or lose everything.**_

 **I try not to push my book too hard since you're here to read this story, but if you're curious then here you go. ^-^ Might be interesting to get these updates since I've been mentioning working on the novel since I was working on the last story. Anyway, without any further ado, let us move on!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Two_

Magictime Theater and Arcade was almost exactly what Mike expected: a knock-off, low-budget version of Freddy's that- thank whatever merciful force was watching over- had less business than Foxy's currently did.

Mike stepped inside and looked around the theater with growing scrutiny. The walls were painted a dark blue while the floor was a well-treaded carpet that was black with stars and confetti printed on it. The theater seemed to be comprised of one large room, with a sort of prize corner against the wall to the far right. Arcade machines were sprawled around the room and littered along the floor. Nothing nearly as impressive as what Hickory's had to offer- case in point why they were still in business after losing most of their animatronics- but still effective.

There was a large stage against the back wall that was backed by a thick, dusty, purple curtain. On the stage were four of the animatronics he had seen on the website, standing in the same position, and looking like they were waiting for something. He decided not to head back to them directly and instead continued looking around. There was another door on the back wall that possibly led to offices or a bathroom. Oddly enough, there weren't any obvious bathrooms in the building, but he wondered if that had something to do with the fact that, while there were a few tables, there didn't seem to be any kitchen.

He turned his attention to the prize counter and approached, as there was what looked to be a worker sitting behind the desk. He was a gangly, curly haired young man, dressed in a rust-colored polo and watching a mounted television. Mike could pinpoint the guy's age exactly, but he could guess that he was also in his twenties, unless he looked older or younger than he was. The security guard leaned on the desk and this caught the attention of the worker, who looked over in confusion. The two stared at each other for a moment.

"…Can I help you?" the man asked. He sat more upright in his seat and straightened his back, then sent a lingering gaze over Mike's clothing. "You're… Not with the news I guess."

"Sure I am. This security guard uniform is just for fun," Mike quipped back. He grew serious immediately afterwards. "No. I'm not with the search party either. I'm over from Foxy's Pirate Cove Pizzeria." He scrambled for a believable excuse and then concocted one that was sure to fall apart. "Glenn from Chipper's said you might be selling old arcade machines." He could only hope that nobody would call and double check.

"Never heard of the place," the man quickly denied. "And I don't know anything about selling machine… Unless, wait, hold on a second. I think Rhonda's in the back. She's the one who'd be doing that." He stood from the counter and beckoned Mike with him. His ignorance excuse almost outdid Mike's own poor excuse. At this point, Mike couldn't imagine how competitors wouldn't know about each other, but then remembered that up until today Magictime Theater was unknown to him.

"So… You're from a pizzeria! I guess that makes us competitors." There was an awkward pause between them. "…Or we would've been, if not for all this bad press."

"I wouldn't worry about it. It's not like this hasn't happened to a franchise before," Mike suggested. He didn't expect the young man to catch the comment and understand what he meant.

"You mean Freddy's? Yeah, Freddy's. Freddy's was bad," the man admitted. "You better believe we know how bad Freddy's was. You wouldn't believe how much Freddy's name has been thrown around since that kid disappeared. It's brutal- Don't get me wrong, it's terrible for the family, but we had a parents group in here." The man paused and turned towards Mike with a cringing look on his face. "A _parent's group_!" he whispered harshly. "Coming in demanding security video that we didn't have! Our security goes about as far as beeping me- that's it.

"…Yeah, that sounds like Freddy's all right," Mike admitted. He couldn't help but be glad that this was happening to the competitor and not their business, but he was also sympathetic. If it was true that they weren't connected to the disappearance, then it was a shame that they were under fire for it. That was if they _weren't_ connected though. So far, the man didn't seem like the type, but then again Mike himself had trusted Fredrick for years. That was something he wouldn't ever get over.

Though there was also the inconsistency that he noticed. _"How does he know about Freddy's, which everyone just happens to forget about, but doesn't know about Foxy's? Guess it's true what they say; all publicity is good publicity."_

"It's really just me in here today, but it doesn't matter because there's no kids. Look for yourself; there's only maybe one family in here," the man pointed out as he gestured to a couple of children with their father at a basketball throwing game. He gave a tired shake of the head and looked towards Mike, "What about Foxy's?"

"You know all the kids that were supposed to be here?" Mike asked. Jose nodded. "Yeah, they're over at Foxy's right now."

There was a silent pause. Then the man spoke, "I know that was a joke, but you're probably right." The level of defeat was almost enough to cause Mike to break down laughing, but he kept himself composed and offered his hand.

"Mike Schmidt. I'd welcome you to hell, but I see you've already become acquainted with it here," the security guard remarked as they stopped at the door into the back, sitting beside the stage. The other man shook his hand eagerly.

"I'm Jose," the man introduced. "Let me step into the back and see if my manager got back yet. You just sit tight, alright? Watch the show." He then leaned over and pressed a button on the side of the stage. Mike hadn't been quick enough to stop him and could only stand there at the mercy of the animatronics. There was a low buzz from somewhere inside the stage as Jose then headed through the door and disappeared into what looked to be a hallway.

This left Mike alone with the animatronics. Except for the family that remained in the theater, but they didn't even look over when the noises began. The animal figures began squeak and hum as the stage beneath them creaked in response to whatever mechanism they were connected to inside. Looking at the large cords jutting out of their backs and disappearing into the stage, it was clear that these weren't the usual 'haunted' animatronics, which usually lacked a power source. Or if they were, they were at least docile enough to be hooked up without concern.

In the center of the stage was the frog animatronic that Mike recognized from the article. It raised its head, flickered its eyes around, and then raised its microphone to speak.

" _Oh wow, is it showtime already?! Gee guys, I must have overslept! Is everyone ready?"_ the frog chirped in a bubbly voice. From beside her, a dark purple hippo raised its head and began to speak.

" _I don't know, Happy. Is anyone really ready to go out on that stage and face the crowd?"_ the hippo asked as it slowly raised its hand in a thinking pose. _"I was just saying to Orville the other day, "Orville, how do you really get ready for something before you do it?" Do you know you're ready? I don't think anyone can really be ready, because you must anticipate everything, and you can never tell when something is going to go amiss. You'd have to plan every moment of every day. Sometimes I plan days out with my friends, like Orville, but things usually don't go on schedule. I can plan a lunch at a bistro, a walk in a park, and then a game of cards, but what if it rains? What if they run out of tomato and I can't have a tomato sandwich? I mean, tomato sandwiches make the afternoon, and what's an afternoon without a nice sandwich? And I don't know that many games of cards, but what if Orville wants to play checkers? The anticipation-."_

" _Well I'm ready-eady!"_ the frog giggled while the hippo continued to ramble onwards. Now the brown bear Freddy knock-off got involved. He cocked his head, one eye looking over while the second looked stuck dead ahead.

" _Did you say ready Neddy? Cause I'm not ready-Neddy for nothing just yet! I just woke up, hyuk!"_ the bear laughed with a noise that was either a laugh or a hiccup.

"Oh yeah, that bear's wasted," Mike muttered under his breath. He then noticed the hippo rocking as he attempted to turn towards the bear, still rambling while the others talked. "Hippo's not doing too well either… What am I even watching?"

" _That's right, Orville! It's time to start the show!"_ Happy remarked to an animatronic that was obviously not there. Unless Orville was the name of more than just one elephant. _"Is your banjo ready, Pigpatch?"_ The pig now had his time to speak, but what it said threw Mike into absolute befuddlement.

" _Yar, he be right, Boyo! It be time to start the show!"_ Pigpatch remarked in a very pirate-like accent. Mike's brows raised as the pig continued to prattle on, mock strumming his guitar. _"An' we gonna play til we can't no more!"_

"Since when was Pigpatch a pirate?" Mike asked himself as he stared at the pig. He remembered back to the few moments of the cartoon that he could remember, but then came to an abrupt conclusion when he realized how familiar the voice was. _"Don't tell me… Is that just an old Foxy recording stuck inside that pig?"_ As Pigpatch gave a chortle of laughter, he concluded that this was very likely. _"That can't be legal."_

To top it all off, as confusing as this all was and as weird as the show was, it was running fine. The animatronics moved fine, and the voices came through clearly, which meant that this was the first time Mike had seen a competitor's show actually be competent. He didn't have the faintest idea how to process that thought.

While this was still fresh on his mind, Jose stepped back out through the door and into the arcade again. Mike could tell that he had no success from his look alone.

"So, unfortunately, she's still out. Probably out trying to appease the search party or helping them… She'll probably be back soon," Jose suggested with a strained smile. "You can wait?"

Mike was still staring at the stage in semi-shock. "I can wait. So… These are your animatronics?" He looked to Jose slowly.

"Yup! The gang's all here!" Jose introduced as he beckoned to the stage. He then hesitated for a few moments. "Well, except Orville, he's not in service anymore. There four are the bread and butter really! Mr. Hippo and Nedd are sort of the leaders of the group. Maybe Mr. Hippo more, because Nedd's usually nodding off. Happy Frog is sort of the token girl, but she's bubbly. She's a fan favorite. Then there's Pigpatch. He can be gruff, but he's got a good heart on him. Anyone stand out to you so far? I mean, I haven't seen either of yours over at Foxy's, but I'm guessing they're not too different."

" _I'm going to just pretend that it's not weird that someone would know nothing about a business and still know how many bots they have,"_ Mike thought. He vaguely recognized that the animatronics were winding up into a song, having finally gotten Mr. Hippo to quiet down. "I kind of like the one going through an existential crisis," Mike remarked. From Jose's almost excitable smile, it seemed that he knew whom he was referring to. It was now that Mike focused in on Pigpatch's singing voice, recognizing that it was still definitely Foxy's. "You know, Porkpocket kind of sounds like Foxy."

He only realized after he said it that his tone sounded suspicious. He looked out of the corner of his eye at Jose, who was now staring at him. "…But it's not like these guys came out of a Freddy's, so it's not the case." The silence continued, and Jose started to look a little uneasy. Mike slowly raised a brow, "…Unless this is just some sort of refurbished Freddy's."

"I've only been working here for a couple of months. I don't even program the animatronics; that's Dave's job. I just press the button," Jose suddenly defended. "You'd have to ask my boss, but Pigpatch- Porkpocket?... Pigpatch and Foxy wouldn't-." The man looked towards Pigpatch, who was currently muttering a sea shanty version of the chorus while Nedd swayed and Happy giggled. It was a dead giveaway that something was amiss. Jose looked back to Mike with the slightest bit of dread, "The animatronics are just a little…"

"Hey, between Pirate Pig and the Gateway to the Cosmos over there, I can see you've got your hands full," Mike sympathized, pointing in a thumb in the stage's direction. "I mean, what _exactly_ are they singing up there? This isn't exactly a song." As soon as Pigpatch finished his solo, it moved back to Mr. Hippo, who instead of singing proceeded to ramble aimlessly. "I stand corrected. That was a song. This isn't."

"You wouldn't believe the threats of lawsuits," Jose suddenly squeaked out. Mike raised a brow in confusion, but then suddenly understood. Jose was alluding to the fact that he thought Mike was about to threaten legal action, but at this point Mike knew that he didn't have to. Not that he had any intention of doing so anyway. That was just more publicity that neither wanted to deal with.

"Hey, no, it's not a problem. If anything, it's way funnier than it needs to be," Mike abruptly defended. Just hearing the mention of lawsuits and remembering what Marionette said about them made him defensive. "Look, as long as he never says he is Foxy and stays a pig, then I think we can live with it. Especially with all this bad press hanging over us. That's the last thing I care about." That was the truth too. Though it did slightly bother him, it wasn't enough to make a fuss about. Especially when he was here to scout out information about the children. "But there's others?"

"Yeah, there was Orville before he was shelved. There's a few 'sort of' animatronics too," Jose answered. He was now a bit more careful with his words. "Over that way beside the counter is the Candy Robot. You stick a coin in it, it talks, it gives you candy, that's the most of it. I guess you'd count that as an animatronic. He's got a couple of different stories. The Magic Puppet Box too, but nobody ever got it working right, so it's more of a statue than a real animatronic. There was this clown that used to hold lemonade, but it started growing this black mold in a ring around the middle-."

"Wait a minute. Step back a second," Mike interrupted. He blinked as he processed the words again and hoped that he had misheard, because it was bad enough that Pigpatch was belting out Foxy's voice. "…What exactly is a Magic Puppet Box?" he asked with slow growing dread.

"Yeah, I can see why you'd catch that name. It kind of sounds… You know… Sounds a little suspect for a family arcade," Jose pointed out with a goofy smile. He then directed past Mike, who turned around to see said box against the wall, hidden between an arcade machine and a jukebox. "We used to keep it up front, but then we started having trouble propping it up. So, it's been banished back here until someone gets it working," Jose explained as he approached the large, purple, striped box waiting there. "The technician doesn't like touching the thing and we have nobody else who can repair it.

Mike had a bad feeling that he knew what was in the box, but he was too curious to look away. It was almost like watching a slow train wreck. That is, if the train wreck was a slowly sinking in realization revealing something that he would be forced to address, least having something he considered his own be tampered with. Jose opened the box and started to lift out the animatronic inside. It only became worse once he could see said statue.

The body looked almost plastic-like, or a similar slickened material. It was black with white stripes around the chest and arms, though he couldn't see the legs. It had a round head with a tail on the back that looked like the point on a jester's hat, even tipped with a golden bauble that resembled a bell. Its face was a white mask broken into plates, almost like the Afton animatronics. Blue stripes led down from its eyes to its mouth where a red bottom lip was painted underneath a wide smile.

In short, it was a puppet, and it was a stark mimic of Marionette.

"…Alright. Now we've got a problem."

* * *

Mike didn't know whether or not to be relieved when the flustered woman barged into her own office. Naturally, the manager was quick to return once Jose called her about the situation and introduced herself quickly as the manager of the arcade. She looked to be a woman in her forties with short strawberry blond hair; looked to be like a normal, middle-aged woman, and wasn't the slightest bit suspicious. She then sat down at the other side of the desk, looking like a flustered mess, and decided to be blunt.

"I don't know if Jose told you, but we are in a bit of a crisis, so if we could handle this outside of court then I would greatly appreciate it. We really can't afford it, and I don't think you or your bosses are going to want to take this to the law. Not when we can try to work something out," the woman suggested. Her voice was dripping in desperation. "We don't need any more lawsuits."

"No, I totally agree. I don't want this going anywhere near a courtroom," Mike insisted as he raised his hands in defense. "I'm one of the co-owners of Foxy's, and we have a hard-enough time keeping off Freddy's reputation without any frivolous lawsuits. Especially with children disappearing." The woman looked relieved by the comment. "You've had problems with lawsuits?"

"Last month a child climbed up on the stage and pawed on one of our animatronics until it fell over on them. Suddenly we're stuck with numerous medical bills, we've got protestors unless we take the robot off the stage, and our reputation takes a hit. We lost almost all our customers for two weeks. Nothing like this, but hard to recover from." She shook her head wearily. "The child was fine. Just a couple of broken bones. Bones will heal. What really took a hit was the business. So, now that these children our disappearing, we've got the protestors back for round two."

"Uh huh…" In almost an instant, Mike had any sympathy that he had run out. He wasn't even sure what part of what she said did it either. He reached towards his pocket to retrieve his wallet. "Anyway, I can show you the pictures, but it's pretty much an exact copy. I'm guessing you got it from Afton's Robotics?"

"It was at an auction, but I had no idea it was the same character," the manager defended. Mike couldn't tell if she really was ignorant to the situation or was feigning it. He had trouble believing that they knew about Foxy's- or didn't know about Foxy's- but weren't aware that one of their characters was literally a copy of one of Foxy's stars. "We can take it down. It doesn't work anyway. Dismantling it wouldn't be a problem if it means that it gets rid of this problem," the woman offered. She was weary and desperate, he could tell that much. "It's been a rough couple of weeks. We've had the press in here every five minutes, interviewing my staff-."

"I was over here looking to purchase something anyway. Glenn over from Chipper's said you might be selling arcade machines, but I think we could take this off your hands," Mike smoothly suggested. "I'd have to talk with the other owners first, but I think we could go out a couple hundred, unless you want to haggle." He knew she would take the bait. She was too flustered, and he wanted to get ahold of this 'Magic Puppet Box' before someone else did.

If Mike was honest with himself, there was an obvious double standard. Pigpatch was clearly a Foxy doppelganger, but he decided to let it go. Yet the mere thought of someone else having Marionette's image on a statue or animatronic, or whatever it was, made him immediately become defense. Protective almost, even though Marionette was his own person and not just a brand. He wondered vaguely if Henry had ever felt like this, but then decided that he couldn't. While alive, Henry couldn't have known how alive the animatronics were. If any even had been alive then.

Only now did Mike realize that the woman was still talking. "-then it didn't work right. They sold it to us saying that it was a 'Security' animatronic and that it was programmed to watch children, but we've never gotten it to work."

"And God don't we wish we did!" Jose blurted in. He promptly cut off as his manager sent him an exasperated glare. "I'll be going back out to watch the door."

"Please," the woman said. Once he was gone, she sent a tired look to Mike. "I lost two employees already. My _best_ employees. Now all I have Dave and Jose. Dave's never working and Jose… Please tell me you're firing someone decent in the next twenty-four hours. Preferably someone who lives within a couple of miles."

"I'm afraid not. We're having trouble keeping in staff as it is," Mike denied sympathetically.

"We're _very_ aware of how well Foxy's is doing," the manager revealed. She almost sounded a bit sour about it, but he could see why. "Better than we're going to be doing for a long time. If we even survive this. Who could've expected that someone would snatch a child in broad daylight? We couldn't. We don't even have a working camera system. You better believe that we're paying for it now."

"So, you knew about Foxy's Pizzeria and how it's been doing…" Mike started, "…but you didn't know about the Puppet?"

The woman stared at him and he quirked a brow. She got a fleeting look of alarm and he suppressed a smirk. She got a look of defeat and he knew he had her hooked. "…I think we can work with two hundred," the woman caved quickly.

"I'll run it by the others and bring the van to pick it up… I don't know, maybe next week? Maybe whenever this all dies down so that we don't get unneeded attention," Mike suggested. The manager agreed without a hitch. It all seemed well and good, and it would've been wise to leave it there. Of course, that was when Mike remembered, halfway through standing, that he was there for a reason. "But about this whole child kidnapping thing, you haven't had anyone casing the arcade?"

"Casing the arcade?" the woman asked in confusion. Her own naïve tendencies started to shine through. He was becoming less surprised, between her and Jose, that they hadn't been anticipating trouble.

"Anyone strange lurking around, or people without kids who come in and do busywork? Let's say, some forty-something-year-old, overweight man with a skin condition comes in, buys a bag of chips, and then sits at one of the tables watching the kids for a half an hour before abruptly leaving?" Mike should've expected the positively floored look that he got from the woman. As though she thought he was insane, to which perhaps a normal person would. Then again, a normal person would've understood what he was trying to say. "Anyone strange?"

"Not that I saw, and I'm sure my workers would've come to me if they had any concerns," the woman insisted. She then rubbed her face in exasperation. "It just doesn't make sense! These sorts of things don't happen in small towns like this. This was supposed to be a turn key business and now this happens…"

" _Yeah, let's not feel bad about the kid. Let's just be upset about our businesses suffering_ ," Mike inwardly vented. He naturally didn't say any of that out loud, but he certainly thought it, and his patience was wearing thin. Seeing that he was going nowhere, he decided to cut the conversation short. "Well, we'll keep in touch. Hope it all goes well…?" Just saying it made him feel like a sham.

"Rhonda, and thank you," the manager introduced and seamlessly ended the conversation. She then seemed to fall into the silence of lamenting as he stepped out into the hallway.

Now alone, Mike looked down through the hallway with an impatient exhale. If he hadn't already given himself away, he could've easily wrangled his way into a nightguard position. Then he would've been fully able to explore the theater without anyone questioning it. Alas, he had decided to be honest this time, which kept him out of reach of proper answers. The only positive was that this did manage to keep Mike out of the limelight. From what they had said, people were now looking into the business, and the last thing he wanted was them tracing him back to Foxy's. They were already connecting this place to Freddy's; they would certainly find out about Foxy's past if they looked hard enough.

For now, Mike was stuck at a standstill. _"No cameras, no witnesses, happened in broad daylight, and nobody noticed a thing,"_ Mike thought with disappointment. He ran a weary hand over his face and headed towards the front door. His gaze wandered to the robot positioned beside it, which he hadn't noticed on the way in. "Huh… So, this is the maybe-maybe not animatronic," he remarked. He looked at the coin slot on its front. "…Eh, I'm here anyway."

Curious to see the 'animatronic' do something other than stand there, Mike dropped a quarter into it and twisted the crank. The robot suddenly came to life with flashing colors over its body. Then a robotic voice spoke up.

" _I am Candy Cadet. Come get your candy here. I have candy all day, every day. Candy. Candy. Candy,"_ the flashing robot said. Then, with the quietest popping noise, a piece of candy dropped into the opening on its front. Mike quirked a brow and took the brightly wrapped piece. " _Return to Candy Cadet again and maybe I will tell you a story?"_ the robot added. With that, the lights dimmed, and the robot fell silent again. Mike sent it a very unenthused thumbs up.

"Good job. That was about what I expected," Mike said. He then turned towards the door. "Not curious enough for that story to stick another quarter in, but at least you tried." His voice dripped with sarcasm as he stepped outside and looked around the parking lot.

For a moment Mike tried to simply imagine what had happened, as though his imagination would give him the answers that he sought. A child alone in a parking lot, in daylight, suddenly taken by an unknown person. No wonder they were checking the desert; the whole thing sounded like nonsense if thought through a few times. That alone made the business a prime suspect, but perhaps that was what the kidnapper wanted. An eleven-year-old boy would've fought and yelled, so it seemed like he would've had to have been lured away by something. Perhaps into the back of a van.

Mike unrolled the piece of candy and popped it into his mouth. He promptly spit it right back into the wrapper. _"Ugh, I think I would've preferred the story,"_ Mike thought as he rolled it back up. He still stuck it in his pocket even though he had no intention of eating it. Yet before he could make his next decision, he was interrupted by a voice to his left.

"Hey Buddy, you got a light?" a dry, crackling voice asked. Mike had been too distracted with the candy to pay attention as the man slinked over, but now looking at him he was unnerved that he had let the man get so close. The man looked older than him, perhaps a bit younger than Scott, but was nearly as gaunt as a skeleton. His skin was sullen, and a few dots of open sores rested on his cheeks and chin. When the man sent him a smile, Mike noticed dull, yellowed teeth.

"… _This guy works here?"_ Mike asked himself in disbelief. Something about the man just rubbed him the wrong way. The appearance alone was a dead giveaway. "Sorry, I've got nothing."

"It was worth a short," the guy said with that same, wide smile. "If you're looking for a job, I'd look somewhere else. If this place stays open past the end of the month, I'll be shocked." He chuckled at the thought, then coughed into his fist. Perhaps he didn't need a cigarette that badly, Mike thought. He assumed that the man would then leave after this, but he didn't do so, and so the conversation- if it could be called that- continued.

"I think I'd choose a better time to look for a job," Mike said. "I'm here looking to see if there's any animatronics or arcade cabinets for sale. I work over at Foxy's." He almost immediately regretted saying the restaurant's name when the man gave him another one of his unsettling smiles.

"I've heard of that place. It's an off shoot of Freddy's, right?" the man asked.

"Not connected. Just the same animatronic," Mike insisted.

"Because Freddy's hasn't done that before!" the man crackled. "This place is just another Freddy's. All the stuff inside of there came out of one of the closed locations or somewhere. You better believe it's all connected." He seemed fully amused by it and didn't seem to notice how Mike was currently leering at him. By now the security guard was starting to suspect the strange man.

"So, you work here, or you worked at a Freddy's? Because you had an in at one of them," Mike asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I work here, but there ain't much work to be done. Not now that someone's snatching kids all over the place," the man said. He stuck out a hand, "Dave Miller."

"Mike," Mike answered and went for the man's hand. He hesitated for a second as the name sunk in. The name Dave was one that he recognized, but only at this moment did he link it to something some time ago. In the back of his mind he vaguely remembered the Phone Guy saying something about a man named Dave working at Freddy's. _"It's a common name. Might not be the same guy… Still knows a little too much about Freddy's… Has that 'creep from Freddy's' vibe."_ Despite his suspicions, he shook Dave's hand.

" _Mike_ , huh?" Dave said with a little too much interest. "I'll try to remember that. If you've got an in at Foxy's, then I might be coming your way for a job after this place goes under. Or might just swing by Foxy's for the fun of it." Mike didn't like the way he said it. Nor did he like how Dave squeezed his hand at that comment. The longer he stayed with Dave, the more he wanted the man away from him, and far away from the business. He kept civility out of necessity.

"Depends on whether or not this elusive parents' group makes its rounds over at Foxy's," Mike quipped back. As per usual, he used humor to cover what he was really feeling, and as such he doubted that Dave could tell how much he suspected him. "I'll be back next week, so I'll be seeing you." He then jammed his hands in his pockets and started towards the car, thinking that he covered well enough.

"By the way, purple's a good look on you," Dave called after him. By time Mike turned around, the man was heading inside, and an uncomfortable feeling settled into his gut. That comment wasn't a compliment, a come on, or anything else even like normal social behavior. Dave had specifically pointed out the color, pointed out the purple uniform, which was one of the few things that carried over from Freddy's. Any worker would be sure to recognize the gaudy color. No, Dave wasn't complimenting him; he was calling him out.

" _He did it. He's the child snatcher. I can't prove it, but there's no way he didn't,"_ Mike determined. _"Of all the things to survive Freddy's, it had to be the freaks."_ He was abuzz with disgust and continued suspicion as he climbed back into the car and shut the driver's door. "Did you see that guy outside the front?"

"The thin one? Yes," Marionette said from the back seat. He inched over the middle console while making sure to stay low. "He triggered my programming. He's the first purple person I've seen in some time."

"Really? He was looking purple?" Mike asked. He watched the front door a moment longer before looking down to turn the key. "Stay low. He's still in there looking out." The man then proceeded to turn the car around and drive out of the parking lot, and onto the safety of the highway. By now they were surely out of the view of the unsettling man.

"Since the Pizzeria opened, I've become more relaxed. Strangers no longer look like purple monsters to me. I see people as they are: human beings with lives. Not all adults are dangerous…" Marionette paused a moment as he looked up at Mike. "But the second I saw that man, he lit up so brightly that it makes your uniform look pale in comparison. He was entirely purple. Something's wrong with him."

"I'll say, it's Dave," Mike pointed out. Marionette looked confused, but he too felt a touch of familiarity at the voice. "Whether or not he's the same Dave that Scott was talking about has yet to be seen."

"Dave… That sounds familiar…" Marionette looked downwards in thought. "And if he worked at the pizzeria then perhaps that is why he is so purple. Perhaps my programming recognized him before I did?" He sounded both surprised and disturbed, both of which Mike would eagerly agree were appropriate.

"We'll figure out if he's the same guy the second we get to Scott's. That's where I'm going," Mike said. Marionette wouldn't argue with him on that front. "…But on a lighter note, I met your twin while inside."

"Excuse me?" Marionette asked in confusion as he looked upwards at the guard.

"They called it the Magic Puppet Box," Mike said. He got a slightly smug, mostly amused smile, which was the giveaway that he was not joking. Marionette nearly straightened more for that than for the reveal of Dave's name and possible connection to Freddy's.

"You're kidding," the Puppet muttered. "Please, Mike, tell me you're pulling my strings."

"Oh, I _wish_. I just agreed to spend two hundred dollars to buy it; I'd say it's the real deal," Mike said with a chuckle. "Spitting image of you, except a few difference. This sort of tail thing out of the back of its head and its tear stripes are blue instead of purple." He noticed the growing look of offense on the animatronic's mask. "Doesn't come on or anything, but maybe if you wrapped your strings into it you could puppeteer it."

"There is another version of myself, another animatronic that looks just like me, sitting inside of that theater… And you offered to _buy_ it?" Marionette wasn't sure how to react, but the mix of alarm and offense was there. Someone was using his image for another animatronic, and now Mike was agreeing to take it in. It wasn't as though it was haunted either, or Mike would've said so.

"I don't know. I thought maybe you'd think its cute and want to keep it," Mike playfully remarked. Marionette sent him a flat sort of look.

"Keep your friends close, keep your doppelgangers closer?" the Puppet challenged. He crossed his arms and added in with finality, "We're not taking it home."

The human smirked a little wider at the response. It had all been worth it for this reaction alone.

* * *

 **Mable: In case you are wondering, Scott did mention a man named Dave before. To save you the trouble of having to go look for what he said, Scott said that he didn't trust Dave and considered him a liar… And yes, this is from the man who didn't immediately suspect something off with a man named** _ **Fredrick Fazmann.**_ **Bang up job as usual, Phone Guy. XD Thanks for reading and the next chapter will be posted soon. Happy late Fourth of July!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Mable: Good news! I finished the last chapter of 'A Fool's Endeavor!' Now I just need to finish the epilogue, edit, and then look towards publishing. I am** _ **very**_ **excited! ^-^ Anyway, let us continue with the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Three_

Scott was surprised to see Mike standing there when he opened his front door. Usually the man called before he came over, but it was still a relief to see him instead of anyone else. Considering what had been on the news, he had anticipated a visit from someone a little less friendly. The authorities wouldn't have to look far to find his interviews from Freddy's. "Oh, uh, hey Mike!" he greeted. "I didn't expect you to come by. Come in."

"Sorry to drop in unannounced, but we've got a problem. And by 'we' I mean: expect Marionette to appear in two or three seconds," Mike forewarned. As soon as the door was shut behind him, just as predicted, Marionette also appeared inside the house beside him. Because of the warning, it didn't take the older man off guard, and he exchanged a quick greeting with the animatronic before beckoning the two further into the living room.

"So, what's going on?... I guess I shouldn't play dumb on this. I'm pretty sure I know what you're here about. Hold on a second." The Phone Guy stopped beside the garage door and knocked on it before calling through, "It's just Mike and Mari." When he looked back again, Mike was sending him a slightly questioning look. "…We've had a couple of friendly neighbors who've been a bit friendlier than I would like." Mike vaguely remembered something along those lines the last time he and Scott had spoken. Anything to keep Ennard hidden from the public.

"I'm sure you do know what we're here about. It's unfortunate that it couldn't be under more pleasant circumstance." Marionette said. He then gave a weary sigh and rubbed over his mask. "We went to Magictime Theater, where the child went missing recently, and we found something very disturbing waiting there." It was now that his human companion broke in.

"They call it the _Magic Puppet Box_. Let that sink in," Mike quipped with a smug sort of look. Marionette sent him a light frown in response. "We also found an extremely suspicious looking man. Stood about yay high, all covered in purple, and said his name was Dave Miller. We thought maybe this was the guy you were mentioning because he set off alarm bells with Mari." He looked to the Puppet briefly and by time he looked back to Scott, the older man had grown at least a shade paler. It was like the blood drained entirely from his face. "I take from that look that we were on the right track."

"Oh, I know him. Oh wow…" Scott rubbed over his hair in slow alarm as he headed to the couch. He dropped down onto it as he needed to sit down for the news. "Yeah, that's… That's Dave alright. Dave Miller. I thought he was the murderer for the longest time... Or I did until I found out about what William was doing."

Marionette sat down on the couch beside him while Mike continued standing nearby. Even as Scott spoke, he could hear the garage door slowly creaking open behind him. An unsettling feeling sunk in as he felt the eyes currently burning into his back. Even on 'friendly enough' terms, Ennard had a way of making someone nervous.

"But Dave wasn't ever right. Towards the end he was constantly coming to work drunk. Was always a little too curious about the night shift workers, even after he was transferred to the day shift… Maybe that was why he was the way he was," Scott continued to explain. "Maybe it was working those long hours with the risk of death that did it."

What did it for Mike was hearing the low squeaking from behind as Ennard continued to inch out the door. He finally moved to the couch and dropped down beside Scott, hoping that he could effectively shake the clown. While things were passively peaceful- for Scott and Marionette's sake- Mike couldn't handle having human or animatronic breathing down his neck. Mike patted the cat stretched out behind him and added in, "Yeah, he had a sort of drugged out look to him. He was all sunken in with spots all over his face. I didn't think of it at the time because we were talking Freddy's."

Scott sighed wearily at this. "Well, we know that he didn't kill the children that William killed, and we have no reason to believe he had any connection with William… But I never trusted him, a-and I wouldn't… You know, this doesn't seem nearly as unrelated to Freddy's now. Not that we know he was in the area and, from what you said, not much about him has changed," Scott explained. Past him, Mike could see Marionette's look of dread growing. "And the pattern's every five days, right?"

"Something like that. It's happened twice, so it's starting to look like a pattern," Mike agreed. "Not to mention that Magictime didn't have cameras. There could've been evidence still there that I wasn't able to see, but on the other hand I can't afford to have the cops see me snooping around and thinking that I'm the suspect when that creep's still running loose."

"No, you're right. You don't want to be a suspect. That never gets away from you," Scott insisted. He then fell into a disturbed silence.

"But it was Dave _Miller_? You're certain?" Marionette inquired. Scott nodded, and the Puppet languidly rose from the cough again. "Then he could very well be the person behind this… Perhaps the best option would be for me to slip into the theater on the next fifth night and keep watch for whether he brings any children in."

"Something about that sounds like a bad idea," Mike pointed out. He watched the Puppet carefully as a tinge of protectiveness started to appear. "If this guy really is doing something like this, then I'm going to take a wild guess and say he's probably armed. Not to mention that the animatronics in there…" All at once he cut off, because the suspicion returned. The animatronics at the theater weren't acting haunted, so perhaps Dave was kidnapping kids with the intention of changing that. Mike pushed the thought away as being unlikely. "He could have a taser."

"He wouldn't even see me coming… And once I had him incapacitated, you could come in and secure him, and then we would find the children. Whether they're in the theater or we have to go to his address." Before Mike could point out that this was all based off suspicion alone, Marionette turned on him, looking as determined as ever. "And before you even try to remain doubtful, I want you to honestly tell me that you think this is a case of mistaken identity. If you can, then I'll agree with you."

There was a long pause of silence.

"…Alright," Mike agreed. He ignored the look of unease that Scott sent him. "We go at night, we play our cards close to our chest, and if we do catch Dave doing it then we knock him down a few pegs, let the kids go, and file an anonymous tip so it doesn't get back to us. Short, sweet, and clean."

"…That might actually work," Scott said quietly. "I… I actually think that's a good plan."

"Hell yeah, it's a good plan. I've had enough terrible, 'let's just run in headfirst' plans to figure out something that works," Mike said while cracking a smirk. He then looked back to Marionette, "Then you can call Charlie and tell her that we really do have it all under control. We'll stop this thing before it becomes something bigger, because if this really is based off Freddy's, then he's probably going to target two more children. That means that this next night is the best chance we've got."

"I agree," Marionette said with the slightest smile. It was less out of happiness- this wasn't necessarily an event to be happy about- and more pleased by Mike's effectiveness. Mike had stepped up in the past, but it still was refreshing to have someone actively determined to work to save these children. Especially if they were still alive. "But in the meantime, Scott, I was wondering if you knew where the Party Protection Bracelets have gone. They weren't destroyed, were they?"

"And what would you need those for?" Mike asked. He quirked a brow, voice heavy with confusion; as though Marionette just switched from talking about missing children to security bracelets.

"I thought if we all wore them, then we'd get a feeling of comradery," Marionette quipped sarcastically. "No, I was going to give them to some of the children who walk home alone… Specifically Chrissy. I believe she's the only child of ours who travels alone at dark. The bracelet would make me feel better." Even if they didn't work as well, he wanted to do something, because he couldn't bear the risk.

"They should be in the warehouse in a box marked 'Security-Accessories'. I think you would've seen them if you sold them, so they're probably still there. I don't know about the batteries in them, but they should be replaceable," Scott explained. "To tell you the truth, I didn't even know you knew about them."

"Between the bracelets, Lefty, and the Magic Puppet Box, I know plenty of unfortunate facts about myself," Marionette sighed with a lack of enthusiasm. "And I suppose that is where we head next."

"I'll call Fritz. He might want to come with, because I'm not making two trips," Mike said as he brought out his cellphone. He started to dial the technician's number and waited for a response.

Scott stood from the couch and headed into the kitchen. "I'll be right back, I'm just getting a drink." Hopefully to wash down the lump forming in his throat. His exit was watched by Marionette, who then looked to Mike, who was now facing the door and waiting for a response on the phone. The Puppet's features softened; of course, Mike would do all he could for the children. He wasn't like other, who would stand aside and wait for the worst. It was a relief to know that he wasn't the only one being active.

"Hey Fritz. We're heading over to the warehouse, so if you want to meet us there after work then that's where were going to be," Mike said. It was at this moment that striped arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind and Mike could feel the porcelain mask nuzzling into his shoulder. The security guard couldn't help but smile slightly and reached back to pet his cheek. "Great, then we'll meet up there."

It was a bit more comfortable with Scott out of the room. Even if both were aware that they were still being watched. Naturally Ennard would observe their behavior with mild curiosity, watching as the other animatronic and his human 'playmate' nearly coddled each other. They were always so affectionate. It seemed so peculiar.

Scott was pouring a glass of juice when he was caught off guard by a squeaking right behind him. He flinched just enough to spill juice down the side of the glass. Usually he could predict Ennard's movements, but all this talk about Dave had him shaken and uneasy. He started to wipe down the mess. "You didn't have to stay in the garage until now," Scott pointed out. His comment went entirely ignored by the clown.

"I take it ya didn't like that guy, huh? Sounds like you hated him," Ennard asked bluntly. Scott decided that staring at his glass was more appropriate than actually looking at the clown in question.

"I-… I wouldn't go as far to say that. Dave just had issues. I didn't hate him… I just didn't like or trust him." Any further defense was interrupted by a crackle of laughter.

"You don't have to hide all of that from me! I can see right through that cover!" Ennard's hushed his giggles down while still seemingly amused by his attempts to defend himself. "That look on your face when you were talking about him- even I could tell you wanted to wring his neck!"

"Only because I thought he was connected with the missing children… And I guess I still do," Scott admitted. For a moment he wondered if he was jumping the gun. It was possible that Dave had no connection to either situation and that Scott was wrongly biased due to Dave's odd behavior, but he couldn't deny that something always felt the slightest bit off. "I don't know. Something about Dave rubbed me the wrong way."

"How'd he do that?" Ennard asked curiously. Scott could feel his wire fingers crawling up his arm in a playful motion. "Was it just acting weird or was he really rubbing you? Literally rubbing you the wrong way! Maybe the other way would work better?" Ennard seemed to be acting remarkably naïve, which was the first tip-off that he was feigning ignorance. The second was the clown's next question, "But he didn't ever touch you, right? You seem to hate him an awful lot!" The laughter was fake, and Scott knew it as the wires rested on his shoulder.

"I think I'd have to be really patient to let someone who I didn't like poke around on me," Scott pointed out. "I'm not that patient. We didn't even share mindless chatter over coffee or anything. I barely knew Dave." Of course, this meant that maybe Scott had judged Dave too quickly, but he decided not to think of that right now.

"Oh, okay!" Ennard almost sounded a little more relieved as his wires moved back and forth over Scott's covered shoulder. He gave a low hum, followed by a breathy sort of sound. "But if he ever does, you could tell me." Telling Ennard anything like that sounded like the worst possible idea, but he decided not to be entirely honest.

"Sure, but I'm not going anywhere near Dave, and he isn't coming here," Scott assured. "I'm not worried about Dave… I mean, I'm not worried about Dave doing anything to me, you know? He doesn't even know where I live."

He turned to put the juice back in the fridge and was blindsided by the wires retreating and arms suddenly ensnaring around his middle. It was so abrupt that Scott nearly dropped the juice, but just barely managed to fit it onto the shelf before the wires laced more firmly. He tried to move enough to shut the fridge door, but the clown wouldn't budge. "Ennard, you're tightening up on me." This was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Ennard proceeded to pull him back closer. He pressed his mask into Scott's shoulder, with the mask's nose giving a small squeak. "…Ennard?"

"I see why Mari likes this so much," Ennard murmured against him. The wires in his chest trembled as his voice briefly lowered out of the normal Funtime Freddy key. Scott only had a moment to contemplate this odd comment before he realized that Mike and Marionette were probably still waiting on him. Perhaps even watching the scene and coming to their own assumptions. "But if Dave ever did this-!" The clown broke into a fit of laughter. "Ha! If- If Dave did this… When you _don't like_ Dave… I wonder what I'd do. You wouldn't care, right?"

The moment Ennard said 'don't like' in Scott's voice, Scott was pretty much certain that he needed to get back in the living room. The last thing he wanted was for the amalgam to start asking permission to attack a man who wasn't even here. Especially when he was well aware that Ennard actively disappeared sometimes at late night. That was a bad combination.

"Well, that's- That's not going to happen. I've got you watching the house, right?" Trying a different tactic, he patted Ennard's arm soothingly. He knew if he just yanked away that it probably wouldn't do anything beyond triggering the amalgam to embrace tighter. "Let me go finish up with Mike. They probably need to get going." With another low hum, Ennard drew back and let the man go, watching as Scott took his glass and left the kitchen.

To Scott, he had assured Ennard enough to relax the animatronic. To Ennard, Scott had only given him more reason to keep an eye out at night.

* * *

Returning to the warehouse was strange. There was no longer the malicious shadowing over it since the haunting had ceased but being back in the warehouse did little more than remind them of what happened some time ago. The memories still felt fresh and they alone were nearly like an invisible force looming over them. Yet instead of avoiding it, here they were trying to find the bracelets.

Mike was halfway looking through a shelf when he heard a loud banging from a falling box. He leaned back and looked down the path, seeing a box laying on the ground. "Was that you? Because if it wasn't, I think it's time to take off."

"No, it was me. It was the box in front of the box I want," Marionette called back. He then gave an uncomfortable twang as he lowered a second box to the floor, kneeling, and began to go through it. He chimed in delight as his gaze fell on multiple plastic and metal bracelets waiting inside the box. They were not on yet, so they weren't glowing, but he could make out their colors well enough; blue, orange, green, pink, and perhaps a few yellow ones in the bottom. His smile brightened as he brought a handful out. "These are them! We can use these."

"Finally. Something in this warehouse worth using." Mike wandered over and crouched down beside him as the Puppet sorted the bracelets in his lap. "Yeah, but are you sure you want to use them? It's a good idea, don't get me wrong, but it could be risky." The last thing he wanted was someone taking advantage of Marionette's programming, like had been done through Lefty. That alone showed that the programming couldn't discriminate that well between a bracelet and a fake.

"We can at least try. I… I worry about the children… How about blue? That would look perfect on Chrissy," Marionette said. He lifted the blue one and tried to turn it on. "You too. It could match your eyes… Oh." To his dismay, the bracelet didn't come on. "Dead batteries."

"One of these is bound to still have juice in it," Mike said. He took an orange one and tried to twist it on like Marionette had, to no response. Then a pink one. "Or maybe not. Maybe the whole bunch is dead."

It was then, with a dull click, that Marionette managed to get one to come on. It was glowing in a soft green, and as soon as it came on the animatronic shivered with a slight tingling down his spine. It was a peculiar sensation, barely able to be felt, but he was suddenly very aware of the bracelet's location.

"It still works…" Marionette smiled wider as he showed it to Mike. "But the battery could be failing. She will only be able to turn it on when needed, but it should still work." He realized that he said 'she', obviously giving off the truth that it was meant for Chrissy. Of course, he did care about the other children, but she was the one he worried about most of all. She was the one who would be in the most dangerous situation. "We can work with the others later," Marionette suggested as he turned his mask towards the distant wall. "I think Fritz just pulled up."

"Of course, Fritz pops up the second that we're finishing up. Perfect timing as usual," Mike quipped. He took a handful of bracelets and looked over them. Such simple things and yet they were able to access instincts inside of the puppet that he was usually able to suppress. "…Maybe we can figure out something with these… Maybe not let the kids take them home. Except Chrissy. We know she's going to be careful with this."

Marionette nodded in agreement as the door could be heard opening nearby. After a few minutes, Fritz appeared around the corner and headed over to them. He took one look down at the bracelets and the boxes and was brought up to speed. "So, you found them! Great!... I'll be honest. I was pretty sure they were gone for good."

"At this point they still are. All of them are dead except for this one," Mike said, gesturing to the glowing bracelet still in Marionette's grasp. The Puppet twisted the metal and turned it back off, then handed it to Mike, who proceeded to fit it into his pocket to take home.

"I'm not surprised. Any batteries used by Freddy's died within a week. You know; you've used the flashlights," Fritz said. He then passed by them and headed towards the office. "Maybe when you're done you could help me in the office? It has to do with Baby."

"Oh, fun," Mike muttered. Marionette was a bit more optimistic and looked after Fritz curiously. Mike noticed this and looked out of the corner of his eye at the striped male. "…Eh, go after him. I'll put all this back and slide it onto the shelf."

Marionette stood from the ground, trailing his hand up Mike's arm affectionately, and followed the technician. "Thank you. Don't worry about lifting them too high; we'll take a look at them later." With that, he headed into the office.

Fritz uncovered Baby's body, which he had covered with a tarp until now. She was slumped limply on the floor of the office with parts of her chest opened and her head tilted enough to access her neck wires. That wasn't all that had changed, though. Other than the Handunit plugged into her neck and resting on the floor beside her, her eyes had been taped over with duct tape. Marionette tilted his head curiously at seeing it.

"Can you shut that door? Thanks," Fritz directed. He still looked tired, but now looked a little more excited than earlier which seemed to rouse him just a bit. "I've been working a lot with reprogramming Baby and I _think_ that maybe I finally replaced the reflex to go for kids. What I need you to do is to pretend to be a child, so I can see how Baby reacts to the stimuli. Can you do that?"

"…Yes, of course," Marionette agreed. It was a disturbing sort of arrangement, but it was the best way to check if Baby was safe. He wouldn't dare allow a real child to be brought around Baby for tests. "Go ahead and activate her. I'll try to stay back enough that she can't detect me."

With that, Fritz fiddled with the Handunit and tapped around on it. A dull green glow came around the edges of the tape as Baby roused once more. Her leg twitched, and her claw fidgeted as she began to wake once more.

"Can you hear me, Baby?" Fritz asked. "I've got your eyes covered so I can run a test, alright? It's going to be really simple. No electricity, no shocking, no pain. I just need you to sit here and react."

"Did you do it?" Baby inquired. Her voice crackled lightly. "Have you taken it out?"

"We're going to see. Just bear with me and we'll check," Fritz said as he stood. "Now we have a volunteer child in here, right in front of you, so I'm going to step out of the room and we're going to see if you can handle being alone with him. You just try to resist doing anything." With that, Fritz walked to the door, opened it, and closed it without leaving. It seemed like Baby believed it.

She was still as Marionette moved a little closer. He couldn't remember a specific child he would feel comfortable mimicking, so he attempted to copy what he remembered his own voice sounding like as a child. "Hello?" he quietly greeted and tried to keep the voice low enough that she wouldn't catch that it was an animatronic. Most animatronics would, but he hoped that between Baby's broken form and recent activation that she wouldn't catch on. "Hi there…"

Baby tilted and turned her head to listen in closer. She seemed interested but stayed silent and refused to engage. Perhaps this was a good sign.

Marionette inched a bit closer in, "Hello… Are you okay?" He continued to do the voice as he moved in a little more. Baby stiffened for a moment before relaxing her body again. He could only wonder what was going on inside of her head, but he needed to watch for the programming. He tried to think of something to stimulate the programming to activate. "…Can you make me ice cream?" She twitched in response. He moved in just within reach. "Please-?"

All of a sudden, Baby's arm snapped upwards and her claw clamped at the voice. Marionette's reflexes were just fast enough to pull back out of the way. He stared down, chest inches away from the clamping claw, and his question was answered: the instinct was just as strong as ever. He sent a sympathetic glance back at Fritz who looked devastated at the reaction. As Baby tugged her claw back slowly, seemingly realizing what she did, Marionette hovered to the door and opened it.

Fritz snapped back into character, "I-I'm back! I'm guessing it didn't go so well…" Baby said nothing. "Well, that was just the first test. We can always try again." Fritz gave an exhausted sigh as he approached to shut Baby back down, all while Marionette slipped back out and closed the door to a crack. "I'm going to shut you down again."

"Will you fix me this time?" Baby asked. She sounded either impatient or annoyed, or perhaps disappointed at the programming's continued grip on her. Whatever it was, he was just as disappointed as she was.

"I'll do what I can. We just have to keep trying," Fritz said in a promise. He then began to use the Handunit to turn her back off. He would need to get some sleep, but then he would be back here working again. He already knew that he would be. After a failure like this he would need to be back to trying to work on her, or all his work would be for naught.

Marionette was only shortly out the door when Mike appeared. Or seemed to appear, as Marionette had been distracted by the floor leading up until the human seemed to suddenly appear beside him.

"How'd it go with Baby?" Mike asked. Marionette looked up at him with a weary look. "That well, huh? Good to see that Baby doesn't fail to live up to her image." Marionette nodded limply, and Mike reached out and patted his back comfortingly. "Don't worry about it. Baby will get her act together eventually."

"I'm more worried about Fritz, honestly. It's not a good time to be worrying about where to put Baby, so it's best that she's out of the way," Marionette said. Mike barely believed it, but he did believe that the Puppet was trying to convince himself that. "Maybe we should take some of the bracelets home and try to open them. If they only need watch batteries, then we can replace them ourselves. As for Fritz… Maybe you should…?"

"I'll call Natalie. She has more experience in this line of work than I do," Mike answered. "Besides, I'd rather hold off on telling Fritz about the Magic Puppet Box until he's a little less high strung."

"You do realize that I am not going to warm up to a knock-off of myself, don't you?" Marionette playfully asked. "It's not fair to try and pin two puppets against each other; it's no competition."

"As long as it's not sitting in a competitor's restaurant peddling Porkpocket's plushies, I'm pretty fine with whatever we use it for. Might even come sit in the warehouse for a while until we can figure out a place for it," Mike suggested. The Puppet responded with the lightest 'oh' and it almost seemed like that was the end of it. That was, until he noticed that Marionette had fell behind. "Are you coming?"

"Oh, so _that's_ it," Marionette trilled in growing amusement. He sent his companion a coy smile. "I mistakenly thought you bought it as a joke to play with me…" That smile turned to a smirk as Mike looked back at him. "But instead, you bought it because you didn't want anyone else to have it! What would that be called, would it be jealousy?" he asked as tilted his head slightly, teasingly. "I never took you as the jealous type."

"It has nothing to do with jealousy, it's an image thing," Mike denied in defense. "…Don't give me that look, it is! I wouldn't be dropping money on jealousy when I have the real thing."

"Did they offer to put it away? Or to paint or refurbish it? I find it rather peculiar that their first thought was to sell it off," Marionette pointed out. "Especially for such a price. You're not the type to drop that much money so easily, yet you haven't even complained about the price once, which is also quite telling." He smiled wider, "Something like, 'you earned yours, nobody else should just have one'?"

"Alright, we're going home," Mike interrupted. He tried to hide exactly how flustered he looked, along with the embarrassed reddening of his face. As he reached into the cardboard box on the shelf to get a handful of the bracelets, Marionette sidled beside him and affectionately put his arm around his shoulder.

"It's okay, Mike. You still have the original, and he doesn't have a price tag," Marionette lightly teased. He paused for a moment before adding in, "I do have a question, though."

Mike was going to regret this, "Shoot."

"…What exactly _is_ a Porkpocket?"

* * *

 **Mable: A porkpocket is, by definition, either a dough pocket filled with pork or a pirate pig with an identity crisis. It really is a remarkable word. XD So the plan is set and the chance of something going wrong is incredibly small. I mean it; this plan is foolproof. I couldn't imagine how this could go wrong… Anyway, next chapter coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Mable: So, you're probably confused to why I'm posting on Wednesday and not Thursday this week, and the truth is that… I still am! On a whim, I decided to post two chapters this week. One today, one tomorrow. ^-^ These weekly uploads gave me just enough buffer zone to get both nearly completed, so I'm going to take advantage of that! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Four_

Fritz had to get back to the warehouse. At this point it wasn't like he could sleep anyway, and it was driving him mad that he couldn't figure it all out. William had to have left some sort of opening to hack his way into the programming. He refused to believe that years as a technician had been won out by one man's poorly veiled programming. There had to be a way to crack it. Or if he couldn't, there had to be a way to replace it.

" _If I can't get rid of the urge, then I'll replace it with something better,"_ Fritz decided as he continued thrashing in bed. _"She used to be built to make ice cream and balloons… If I could replace that urge to grab kids with the need to actually bring them ice cream and balloons, what she should have had, then maybe I could erase the danger… Maybe I can reprogram around what's already there."_ The man's eyes shot open as he started to climb out of bed. That was it, that was the answer; Fritz couldn't reprogram Baby because he couldn't remove the programming, but perhaps he could work around it, manipulate it, into a pliable state.

" _That's it! That's the answer!"_ Fritz smiled brilliantly, tiredly, as he slipped his jacket on over his night clothes. He hurried out of the bedroom, slipping on his shoes, and then hurried to the front door. He reached for the key hook and then paused, blinking in confusion. All the keys were missing from the hooks. Not just his keys, but also Natalie's keyring and the separate keyring with the van and pizzeria keys on it. "…Huh?" After looking around to make sure he wasn't just not seeing them, he started to head back towards the bedroom.

Hearing Fritz starting back to the room, Natalie reached under her pillow and shoved the keys up until they hit the bedframe, then tried to push them down and back behind the mattress. As the door opened again, she pulled her arm back out and dipped it under the blanket again. She smiled to herself slyly and feigned innocence; this had to work.

Fritz leaned over the bed and lightly shook her arm. "Natalie? Natty?" He continued to nudge and prod desperately. "The keys disappeared."

"They'll turn up by morning. Shouldn't you be in bed?" Natalie asked, faking a half-asleep tone to not tip him off. "Come on, Fritz. It's, like, two in the morning."

"I know, and I don't want to, but I had an idea on how to fix Baby and I need to get started tonight, because I have to be at work tomorrow to help with tweaking the menu," Fritz rambled out. His words were slurring slightly, and it was obvious that, again, the sleep deprivation was getting to him, even if he was ignoring it. "I've got a long day, so I need to get what I can done tonight."

"No dice. Back in bed," Natalie insisted as she pointed a thumb back at the mattress behind her. "Don't make me beg." He leaned down over her with a low chuckle and pressed his lips to her cheek. She could feel the light tickle and knew he hadn't been keeping up with shaving; it was a sort of nice change of pace even if it wasn't exactly a good sign. She hoped that his affection meant he was agreeing to stay. Instead, Fritz drew back and then walked back out of the bedroom to look for the keys. Natalie's eyes opened as she frowned firmly. _"Oh no you don't."_

Fritz was almost considering trying to hotwire the car. He was capable of doing that much and not exactly thinking straight, so it almost seemed like a rational idea. Currently he was still looking through the drawers underneath the phone table. _"Didn't I have a spare?"_ He sighed, sat upwards, and turned around to search somewhere else. Instead, he came face to face with Natalie, who was now standing behind him with the most disapproving look she could muster. Fritz blinked and stared questioningly, but then slowly realized she had come to get him. "…I can come back sooner."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Natalie agreed. "How about thirty seconds? That should give you long enough to get into the bedroom."

"Natty-."

"No. You're going to bed," Natalie said firmly.

"I need to strike while the iron is hot," Fritz insisted. "I can write animatronic code in my sleep. It won't be that demanding." She looked unconvinced and he had an epiphany. "…You hid the keys."

"The fact that it took you that long to realize that shows you're not fit to be awake all-night poking at robots. Let alone drive," Natalie insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" For a moment it almost looked like Fritz was planning to continue protesting, but then all at once he gave in, seemingly realizing that he didn't have a chance.

"Okay. Let me just write this down," Fritz agreed. He started to jot down a note on the pad beside the telephone. He squinted at the paper, vaguely noticing that he was having a little difficulty focusing. _"Maybe she's got a point about this no sleeping thing…"_ Natalie waited with him, suspecting that he would still try to slip away, and got a tiny smile only once he started heading back to the bedroom. She followed behind and gently guided him with a hand on his back.

Once in his bedroom, Fritz removed his jacket and shoes, and then collapsed onto once more. Natalie got back into bed as well and hugged onto the man, as though to hold him in place in case he tried to run away. She had started to miss holding onto him at night.

That night, Fritz slept well.

* * *

"So, I don't know what you said to her, but she's not letting me off the hook," Fritz told Mike. "I don't even think she's going to let me go to the warehouse after work. I'm pretty much grounded until I've caught up on my sleep."

They were currently replacing a tablecloth that had gotten drenched after an entire group of soda cups were knocked over onto it. It was just after three o'clock, which was usually the busiest time of the weekday, but the only party of the day had already passed. So regardless of the multiple kids and occasional parent, they still moved to replace the tablecloth before it either got more stained or someone complained about the dirty table. Fritz folded up the stained one as Mike laid out the new one, rushing to do so while Foxy and Marionette had the attention of the children drawn away.

"It was bound to happen eventually with the nights you were pulling, and if I wouldn't have told her then you'd probably still be down there with Baby," Mike said as he wiped the wrinkles out of the tablecloth. "Baby can wait, you know. She's not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Yeah, but I'm not either if I don't do something about that programming," Fritz quipped. He paused a moment, contemplating voicing more, and then leaned further over the table to do so. "It's not even that I really want Baby awake again. I think we can all agree that Baby's a liability, programming or not. If she wanted to, she could find a workaround and do whatever she wanted to." Mike nodded in silent agreement. "But I need to figure out this workaround anyway, in case there's- let's say- something in Foxy that gets activated. I need to be able to fix it."

"You'll figure it out. Afton wasn't some sort of mechanical genius, he just hid everything well," Mike insisted. He refused to give William that amount of power. "You'll get this, Fritz. Baby's just hard to crack. Maybe you'll be able to program that Magic Puppet Box to do something."

"Wait, we're using that?" Fritz asked in confusion. "I thought you were going to buy it for spite."

"Eh, I haven't decided yet. It really depends on what kind of mood I am whenever we get over there to pick it up," Mike excused. In reality, he wanted to find a use for the Puppet doppelganger so that he could use it as a proper excuse and deny the current 'jealousy' belief. Between periods of worry about the children and pretending not to acknowledge it at all, Marionette had decided to continue his light teasing on the topic. Mike would prefer even a poor excuse to admitting to it.

"So, what are we doing with the menu?" Mike asked, deciding to change the subject while he still could. "Pizza, cake, and ice cream is only going to get us so far. We only have like six toppings anyway, so we're not getting much variety out there. Not that the kids care, but considering that we're taking home the leftovers… I think if I have to eat pizza for dinner one more time, I'll be off the stuff for good."

"You know, you don't _have_ to take it home… But yeah, I'm getting tired of it too," Fritz admitted. "I don't know. I was thinking maybe burgers and fries, but then we get to risk the kids dropping tomatoes onto the arcade machines and getting everything greasy…" He sounded disgusted by the thought of wiping down the controls every few hours. "I can imagine it now: me scrubbing at the buttons with a toothbrush."

"They're already eating pizza and that has plenty of grease. I don't know, what about hot dogs? Less prep work." Mike then cut in before Fritz could give his opinion. "What about corndogs? They're on a stick, they aren't going to spill everywhere," Mike said. "And it's not like it's going to stain if it hits the floor. Not if we skimp on ketchup."

"Good idea, but I don't know how I feel about having Tabby around scalding hot batter. I think we all know that she wouldn't be afraid to use it."

Mike gave a small smirk, "Like I expect us to make fresh corndogs. I just meant we could get one of those boxes of fifty from the supermarket and nuke them in the microwave." This got an unenthused look from the technician. "Alright, we'll do it less sleazy way. We'll just stick to the hotdogs and eighty-six the corndogs. No batter, still less of a mess. Happy?"

"…I still feel like we're contractually obligated to have a salad somewhere on the menu," Fritz pointed out. "Maybe just get a salad bar and forget the hunks of heavily processed meat."

"Yeah, that's what a kid's pizzeria needs: a salad bar," Mike sarcastically quipped. "Fritz, you know those kids would be wrist deep in ranch dressing before you could even say…" He trailed off for a moment. "…How exactly did we go from talking about robot repair to spending an obscene amount of time discussing whether or not we need a salad bar?"

"You changed the subject because you didn't like me asking about your new puppet," Fritz said bluntly with the slightest smirk. Mike decided that he much preferred the half-asleep Fritz to the awake one.

"…Alright, back to food then." Mike sent a glance over towards Jeremy, who was keeping watch of the Minireenas while a gaggle of kids stood around her. "Think Jeremy would have any say on the subject?"

"Probably, but he's been pretty quiet for the last couple of days. I think the animatronics are wearing him down… I'd ask him about it, but I'm afraid he's going to try and pawn one off on me," Fritz admitted almost sheepishly. "Maybe you could?"

"Because he hasn't already tried getting me to take the Balloon Boy Puppet," Mike sarcastically quipped. He then exhaled wearily and decided to agree. After all, he didn't want Jeremy to suffer in silence. "Yeah, I'll go scout it out."

"Great! Worst case scenario, you get another puppet living with you… Not that I think you'd mind that." Fritz smiled wider at Mike's immediate glare. "Just think of it as you and Mari having a kid," he added, then made a hasty retreat as he toted the tablecloth away. Mike didn't even have time to consider a response and wouldn't risk saying anything loud enough that the children could hear. He instead continued over to Jeremy and waited until he was free to talk.

"So, Jere, what's up? You've been pretty quiet recently," Mike said as he turned to watch the dining room. He couldn't help but be a little paranoid, but it was his job to be. Jeremy didn't seem too surprised or flustered by the questioning and spoke as he worked to straighten the Minireenas' dresses. It was clearly Daisy who he was fussing on now from how eagerly she let him work.

"I've been a little tired. I'm moving soon," Jeremy abruptly revealed without much prodding. Mike was generally surprised that all he needed was to be asked once to open up about what was going on. Then again, it was easy to forget that unlike Mike, Fritz, and possibly both animatronics, Jeremy was much more forthright about what he was feeling. Usually, the blond wouldn't let a problem sit and stagnate for too long. "It's a lot of preparation. I've got to move everything… And everyone too. I didn't really think about that… And I have to find a place to move to too."

As soon as he said 'moving', Foxy, who was standing on the stage, suddenly twisted his head in an unnatural angle to stare in the worker's direction. The children he had been performing for looked startled by the abrupt shift of his head and looked to be on the border between silently staring and outright screaming, as the head was in such a weird angle. Mike was shocked at their silence; just seeing the motion out of the corner of his eyes was uncanny.

"Uh huh…" Mike slowly coaxed. He said nothing about Foxy's miniature episode. "How far are you going?"

"Hopefully closer. I don't want to make the drive any further, but if I have to keep all of us in one house much longer… I think Max might kill me in my sleep just to make sure I don't bring anyone else home…" Jeremy gave an awkward laugh, "So, uh, he's banned Foxy from the house until we either lose some people or get more rooms." Max had the ability to do it too. As silent as he was most of the time, he could screech like a banshee when irritated.

"Ah, got it." Mike saw Foxy's head snap forward again and listened as he continued his routine. The children looked very confused but looked a little less like they were about to cry. Mike resisted the growing urge to flat out laugh at the scenario, or Jeremy would know that he was partially distracted. "If you need help finding a place, I'll keep an eye out."

"That would be great, actually! Just- Just remember I'm not exactly… If I'm going to afford a house, it's either going to be broken, haunted, or someone died in it," Jeremy remarked as he stood and turned towards the security guard.

"That's how I got mine. It works," Mike quipped. Jeremy noticed his smirking towards Foxy and looked questioningly. The security guard waved it off, "Don't ask. It's not worth it."

While things in the rest of the pizzeria seemed much less tense, Marionette was in a constant state of unease in the Prize Corner. He didn't feel comfortable leaving the room any longer- he managed to get through most of the day before needing to retreat- but he didn't feel comfortable staying still either. He was constantly moving between the box and the counter, circling the miniature track, and giving himself distractions to make it through the day.

Marionette was back in his box but was tempted on getting back out and circling the counter again. It was only then that a child approached the Prize Corner. Marionette was hit with relief when he recognized it as Chrissy who was coming through the door. He could already feel a heavy weight off his shoulders, for he had been waiting for her to arrive.

"Hi, Mari!" Chrissy chirped as she nearly skipped into the prize corner. She was toting a handful of tickets with her, so it was clear that she had been here longer than he expected. He now regretted not checking sooner. "Can you count my tickets? I think I got a bunch."

"It certainly looks like you did!" Marionette said as he took the tickets. He counted them quickly and kept the talking going as he did so. "Are you saving up for something in particular?"

"The big Foxy," Chrissy said. She pointed to the oversized plush hanging from the roof. The giant Foxys had only just come in and there wasn't yet a Marionette counterpart. They were softer than the normal plush toys and, as expected, about five times the size. Naturally they would cost more tickets. "Do I have enough?"

"Just about. You're only twelve short, but I think you could probably win that many in one game," Marionette said. She turned and was about to silently rush right back out of the Prize Corner to earn the rest of the tickets, but he barely managed to stop her. "Oh, wait! Before you go, I have something to show you." He set the tickets down inside of his box and retrieved the bracelet out of the box to show her.

"Is it one of those glow bracelets?" Chrissy asked curiously. Marionette supposed that she meant the ones made of glow sticks. "It's pretty. Can you turn it on?"

"Yes, but it's a little different than a normal glow bracelet. Here, hold out your hand and I'll show you." She did so, and he slipped it onto her wrist. Her wrist was a bit too small to hold the bracelet securely, but he wasn't worried that she would lose it. "Now this is a security bracelet. When you twist the metal like this…" He twisted the metal pieces. "It glows! But that's not all it does. It also tells me where you are. So, you leave it off." He turned it back off. "And if you're ever in trouble, you turn it on, and I'll come find you."

"Really?" Chrissy asked in surprise. She looked closer at the bracelet. "How does it do that?" He chimed at how she now scrutinized the bracelet; as though she thought it couldn't possibly be anything more than a normal one.

"There's something inside of it that signals something inside of me and tells me where you are. So, you can't turn it on unless you're really in trouble. Can I trust you with that? It's a very special bracelet and you'll need to be extra careful with it," Marionette explained. He already did trust her but wanted her to understand the importance of the bracelet's use. Leaving it on twenty-four seven would be maddening to deal with, especially if she was outside the building.

"You can trust me! I promise!" Chrissy insisted with a reignited eagerness. "I'll take really good care of it."

"Wonderful! I knew I could count on you!" Marionette chimed. He affectionately ruffled her curls lovingly and beamed down at her. "Now do you have enough tokens to get the rest of the tickets?" Chrissy nodded and showed the remaining ones from her pocket. There were more than enough to secure that she would get tickets. Marionette wasn't entirely sure how she was getting so many tokens, unless she was using her allowance to buy them in bulk, but she had plenty of games lined up in the future. "Very good! When you get them, come back and I'll give you your Foxy."

As much as Marionette wanted to keep her nearby, he knew he couldn't. It was bad enough that he showed her such blatant favoritism in such a dire situation. " _Now Chrissy may be safe, but any other child could be taken in her place,_ " he reminded himself. Yet something felt different. For whatever reason, Marionette felt justified in protecting her, as though he believed she was at a significant risk. "… _I could have Mike call her mother, but then what if she doesn't let her come back at all? I suppose that's selfish thinking…"_

"Hey." Marionette almost was too lost in his thoughts to notice Mike enter the Prize Corner. He shook off the distraction as the security guard approached his box. "You look how I feel," he jokingly quipped. "Everything going that good?"

"It's that obvious?" Marionette asked. He rubbed the side of his mask and tried to reset himself to a default smile once more. "I gave Chrissy the bracelet, so I have some things on my mind."

"Yeah, I saw her wearing it when she came out," Mike said. He seemed a bit concerned, but he covered it much better than Marionette did. If he didn't know better, he would've believed that Mike was acting as calm as normal. "Maybe you need a little air. Want to come out and walk around a bit? It'll give me an excuse to puppeteer you for a couple of minutes."

"Very tempting… Alright," Marionette agreed. He slid out of his box and connected his strings to the track. "But not too long. I have to be here to exchange the rest of Chrissy's tickets. She wants a Foxy."

"Great, because he's barred from Jeremy's house for a while. He ought to find someone willing to take him," Mike joked as he guided the Puppet out. His hand rested on Marionette's back and he affectionately kept him close. Light comfort, but comfort he needed regardless. It was just enough to make him feel a slight bit better.

The rest of the afternoon went surprisingly well. Both Mike and Marionette kept their eyes out and there was nothing amiss. No missing children, no strange people, everything was fine. They had everything under control for now.

But it wasn't the fifth day.

* * *

 _The Puppet was slightly surprised to see that the lights were still on in Magictime Theater. He hovered to the fogged glass windows and wiped away a spot to see with his hands. This is what he got for coming while it was raining. He leaned in and looked through the cleaned glass, and only then did he see the horrors of what rested inside._

 _Unlike what Mike had said before, there were dozens of puppets that looked just like him. They were all propped up like mannequins all around the arcade, posed as though they were normal humans, and only had slight differences from himself. Some had the wrong paint or unpainted faces, some were too long or shaped oddly, but they were all very similar looking to Marionette himself. He was totally aghast and looked back towards the car with a sharp look._

" _Mike, you said there was one!" Marionette called. "You didn't tell me that the entire restaurant was full of puppets!" Mike didn't give much of an answer as he was still getting out of the car. Rolling his eyes, Marionette turned to look back through the window. To his surprise, he now realized that Chrissy was standing inside the window, looking up at him. "What on Earth?" He was only more confused, but he somehow assumed that she must have followed them there. "Chrissy, you were supposed to go home! What are you doing here?"_

 _Chrissy stared up at him with wide eyes and a look of horror. She was frightened of something certainly, and tears were beginning to well and roll down her cheeks. Only now did Marionette notice something serious was happening. He looked around but couldn't find the front door, meaning that he couldn't reach the little girl. "Mike, Chrissy's trapped inside!" But Mike was still stuck in the car and Marionette was still stuck outside the theater._

" _Don't panic, Sweetheart. I'm going to get you out of there and take you home," the Puppet called through and attempted to comfort. "You're such a brave girl!" Chrissy was only crying harder when a sudden look of horror overtook her. Her mouth turned slightly into a gritted scowl as her eyes widened at something behind him. There was a peculiar squealing noise as Marionette turned around quickly-._

And proceeded to plummet heavily onto the floor. It was only once his mask thumped against the carpet that Marionette realized he had fallen out of bed and that the whole display had been a vivid dream. For a moment he simply laid there, almost entirely blanketed by the comforter, and inwardly scolded himself at such an embarrassing accident. It was only worse when the bed creaked with weight and he knew Mike was awake.

Mike silently stared down through the darkness for a few seconds before flicking on the light. He then continued to stare at the facedown animatronic as he slowly arched a brow. "You planning on staying down there for the rest of the night?" he asked. Marionette didn't make even the smallest movement as he replied.

"…It would save me the trip back down," Marionette murmured dryly. Mike gave a chuckle and pushed the comforter down before getting out of bed. The animatronic, meanwhile, finally tried to get himself off the floor and looked over in time to watch Mike sit down beside him. "You didn't have to come down here," he quietly pointed out.

"You made it sound so tempting that I couldn't resist," Mike said as he leaned back against the clumped comforter. He looked over the striped one and watched as he moved to sit beside him. It was obvious that whatever the dream was about bothered him, but he didn't want to be too quick to push him. "You really started thrashing for a while there. I had a feeling you were going to go over."

"Then you could've woken me up." Marionette's slightly annoyed tone attempted to cover his embarrassment. It didn't do so. Mike gave him a slight smirk in response.

"And risk taking a punch to the face? I think I'd pass. Besides, I just assumed that you would eventually either wake yourself up or calm back down," the human said with a hint of smugness. Marionette dropped his head onto his knees and Mike snickered again. He put an arm around him and tugged him closer, switching slowly from playfulness to preparing to comfort. "You want to talk about what it was about?" It was only now that the Puppet realized Mike figured out that it was a nightmare on his own. He almost had the urge to shake his head and call it a night, because the continued embarrassment was assured.

"What's there to talk about? Magictime was full of dozens of copies of myself, Chrissy was trapped inside, I think you might've accidently hit me with the car while trying to get out, I might've gotten rugburn on my mask," Marionette quickly rambled, "…And for some reason you refused to get out of the car."

"Sounds eerily similar to real life," Mike noted. Seeing that Marionette didn't seem too upset by the nightmare and was more frustrated with it, he decided to keep the less serious tone. It tended to work better in these situations. Making too big of a deal out of it could only make the Puppet more anxious. Especially since it was clearly some sort of twisted conglomerate of recent stress rather than a premonition of something to come. Instead, he decided to work with the more physical problems. "Here, let me see," he coaxed. He lifted his puppet's chin to look over his mask.

"No scrapes, no smears, no scratches; you look perfect, Doll… Except that sour look, but I think I can fix that," Mike lightly teased. He leaned in to gently kiss him and was rewarded with a low trill as the Puppet nearly melted into putty. He drew back slowly. "There. Much better."

It certainly did make it better. Marionette might've been ashamed of plummeting off the bed, but he wasn't ashamed in faltering to the affection. He didn't even try to resist the warbling from inside and merely accepted it as a respite from the recent stressors. There was too much on his mind, too much going on, and too much that he couldn't control; he needed a few moments without any of it. As Mike cupped his mask in his warm hands, Marionette was beginning to forget the importance of the dream. Or at least was letting it slip into his subconscious mind instead.

"Let's get back in bed. We can wall you in with some pillows to make sure you stay on this time," Mike offered. Marionette nodded with continuing chiming. He liked the idea of getting off the unfavorable floor and back into bed. He rose and glanced over the bed and noticed something was missing.

"Did you see where Moppet went off to?" Marionette asked. He was certain that the young cat had been laying on the foot of the bed, but now she was nowhere to be seen. "I hope I didn't knock her off."

"No, I felt her run off afterwards. I think the thump spooked her… Oh wait, there she is." Mike squinted in the direction of the laundry basket, which the cat was now sitting in. She was still awake and looked to them lazily but didn't look like she planned on returning to the bed. "I'm going to love getting dressed tomorrow and being covered in an inch of cat hair," Mike sarcastically remarked. He then made busy with pulling the comforter back up and laying down the extra pillows on the edge of the bed.

"There we go. This way if you do fall off, the pillows will probably fall first, and you'll have something to land on," Mike suggested. Marionette slipped back into bed and looked to the makeshift border. It seemed like it would be enough. Unless he sprung out of the bed, but if that happened he would just prefer to hit something hard enough to knock himself out than dealing with the full force of humiliation. He had enough of that for tonight.

"It's perfect. Thank you." The optimistic approach felt a little better, though he nervously fumbled with a string from his wrist. "I'm sorry I woke you up…"

"Don't be sorry; that's what I'm here for," Mike assured as he got back in bed. "Besides, it gives me an excuse to hold you close, right?" He flicked off the light and did just that. He wrapped his arms around his Puppet and held him securely to his chest. It was already working like a charm; Marionette could feel himself relax once more. "…But if you do hit me in the face, I'll invoke my right to roll over."

Marionette chimed in amused laughter and turned towards Mike, so that he could hold onto him. Within moments, the dream had gone completely forgotten, along with most of his worries for the evening. Tonight, was a relief.

But tomorrow would come whether he liked it or not.

* * *

 **Mable: And tomorrow we return for another post! Tomorrow, we return to the story! Tomorrow, we get to remember what we wanted to forget.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Mable: Here we are! The second chapter this week! I hope you Enjoy! ^-^**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Five_

"When are you coming back to school?"

The question felt sudden even though it was so expected. Charlie was still stirring at her mug silently, staring down at the overly sweetened and watered-down coffee-based drink she had bought to wake herself up. Nothing to eat though, for she had lost her appetite. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the concern of her friend, or was surprised by it, but it was hard to actively talk around everything. She didn't know whether she wanted to say what she knew or not, and there were just some things she couldn't talk about.

Jessica had been Charlie's closest friend for years. They had basically grown up together, reached quite a few milestones together, and Jessica had been a good, supportive friend. However, it felt like since the revelations of her father appeared, they had almost begun to deviate. Then again, Charlie felt almost distant from everyone after children started going missing. Suspicion, confusion, questions she couldn't answer; Charlie was slowly falling apart. She wanted answers she couldn't get. She wanted a truth that she would never have access to.

"Soon." So, she continued to avoid the truth.

"Good. You don't want to fall too far behind," Jessica said. She almost seemed relieved, but their attempt at small talk wasn't necessarily easing either of them. "I just… I think you've got to let this go. You've practically been living in this town for months. I've seen your old house; it's not exactly…" Charlie knew what she meant. The house was still in a state of 'work in progress', even though she was still staying in it. Her aunt had been living with her for a while, but even she had left. Nobody wanted to think about the old house, the old family, or Freddy's anymore.

Except Charlie couldn't let it go. "I know. It won't be much longer, I just need to get everything settled. It'll be nice to get back to a normal schedule." That was a lie, but she was fine with lying if she would eventually believe it. "Have you talked with Marla?"

"No. They've pretty much been away from the house whenever I've tried to call. They're still looking for whatever leads they can," Jessica said. A family still looking for a lost child. They were probably terrified now that it had been five days, and Charlie was as well. However, her fear stemmed from whoever would be next. There was no doubt that there would be someone else in her eyes.

Then her thoughts returned to Marionette. He had said that he was going with Mike to stake out the theater in case it was the location of whatever was happening, and Charlie was just aware enough that he only told her to keep her back. The Puppet had told her the truth and let her into their reality, but just as quickly held her at arm's length under the intention of keeping her safe. She knew this, which was why she hadn't asked if she could go with them. Yet now that she thought about it, the idea was remarkably tempting.

"Have you talked with John? He's been calling about you," Jessica pointed out. She tried lightening the mood, "He's got it bad. It's one thing when he's calling you, but him calling me to get to you is a whole other story. What exactly did you to do together that has him so hooked?" The girl sent her friend a teasing smile and for a moment Charlie was able to send it back. It felt good to smile again.

"We were talking about going hiking this summer, but things have changed. Jason's more important than trying to climb through Zion." She hesitated a moment. Then se exhaled tiredly and propped up her head with her hand, her fingers threading into her hair. "I've got to get my act together."

"Spending five hours hiking across a dry canyon under the baking sun… I can't say that's my idea of a date but it could be fun. It is literally a hot date, if you think about it," Jessica quipped. It was clear that she was trying to keep the mood light, but Charlie had a suspicion that she was building to something with it. Probably another question was coming that Charlie wouldn't want to answer. "Do you want me to come over tonight?" Because it was the fifth day and she suspected that Charlie was going to be out looking for answers. She knew her much too well.

"No. I'll be fine. I'm just going to call it a night early and stay by the phone in case Marla calls with an update," Charlie reassured. It wasn't entirely a lie because, as it was, she wasn't sure what she was planning on doing. Sitting at home was a safe bet, as it always seemed that she ended up retreating in the end. "But I can call you later."

"Please do." Jessica's face betrayed her concern. "Maybe call John too? I don't want to shove you two together, but he really is worried about you."

"I know…" Charlie looked back down at the table. "…I will. I just need to get my head together first. I don't want to call him while I'm distracted, or he'll get the wrong idea." This sounded like it made enough sense, even if it was just an excuse to buy her time. She started to stand from the table. "I should get going. I have to stop and pick up a few things before I head home."

"Oh, okay," Jessica quietly said. She looked down at her meal and contemplated whether to wrap and take it with her or abandon it. Charlie certainly wasn't hungry, but perhaps she was. Perhaps Charlie had rushed them both in and out, but she felt so restless. It was almost as though she was running out of the café just to avoid the chance of a question she couldn't answer. Charlie really did rely so much on Jessica for her support, but this all felt like something she had to handle on her own… Though she wasn't too unused to that.

The prospect of family life was always broken when it came to Charlie. She had lived with her aunt for years to supplement a family and learned much from her, but the price was that constant sense of being on her own. Her aunt's both involved and off-hand parenting tactics had led to Charlie feeling both loved and partially like a burden. As though her aunt did care for her but was waiting for the right moment to push her out on her own, so that she would get her own life back once more.

Then there were her parents. For years Charlie had resented her father because she had thought his death was more of his own fault. That he had effectively abandoned the family, and now was struggling to acknowledge that this wasn't the case. Recently her resentment switched to her mother, who she had lost contact with for years. Perhaps she could've tried to see where she went or what she was doing, but Charlie had decided not to, and finding out about the truth of this 'Golden Freddy' had not changed any of that.

Then there was the Puppet. The Puppet was the wrench in the works. The Puppet was the one who had abruptly made everything so complicated with the truth. She knew to keep a distance, to keep from getting sucked into this world that her father helped create, but the mere existence of Marionette coaxed her in. He was too human to be an animatronic, all while living in an animatronic's body. The confirmation of an existence of ghosts, of the secrets behind Freddy's. So foreign, so confusing, and slowly letting her see behind the curtain just a bit before yanking the curtain closed again to shield her.

Charlie had the intense desire to call Marionette and insist to go with him and Mike. Yet she still held her ground. After all, it wasn't just about her desires and wishes. It was about her friend's brother being stolen away and vanishing without a trace. Jason was a smart kid; he wouldn't have left with a stranger without something else at play. As for the other kids, from the news reports they were much too young to protest someone grabbing and dragging them off.

She unlocked the front door and stepped into her family home, toting her single bag of groceries, and disappeared back into the darkness.

Henry had not left much behind for her to find, so if he wanted her to know something then it wasn't obvious. Most of his old file cabinets had been emptied and his computer had been wiped, leaving little trace of his information behind- not that she went into his office for long. Whatever he had been doing was obviously not for Charlie to see, and the only thing she had left were a few broken down toys that she had shoved into her closet and locked away. She didn't even want to look at them anymore. Some of them could speak; she didn't want to hear their broken voices.

With a weary exhale, Charlie dropped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling fan. She felt empty and like she needed to be doing something, but she didn't know what that was. Maybe call John, and while she wanted to she felt reluctant to do so. She wanted to tell him what was going on, but she couldn't. She knew that she couldn't tell anyone what was happening. Again, she felt alone. She had to do something, to _find_ something.

It was then that Charlie had a spark of inspiration. With that wild sort of determination, she got off the couch and headed into her father's office once again. Her heart was pounding as she started to yank open the drawers in his desk and search for anything she had missed before. _"There must be something in here that he left behind…"_ She didn't know who disposed of all the information in the house, but she was silently cursing them as she became even more desperate. Yet other than a couple of dusty audio tapes shoved into the bottom drawer, she found nothing that stood out.

There was a tape player on the desk. However, the old box of tapes that her father had recorded had been taken by her aunt many years ago. They were long gone by now, but the two lost tapes remained. She fumbled over them before randomly choosing one of them and slipping it into the player. She hesitated only a moment, considering what she was doing, and then pressed the play button.

" _-Six fifteen AM,"_ a robotic female voice began. It sounded like a recording message that had been cut off. It was then followed by an unfamiliar male voice. _"Henry, I just got down here to the pizzeria and I found- Oh geez, don't move! I- I found Will and he's- he's in one of the suits! It clamped down on him and it's-!"_ There was a scuffling, a groaning in the background, and panicked breathing and stuttering from the caller. _"I'm calling an ambulance right now,_ " the man insisted.

" _No, you're not. Just get me the crank. I can't reach it,"_ a wheezing, strained voice said from the background. Charlie had to lean in closer to hear it from how faint it was in the panting. _"Put that phone down and help me!"_

" _Oh, dear Lord, there's blood everywhere!"_ the man started to panic. _"Henry, get down here! He's dying! I can't-!"_ The voice was muffled as he set down the phone. There were some strange noises before the call abruptly ended. For a moment Charlie just sat there, then she started to reach for the other tape. If not for a second recording beginning. This one was cut off at the time stamp as well, as though someone purposefully was blocking the dates.

" _-Eight thirty-five AM- Henry, it's me. Listen, the suits need tightening and I don't have time to do it before we open."_ It was odd, but Charlie vaguely thought she recognized the accented voice, but then assumed that she was mistaken. " _I'll get to it after work, but from what Scott said, he's lined up as the backup if we don't go on stage. Now maybe you want to risk your life climbing in before it gets maintenance, but I'm not going to stand aside and let Scott try to shove himself into one. Call me back."_ Once again, the message cut off, and she waited to see if there would be another message. To her disappointment, there wasn't.

" _Why even save these?"_ Charlie wondered as she took the tape out. _"Was it evidence about the suits malfunctioning?... But if he knew the suits were this broken, why did he get into them again?"_ She exhaled wearily and put it back in the drawer. _"Maybe Aunt Jen saved it for insurance or something like that… She didn't take it with her either way."_ With a sigh, she set the other tape into the machine. She expected another set of seemingly inconsequential calls, but that was not what came. There was crackling for a few moments and an uneasy silence. Then a voice came that she almost didn't expect.

" _Sometimes I just think about ending it."_

It had been so long, and she had been young, but Charlie somehow recognized the voice on the tape. She remembered it from the voice of one of her toys, from her dreams, from her _father_. It was Henry.

" _Just having to get up day after day and return to the restaurant is a waking nightmare. As though I must experience the same pain over and over again after what I let happen. I look into those children's eyes and see my son, and I wonder… I wonder if he's still out there somewhere. If one of them is him… But I'm not that delusional yet, nor am I that desperate. I'll keep on going as I have… And maybe if this all works out as planned, I'll have the evidence I need to protect others before they too get forced to suffer such a terrible loss…"_

The tape clicked off and Charlie stared down at the player emptily. So that was it; the message from her father, written to nobody, saying little more than that he was suffering over the loss of her twin. Her stomach twisted as she sat down in the office chair and looked to the desk. There wasn't much else to say or think; Henry had kept going back to get answers and lost his life because of it. Though him sparing the lives of others was unknown. Marionette said that children died after that, so it seemed like he saved nobody in the end.

…But perhaps she could.

Something shut off internally. Charlie didn't know if it was her rationality or what it was, but she made her decision then. She spoke to Jessica later and assured her that all was well, and then went through her evening like it was a normal night. It wouldn't be a normal night though. She sat prone, waiting, watching the clock as time ticked down towards the closing time of Foxy's Pizzeria. That was when Marionette said he was going to the theater, after work, and thus a few moments before she assumed he was to leave she got her keys and left the house.

Marionette couldn't tell her no if she was already there.

The lights were already off at the theater and it was completely deserted. Charlie even doubted that it had been opened that day at all. Or if it did, they had left some time ago. She parked at the far corner of the parking lot where her car wouldn't be as noticeable and began to wait yet again. From where she was, she could see a small light in the back of the establishment, which meant that it was possible someone was there. This only made her more determined to wait in the car until the others arrived. No need to blow their cover even before they were there.

There was the distant rumbling of thunder that foreshadowed coming rain. The clouds had been thick all evening and it had gotten darker earlier than it was supposed to; fitting. Her eyes drifted back to the cell phone resting in the passenger seat. Slowly she reached over and lifted the phone, contemplating whether or not it was worth using, and then made her decision. She quickly dialed the number and hesitated as it rung and was almost relieved when it went to voicemail. John was probably in the shower or in the other room, which gave her enough time to leave a message and turn off her phone before getting a call back.

"John, it's me, Charlie… Look, I… I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I've been so distracted. There's been some things going on… It's all been a little too much to handle. I just needed some space to work all of this out," Charlie said. She looked over the parking lot to make sure it was still safe. "…But I think that after tonight it's going to get better. Maybe we could hang out this weekend? I don't care what we do, it would just be nice to hang out again… So, okay, I'm going to let you go." Her thumb hovered over the end call button, "Talk to you later."

The message ended as quickly as the ones had on the tape. Charlie was left in silence.

* * *

While the front doors hadn't been locked yet, Foxy's was clearly closed. It was completely devoid of children and families, save for Chrissy, but it wasn't too unheard of for her to be staying a bit past closing. Jeremy had just finished cleaning off the tables and was currently gathering up the Minireenas into his arms.

"Head's up, Lad. We got company," Foxy forewarned. He was currently leaning against the stage, looking much too casual for a normal animatronic, but made no attempt to hide it. Jeremy looked to him briefly and then looked over to see a familiar woman walking through the door.

Louise didn't always come to get her mother from work but seeing her wander in wasn't too surprising. She noticed Jeremy and sent him a smile. "Hey there, Jerm! Good day today?" Her smile grew into a more playful one, "Mom didn't rough anyone up, did she?"

"Not anymore than usual," Jeremy answered jokingly. He quickly set the Minireenas down and turned to face the woman, effectively blocking her view of the tiny dolls. "I'm guessing you're hear to take her off our hands."

"That's the idea!" Louise chirped and continued towards the kitchen. She pushed open the door and called in, "Mom, your chauffeur is here!"

Jeremy took her distraction to turn around towards the Minireenas, only to now notice that one of them was missing from the stage. "…What?" He looked around the floor. "Rose?" Concern quickly turned to panic, especially with Louise still in the building. "Rose?!"

"Over here, Lad," Foxy spoke. Jeremy looked over to see Rose currently climbing up Foxy's leg and towards his waist. The relief was immediate, and Jeremy exhaled patiently before picking up Daisy and Forget-Me-Not into his arms. He leaned in to grab the pink dressed doll, but at the last second, she scooted around the leg and tried to disappear behind Foxy.

"It's time to go home, Rose. We'll be back tomorrow," Jeremy assured. He wrapped his fingers gently around her waist and tried to pull her free, to which Rose proceeded to hold on and make fussy noises. "You can play with Foxy tomorrow," he tried to convince, but she was having none of it. If anything, she only seemed more determined to keep herself stuck to the captain. "I think she's getting a little attached," Jeremy awkwardly joked, trying to ignore how embarrassing the situation was.

"That be one way of puttin' it," Foxy said. He seemed less than concerned and made little effort to help him or stop the doll. If anything, he only took amusement out of the struggling.

"I think she's trying to get under your suit." That amusement disappeared immediately. In an instant, Foxy reached back, grabbed the Minireena, and smoothly pulled her back off, ignoring her fussy noises. He handed her over as she thumped against his fist with her tiny hands. "And here comes the tantrum…" Jeremy gave a small sigh but smiled a little at it as well. After all, this wasn't the first time that one of the Minireenas had an episode, and Rose usually was well behaved.

Foxy straightened a little as Jeremy tucked the doll into his arms, then tapped the human on the arm with his hook and gestured towards the Prize Corner. The young man followed the motion and looked to see Marionette half leaning out of Prize Corner door. He was looking towards the kitchen while beckoning towards them. Jeremy looked to Foxy questioningly, who gestured with his head, insinuating that Marionette wanted him. Then the man headed over, still toting the dolls.

"Jeremy, where's Mike? I can't risk leaving the Prize Corner with Louise here," Marionette asked desperately. His voice was full of concern and showed that something was on his mind. For a moment Jeremy thought maybe the Puppet was suddenly worried about Louise being around Mike, but then logic drove this away. Ever since establishing their own relationship, Marionette had not seemed worried about Mike's friendships with others. It had to be something else.

"I think he's in the office with Fritz and Natalie going over the receipts. Three heads are better than one calculator, you know?" Jeremy lightly joked back. "Why, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to take him away from work, but someone needs to take Chrissy home. She can't ride home tonight," Marionette insisted. He then looked to Jeremy, paused a moment, and quietly added, "It's the fifth day."

Jeremy knew immediately what he meant. They had all been on edge for the missing children and the possibility of a five-day pattern had been looming over them during the workdays. While Jeremy hadn't remembered that this was the fifth day until now, as he hadn't been keeping track since the last disappearance, he understood the weight of it. Tonight was a dangerous night.

"I'll go tell him," Jeremy agreed. "If you can just let me put the girls in the car." He gestured to the dolls in his grasp. Daisy moved to the front of the three and reached towards Marionette with a giggle for a greeting. Marionette managed a slight smile as he reached to her, touching a finger against her tiny hand.

"Of course. You three were wonderful today," Marionette said to the Minireenas. He then reached out to affectionately pat their heads one by one, to which they gave pleasant giggles. Even Rose, who seemed to have calmed down the slightest bit, seemingly forgetting her desire to stay with Foxy. The Puppet started to reach out like he was planning on picking up one of the dolls, but then froze when he heard footsteps coming. In an instant, he e moved back into the corner and out of line of sight. Louise didn't even get a chance to notice him as she stepped by.

Though she did notice the Minireenas. "Aww, I didn't know that you got to bring these ones home!" she chirped as she leaned in to look closer at them. They stayed passively still to Jeremy's relief and didn't move even enough to believe they were anything beyond mannequins. "You're so lucky. All Mom brings home is leftover birthday cake."

"Well, you know, cake's not as much of a handful as these are," Jeremy scrambled out. "Could you open the front door for me?" Louise agreed without a hitch and propped open the front door to let him out. "Thanks. Are you… Sticking around a while?"

"Just long enough for Mom to wrap everything up. Literally," Louise quipped as she let the door shut behind them. Jeremy nodded in understanding and headed to his car, vaguely watching as Louise got into her own car's driver's seat to wait for Tabitha to come out. It was clear that she wasn't paying attention- she was currently reapplying lip-gloss- so Jeremy turned his focus back to the Minireenas.

"Alright, Girls. Just be patient and I'll be back in a couple of minutes, okay? Captain Foxy probably needs me to check in with him too before we're ready to go," Jeremy suggested with a smile. Yet even in this semi-carefree moment, he noticed the front door opening again and looked over to see Chrissy coming out of the front door. The girl hurried over to her locked-up bike and started to fit her helmet over her head. Jeremy's eyes widened, and he stood upright to call to her. "Chrissy, Mike's going to take you home!"

"It's okay!" Chrissy called back as she put her bicycle chain into her basket and wheeled it off the sidewalk. "I can ride really fast. I'll be faster than Foxy!"

"I know, but it's so dark…" Jeremy was hesitant to let her go. "Chrissy, please. At least see Mari before you go." She must've not heard him and thus didn't take the bait. Instead, she waved to him and started to peddle down the parking lot. He sighed and looked down at the Minireenas for a moment before looking back at the girl on the bike. In a way she was just like them and could be just as stubborn as they were when she wanted to be so. Even as she started across the parking lot, she was determined to stay independent. Jeremy watched her go.

So, he saw the car come out from beside Foxy's and jolt towards her. He choked out a half warning as he watched the car screech to a halt in the girl's way. Chrissy managed to turn her bike to keep herself from impacting and was left teetering, only barely catching herself with her leg. For a moment Jeremy thought that disaster had been averted, not taking into consideration the situation at hand. An old car with chipped paint had just peeled out from beside the pizzeria and cut off a girl on a bicycle. He should've known something was wrong.

The driver's door swung open and thin arms reached out and grabbed ahold of Chrissy. She gave a cry of alarm as the man tried to yank her into the car.

Within an instant, Jeremy was sprinting across the parking lot towards the car. "Stop!" he called out, watching as the girl disappeared into the car. Before the man could drive off, Jeremy was half into the driver's seat and fighting with the man.

Louise had spotted the scene and was also rushing across the parking lot. While she was more panicked- calling out with, "Oh my God! Oh my God!"- she rationalized enough to pull out a bottle of mace and started spraying at the driver. Jeremy unintentionally got a lungful of the peppery substance and fought through it, blinded but determined, and a few blows were exchanged. At wasn't enough. Before Jeremy knew it, he fell back onto the concrete with what felt like would become a black eye. Louise had no chance and was only able to empty more of the mace onto the man before the door slammed.

Jeremy tried to get back up even as the car started to peel off, but he wasn't nearly as fast as the footsteps beside him. He didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified when Foxy blew by. "Foxy!"

The animatronic was quick and just managed to catch up with the tail end of the car. With a swing of his hook, he broke through the taillight, but couldn't get a grip on the car. The car continued to speed off. To both Jeremy's horror and desperate hope, Foxy continued his speed and virtually disappeared around a corner, still in pursuit. He didn't seem to realize what danger he was putting himself in if he was seen.

Then again, neither did Marionette. Right before the car disappeared around the corner, Marionette teleported out to the edge of the parking lot and was watching the disappearing car. He twitched lightly, seemingly frozen in place, either by shock, by being out in the open, or by Louise watching. Though when Jeremy looked back, Louise was more pacing in panic than realizing that the animatronics were moving of their own free will. She probably wasn't a factor, but Marionette was stuck. He couldn't teleport fast enough to get into a moving car that he had never been in.

Marionette knew that Chrissy had been taken and he _couldn't do anything._

"What happened?!" Mike came running out of Foxy's with some of the others following behind. Seeing Jeremy still on the ground, still in shock and maced, he hurried to him. "Jeremy, what the hell is going on?!"

"Someone grabbed Chrissy!" Jeremy choked out. He coughed into his fist and only now noticed the burning in his throat. "Foxy took after him! Some guy- thin, white guy in a car with its paint peeling!" But as soon as he heard 'thin and white' he knew Jeremy meant Dave, who was just gaunt and pale enough to stand out.

"It was Dave! I knew it! I knew that stupid son of a-!" Mike cut off his venting and looked to Louise. "Louise, cell phone?!"

"In the car," Louise answered. She was trembling as she stood there. "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening!"

"Call the cops! Tell them it's a guy named Dave Miller and that he might be heading over to Magictime Theater, or wherever he lives!" Mike directed. The woman nodded and hurried to her car to do so and he looked to Marionette, then sprinted to him. He snapped the Puppet out of his trance by grabbing his wrist and shoving his keys into his hand. "You can get to the car first! Get in the car, get it started, we'll go after him!" As stunned as Marionette was, he listened to the command and vanished, and Mike sprinted to the side of the building.

"I'll go after in my car!" Jeremy called after Mike as he fumbled to his feet and tried to get to his car. He wiped his face with his sleeve and tried to erase the burning, "I'll look for Foxy!" Same difference; he doubted that Foxy would lose sight of the car.

The car was started as Mike flung himself into the driver's side and peeled out of the parking lot. "Which way?!" he asked. The Puppet didn't respond, and Mike glanced to him. "Mari, which way?!"

"I don't know!" Marionette finally forced out. With it poured static, dialing tones, and distorted music as he spiraled into panic. " _I don't know! I don't know what happened!"_ the Puppet cried. Though after a few moments in the outburst, he seemed to somehow pull himself together, and did so by pointing down the road. "That way. He took a left at the end."

"Got it." Mike started to speed down the road, trying not to fully freak out and focus on the road. "He probably went towards Magictime Theater."

"Why would he go back?" Marionette pitifully asked. "He took a child from there, why would he go back? He could already be halfway to his home." He then gave a choke, "Why would he come here?!"

"Then we'll just catch up with him," Mike affirmed. He gave a frustrated huff. "What is he even thinking coming here?! I knew the moment I saw that creep-…!" He gave a weary exhale and forced himself to go silent. He was unwilling to keep venting when he needed to focus. He continued circling the area, searching for any sign of the car or Foxy, but they had effectively lost both. "And Foxy's gone too. Beautiful."

"I was supposed to protect her…" Marionette's voice sounded broken. It was heavy with cracking and haziness. "I knew he was coming and I couldn't even protect my little girl. I let her walk out alone…" He clasped his hands onto his mask and bowed over, trying to will back the purple tears that were beginning to well into his eyes. "I let the Purple Man take her away!"

"She's not gone. We haven't lost her yet," Mike insisted as he kept his eyes on the road. "Yeah, maybe we screwed up- I should've driven her home an hour ago; what was I thinking?" He looked to the Puppet and forced optimism past his usual realistic view. "She's still alive and we know who has her. We're going to get her back and we're skinning that pale, scab covered freak alive!" Blue eyes scanned over the road. _"He couldn't have gotten that far… Who am I kidding? He's probably waiting for us to follow. It's like he wanted to be caught."_

It was then that Marionette gave a strange full-body shudder and sat upright against the passenger seat. His eyes glowed and his pupils snapped around as his static quieted down. Mike noticed the strange gesture, "What's going on?"

"…I know where she is," Marionette suddenly revealed. He grew more worked up as he looked around. "I know where she is! I know _exactly_ where she is!" He pointed back behind them. "Find a place to turn around- they're on the road to the theater! They have to be!"

"That was sudden! What changed?!" Mike asked. He didn't argue though as he turned off to make a quick, but legal U-turn. While they were turning, it suddenly came to him. "Wait, you don't mean the bracelet-?"

"She's such a good girl. She turned it on as soon as she could," Marionette said in confirmation. He could feel the pulsing coaxing him after her. "Hurry, there's still time!"

This was their only chance to stop the past from repeating itself.

* * *

 **Mable: I feel like we should take a moment to acknowledge that Jeremy was punched and maced and still intends to drive. That's either foolish or admirable… But I'm not exactly certain which one. Just a moment, because that might be all we have before the worst becomes a reality. The next chapter will be finished soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Six_

It would've been impossible to not notice the car suddenly peeling into the parking lot. Charlie dropped down into the driver's seat as soon as she noticed that it wasn't Mike's car. It sped around the theater and disappeared behind it, to which she peered out to look. Hesitantly, she opened the car door, and started to step out. Before she could even shut the door, she started to hear what sounded like a scream, but it was cut off by the slam of a car door. Then there was silence.

None of it sounded good and all of it sounded suspicious. It was as though Charlie was becoming an unintentional witness to something horrible, and unfortunately nobody was here with her. After only a few moments of contemplating what she was going to do, Charlie started to walk towards the theater. She circled around the side closest to her car, which was the opposite side of where the car had driven but perhaps would give her a safer distance to look from. Soon she was behind the building and staring across towards the now parked car.

Other than what looked like a storage building behind the theater, the back of the theater was clearly just a place to dump garbage. There was a couple of trash cans and a few stacks of cardboard boxes that looked already saturated even though it was only sprinkling. It was also rather dark, with the only light being from an open door on the far side of the theater, which was propped open beside the parked car that had peeled in. She considered calling the police then but wanted to see what was happening first. Charlie started to walk closer to the car and noticed halfway to it that there was someone still inside.

Illuminated in a soft, green light and looking out through the windows was a little girl wearing a helmet. She looked to be scared and closer inspection revealed that she was crying.

" _She's one of the victims… She's another kidnapped child!"_ Charlie realized in horror. Her eyes flickered back to the door and she realized that the kidnapper had to be inside. They could return at any moment. She took a deep breath and inched closer to the door. Inside she could hear running water from somewhere nearby and slowly lifted the doorstop, then inched the door closed. Once it had fully locked into place, she turned her attention to one of the nearby garbage cans, and then proceeded to slowly drag it to block the door.

The girl had noticed her by now and Charlie ran to the car to look inside. She tried the door to unlock it, but it wouldn't open from the outside, and it was evident from how the little girl was trying the locks that it had been set to not lock from the inside either. Somehow the car wouldn't unlock without the keys but getting them would be nearly impossible. She had to improvise.

All it took was a few minutes to look before Charlie found a loose brick. It would be loud, and it wouldn't necessarily be easy, but it was the best chance she had. She removed her jacket and used it to shield her hand and took a firm grip on the brick. She then headed to one of the back windows, beckoning the girl back in warning, and waited until the girl was out of the range of the possible shards. Then she turned her attention on the car window and brought down the brick onto the window. The first blow did nothing. She tried again, harder, and still nothing. A third blow felt a little closer. _"Anytime would be great!"_

As though listening to her pleading, the fourth blow shattered the window with cracks like spiderwebs. It took another hit to knock the glass out and the brick was then used to knock out the remaining glass from the edges. The noise had drawn attention; Charlie could hear the scooting of the garbage can behind her. It wasn't heavy, so it was only the strange angle keeping the door closed.

"Watch your step," Charlie warned as she helped the girl out. She then pushed her towards the alley. "Now run! I've got a car out front! Run!"

The girl didn't need anymore warning and sprinted past, only hesitating briefly with a cry of panic as the garbage can fell over and the man- the kidnapper- came out. His sunken eyes were transfixed on Charlie and she dully recognized him spitting venom as he rushed for her. He grabbed her arm, his grip hard enough to bruise, and attempted to overpower her. At any other time, this man might've done so, as he was surprisingly powerful in comparison to his thin, lanky appearance, but she was ready to fight back. Charlie responded by swinging out and clocking him in the side of the head with the brick.

This got the kidnapper off. He staggered back with a swear, temple bleeding, as Charlie dropped everything and sprinted after the girl. The girl was almost at the end of the alley and with Charlie sprinting as fast as she was she would soon catch up with her. She tried to mentally plan: get to the car, put in the keys, turn on, pull out, speed down the highway, and call the police once halfway to the city. All they had to do was make it there.

That was until the car suddenly came to life behind her.

" _He's going to get her!"_ Charlie thought in a rush of panic. Her heart was racing as she started to catch up with the girl. She could already see it; he would drive right by, take the girl, and take her off to kill her. Just like he probably had done with the rest of the children. It didn't help when the girl slowed down to look back. "No! Keep running!" Charlie commanded. "Don't look back! Just get to the car!"

The car sped up with a squeal of tires against dampened asphalt. As the girl started around the corner and Charlie broke into a fevered sprint. She could hear the girl scream again in fear as the lights-.

* * *

Marionette was still on the verge of panic as Mike parked right inside the parking lot of Magictime Theater. He turned off the car and looked around the lot. "I can't see his car. Is that it, over there?" He pointed to one off in the corner and the animatronic shook his head. "No? Then he must've parked somewhere else. Maybe out back. As long as he's here."

"I don't know if he's here," Marionette admitted quietly. "…But I know she is."

They exited the car, Mike grabbed his taser, stuck it on his belt, and approached the front doors. The door was locked, but due to the glass door, Marionette could easily see and teleport through it. Once on the other side he unlocked the door and Mike opened it and let himself in. The moment the door opened, a sharp beeping started to come from an alarm panel by the door. The security guard turned towards the alarm in a panic. "That-!" He was cut off with a loud pop as the panel burst open. A low sizzling followed as the beeping fell silent. "Huh… I didn't know you knew how to bust alarms." He was moderately impressed but only mildly surprised.

"Only the old ones," Marionette remarked. He then looked around at the empty show floor. "She's not far. I can feel her bracelet nearby… Follow me." The Puppet started to lead towards the back of the room and easily maneuvered around the arcade cabinets. He came up on the stage at the back and looked upwards at the animatronics standing motionless. He recognized the characters and was somewhat relieved when he detected no life inside of them. They weren't haunted; that was fortunate. Mike moved to stand beside him and looked around at the animatronics as well.

"I know this is probably the worst time for it, but the Magic Puppet Box is over that way," Mike quipped with a point. "But I'm going to take a random guess and say that Chrissy's somewhere in the back." Marionette nodded in agreement and followed his companion as he lead towards the door into the back hallway. The light was on inside and Mike inched the door open to peer into the hallway. He couldn't hear or see anyone nearby.

Suddenly, Marionette gave a static filled gasp from behind. Without a hitch, Mike drew back into the room and closed the door slightly to shield himself. "What is it? Do you see something?"

"Oh, I see something," Marionette remarked with annoyance. "I see what is literally just an _exact copy_ of me. My goodness, if they weren't so reluctant to make more puppets, I would expect this came right out of Freddy's!" So that was it. Mike smirked the slightest bit, realizing that the Puppet was currently glaring at the 'statue' Security Puppet instead of an actual threat. "Except it has Ennard's faceplates. Because it wasn't already terrible enough, they decided to give it unnecessary _Funtime_ faceplates!"

"Well, at least now we know what would happen if you and Ennard had a baby. Doesn't look nearly as much like hell spawn as I would expect, but I guess he doesn't take much from his daddy," Mike added with a growing smirk that he shot back at the unenthused animatronic. Marionette passed by him and sent him a slight look of annoyance.

"I love that you assume I'm the mother," Marionette murmured back. He then approached the office door and stopped, laying a single hand against it. "…She's this way. She must be inside this room." Without fully checking, he opened the door and rushed into the office, but found nothing inside. The Puppet scanned the room and moved towards the back. Only now did he realize that the bracelet's pulse went further past the room.

"That woman could be in on this too," Mike pointed out. He yanked open the top desk drawer and started to search through. "There's got to be something here… Where are you going?" He looked up as the Puppet turned and started to hurry back out of the office. The security guard followed even with a delay on an answer. "What's going on?"

"She's outside." Marionette passed by the Security Puppet again and headed towards the front door. "She has to be. She was just past that wall."

"What would she be doing-?" Actually, no; Mike didn't want that question answered. He tried again, "Maybe there's a storage shed or garage out back that he's keeping the kids in. It would make sense if he's gathering them up." Better; that implied that they were alive and could still be rescued. They stepped back outside, and Mike followed Marionette around the corner of the theater. He tried to keep believing that they were about to find her, even as the animatronic with his looked only more frantic.

As he got closer, Marionette could feel the pulse of the bracelet grow. "Chrissy?" he called, unworried if he would be heard by someone else. Rain pelted against and dripped down his mask as he hovered faster. Mike was falling a little behind to keep watch, but the Puppet was unstoppable as he went around another corner and was behind the dark theater. The first thing that hit him was the soft smell of copper. He recognized that grizzly scent and his internal music box tightened inside. The panic was starting to grow as his gaze fell on the dull green light from the abandoned bracelet laying on the concrete.

It had fallen off Chrissy's wrist; there had been a struggle of some kind. He feared raising his head and seeing what lay beyond, because he knew something terrible was waiting for him. Like the bracelet reeled him in, he could feel that something terrible was waiting beyond him. He started to slowly follow the concrete further behind the theater.

"What's that smell?" Mike muttered as he came around the corner hesitantly. It was fainter for him, but the smell was obvious that even he could smell it. "That can't be blood." But it was and they both knew it.

Marionette looked further down past the garbage and boxes to see something laying on the ground only feet away. He could see the deep crimson pooling on the ground as he slowly moved in. The rain couldn't wash away the redness, there was too much, and the smell was becoming overwhelming. It became clear that that the figure on the ground was a body, lying in a mix of fluid and laying alongside the garbage cans. As he got closer he could hear the raspy breaths as it struggled to choke in oxygen through a broken body. It was only barely alive and was fading fast as she bled out onto the concrete.

Marionette hovered over them and stared at his worst fears. He was frozen in place, unable to even react, as he recognized who it was who had been left to die.

It was Charlie.

As the Puppet was standing there motionless, it wasn't long before Mike came to see what he was staring at, and soon saw her as well. He couldn't comprehend how she was here or how she could be so injured. Unlike the striped one, the human was able to recover enough to rush to her side and dropped beside her.

"Charlie?! Charlie, what- what are you doing here?!" He didn't expect an answer once he got a better look at her. She was turned at a strange angle and her limbs didn't look positioned correctly. He had his hands poised over her but withheld from touching her, afraid that he would break something else. "Oh God, you're bleeding everywhere." He just absentmindedly babbled as he tried to figure out what to do. It was only once he looked around and saw seeing tipped trashcans and skid marks on the asphalt that he realized what happened. "She was hit. I can't believe this. It was a car. Somebody _hit_ her."

Marionette snapped out of his idle state and dropped to the cement. He crawled up to the opposite side of her and looking down at her face, which was partially obscured by her hair. "Ch-rlie," his voice sputtered. She was still struggling to breathe, and her eyes were wide open, but they were too out of focus to look at him. He could hear the blood in her lungs just from her rattling breaths and knew she was struggling. He reached out to ghost his fingers over her cheek. "Still -live."

"She won't be for long if we don't do something," Mike said. He frantically yanked off his jacket and draped it over her to block the rain. Then he felt over his pockets and found his phone missing. "Damn it! I left my phone in the car somewhere, or Foxy's- the one time I actually need the thing-!"

Marionette made a strange sort of noise. A low humming vibrated in his chest as he stared down at Charlie with a dim glow in his eyes. He seemed to be back in an unmoving state as he looked down at her.

"Mari..." Mike reached out and put his hand on his shoulder to almost shake him to life. "There's a phone in the office. Go call an ambulance. I'll stay with Charlie." The Puppet didn't move and didn't look away from Charlie. " _Marionette,"_ Mike said more firmly, shaking the striped one a bit harder. He kept his voice even to get through to him. "She's still alive. We can still save her. Please, you have to do it."

Marionette finally looked up to Mike. He stared at him blankly for a moment, still humming in his chest, and took in what the man was saying. Pinprick dots darted around as he processed everything that was told to him. Then, without a word, he rose and slowly started to head back around the corner of the building. On the outside he was silent, stoic, and seemed to be too shocked to react beyond going through the motions. On the inside, Marionette was overwhelmed in nothing but sound. Pounding, creaking, static and booming commands pulsing in his mind. Voiceless words commanded him along and reminded him what he needed to do as he went through the motions that he had before.

He entered the arcade as though he was on strings and crossed to the stage. His gaze only briefly went over them before it fell onto something else. The pounding inside grew more intense as he saw what he needed.

Mike had been waiting at Charlie's side, but was becoming concerned at how long it was taking Marionette. He had checked her wrist for a pulse without moving the arm and could feel how faint her pulse was. She was bleeding out, but he couldn't even begin to stem the flow. Even if he tried he only expected that moving her would risk internal injuries. Instead, he moved her hair out of her face and gently pet her head to comfort her.

"The paramedics are going to be here any minute," Mike assured her. "My friend Scott was in a full body suit accident, bled out everywhere, and lived. And he lived with nobody knowing how those suits worked! This happens all the time, trust me. They'll get you all cleaned up and drugged up, and you'll be gold." He hoped that the comforts would assure her and help her hang on a few moments longer, and he only stopped when he heard something nearby. He looked over to see Marionette coming back, but something was amiss.

The Puppet was dragging something in its arms. Mike was completely baffled when he realized it was the knock-off puppet animatronic, limp in his grasp, its arms and legs trailing on the concrete.

"What's going? Did you call 911?" Mike asked in confusion. Marionette did not respond and just continued dragging the body. So, Mike strode up to him and grabbed his arm, thinking he would snap him out of it again. "Mari-!" Just from the touch alone it hit him. It filled his mind like the worst headache he had ever had, overwhelming him, and before he released he could hear it from the inside.

" _GIVE GIFTS._ **GIVE LIFE.** _GIVE GIFTS._ **GIVE LIFE.** _GIVE GIFTS._ **GIVE LIFE.** _ **SAVE THEM."**_

Mike stumbled back and grabbed at his head with one hand. The pain eased quickly, and the voice was gone immediately, but what it meant lingered. He looked at Marionette going through the motions, looked down at the limp animatronic, and knew exactly what was happening. Marionette had not gone to call for help, he had went to get a body for her.

"Wait," Mike choked out. He rushed ahead and blocked Marionette with a raised hand. He didn't touch him though, unwilling to make the mistake again and be hit by the agonizing pain. "She's still alive. She's still got a chance. Before you do… Anything, we need to see if we can get her help."

The Puppet gave a shudder as he hesitated. The tear marks on his mask were brighter, and it was only clear once the purple paint started dripping over his mouth and down onto the Security Puppet that he was soundlessly crying. The dots of light were on Mike, unmoving, unrelenting, and only then did he speak.

"If I wait until she's gone… Then I can't bring her back."

That somber comment was final. As though washing down his hesitance with a cold dose of reality, Mike realized he was right. With that he also realized that there were no other options. There was no more protesting; Mike stepped out of the way and let Marionette continue with his task. The Puppet continued to the fallen woman and lowered down beside her, all while his companion watched. Mike wasn't sure how this would work, with it impossible to put Charlie 'inside' of the Security Puppet, but it was clear that Marionette knew what he was doing.

The Security Puppet was laid alongside Charlie and with the gentlest of motions Marionette draped its arm over her body. She wasn't there enough to realize what was happening, but he pet over her head with soft shushing, trying to comfort her. It seemed to be more for himself than her with how far she was gone. He was still careful with her bleeding body, but from this grave decision it was clear that he didn't believe she could be saved. To Mike's horror he had the same suspicion. He both wanted to watch and knew he had to call for help, along with searching for the children.

The mood had changed. The kidnapping became attempted murder.

With a shaky exhale, Mike watched until Marionette had the Security Puppet nearly wrapped around Charlie. Once the Puppet had returned to petting her head with soft chiming, he knew it was over. This was the full extent of what the Puppet could do. Mike turned around to head inside, only pausing to grab the green bracelet on the way. He maneuvered it onto his own wrist.

Once inside the theater, Mike headed to the office to try the phone, but found the line dead. "Of course," he muttered as he fumbled with the wires and tried repeatedly. It wasn't storming enough to take out the phone lines, so he could only assume that it was either broken or someone cut the wires. "Nothing can be easy," he huffed, slamming the phone in the receiver. "Maybe there's another one." He tried to ignore the inward thoughts of, " _Oh dear God, Charlie's going to die because I can't call for help. This can't be happening."_

Mike started down the hallway to head towards the other doors. Right when he passed behind where the back of the stage would be, past a thin service door, he heard a creak from the floorboard. He hesitated where he was and tested the floor again. He then thumped his foot down onto it and listened. It was hard to tell, but it seemed like it echoed a bit more than normal flooring would.

"…Basement?... Yeah, there's a basement," Mike decided. Then his eyes widened, "Wait, if there's a basement… Damn, they're here!" He quickened his pace and started to check the doors. The one behind the stage opened into a crawlspace connected to the stage and animatronics' hookup, but there was nothing suspicious waiting there. There were the bathrooms, a storage room, what looked to be a small employee lounge, and only once he got to the back of the hallway did he find the door to the basement. "Jackpot."

The basement was largely unfinished and crammed full of unused decorations, boxed supplies, and broken-down cabinets. Mike had to maneuver around the piled-up stock as he crossed to the other side.

"This place is a dump," Mike muttered. Promptly afterwards, he stepped into a puddle of strange, leaking liquid. He looked down in alarm as he thought it was blood, and the grimaced when he found an unknown fluid leaking out of what looked to be an old soda machine. "Better move quick before it melts through," he muttered as he staggered past.

It was while trying to maneuver past the hoarded stuff in the back that his gaze fell on a door. There was a path opened to it against the wall, which he only realized after climbing over a slumped over, headless Orville the Elephant. He approached the door and looked over it, furrowing his brows, then tried it. It was odd enough that there was a room down here when most of the room was clogged with stuff, let alone that it was locked. Not with a normal lock either; there was an extra padlock on the upper portion of the door keeping it locked closed. He looked over the padlock to make sure it was locked, then listened to the door.

There was silence on the inside, so Mike knocked lightly. In response, he heard what sounded like a voice, along with hushed whispering. "Hello? Anybody in there?" Mike asked. He was rewarded with more hushed shushing. This time he noticed that the voice sounded a little lighter than expected. It sounded like a child. "I'm not that guy. I'm here to help you. Is someone in there?" There was almost what sounded like the beginning of a voice, but it was then hushed again, perhaps physically. It was only now that Mike realized that they were purposefully keeping quiet, because they were scared.

With few options, Mike took off the bracelet and hooked it onto the doorknob. He might've not been able to unlock the door, but he knew that Marionette could. "I'm going to go get help. You're going to be alright," he called in before turning to head towards the stairs. He would get Marionette to unlock the door and stay with Charlie in the meantime. Maybe he could even find his cellphone on his way, because it was becoming clear that while Louise called the police, they weren't taking her advice in coming here. They were probably still searching the streets of Hurricane, looking for someone who wasn't there.

Mike still stopped at the front desk to look as well. There had to be a working phone somewhere in the theater. Yet as he looked behind the desk, he found coins, tokens, rolls of tickets, and garbage, but no phone. "They're definitely in on this. This can't be a coincidence," he muttered. He huffed and dropped his head against the counter with swear. He stayed there for a moment, trying to concoct a plan. The one he started to form involved him trying to drive the kids to Foxy's and then calling the police from there while Marionette stayed with Charlie.

It wasn't the formation of this plan that triggered him to move, but the sound of a car speeding into the parking lot. Mike peered out from over the counter to see a less than impressive car parked in front of the theater. It was parked half-hazard over two or three spaces and a man began to climb out. It was clearly Dave who stepped out of the car and grabbed a shovel out of the trunk. Even though Mike expected for it to be Dave, he was positively dumbstruck, because he hadn't truly thought it could really be _Dave_.

Mike dropped down behind the counter as Dave let himself in. The man didn't even seem to notice that the door was locked and headed through the arcade towards the back door. At first Mike intended to let him go, so that he could call the authorities and get them to come by, but it the occurred to him that the likelihood was that Dave was heading back to either find Charlie or move the children. While Marionette wouldn't let either happen, Mike wouldn't even give Dave the chance, and stood from behind the counter.

"Well, well. A little late to be creeping around. Isn't it, _Old Sport_?" Mike mockingly asked. Dave stopped in his path and hesitated a few seconds. Then he slowly started to look back towards the younger man.

"Well, hey there. A little late to be coming to pick up your robot, eh?" Dave inquired as he looked back. He had the slightest bit of a smile, or perhaps a grimace, and something looked the slightest bit odd about how he looked. "Did I interrupt a break-in? Usually a thief doesn't come out and say, "I'm here!" to the security guard." He rested the end of the shovel on the carpet and casually propped himself up with it. "So, what are you doing here?"

"You know _exactly_ why I'm here. Don't play stupid with me," Mike answered. He started to let his fake tone drop for his anger. "Did you really think that you were going to go snatching kids at Freddy's and nobody was going to notice? With your garbage car and your obviousness- I know you're the one behind the missing children." His anger grew, even as he tried to resist the urge to fully unleash it. Unlike the monster behind the last missing children and the last murders, here was a knock-off version of Afton himself. The fact that someone was trying so little only made it so much worse.

"Foxy's," Dave said.

"What about it?" Mike snapped back.

"You said Freddy's. You meant Foxy's," Dave pointed out. Mike hesitated only a moment and in this second the older man broke into a scoff. One that was cut off by a wheeze and a few raspy coughs. "You can't even keep your own story straight! How are you so sure you got mine right?" If anything, his nonchalant behavior was only more infuriating.

"You're disgusting," Mike spat at him. "I know _exactly_ what you did to those kids, and that girl out back- she's got a name and a family! They all do! And here you are repeating what happened back at Freddy's! What kind of a sicko are you?!" He stepped in closer, threateningly, and only froze when he noticed Dave's hands tightening on the shovel. His own hand dropped to his belt and rested against the taser. Though he also noticed something about Dave's face. More specifically, his eyes, which were dilated beyond what they should've been. Even in the darkness something looked off about his eyes. "Are you high?! _Oh, it just gets better and better._ "

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dave denied. Yet right afterwards he broke into a weird smile, showing his darkened, yellowed teeth. "You're here saying I did all this and you _didn't_ call the police? I can't tell if you're here out of some sort of hero quest for revenge, or playing detective, or if you're just as messed up as I am. Yeah, you came out of Freddy's, all right. A little young." He chatted just like he had when they last spoke, as though it was nothing at all. As though what was happening was as basic as him losing the keys. "You've seen all of this before."

"Yeah, about twenty minutes ago, when you snatched a girl from the parking lot!" Mike snapped back. "Don't you dare start throwing Freddy's at me when you're pulling the same-!"

Mike was cut off by the rather sudden appearance of Marionette behind Dave. The look on his face was one that Mike couldn't remember ever seeing. Never had Mike seen that amount of hatred, that scowl, nor did he see such aggression and have the Puppet be entirely silent. Marionette didn't make a chime, a static, any tones, and didn't even begin his attacking song for 'popping a weasel'. No, Marionette was deathly silent, and it was clear that this was, so he could sneak up behind Dave. He started to slowly move in towards the oblivious man and for a moment Mike was thrilled. He didn't even question morality; he would gladly help him overtake Dave.

Though that would then mean that Mike would have to justify breaking into the theater. Then the cops would probably think he murdered him, as nobody would believe an animatronic did it- not that Mike would accuse Marionette. Somehow, if Mike did get off without them suspecting his involvement, this would get back to Foxy's and effect the business. It would seem very suspicious if it came out that Mike had broke into the theater, just happened to find out what Dave was doing, and then killed him. Dave would never be charged; nobody would get true closure, and, like Freddy's, nobody would be charged.

Marionette was just about to reach Dave when Mike realized that they were at an impasse.

"Stop!" Mike suddenly called and raised a hand. Marionette hesitated and looked past Dave at Mike, hovering just high enough over him that he could. Dave, meanwhile, raised a brow in slight confusion, but then had a strange facial twitch and seemed to be oblivious. Mike knew he had to act fast and be clever, or he would lose control of the situation. He could just hope that the police were on their way.

"Look, just wait. Let's not do anything rash _yet_ … Let's not play the distraction game, alright?" he offered. He forced his voice to stay even and ignored any anger. "I know about the kids in the basement and _you-_." Mike paused to tap his wrist, where a watch or bracelet would be. "Are running out of time."

It took a second before Marionette was able to see past his own anger and listen to what Mike was saying. Specifically, with the children being in the basement. While every fiber of him wanted to throw himself onto the wriggling mass of purple that was standing between them, he knew that what Mike was telling him was important. He did need to go for the children and get them to safety, and then, once they were safe, the Purple Man's knock-off would be waiting. Then he could do whatever came naturally, but the children- and Charlie- came first. He would leave Dave to Mike.

In an instant, he vanished. Mike was both relieved and horrified when he was alone with Dave, but he knew this was the right move. His hand brushed closer to his taser as he watched Dave's hands tighten on the shovel handle.

"Alright, Dave, you want to talk Freddy's? Let's talk Freddy's."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seven_

Marionette found the basement from the hallway and headed down into the packed storage room. Unlike Mike, he moved over the hoard much easier as he made his way towards the back. He only hesitated beside the abandoned Orville animatronic, hesitating for whatever reason, but was then forced away by the pull of the bracelet. He had to hurry and find the children, and it was with the bracelet that he found the door. He accessed it quickly, noticed the lock, and then pressed his hands on the door to try and get a 'feel' of what was inside.

It didn't take him long to feel the soft sensation that indicated movement and life. They were here; the children were on the other side of the door.

Without a hitch, the Puppet grabbed ahold of the padlock and tried to unlock it as he would a door lock. It was nothing more than a smaller lock separated from a door and thus opened easily and quickly. He let the padlock drop onto the floor and opened the door with his telekinesis. This was met with a cry and some shuffling in fear. Without worrying about them seeing him, he entered the room and saw what waited beyond it.

There were three boys in the room. The oldest looked to be eleven or twelve, and it only took Marionette a glance to realize that he recognized him from the newspaper. He had to be Charlie's friend's sibling Jason. The two other boys were much younger. One looked five at most and the other could've been as young as two, and the oldest was holding them like he had been keeping them back against the wall. The youngest, merely a toddler, began to immediately cry even before he could see the animatronic. The other two boys just stared- understandably startled by the appearance of the striped being.

The room could've only been slightly smaller than the office upstairs. A twin mattress laid on the floor with random blankets and pillows and seemed to only be the most basic of comfort. Other than that, there was a trashcan in the corner and some fast food wrappings on the floor. A couple of toys that could've come straight from the prize corner were there as well. He doubted they were given out of care, but more so to keep the children quiet. To think that they had been trapped in this room- especially the toddler- was disturbing beyond words. He already wanted to cry.

To not scare the kids, Marionette moved in carefully with gentle chimes. He knelt to their level and reached for them gently. The older two looked wary so he instead reached to pet the toddler's head, chiming solemnly and sympathetically. The toddler was still crying, but the five-year-old began to look less scared, with only the oldest still staring in alarm. While this was its own risk, as the children could say anything about him being alive, he couldn't resist it. They were alive, they were mostly healthy and didn't seem injured, and Dave hadn't gotten a chance to hurt them. _Yet_.

He leaned in and embraced the group tightly. The oldest boy leaned back, dodging the touch, but the other two didn't. Marionette pressed his mask onto the toddler's soft hair and lightly ruffled it with his fingers to try and ease his crying. Apparently noticing that the Puppet was no longer was a threat, the five-year-old gave in and hugged onto him. Childlike wonder overtook fear; suddenly this strange creature became a source of affection. He saw him as some sort of friendly face in the darkness, and Marionette turned his attention to hug the boy as well. He was just so happy they were alive, so ecstatically happy.

But they weren't safe until they were out of the theater. Marionette started to draw back and pressed a finger to his lips, to signal for them to stay quiet while he attempted to smuggle them out. He then rose off the floor and turned towards the door again. He had seen the backdoor by now, so he could take them out that way and either hide them or move them to the car. Then he could help Mike, go for the purple monster upstairs, and return to Charlie for-… This could still work.

Or it almost did, until his gaze fell on the green bracelet on the doorknob. His eyes focused on it for a few moments before he realized something terrible: Chrissy wasn't here. He had been so wrapped up in the joy of seeing the living boys that he hadn't even realized that the girl hadn't been there. He rushed out the door and looked around the basement, but there were no other doors and the only window was too high for her to have reached. There were only three children in this room and Chrissy was nowhere to be seen.

It didn't make sense, though. He had found her bracelet, so she had been here. She had been behind the theater with Charlie and must've escaped before Dave could grab her. Unless she hadn't. Horror started to grow in Marionette as he thought back to the scene. There had been so much blood, and the bracelet had somehow fell off her, and she was nowhere to be seen. A cold sort of revelation began to climb over him and force its way inside. First Charlie- and now Chrissy was nowhere to be seen. Only now did Marionette think back about that disgusting man upstairs and about the _shovel he was carrying_.

For a moment Marionette was overcome by grief. Then he was swallowed whole by static.

* * *

"So, how long were you in the bear's claws?" Dave asked as he looked Mike over. "I'm guessing from the get up and the borderline obsession it was… Uh… Five years?... Nah, couldn't be. I think I would've recognized you, and I was working there a long time. I outlived owners, if you could believe that." He shakily pulled a small tin out of his pocket. The shaking wasn't out of fear and Mike suspected it was a side effect of whatever he had been using before he came in. The tin was full of chewing tobacco and Dave took an abnormally large amount and jammed it into his cheek, all while juggling the shovel.

"You know what they say: you don't know what you have until it's all gone," Dave remarked.

"Uh huh, and what does that mean?" Noticing Dave's confused look, Mike corrected, "And I know what that means. I mean context-wise. I'm not a complete idiot. I didn't kidnap kids at the establishment I worked at after working at a place that people only remember _because_ kids got kidnapped there."

"And the animatronics. These ones here can't compare to those, you know. I know you know. We both know about the animatronics there." Dave slipped the tin back into his pocket. "You ever worked the night shift?"

"Pretty much every night of 93," Mike admitted. He decided not to bring up the times when he was 'let go'. It just wasn't important now.

"But you didn't work the night shift when they were open!" Dave remarked, pointing at Mike. "You see, that's a shame, because it was better when they were open. Those bots were active. They were out for blood! Let me tell you, I got this close once." He showed an inch with his fingers, but it was hard with how his hand trembled. "I had the Mangle trying to get in at the same time Toy Bonnie was climbing through the vents and the music box was wound down to nothing. That feeling you get when you skirt by the highest high you're ever going to get!" He paused as his smile started to fade. "…Then they put me on the dayshift."

All at once, that delirious high dropped into somberness. "I thought it was my saving grace, but all it did was take all the fun out of it. No more thrill. The bots didn't move during the day- Except that one time the Mangle bit some guy's arm off." Mike supposed that he meant Jeremy. A similar story but with incorrect details; close enough. "I didn't have enough time to get back on the nightshift before it closed down. Then it was over… Couldn't feel much of anything anymore."

"So, you came here to work thinking this place was haunted?" Mike asked. He was slightly interested in hearing cause and effect, but the main reason was to keep stalling for Marionette and the police who were probably never coming.

"Almost… Tried to get a job at Afton Robotics, but the place closed up." Dave absentmindedly tapped the end of the shovel on the tiled floor. "And I came here to take the edge off, thinking that eventually it would start to curb, and it almost did… But these last few years- I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I kept thinking about the magic of Freddy's, you know? And I had this epiphany- kids disappear and animatronics come to life. It was the only thing that made sense." He got a glazed look. "Couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking about it when I slept."

"So… That's it?" Mike challenged in disgust. "You just kept thinking about it until you decided that logical sense didn't matter? Let's stop playing games. Why'd you come after Chrissy? Why her, why Foxy's, why? Just because you're a sick freak who decided to rage a vendetta because I didn't have a lighter?" Dave still looked just as vacant. "You already have the news crowding this place as it is because you decided to grab a child in broad daylight."

"This wasn't ever supposed to get back here. That kid was just… Asking questions, you know? That kid, that boy. He was acting weird, watching me, and I knew he knew," Dave explained with a tinge of paranoia. "So, he had to be out of the way, and so I promised to get him some answers and got him out of the way. Quick fix, right? Well, no. Not a quick fix. Turns out people realized he was here, and then suddenly all these people are poking around the theater. Can't have that…" He looked back to Mike. "…But if it happened again at _Foxy's_ , they'd change their focus."

"That is a terrible idea. You don't want to be caught, so you kidnap more. Yeah, that makes a ton of sense," Mike pointed out. "Even if they suddenly believe Foxy's is a target or believe that you're moving around, that doesn't mean they'd stop looking at Magictime. The kid was, again, _taken in broad daylight._ "

"It doesn't need to be perfect," Dave assured with bravado. "Scott got away with kidnapping all those kids just because there were a couple of us to give the 'reasonable doubt' that it wasn't him." He punctuated it with air quotes.

"Scott? You mean the Phone Guy? The _Phone Guy_ wasn't kidnapping children! It was-," Mike caught himself. He didn't want to spill anything to this man. It would only somehow bite him in the end. "It doesn't matter who it was. What matters is what _you're_ doing. As far as everyone's concerned, you're the only suspect."

"Except you," Dave remarked. "See, we get to start pointing fingers at each other, and we've both got our own co-workers backing us up. Nothing concrete…" He smirked as though it was sheer brilliance. "Reasonable doubt."

"Yeah, that's a great move, genius. Covered all your bases. Except the young woman you hit with your car that's going to immediately trace back to you. You think they're not going to trace her injuries right back to your car?" Mike challenged him. Dave didn't waver. "They're going to find her, and if you think-…" Mike only now noticed that Dave had a _shovel_. For a moment he was just stuck staring, caught in a horrific realization, and then he inhaled sharply. "You were going to-."

"She wasn't even supposed to be here. It's not my fault," Dave muttered lowly. "I didn't have any choice."

Mike stayed silent, because now things were different. Now Dave wasn't just a child kidnapper. He was planning on murdering someone tonight and hiding the body somewhere in the desert. What was even worse was that Mike knew nobody would've found her. Or if they did, it would be out of sheer luck. He just stared at this man and swore that he too could see purple.

"Why are you doing this…?" Mike asked quietly. "I want to know. Why? No excuses, no thrills, none of that. Just tell me _why_."

In a very strange moment, Dave's face dropped to an emptier look. Something was strange in that gaze, and Mike almost didn't think it was the drugs. As though some sort of realization was flittering over Dave's gaze. As though he was miles away; the gaze of a dead-eyed animatronic without a puppeteer. That was the first time that Mike believed there was something more at play, and then the man spoke.

"…I don't know. I just had to. I just got up one day…" Dave slowly admitted, "…and I wanted to do it."

A chill started to wash down Mike's back at that comment.

It was then that the sound of rustling gravel could be heard. Dave cut off and looked past Mike through the windows. He stared for a minute, then gave an almost nervous smile, but perhaps it was still shakiness from whatever he was taking. "You set off the alarm system, didn't you?"

Mike could hear a car pulling into the parking lot. He turned to look back, but then noticed Dave move out of the corner of his eye. The man suddenly rushed in and Mike just barely managed to grab the handle of the shovel to stop it. Then he yanked his taser free and jammed it into Dave's side, releasing every volt he could into the man. Apparently, he had not been expecting this, as he hunched over with a yell as the electricity emptied into him. When it stopped to recharge, Mike tackled Dave to the floor, knocking the shovel back onto the carpet. Dave tried to fight back, one hand grabbing at Mike's throat.

The security guard glared down at him coldly. He didn't feel bad as he tased him again, even as he too felt some of the volts. They were weak in comparison to what the other man was getting- or in comparison to what Mike himself had felt before. As soon as he stopped to pause, Mike reached down to undo and yank his own security belt off. His flashlight dropped to the floor as he planted his knee to Dave's chest, putting all his weight to hold him down, and began to wrap his belt around his wrists. Dave was still trying to fight back as the front door opened.

"What's going on?!" Jose cried in horror as he stepped inside. He didn't have any sort of a weapon and could only gawk at the scene of the two men on the floor. "Mike, what are you doing here?!"

"Jose, help! He's insane!" Dave called to the other man. Suddenly his tone had switched to a panicked victim instead of a predator. "He's got a taser and he's going to kill me!"

"Oh, that's a real good act you've got going on, isn't it, Dave?!" Mike spat down at him. "Is that how you got all those children in here?!" He then looked to Jose. "Don't listen to him! This psycho's the one kidnapping the kids!"

"He's out of his mind! He broke in and started attacking me!" Dave pleaded with the younger man, who was staring at the scene in horror. "Please, Jose, hurry!"

"Alright, then why don't we just wait until the cops get here? Then I can take them down into the basement, show them the kids, and then we'll see which of us is psycho!" Mike threatened him. He wouldn't willingly get off Dave, not when he was sure that he would try to weasel away. Even now the older man was staring up at him with that same, blank look. They would've been stuck at a standstill if not for Jose butting in.

"Kids? Where… Where's the kids?" Jose asked shakily. He swallowed audibly as he looked at Mike's taser. "Can you take me to the kids?"

"They're in the basement," Mike clarified again. Jose made no attempt to move. "Alright, uh…" He looked down at Dave, who was still feigning fear- unless he was genuinely afraid that he was going to get caught, which Mike doubted. He beckoned his head over towards one of the tabletop machines, one that had short, narrow legs underneath. "Help me tie up Dave to the machine so he doesn't split, and I'll take you to them."

Jose seemed hesitant but took a few steps closer and knelt to assist. Mike did most of the work in dragging Dave over and tying him to the machine, with the man was trying to fight but being barely able to after the tasing. Once they were sure Dave couldn't escape, Mike stood and beckoned the other man. "Come on, I'll show you. Maybe you can unlock the padlock too, because the door's sealed tight." Jose gave a silent nod and followed behind a few steps as they made it back into the hallway.

Halfway to the basement and the jingling of keys could be heard as Jose removed his keyring. Mike sent him a questioning look, but then looked ahead again. He was probably getting the key to the padlock ready. He opened the basement door and started down the stairs hastily. "The kids are down past all of the garbage."

He was answered with a loud bang.

"Oh, don't tell me…" Mike turned around slowly and stared at the now closed basement door. He could hear the faint jingling of keys and knew the door was being locked. He sped back up the stairs and tried the handle, but it was locked tight. "Jose!" he called out. "Jose, he's lying! The kids are down here! He hit a woman with his car, he's carrying a shovel-! Jose?!" He could hear the quickly retreating footsteps. Jose didn't believe him and now Mike was stuck down in the basement, looking guilty, just as Dave had said.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mike spun around and looked down the steps. "Mari?!" he called desperately, but there was no response.

He hurried down the stairs and over to the door into the children's prison, which was left open a crack. He barged in and the three children inside shirked back in surprise at the human's sudden arrival. Marionette was nowhere to be seen, which was odd considering that the door was unlocked. That was the least of his problems right now. He knew Dave couldn't have gotten the Puppet, but he could imagine him either playing the victim until the police arrived coming down here first thing to get rid of the evidence. Mike wasn't going to let either of these options come to fruition.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just looking for a way to get you out, okay? Hang tight, I'll be right back." With that assurance, he shut the door to a crack and looked around the basement. _"There's got to be another way out of here…"_ He started through the hoard again, looking around for another door or something nearby, and it was then that he spotted a single, small window near the roof of the basement. "Jackpot!"

Mike looked around for something close by to climb onto. The only thing that looked light enough to move was Orville the Elephant's gutted head. He hefted it off the ground and carried it to the wall to use as a stool. "Sorry, Orville, but I need a boost up." Even with the head Mike barely managed to make it to the window. It would still be a tight squeeze for him, but it unlocked and opened easily, and he didn't have much of a choice. He looked around at the area behind the theater.

"Marionette!" Mike called out into the alleyway and still received no answer. Wherever the Puppet was, he couldn't reach him, and Mike drew back inside. _"I can't leave the kids down here. I'll take them out and hide them. Screw looking guilty, the kids are going to wind up dead down here!"_ Without a hitch, he jumped down and sprinted back to the room. Mike rushed in and startled the children once more. He wasn't surprised that they didn't trust an adult stranger who randomly barged in, though he expected that their reaction to Dave would've been much more severe.

"Alright, come on, kids. We're getting you out of here," Mike announced as he beckoned them. "Hurry, before he comes back, okay? We're going to sneak you out of here." The two younger kids seemed confused, but the older kid, who was obviously Jason from the newspaper, seemed more interested.

"You're… You're with that… The clown?" Jason asked in confusion.

"Clown?" He must have meant the Puppet. "Striped, skinny clown with a white mask? Yeah, I'm with him. If you don't believe me, I've got pictures in my wallet, but first I need to get you out of here." The boy still seemed hesitant, but nodded, took the younger children's hands, and guided them out after Mike. His desperation to escape was obvious; he was willing to trust anyone. The security guard led them back to the window. "Jason, right?" The oldest nodded. "Here's the plan, Jason. I'm going to lift you out first and then you're going to help me get the younger boys through. Think you can do that?"

Jason furrowed his brows and looked Mike over. "You think you can pick me up?"

Mike knew what he was implying and gave him a flat look. "I'm about twice your age, Kid. I think I can handle picking you up." Jason gave what almost looked like a shrug as Mike leaned down to pick him up. The boy wasn't exactly light- though he wasn't used to toting children around- but he got him to the window rather easily. He climbed through and stood in the alley. "Alright, I'm handing up the tot next." The toddler was much easier to lift, even as he was starting to cry. He looked so young and Mike couldn't help but feel especially horrible knowing that this tiny _infant_ had been kept down here.

Finally, was the five-year-old, and Mike stepped down from the Orville head to pick up the boy. Right as he was lifting him he heard a loud banging through the ceiling. The boy jumped and clung tighter as something started happening on the floor above. It sounded to be from the main room and immediately Mike expected the worst. " _That psycho's probably going to turn on Jose now."_ While he wasn't feeling too pleased with Jose, he certainly didn't want the man dead, and rushed back to the window to help the five-year-old through. Then he looked around until his eyes landed on the storage shed behind the theater.

"Hey, Kid, I need one more favor, okay? It's getting loud in there and I need to check and make sure that guy's not coming back. I need you to take those two and hide in that shed." He pointed to the storage shed insistently. "Hide in there and stay quiet, and don't come out unless the police get here, I come back, or you see the clown come back." Jason didn't need to be told twice and drug the younger children along with him. Mike started trying to pull himself through the small window, only hesitating when he heard the creaking of the shed door opening.

" _So, everything in this theater locks tight except for the shed. Noted,_ " he thought as he dragged himself through the small space. It was an obscenely tight squeeze and he could barely scramble through and dragged himself out into the alleyway after the children. There was still no sign of the Puppet. Though now his suspicion returned to the noises inside the theater. _"I've got to get back in there… I'm going to regret this."_ Without a hitch, he started to sprint around the building once more. He was already wishing he stuck with the kids.

* * *

Jose hurried to untie the belt from Dave's hands bound hands. "I got him locked in the basement, so he's not going anywhere," the man reassured as the older rubbed at his chest where he had been tased. "What happened?!"

"I was driving by and I saw his car out front. I came in to confront him and he attacked me," Dave lied, and Jose believed it without question. "He was going on about Magictime trying to take out Foxy's and some plan about sabotaging the business that didn't work- I don't know. The guy's completely nuts!" He moved back towards the stage where the shovel was laying and grabbed it. "And then he tried to pin all this on me… When you came in and saw us."

"That's just insane! I talked to that guy like a few days ago and he seemed normal! Geez…" Jose bit his lip uncomfortably and reached into his pants for his phone. "Did you call the cops? He said the cops were coming."

"The guy said a lot of things," Dave excused as he looked around shiftily. He leaned back against the stage. "Just… Don't argue with me. I need you to call the cops over here, and I'll need you to tell them I didn't do this. He's going to tell them that I've been kidnapping kids and you know that's not true." His voice sounded more panicked as he looked to the younger. "You'll do that, right? You'd back me up?"

"Yeah, of course!" Jose started to get his cellphone out to make the call. "Did… Did you see any kids?"

"No," Dave denied. "I came in the back door and attacked me with this." He held up the shovel. "He didn't start shocking me until I got this out of his hand, but I didn't see any kids, unless he brought them here." The story was so flimsy and yet he could see Jose was already believing it. He hid his inward smugness and relief and he tried to recover from the damage that had been done.

Jose, meanwhile, didn't know what to think. He and Dave weren't exactly close but seeing such an event made him protective. They were the closest thing either had to friends when working out here. He just couldn't believe that Mike turned out to be so seemingly psychotic. Maybe he was the one connected to the missing children. Jose pushed the thought into the back of his mind as he dialed for emergency and raised the phone to his ear.

It didn't even ring, he was just rewarded with the sound of sobbing.

It took Jose a few moments before he registered what he was listening to. It was borderline hysterical weeping as someone choked over the line. He blinked and stared at the front of the theater as the crying continued to pour from the phone.

"…Hello?" Jose tried quietly. "Is… Is someone there? Is this 911?" His heart was pounding as the crying continued over the speaker. He started to think it was some sort of elaborate prank, but before he could the phone call started to change. Static began to grow louder and slowly the hysterical crying was overcome by the growing popping and fuzziness. It became too intense and Jose ended the call. "Dave, there was someone-!" The younger man turned around to face Dave with the dread only growing, but anything he could've said was cut short.

Nedd Bear was standing behind Dave with its head dropped and its pinprick eyes staring at his back.

Jose's throat tightened as he stared at the animatronic standing over Dave. Neither of them had heard it move, as was apparent by how unenthused Dave's glazed gaze was. He tried to choke out past the horror gripping him, but something silenced him, like fingers tightening around his throat. Or tight, thin ropes wrapping around his neck and pulling taunt. "What's that look?" Dave asked, looking almost amused by how wide Jose's eyes were getting.

Neither had time to react as Nedd Bear swung forward. It looked like a cross between a stumble and a lunge, looking much goofier and confused than it should have. Though it became much less comical when the bear's mouth dropped down onto the man. Dave must've heard the squeaking of its joints as he started to turn back, raising his arm in defense. This was ultimately a mistake, as it gave the bear the perfect target to latch onto. The large, foam teeth did nothing; the metal animatronic teeth sheered through cloth and flesh. The shovel was dropped to the floor as Dave tried to fight back.

Perhaps he was numb to the pain, as he fought back more than could've been expected, wailing on the bear as it grabbed ahold of him. The sound of static that had once been limited to the phone began to grow until it was nearly deafening, and with it came something else; the animalistic groans and shrieks, mixed with the distorted sound of Nedd Bear's own voice tracks. All the while it continued to chew into the man's arm until blood began to drip down onto the carpet.

It was now that Jose managed to react. Ignoring the pressure, he scrambled for the shovel and rushed in to attack the aggressive machine. With the right angle he swung and managed to crush Nedd Bear's right eye and bend his ear in a strange direction. Jose then jammed the shovel ahead and wedged it into the bear's mouth where he used it as a lever to force it open. The bear swung out and put Jose's arm in a vice grip, no doubt bruising the flesh, but before he could do any damage Dave got his arm free. He then yanked the shovel free from his companion and the bear, and then slammed it down again on Nedd Bear's head.

This one sharp blow managed to knock Nedd Bear's head back enough that it seemed to get stuck aimed back. After staggering, the animatronic collapsed on the stage and stopped moving.

"Did you see that?! That thing just moved! That thing attacked us!" Jose cried as he looked to Dave in a panic. The older man was staring at the bear in a trance. "Are you okay?! Dave?!"

He turned to look at Jose and looked as though he intended to speak. Again, there wasn't even a chance. The creaking from the stage made sure of that. Both looked back and the dread returned in full as they watched Happy Frog shudder and stagger forward. She yanked herself free from her power cord and dropped down off the stage onto the carpeted floor. She turned her head towards the two men with her eyes now holding the familiar pinprick of light behind them. _"Now, now! There's no neeed to pla-ay rough!"_

Jose screamed, turned, and ran back out of the way. Dave didn't have the same reflexes and only have enough time to raise his shovel before Happy Frog rushed in. The animatronic frog dashed in and slammed into the man, knocking him back onto one of the tabletop arcades and pinning him to it. He hooked the shovel's handle under its neck to hold her back, but she was ruthless, tearing at his uniform and trying to bite at his head.

" _You can't run away,"_ Happy Frog murmured lowly. She then brought down her fist. Dave barely managed to move his head in time to have the animatronic's fist smash into the cabinet below. She gave a garbled, frustrated sounding noise as she moved to pin his neck. _"You can't hide from what you did."_

Seeing the other man pinned, Jose apparently got some of his nerve back. He looked around before his eyes went to the small fire extinguisher in the glass cabinet on the wall. It wouldn't be much, and he didn't want to engage the animatronic, but he knew Dave was going to be killed if he did nothing. He took out the fire extinguishes and started to sneak towards Happy Frog again. He had a clear view of her head and started to raise the extinguisher to strike her.

Then was cut off by a sigh at the stage beside him, followed by a low voice. _"It seems like you made your choice, Buddy."_

Jose looked over slowly and there stood Mr. Hippo, who had somehow spontaneously moved to the edge of the stage. The animatronic stared him down with the same eyes and then dropped down beside him. It moved much slower than Happy Frog, though even Happy Frog had become a bit more sluggish now that a second animatronic was wandering around. Mr. Hippo started to stalk after Jose, who raised the extinguisher in defense as he backed straight into the Candy Cadet. "Stay back! I swear, Mr. Hippo, I won't-!"

In an instant, Mr. Hippo swung out and with one heavy blow knocked the extinguisher straight out of Jose's hands and onto the carpeted floor. Jose look down at his only weapon that was now out of his reach as Mr. Hippo gave a deep, slowed down sigh. _"It's really a shame what people decide to do…"_ Jose scrambled behind the counter as Mr. Hippo began to clock him in. _"You won't get away with what you've done…"_

It was right at this moment- Dave being held down by Happy Frog and Jose cornered by Mr. Hippo- that Mike barged back into the theater. He was immediately taken aback, as the last thing he expected to see was the previously mindless animatronics suddenly on the hunt. Then he noticed the eyes: either they had sunken in or they had darkened out, but they were replaced with pinpricks of light. This wasn't a haunted animatronic; it was a husk being controlled by an outside force. Mike knew who the puppeteer was too, and that alone signaled that the situation was spiraling out of control.

" _Oh, this is not good…"_ Mike's jaw clenched, and he looked between the two victims.

With Dave, Mike had so far decided not to step in. It was no problem for him if Dave got a little rough up by a few possessed animatronics, but Jose was different. Sure, Jose had believed Dave instead of him, but Mike was rational enough to understand why. The man didn't deserve to get killed for Dave's sins. Especially since, in the process, Dave was now starting to overpower Happy Frog while the puppeteer's attention was all on the other man.

It took Mike only a few seconds to be over the counter and blocking Jose from the animatronic. Upon seeing Mike again, it gave a full shudder and a disgruntled garble. "Stop! He's innocent! He's not involved with the kidnapping!" the security guard insisted. Yet Mr. Hippo reacted by grabbing him by the wrists, then trying to yank the taser from his grasp, which he was still holding/ Mike fought back against him and began to feel the actual prickling of dread, wondering if he had been mistaken. "Marionette!"

" _Why would you protect him?! Why would you protect the Purple Man?!"_ Mr. Hippo's voice was tainted. Behind the grumbling, mumbling voice of the hippo's recordings was the Puppet's own, panicked and frustrated. _"_ _ **He's a murderer!**_ _"_

"He's Jose!" Mike clarified. It was now that he realized how confused Marionette was. He wasn't attacking Jose because he thought he was a threat, but because he thought he was Dave. Elsewise he wouldn't, Mike knew that much, so he pushed back. He looked to the side briefly and noticed Dave finally getting the weakened Happy Frog off, lodging the shovel in her chest in the process, and then looking back. Their eyes met briefly before Mike yanked his hand free and pointed. "That's Dave! He's the one that kidnapped the children!"

Instantly, Dave turned and made a dash for the back door before disappearing into the hallway. In an instant, Mr. Hippo suddenly slumped dormant, but Mike's focus was still on the man who had dashed from the room.

"Oh, no you don't! Dave, you get the hell back here!" Mike pulled away from the hippo animatronic and ran across the room. This left Jose to gawk in alarm and Mr. Hippo to teeter before falling backwards and landing with a heavy thump. Yet Mike ignored it and instead closed in on the door, "I swear to God, Dave-!"

Only to have the door suddenly slam in his face, but not by Dave's hand. Mike staggered back a step and stared at the door, then looked to the stage and animatronics. Nedd Bear, Happy Frog, and Mr. Hippo were now unmoving once more and fully lifeless. Their puppeteer had cut the strings and was now working elsewhere. Which meant that most likely, Dave was a dead man walking, and as much as Mike despised Dave he needed him alive long enough to be caught. This couldn't become another mystery; Dave would have to face real repercussions, or the gaze would be on Mike.

"For Freddy's sake, the one time he can't kill somebody-!" Mike muttered. He sprinted back through the arcade, passing by Jose who was now hunched behind the counter. The man looked extremely shaken but looked up as Mike passed.

"Wait, wait a second!" Jose babbled out as he scrambled up behind the counter. "Does this mean- the animatronics- does this mean Dave _was_ the kidnapper?! There really are children in the basement?!"

"Damn straight! Dave's got this whole thing planned out!" Mike snapped back.

"I don't understand, how can this be happening-?!" For a moment it looked like the other man was going to have a total breakdown. This time, Mike wasn't sympathetic.

" _Listen!"_ Mike dropped his hands on the counter to draw immediate attention. Jose flinched and went silent. Mike then rushed out, "Dave had kids locked up in the basement, there's a young woman bleeding out in the back alley, the animatronics are now haunted, and I need you- look at me- I need _you_ to call the police, because all of the phones are dead, and my friend is about to die if she doesn't get help. You get them here, you stay put." With that, Mike turned to stride out of the theater. "And be thankful you didn't work at Freddy's!"

* * *

As soon as Dave had stepped into the hallway the door had slammed shut behind him. He sent a wary look back it through his foggy gaze and wondered for a moment if Mike had shut it behind him. Most likely he didn't know about the back door and was trying to trap him in. This would be a hopeless endeavor; Dave already had every intention to walk right out the back door. He turned to the hallway in a sort of daze. His heart was pounding, but it had been doing so even before the attack. Blood poured out of his arm and still he could barely feel it. He held it with his free hand, spat again, and took a step forward.

The office door slammed closed beside him. Dave turned to look at it, stared a moment, and then continued down the hall a little faster. The lights flickered lowly as the bathroom doors also slammed shut. Then the storage room door and the basement followed suit. Every time he passed a door it would close automatically. In the back of his mind he acknowledged that something was wrong and ran down the hallway, trying to ignore colors and shadows at the edge of his vision. He turned the hallway corner and hurried down to the back door and swung it open.

It almost immediately tried to close on him. Dave barely managed to catch his arm through the door and push his shoulder into the gap. Slowly he fought against the invisible force and slowly the door's grip weakened. Then, all at once, it gave way and he stumbled out behind the theater. He didn't even have time to relish in his victory before he was met with a low growling nearby. Slowly, Dave turned his head to look down towards the corner of the theater.

There standing in the rain stood another animatronic, but this one wasn't like the others. From its frantic twitching and its shining hook, he knew that it was deadlier than any of the possessed ones inside.

" _Ya think yer gonna crawl away that easy, Rat?"_ Foxy growled. _"Yer gonna taste good under me teeth."_

Dave bolted back into the backdoor of the theater, ignoring how it previously tried to keep him in, and only barely shut the door before the hook scraped across it. A few loud bangs echoed through the door as the man scrambled to lock the door and backed away. Now Foxy was here and his escape was cut short. Now he was starting to become concerned, realizing to his horror that it was likely that Foxy somehow followed Mike. Paranoia sunk in as he turned back to the hallway; there could be others waiting. If he had to climb out the bathroom window, then so be it. Or the office window, as it would be the easiest.

He shuffled down the hallway, wiping the sweat off his brow and turning the corner. It was then that there came a loud pop and the light furthest in the hallway burst. Dave stopped in place and stared down at the darkened hallway. Then, amongst all the shut doors, one's knob started to turn. The door behind the stage began to slowly creak open and out from the darkness inside peered two pinprick dots. An animatronic was inside, and Dave stared at it.

"…Pigpatch?" he asked. As though unafraid by the bear. Though considering what came out of the doorway, Pigpatch would've been the much less horrifying outcome.

Out of the darkness appeared a white face and a much too slender body that moved as though being led by invisible strings. The lights began to flicker overhead as the animatronic moved out of the darkness. It was Dave's worst fear, the Puppet.

"It's you…? No… No, no. It can't be you," Dave babbled. He took a step back and rubbed at his forehead with the hand from his uninjured arm. The other was beginning to throb as he watched the animatronic drift out of the doorway. It was the first time that evening that he felt real fear. It was the first time in years that he had been frightened of animatronics. Just seeing that glowing stare was activating fight or flight reflexes that he had all but numbed. "No, no, it can't be you. They shut you down. They got rid of all the broken toys…" He started to deny it more, "I'm just hallucinating. It's not the real deal."

That was when the light burst over them. The Puppet fell into darkness, except those dangerous pinpricks of light. Dave scrambled to back around the corner and into the remaining light, which was now flickering. He backed until he was against the exit door and could hear the banging from Foxy on the other side. He was completely trapped, and Dave could only watch as the lights started to flash and flicker above him. His brief respite had run out; the Puppet was coming.

It slowly edged around the corner and revealed itself again. A second of the lights off, then a second with them on and him seeing the unstrung puppet, then a second of darkness again. His heart started to flutter painfully as the Puppet turned to face him. Suddenly the actual fear of Freddy's had returned. The true monsters were there without the perilous heights that used to come with them. It turned its head to stare him down. In this moment he noticed it was clutching the no longer glowing bracelet.

They knew what he had done.

In an instant, the animatronic turned towards him and began to rush him. The blaring of 'Pop Goes the Weasel' filled the hallway as it sprung at him. Dave didn't have even a second to react before it was on him. Dave was shoved back against the door with the black fingers tightening around his neck. All it needed was one hand for the strings to come free and wind tightly around Dave's throat. Once he was struggling to breathe, held in the most vulnerable position, and unable to even try freeing himself, he was shoved downwards. For such a slender body, its strength was considerable. Its strings only tightened as it forced him to the floor.

It was now hunched over him. Its pale mask as close to his own face as it could get as its pinprick eyes stared into his own. The static and dialing was deafening, and yet Dave still felt numb. Afraid, slowly starting to suffocate against his pounding heartrate, but still numb to it. As though he watched from afar as an animatronic slowly sapped the life out of somewhere else. It was not a hallucination, he realized as its fingers and strings tightened. He thought it couldn't get any more terrifying, and yet then it spoke. It had never spoken back at Freddy's.

"I…Remember…You…" The Puppet spoke through an unmoving smile, even as its eyes clearly showed a glare. "I… Know… What… You've…Done…" It struggled to speak through the horrifying noises, which only made Dave hunch down more. His dilated eyes looked barely capable of seeing through the flashing lights and the loss of oxygen. "Where… Did… You… Take… Her…?" Dave struggled to swallow and wavered. His eyes widened only wider as his heart pounded against his chest. The Puppet wasn't pleased. Its eyes narrowed further as the wild music only reignited into a frantic mismatch of children's nursery rhymes and any adult's nightmare. Its fingers dug tighter into his flesh as its voice grew louder.

" _ **Where did you take my girl?!**_ "

"I don't know! I didn't-!" Dave floundered and cracked under the tightness. "She's… She's out back!"

" _ **No,**_ " the Puppet snapped. " _ **My girl! My girl you took from me! Give her back!**_ "

Apparently, Dave suddenly realized who he meant. Just in time too, because the Puppet was very much about to snap his neck at any moment. The lightbulb above them glowed brighter than it ever should've been capable of before bursting as the others had done. This startled him enough to get him talking. "She ran off! I don't know where she went!" Dave defended.

The Puppet couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not. He sounded desperately convincing, but that didn't mean that he wasn't just saying whatever he could to get free. Especially after what he had done to Charlie. The moment Marionette's thoughts went from Chrissy to Charlie his anger returned in a vengeance. He didn't want the blood on his hands, but every instinct inside of him, every bit of Henry's leftover programming and William's genetically added personality wanted him to end this man here. Goldie would've told him to do it. He would've said that Dave was a monster and needed to be treated like one. His father would've told him to do it. Whatever he would've said would've justified it.

Black fingers started to tighten as the static grew in distorted chiming. The man's pulse was erratic, barely managing to beat normal enough to pump blood. The animatronic leaned in further, staring the man down, and nearly listening through his tightening strings. He listened to every skipped heartbeat, the rapid fluttering, the weakness: how pitiful. His appearance alone was already fraying Dave's weak heart. To think that this man, drenched in purple, had intended on killing so many. Marionette moved in closer and Dave…

Dave gave a guttural choke and started to sag. Still with the strings on his neck, still with the Puppet ready to strike, his body had given out. He had fainted.

And now Marionette was left to stare down at him. There wasn't any sympathy, nor was there confusion- he expected with how the man's heart was struggling that he wouldn't last under duress. Yet he wasn't dead, just asleep, just weakened and defenseless. If anything, it only frustrated the Puppet more, but now he had time to make his choice. He had the chance to just end Dave here and now.

" _Once again living up to the Afton family name."_

The intrusive thought almost caught Marionette off guard. It stilled his strings in place. He processed the thought with an internal retort, _"And what am I supposed to do?! Let him go?! Let him walk free for what he's done?!"_ It was the most inopportune time to war with himself, especially when half of his thoughts so easily played against him.

" _Then just do it. End it while he's unconscious, while it's easy. It's not as though you haven't had blood on your hands before. What is one 'Purple Man'?"_

Something about this line of thought was beginning to frighten him. _"I'm not a murderer. I'm not like William. This is a completely different situation entirely,"_ the animatronic promised as he tightened his hands. They fit well against Dave's throat and complimented his labored breathing, yet he couldn't tighten them. He could only stare at the pathetic excuse of a predator and think of that one comment. Just like an Afton, just like William, even if he wasn't. _"…But…"_ His hands started to loosen. _"…I need to find Chrissy. I will find her and then I will judge him, and then I won't be a murderer… Her life for his."_ Maybe it made him feel better. Maybe it delayed the inevitable.

He yanked the man's wrists together, unhinged the bracelet, and then tightened it around his wrists. It wasn't much to bind him, but that wasn't the point. Now that the dull glow was illuminating the hallway he would always know where Dave was, and he could return to him after he made his decision. He would make sure of it. There were noises again outside the backdoor after the banging had briefly stopped, and Marionette looked up at it and silently unlocked it. He then released Dave onto the floor. _"I can be rational… Neither Henry nor William was ever rational."_

Right as Marionette teleported away, the door swung open and struck Dave on the back. It wasn't Foxy who came staggering in though. In fact, it seemed like Foxy had up and vanished, leaving none other than Mike standing above the fallen man. He looked down and expected the worst seeing the man laying unmoving.

" _I was too late. He already did it…"_ Mike hesitantly stepped inside and crouched down beside the man. _"How am I going to explain this to the cops?... Wait."_ His eyes focused on the slow, labored breathing. It was rather faint but as he leaned in he could hear it too, raspy and heavy. _"He's still alive?"_ He couldn't believe it and couldn't even imagine how or why the Puppet would resist. He gave a scoff, "You better hope to God that he doesn't come back." As Dave was unconscious, he neither heard nor reacted to the security guard's comment.

Now there was the question of what to do with Dave. Mike couldn't be too sure how long he would stay unconscious and while the bracelet held his wrists in a flimsy grip, and while he was still bleeding, he anticipated that Dave could wake at any time and be fully alert once more. The only reason he even believed that Dave was unconscious and not faking it was because he knew that Marionette wouldn't have been convinced by an act. For now, Mike was left with the unconscious kidnapper. He went to hoist him up and drug him towards the office. Even though entirely limp and rather thin, it was still a struggle moving Dave.

" _Just in case tonight couldn't get any worse,"_ Mike grimaced to himself as he moved the man down the hall. He then maneuvered him into the office and, after looking around, drug him over to the office chair and pulled him onto it. _"Good enough?"_ Mike looked over the slumped kidnapper wheezing upright in the office chair. _"Good enough. At least he won't choke himself to death sitting upright… Or if he does, it's his own damn fault."_ By now Dave was drooling chewing tobacco and froth, and the security guard was tired of watching him. He would get Jose to do it, maybe, if Jose wouldn't try anything again.

Shaking his head, Mike started to the door to let himself out. He was stepping into the hallway when Dave suddenly gave a choked gasp, rousing into a partial consciousness, and called after him.

"Afton!"

Mike came to a sharp halt at Dave's startled cry. For a moment the call of the name threw him off, but then Mike huffed impatiently. Just another person accusing him of being William's son. By now he learned that it was just better to walk away.

* * *

Marionette's anger was only diminished by his dread as he appeared out in the parking lot in front of the theater. Nobody was in the front room of the theater, or nobody that he could see, so he ignored the risk of being caught to continue searching. Just looking around and scanning the building wasn't enough, so he tried a new tactic.

"Chrissy!" His voice seemed to echo across the empty parking lot and was only muffled by the pattering of rain. Marionette tightened his hands in worry as he continued to search the area, trying to ignore the bracelet's call and searching through vision and hearing alone. "Chrissy, are you out here?!" he called again, stopping beside the edge of the parking lot and a deep ditch trailing beside it. There was still no answer. "Oh no, please…" His gaze turned to the empty land surrounding the theater. She could've been frightened enough to run out into the wild and would be long gone by now.

Unless Dave had been lying. Then Marionette had an ill feeling that she was currently in his trunk. Marionette hunched over as though in pain, covering his mask with one hand and tried to suppress the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. His little girl was gone, and he was helpless. He hadn't been able to help Charlie and now he was losing Chrissy too.

"Chrissy, please! It's me, it's Mari! You can come out, please!" the animatronic called as he circled back towards the other car in the parking lot, which must have been Charlie's. He was becoming desperate and frantic, continuing to search and call without relenting. "Chrissy! _Chrissy!_ Chrissy, please, speak to me!"

Then, through the darkness, there was a response.

"Mari!"

Marionette froze in place and turned in the faint direction of the voice. It sounded like it was coming from the car. He could feel his strings tightening inside as he began to approach. "Chrissy?"

"Mari, I'm here!"

The voice had come from the nearby car but sounded muffled. Marionette darted over with widened eyes and looked through the windows. He started to circle the car desperately. "Chrissy, where are you?!"

"Under here! I'm stuck!" the voice cried for him. The Puppet ducked down and peered under the car. To his surprise and relief, there was Chrissy underneath the car. From how she was struggling it seemed like some part of her bike helmet had gotten stuck on the underside of the car. "Mari, help me!" she begged frantically as she reached for him.

"I'm here! Just try to calm down and I'll get you free," Marionette assured. He started to crawl under the car with her. Almost immediately, his emotions got the best of him, and as soon as he got within reach he hooked an arm around her and slid in to hug her. He accessed her quickly as he held her. Nothing broken, no blood, no cuts, and only the slightest scrape on her knee; she was nearly fine. She had gone from suspected as deceased to almost completely fine in moments. "I was so worried about you! I'm so sorry," he babbled as he nearly wept in joy. "I'm so sorry I let him take you."

At the comment, the girl suddenly got a look of dread. "Is he still out there?! He's not out there is he?!" Chrissy asked, becoming nearly frantic. Marionette hugged her closer as he worked to free her helmet. It seemed that somehow one of the straps got hooked on the undercarriage as she was turning her head. He wasn't sure how, but it was an easy fix for someone able to see it.

"He's not going to hurt anyone anymore. Not you, not the other children, nobody…" Marionette reassured. "…And you're free! You're free and you're safe." He reached out to pull her close and hugged her against him. "You did so well turning on your bracelet. It brought me right to you." She hugged him back in the tight space and tried to bury her face against him. She didn't cry, neither did he. Perhaps they were too exhausted from crying before. Too filled with joy to weep over what happened. He couldn't do much else but hold her close so that she wouldn't slip away.

He couldn't lose anyone else tonight. Nobody else was slipping through his fingers. He wouldn't fill another body.

* * *

 **Mable: To clarify, "I wanted to do it," is not an excuse to do anything. Please don't use this as an excuse or it's going to make you seem unbelievably guilty.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Mable: So, my schedule has been a little hectic with multiple posts on random days, so after this chapter I'm going to try to return to the format of posting a chapter every Thursday. I think this will give me a little leeway to get the chapters edited and written better, while giving me a little more time to work on my book, which I will be publishing on the 23** **rd** **, save anything on Amazon's side. I was originally going to publish it earlier, but I need the extra time for editing, advertising, and building the cover- which I can't even begin to do until I have the file ready for Amazon.**

… **So, there's a mini preview of what it's like to self-publish. XD All kinds of fun. In the coming weeks I will continue to update on the book, because I know there are a few people interested. Again:** _ **A Fool's Endeavor, coming August 23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **.**_

… **As you might tell, I'm stalling for the unavoidable sobriety that always comes after the rush of adrenaline. I hope you Enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eight_

The look Jose gave Mike when he stepped into the main room was one akin to a frightened animal. He looked shaky and jumpy, nearly trembling as he stayed by the front door and clutched his cell phone in his hand. Mike noticed it. "You called the police, right?" he asked. Jose nodded in agreement. "I put Dave in the office. I think he passed out- probably coming down from whatever high he's on. I need you to come with me, so we can get the kids out of the shed."

In any other situation, he would've been amused at how aghast Jose looked after he mentioned that the children were huddled in the shed. In this situation he was too weary, frustrated, and concerned to muster anything beyond an almost apathetic look. He grabbed his belt from the floor while Jose hurried to him and they headed to the backdoor. On the way, Mike continued explaining how he got the children out of the window, and Jose listened with a grim expression.

It was then that the other man started to speak. "I just probably need to say, back there, back when- I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking right. I just assumed Dave-." He continued floundering over an apology and Mike gave a weary exhale.

"Don't worry about it," Mike insisted. "I wouldn't have trusted me either." Yet even this came out as slightly bitter. He wouldn't have trusted himself, but he could never have trusted someone like Dave. He tried to keep his feelings suppressed as he stepped towards the shed. He couldn't afford to keep holding a grudge when there were children relying on them. With a weary exhale, Mike braced himself and opened the shed door.

He was met by Foxy's face suddenly filling the crack of the door.

Mike flinched back just enough to hit Jose, who had been crowded behind him. Almost immediately then Mike realized it was Foxy and thus not a threat. Though he was then struck with confusion of exactly how Foxy got there and why he was in the shed in the first place. He seemed braced for Dave, with his teeth almost bared and his hook itching to slice through someone, but his expression became more neutral once he realized it was Mike instead. For a few seconds the two stared at each other, as though silently communicating on how they were going to go about this.

"What is Foxy doing here?!" Jose blurted out. "How did he even get here?! Did you bring him here?!" He started to back up, muttering and looking like he was about to break into a sprint, all while Mike and Foxy kept their compositor.

" _Yar, welcome to Pirate's Cove!"_ Foxy rattled out in a weak attempt to seem like he was acting like a typical animatronic. " _Captain Foxy an' his crew be preparin' fer adventure!"_

"Sounds fun, Captain," Mike played along. Maybe he could convince Jose and the kids that he was controlling Foxy through vocal commands. "Tell you what, Captain, how about you follow me to the arcade? I'm sure you'll find a lot of tokens and gold for the taking." Foxy honed-in on what he was doing and continued playing along. He turned back to the children in the shed. It only took a moment to notice that the five-year-old was currently clinging to Foxy's leg. To him, Foxy was much less scary than any adult human, and even his boisterous voice was a comfort.

" _Shiver me timbers! Ya hear that, Lads?! Treasure!"_ Foxy spoke to the children. He leaned down and put his arms around the younger boys, then easily lifted them. He turned his hook backwards to not risk poking one of the children and carried them as though they weighed nothing. He then beckoned Jason with his head and turned back to Mike. _"Where be First Mate Stripes?"_ Marionette, naturally.

"I have no clue," Mike bluntly answered. Foxy nodded at this and let it drop. Instead, he passed by both Mike and the positively stunned Jose. As he started to walk around the theater, luckily not heading the longer way past Charlie, it was clear that one of the children wasn't following. Mike looked back to see Jason standing there looking rather hesitant to follow.

"It's fine, Kid. Foxy's going to keep you safe," Mike promised as he beckoned him out. The boy started to come closer, but then paused in the doorway and looked up at the security guard.

"What about him?" Jason asked. "That guy… Is he gone? You did something to him, right?" There was a hesitance, but also an obvious amount of fear. Mike sympathized with that. It was clear that the boy was trying to be touch and didn't want to show how uneasy he really was, but on the other hand it was hard to ignore five days of captivity.

"We got him. We roughed him up, tied him up, watched him get mauled by a bear, and now he's sitting in the office waiting for the cops to come for him. Then he gets to go live in prison, where he's going to get roughed up, because he's going to be the scrawniest thing in there. He's not getting out," Mike tried to reassure the boy. "…And if he does, I'll find his house, drive to his house, and rough him up again." He sent the boy a small smirk of playfulness.

"I hope they lock him away a long time," Jason vented in a hiss. Even though he sounded bitter, fear could be heard as well. Jason added in with a quiet, "I hope you broke his face open." Mike shared the boy's sentiments exactly. Then he watched as Jason hurried after Foxy. Apparently even he trusted the animatronics over the humans. Again, Mike shared his sentiments.

Now was the matter of looking for Marionette. Mike knew that he needed to lose Jose and since he called the police it wasn't as though he had an adequate excuse. For now, he needed to get Jose inside with the kids. "Alright, let's go."

"Hold on," Jose choked out as he grabbed Mike by the arm and swiftly moved in front of him. His face betrayed his horror. "What is going on here?" he blurted out. "Why is _Foxy_ here? You're just talking to animatronics all nonchalantly when one already tried to kill us!"

"Relax, I'm just using keywords for his programming. Tokens, prizes, adventure, arcade; they all trigger him to respond and react. All I did was send Foxy into the arcade," Mike smoothly defended. "As for what happened with Mr. Hippo, that was just sheer luck. I think we both know that was just a shot in the dark."

"I just don't understand this," Jose sputtered out. "How can you be so calm? What was going on at Freddy's if- Oh God, the missing kids!" All at once Jose started putting pieces together, and Mike reached out to put his hands on his shoulders.

"Hey, stop," Mike commanded. He lightly shook Jose by the shoulders. "Trust me, don't go down that rabbit hole. Stay with me. Dave tried to kidnap kids, we stopped him, the animatronics freaked out a little bit, and then we found the kids. Let's not bring Freddy's into this." He was nearly begging, and Jose stared at Mike in surprise. " _Please_ , for the sake of both of us, don't mention any connections with Freddy's. You don't want to get caught up in Freddy's." Jose's expression was unreadable. He didn't even seem to be thinking and instead just stared blankly at the other worker. Then he stiffly nodded. "Okay?" Mike asked.

"Okay," Jose agreed. "I don't… I don't think I want to get wrapped up in that. Not after tonight- If the cops weren't coming I would've left already. I don't like my job that much." He rubbed his hands over his face. "This night is so screwed up. I should've just stayed home! That alarm goes off all the time and the one time it's real-!" Sympathizing again, Mike hooked an arm around the man, patting his back, and started to lead him to the front of the theater.

" _The first time's always the hardest,"_ Mike mentally joked to himself. Unfortunately, it was true. While he had been shaken up by everything, he had gone through so many events by now that Dave's descent into madness was still on the lighter side of the spectrum. Even if Dave was a monster, he didn't think he would come out of this too traumatized, unless Charlie's condition deteriorated even more. He pushed that thought back as they stepped around the theater and approached the front door. Foxy was already inside with the children.

It was at this moment that Mike did a quick scan of the parking lot to do one last sweep for Marionette. It was then that his eyes landed on his car and something dark moving in the backseat. It was just for a split second, but he realized quickly that it had to be him. Why he would be hiding in the car seemed odd and left itself open for interpretation. The first thing the man could think of was that the Puppet somehow got injured with Dave, to which this would also explain why he didn't finish Dave off. There was a tinge of panic as Mike turned to Jose. "Head inside and I have to grab something out of my car.

"You want me to go in there, alone, with the animatronics?" Jose asked in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? They could finish the job! What's that important?!"

"I need a drink and I'm not doing it in front of the kids," Mike remarked sarcastically. "I'm going to get my phone and call the others over at Foxy's to tell them what happened. They saw Dave take our girl and I want to warn them…" He looked towards the car. "Then I'm going to look around for our kid that he snatched. She couldn't have gone far."

"I… Oh…" Hearing about another missing child caused Jose to bite his tongue. "…Okay, I'll see what I can do, but if he comes at me then please do that animatronic whisperer thing and talk him down." Mike managed to crack out the smallest smirk. "Alright… Here I go…" He stepped into the arcade and immediately the fox's head snapped to look at him. Jose froze in place in response.

" _Where be the tokens?"_ Foxy bluntly asked. His eyepatch raising and both yellow eyes pierced into the human. The man had reason for being hesitant; Foxy's body language showed his suspicion very well. However, Foxy wouldn't attack him unprovoked, especially when children were present. Jose still looked back to Mike questioningly.

"You better give him what he wants, or this might get ugly. We don't call him a pirate for no reason," Mike quipped in with slight amusement. He waited until Jose briskly approached the counter before he turned away, also moving quickly, and hurried towards his car. The distant rumbling of thunder signaled only more coming rain and Mike was nearly soaked through by the rainfall. It was now that he thought of Charlie laying in the rain again. He wanted to go see her, but part of him refused, as though he just didn't want to see what he knew was waiting. He could do little to help her; distraction was easier to swallow.

" _Pull yourself together. You're the only adult right now, you've got to keep your head."_ Which was true enough. With Marionette possibly injured and Jose falling apart, Mike had to keep his head together. _"Let's just get to the car and see if that's Mari."_ He had to get away from this arcade as quickly as he could. It was only when he was within a few feet that he noticed more of the black figure. " _That's definitely Mari."_

Once Mike could see through the back window he realized that his hunch was correct. Marionette was currently kneeling on the backseat with a child clutched to him. It was clearly Chrissy and Mike hesitated, expecting the worst from how the Puppet was hiding her. He moved to open the door and only then did Marionette look up at him. Chrissy followed suit, and Mike released the breath he was holding. She was alive; Marionette wasn't clinging to her limp form.

" _Thank God!"_ Mike flung open the door. "Chrissy!"

"Mike!" Chrissy seemed just as relieved to see him and reached out for him. He leaned in and gave her a tight hug.

"You scared us there for a while, Kiddo," he murmured as he held her close. He could feel Marionette's hand petting his shoulder and looked to check him as well. To his relief, there didn't seem to be any injuries and his mask was uncracked. Without a hitch, he pulled the Puppet into a tight embrace as well. This seemed to surprise Marionette; he had expected Mike to at least make sure he was normal again before touching him. Apparently, he trusted him much more than that, and the animatronic rewarded that trust by hugging him back.

"I thought you ran off because something happened to you," Mike murmured to him, trying to stay quiet so Chrissy wouldn't hear. "I got the children out."

"I know. I saw you." Marionette gave a low trill and hugged him tighter. "Thank you." His grip only tightened desperately, and his voice wavered shakily. "Thank you, Mike. Thank you. I knew you would. I always knew you could do it."

"Eh, don't give me that much credit. It was a group effort. It helps that you had my back and the kids didn't split as soon as I got them outside," Mike tried to dismiss. He continued to hold the animatronic to him and noticed quickly that something seemed amiss. The Puppet pressed his mask into his neck with a tick in his chest that sounded like a hiccup. "Mari?"

"You're so wonderful. I love you very much," Marionette murmured to him. "And I'm… I'm sorry…"

" _Is that what this is about?"_ Sure, there had almost been a dispute between them, but the Puppet had done little more than fight off a taser. He had seen fights over the remote that were more intense than that. "Don't be sorry. What happened in there doesn't matter, because we saved the kids together, right? Even Chrissy's here." He now remembered that the girl was still there watching as her personal hero fell apart on his human companion. Mike decided that distracting her would be a good option. "Could you climb into the front and look around for my cellphone? It's either here or at Foxy's. If you find any spare change, you can keep it." Two birds, one stone.

Even though still shaken, the offer enticed Chrissy. Perhaps because the car felt like a safe place or maybe because both Mike and Marionette were there to protect her. With her shuffling through the front seat, Mike looked down at the clinging animatronic again and gently pet over the back of his head.

"I could have hurt you," Marionette murmured. "Someone who… Who actually would do something, who could stop the death and pain, and I could've lost you to my own blindness."

"Mari, don't worry about it. You were just confused and trying to stop Dave. Besides, you were much closer to killing Jose than killing me, and he's not exactly been the pinnacle of helpfulness tonight," Mike reassured. "It's just been a rough night for all of us, and even that might be an understatement." He hoped that this would somewhat ease the Puppet's mind, but that didn't seem to be the case.

It was then that Marionette drew back from him, which almost felt sudden since he had been clinging so desperately beforehand. He almost expected for him to be crying, considering how his voice had been choking and cracking. What waited for him was, instead, the vacantness of the default smile. That empty smile was a giveaway that something was terribly wrong. It was even more concerning than if Marionette had just simply been crying.

"…What happened?" Mike asked. Any forced amusement, any comfort, was all drained and replaced with dread. That look- that forced cover- alarmed him more than anything else. Something was very wrong.

It was then that Marionette turned stiffly towards the passenger's seat. "Chrissy, I have a Walkman you can borrow to listen to some music. You could tell me what songs you like and maybe we'll find some music that we both like." He reached off to the side, got the Walkman and headphones, and handed them over. Chrissy agreed and removed her helmet, then slipped on the headphones as Marionette showed her what to do to turn it on and change the songs. Soon the soft sound of music could be heard as Chrissy continued to look around the floorboard. It was sweet to think of Marionette caring that much about her comfort.

It would've been sweeter if it wasn't obvious that he was trying to distract her. She wouldn't hear their conversation now and the Puppet looked back to the human. His mask shifted briefly but he forced the default smile back once more. "I know you've never seen me be so… Unhinged…" Marionette gave a low sigh. "It was… It was Charlie. I couldn't- I couldn't handle it."

"Don't worry about that, Doll," Mike insisted as his voice lowered into a murmur. "I can watch Chrissy if you want to check her. Or I could go check and you can stay here." He reached out and took Marionette's hand with a tentative squeeze.

The striped one squeezed back before lifting his hand to his mask, and gently pressing his porcelain lips to the top of it. The affectionate gesture was nice, but Mike had a growing feeling that it was building to something terrible. Especially as Marionette drew out the silence, with his eyes downcast as he rose the other hand to pet Mike's own. It was all too strange and assuring. "Mari, what's going on? Is it Charlie?" he asked further. "You can tell me."

"…I'm sorry I didn't come in sooner. I didn't want to leave her… I was with her as long as I could be," Marionette quietly apologized. His voice was merely a whisper. He held Mike's hands tighter and leaned down to kiss the top of his hand again. "But she… She will be alright very soon. She will be safe very soon." He gave an out of tune chime. "This isn't your fault or mine. Whether five minutes or fifty, this would've happened. We just… We just need to handle this how we can…"

"Marionette…" Mike slowly interrupted, staring at the striped animatronic who was currently working him through the slow explanation. "We can still get the ambulance here."

"No, we can't," Marionette corrected. His hands tightened on Mike's own, "…I stayed with her until it was over."

At first, Mike didn't catch the full meaning of the comment. Then the brunt of it came to him all at once. Mike's throat tightened as he realized the repercussions of all of it. _"Maybe he's wrong. Maybe there's a little time left…"_ He looked to the somber expression, the utter sadness even though Chrissy was fine, and knew it was true. Marionette only left her because she was no longer there. It was over. _"…I feel sick…"_ The wave of sourness and pounding in his chest signaled that the panic was finally taking over. His hands were starting to shake, and his skin prickled in growing heat.

All at once the finality hit him. _"I can't handle this. This is going to kill me. This is actually going to kill me."_ Marionette glanced back up at Mike when he noticed that the man was starting to struggle. His expression softened, and he tugged at his arm to coax him into sitting. The human collapsed on the seat, running his free hand through his hair, and tried to pull himself together. He tried to even out his breathing even as his vision wavered.

"I'm going to kill him," Mike growled out through clenched teeth. "I don't care if they can't charge him, I don't give a damn. I'm going in there and I'm going to do it. I swear on my life." In response, Marionette wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"He won't be our problem for much longer," the Puppet comforted. He trailed his fingers through Mike's hair, setting his hat aside on the seat, and comforted himself through comforting his human companion. He chimed lowly in his chest in what was a melancholy sort of lullaby. "…If we let them handle Dave, then we will be able to take care of Charlie. We can't risk our lives on revenge."

"I'm sorry," Mike choked out. "I should've driven her straight to the hospital. I should've done something." He felt guilt both for that and at being on the receiving end of the comfort. After what had happened in the arcade with Nedd Bear and Dave, he felt like he needed to do something more than hyperventilate in the backseat of his car.

Marionette pressed his mask into his hair and held him securely. "Moving her would've only made her go quicker… At least now there's a chance." He could barely feel his strings starting to slide out as they subconsciously wrapped around Mike's arm and over his skin. It was best to keep him close. "I'm sorry…" He continued to apologize as though it was his fault. Mike pulled himself together enough to put an arm around him and pull him closer.

Though their moment of despair was suddenly interrupted by Chrissy peeking into the back seat. "Can I- May I have this, please?" she almost squeaked out as she held up a half-eaten chocolate bar wrapped up in its own wrapper. Somehow, Mike managed to pull himself together enough to respond.

"Yeah, sure. Just don't finish it if it tastes off." Come to think of it, he couldn't remember when he brought that in. "Better check the date too." Chrissy turned it over in her hands and began to scrutinize it before unwrapping it. Before she took a bite, she hesitated, noticing the state that the Puppet and becoming concerned. It took a moment before she decided to vocalize this.

"Are you okay, Mari?" the girl innocently asked. "Don't be sad… That man's gone now. We're okay." Marionette was quick to try and pull himself together in front of her.

"I'm not sad, Chrissy. I'm just… Concerned and tired," Marionette comforted. Mike could feel his strings tightening as he said this. "Its been a long night for all of us, including the other children in the arcade. We'll all feel better once we're safe at home. Of course, I'll keep you safe wherever we are, but home… Home will be nice after this ordeal." His companion was impressed by how even he could keep his tone even in this situation. It was useful for someone with such a soothing voice; Marionette just had that way of making everything sound alright and making any situation sound safer than it was. Mike rubbed his thumb over the Puppet's hand and traced over the strings that enwrapped both together.

The animatronic reached forward and ruffled the girl's hair affectionately. "Try not to worry yourself anymore, Chrissy. You've had a long enough night as it is. Leave any of your worries to us." It was then that he noticed Mike starting to straighten up and the animatronic glanced to him out of the corner of his eye. "Mike?"

"I think I hear something…" Marionette started to straighten as well, going back on guard, and Chrissy got a look of uneasiness. Mike leaned out the car door and listened closer. "…I think I hear sirens. Nice to see that the cops are as reliable as usual," he quipped as he leaned back in. "As much as I'd love to hide back here and avoid the inevitable questioning, I don't think it's going to fly. This night just keeps getting better and better." He then glanced to Chrissy, "You'll be getting home really soon, so you just need to hang tight."

"Mike." Marionette's free hand took his arm to get his attention. "I need you to take Chrissy with you so that I can check on Charlie. Once the authorities arrive, I won't be able to get to her." Mike agreed with this with a nod and Chrissy climbed into the back before passing Mike. The Puppet looked over him, "You're okay. Your pulse is down."

"Yeah, just a scare. I can handle it… Until the adrenaline bottoms out. That's going to be a fun experience." Mike gave a mock scoff before patting Marionette's hand and drawing away to stand. Only to find his hand hooked by the strings that were still entangling his hand. "You've got me."

"Oh, sorry. Hold on a moment…" Marionette began trying to retract his strings only to find them wound more complicated than he had wanted. He continued fumbling with them, trying to fight with his own strings while the sounds of sirens came quicker. "I'm having a little trouble getting them free," he admitted in a strained tone.

Mike answered as plain as day; too weary to be truly concerned. "How exactly am I going to explain this to the cops? 'Mr. Schmidt, do you usually tie yourself to your animatronics?' Sad part is that I'm going to have to say yes."

Marionette looked up at him abruptly and stared at him unreadably. Then he gave his own sort of scoff, a small smile naturally appearing, and he chimed in brief laughter. As though all the stress suddenly melted into a breakdown of amusement. "Mike, this isn't the time or place! Don't make me laugh!" Really, Marionette was strained to the limit, so even the smallest respite felt so much more intense. "Looks like I'm quite caught up on you…"

"Yeah, we already knew that, but I've got that effect on people," Mike added with a slight smirk. As soon as the Puppet managed to get them untangled, the man leaned down and tilted his face back. "Whatever happens tonight, we'll figure it out." Marionette nodded silently, and Mike rewarded him to a kiss to the forehead. Then, as he straightened, Marionette vanished to the back of the arcade. Mike gave a sigh and shut the back door before turning to Chrissy, who promptly held out his cellphone. "Huh, you found it. Good job!"

"It was under the seat," Chrissy explained. She then held out her hand and Mike took it loyally. The girl seemed unafraid at first, but he noticed her grip tighten as they started to cross the parking lot. Though he also was distracted by the growing sound of sirens as the emergency services closed in. His distracted was rather abruptly interrupted by Chrissy looking up at him and remarking, "Are you and Mari married?"

It was only at that moment that Mike realized he had kissed Marionette in front of Chrissy. Somehow, Chrissy translated this into them being married. He didn't know whether to find it embarrassing or think it was adorable.

"…Yeah, we're married," Mike agreed as he opened the arcade's door. "…But let's keep that between the three of us, alright?"

Once inside the arcade, he noticed quickly that Jose was missing and that Foxy was solely watching the children. Chrissy brightened beside the security guard and smiled a little. "Foxy's here too!" she exclaimed quietly, keeping her voice low.

" _But Jose's not,_ " the security guard inwardly remarked. He had to go find him, but perhaps Foxy could again be a help with the children. "Chrissy, go over and stay with Foxy until I get back. I have to go find someone and I want to know you're safe." The girl still seemed clingy, but willingly headed to the other friendly face. It helped that Foxy noticed her approaching and greeted her with open arms. They all seemed distracted enough with the Candy Cadet, which was telling a story this time. Because of this, Mike dismissed himself silently and began to head back towards the hallway.

The hallway lights were dead and wouldn't come on, but that was fine as the door to the office was cracked open and light poured through. It was obvious that there was someone, other than Dave, inside. With a huff, Mike barged through the door, "I give you one job, Jose. If I found out you untied him, I swear I'm about this close-." He cut off as he found Jose standing over Dave. The faint sound of gurgling could be heard from the man sitting in the office chair, slumped back with his head cocked back over the office chair's back. "…What's going on?"

"I don't really have any experience, but I didn't think drugs do this." Jose looked down at Dave. The gurgling noise was clearly coming from his mouth as a frothy foam started to bubble between his lips. "I heard him from the hallway. He's not answering or anything… You didn't tase him again, did you?"

"I didn't have to. He was pretty much out when I drug him in here." Mike moved into Jose's spot and looked down at the man's face. He snapped his fingers in the man's face. "Hey, Dave? Dave!" There was no response. He patted his cheek a few times before opening one of his eyes. Dave's eye was glassy and unfocused, and there wasn't even any movement when the man started snapping closer. His state was almost suspiciously like Charlie's had been. Mike then checked the man's pulse and was alarmed to find it dangerously slow and heavy. "That can't be a good sign…"

Out in the front room, Foxy was still watching over the young children. He was less than interested in the Candy Cadet, especially its droll stories, but the kids seemed to like it. Though they didn't seem too fond of the candy. The toddler had scrunched up his face and let it drop out of his mouth, to which it left a blue smudge on his already stained shirt. The captain knelt and tried to almost rub away the stain with his thumb. Though he was more upset about the other stains; how long had it been since this boy's clothes had been changed? The thought disgusted him. These children deserved better than this.

There was a low clink followed by a clicking as a coin was dropped into the Candy Cadet. Once again it began to flash in an assortment of colors. It dispensed a piece of candy that this time the five-year-old took, as neither Chrissy nor Jason seemed to want it. The young boy seemed to be the only one who enjoyed the candy and popped it in his mouth as the Candy Cadet began to speak.

" _Now I will tell you a story. Once there was a farmer and son who raised chickens. One day the farmer came out to find one of the chickens missing and the gate open. So, he got his son and they made a latch for the gate. The next day he came out to find the gate shut, but there was another chicken missing. So, he got his son and they made a lock for the gate. The next day he came out to find the gate locked, but there was another chicken missing. So, he got his son and they put wire all around the fence. The next day he came to find the wire still there, but there was another chicken missing. So, he got his shotgun and hid in the chicken coop and waited for the thief to come. That night the thief came to get a chicken, and the farmer shot it. It was his son."_

Foxy was quickly losing interest and patience with the Candy Cadet.

It was then that he heard approaching sirens and looked out into the parking lot. His eyepatch raised in alarm as he saw none other than an ambulance peeling in. A police car followed behind it, signaling that the building would soon be overwhelmed by first responders. Panic overwhelmed the pirate and he realized that he didn't even have enough time to wait for Mike. He started to back away from the children, with his eyes still watching the vehicles outside.

"Foxy?" Chrissy called in concern. Foxy looked back at her with the intention of calming her, but instead was cut off when his feet suddenly hit something. All at once he lost his footing and landed heavily on the carpeted floor, half on top of the discarded Happy Frog body. The motion triggered every urge to escape. Foxy turned over, staggered to his feet, and sprinted to the door. He barged through into the hallway, catching the attention of Mike and Jose, and then sprinted down the hallway. He darted around the corner and sprinted out the back of the arcade.

"I hate to see what made that thing run," Jose muttered in alarm as he stared down after Foxy. Mike slid past him and investigated the dining room. He quickly noticed the lights out in the parking lot.

"Aright, the cops are here," Mike said with a weary exhale. This was it; time to face the music. "Let's just leave Dave where he is and send the cops in here. They can straighten this out." Thankfully, Jose agreed to it without any arguing. At least he was willing, because Mike wasn't sure he could handle another disagreement. Between Jose, the kids, the cops, Dave, and the constant peaking and dipping of adrenaline, he was running out of steam. This was why he dealt with animatronics; it was much easier to deal with four or five animatronics trying to kill him than the drama and conflict of a group of humans. He raised his hands in defense as he entered the arcade and approached to greet the cops entering in the front door.

There wasn't much explaining as he thought there was going to be right away. Beyond a brief statement, the cops were more worried about the children. Chrissy had waved at him before she was whisked away by paramedics to be checked for any injuries. Meanwhile, Mike found himself sitting on the curb outside the arcade with Jose, who had calmed down only the slightest bit. He only broke the silence when he noticed that Dave was being carried out on a portable stretcher.

"Well, that's it," Jose announced. "Magictime Theater is down to one owner and zero employees."

"She's not going to fire you. It would be bad publicity," Mike said in response. His throat felt dry and he barely wanted to talk, so he was almost just going through the motions.

The other man gave a pitiful sort of laugh. "Well, I'm not coming back! I'm fine staying on the payroll, but it would take more than cash to get me back here. I'm not that desperate." Perhaps the exact opposite sentiment to Mike's own history. As much as he didn't want to think about it, a lot of what Dave said sounded eerily like ways he had felt in the past. That need for the rush, that desperation to cling onto anything. The difference was that he hadn't lost himself to that need. Up until Fredrick had given him the house, Mike had managed to live normally without any need to get a 'fix' of that high.

Not to mention that he still hadn't the foggiest idea what Dave's idea was. In keeping the children alive Mike didn't know if Dave intended to somehow use them to bring the suits to life, kill them, or just continue to keep them captive until he grew bored of them. That was a question that wouldn't be answered. The only answer he had received was just that Dave wanted to, and after that he didn't know if he wanted to hear anymore or not.

It was around this time that they were approached. Originally, Mike and Jose had both spoken to police officers about the peculiar details of the situation, and none of the askers had seemed to think anything was amiss. It was all very strange, but the evidence was all laid out. Nedd Bear, who was now slumped on the stage, even had the blood on his mouth to prove what had happened. Other than Mike having to pull one of them aside to send them to the back of the theater for Charlie- which they had done with a few paramedics- he had mostly been sitting to the side waiting to be released.

Though the man who walked up to them seemed to be higher in rank. Or at least, he wasn't dressed like a normal cop. He stood over them, looked between the two men, and then asked, "Which of you is Mike?" Mike raised a hand and stood from the curb. Jose decided to merely scoot out of the way, though was still listening in. The man, he seemed to be a detective, looked at Mike almost suspiciously. "I have a few questions about what happened here."

"I don't blame you. I was here, and I still have questions," Mike remarked. He noticed the detective looking over him. "I'll tell you whatever you need to know. I have nothing to hide."

"You worked at Freddy's?" Of course, the one thing he needed to hide. The universe had a terrible sense of humor.

"What? Freddy's?" Mike asked, not giving an answer. He made sure to keep eye contact and checked any sort of nervous tick to keep it from happening. He wasn't going to get cornered. "What about Freddy's?"

"You've got the same uniform. Same hat, same accents, and I'm guessing the jacket's purple too." the detective pointed out. He leaned in to read the patch on his hat. Of course, Mike had changed the patch ages ago, so it now portrayed Foxy's visage instead of Freddy's. "I remember the fox."

"Walk into this place and poke around the pig. You'll remember it a lot more." The detective's dark eyes were stone cold. "…Possibly an inappropriate time to crack jokes, but I've had a long night and I'm seriously fraying here."

"I see. Did you know Mr. Miller?" the man asked. This time Mike could give the truth and not have to be uncomfortable with it. "Just give me a short version of your story."

"I met him a couple of days ago when I came to look for arcade machines for sell. He was acting suspicious, then said something about coming by Foxy's, so we were on guard. Especially with the kids disappearing," Mike explained. He started to become a little more worked up, "Then the guy's got the nerve to drive through our parking lot and snatch a child right in front of us. Thankfully, Chrissy's bracelet told us where she was. We're testing security bracelets that tell us the location of kids." The man's eyebrows raised abruptly, and Mike added in, "You know, for parties."

"Do kids usually disappear at parties?" the detective asked in a droned-out tone. It was a trap. It was a loaded trap that would spring, snare, and connect him to Freddy's. So once again, Mike decided to be careful with his words.

"That one kid that was taken here was taken in broad daylight, so whose to say he wouldn't sneak in while the pizzeria was busy and coax a child out the front door. We have security, but we're still small, and we deal with a lot of children who are unaccompanied." This seemed to buy off the older man a little more. "Especially Chrissy. Chrissy usually stays towards closing. Usually I give her a ride, but she tried to bike home when he came out of nowhere. This was over at Foxy's."

"I know. We were already there earlier when we got the first call," the detective revealed. Mike wanted to ask why they hadn't immediately come, but then decided against it. It would break down into him getting too worked up and possibly arrested for sassing a cop. "Dave used to work at Freddy's. We've had trouble with Dave for years, but nothing like this… It makes you wonder what really happened at that restaurant." He was fishing once again, but Mike wouldn't take the bait.

"It makes you think of what could've happened if we didn't get this under control. I don't think Dave would've stopped… I have no clue what happened to him in the office, but he was pretty much gone in the sanity department." This time Mike was looking for answers; anything about Dave that he could bring back to Foxy's.

"I could've never expected this out of Dave. He's been a repeat offender. In and out of jail. Never imagined that he would've been capable of something like this… But I suppose I should thank you. On behalf of the families who aren't present, I thank you for taking action, Mike." The detective stuck out his hand. Mike took it, supposing that it would've looked weird if he would've turned him down. "We're going to need to write up a full report. Can you come down to the police station in the morning for a written statement? We're going to be here for a while, so I'm going to let you go."

"Yeah, I can do that," Mike agreed. He tried not to show his immediate relief as he shook the man's hand. "I'm pretty much skipping work tomorrow, so I won't…" Then he trailed off and hesitated a moment. He glanced towards the ambulance that Dave had been loaded into before looking back. "Hey… About that young woman around back, Charlie. How's she holding up?"

"You know Charlie?" the detective inquired. A first name basis; he must've known her too.

"Acquaintances, mostly. We've met a few times and has been by the pizzeria. Mostly she's friends with my boyfriend-." He _definitely_ shouldn't have said that. He could only imagine the looks he was now getting from Jose. "How's she holding up? When I found her, she looked rough. She's got a long road ahead of her." Their hands were still clutched tightly as the man stared him down. It was silent. That silence answered him before the detective did.

"Charlie-… Charlotte didn't make it," the man somberly stated. "She was too far gone when they began resuscitations… She was already going cold."

"Oh…" That feeling of horrible dread was starting to return. This confirmed that Marionette wasn't just being cryptic but had been breaking the news to him. It came softer the second time, but it was colder. It was a stranger telling them that they failed, and somebody died. Charlie wasn't even supposed to be here, and yet Mike couldn't imagine how Marionette felt. He saved the children, something he could've only dreamed of in the past, but a life was still lost.

"Go home, Mike," the detective began again. He seemed to notice Mike's distress, perhaps from him trailing off like he did. "Go home, get some sleep, and come down to the office in the morning. We've got it covered from here."

Something about the end of that made the security guard want to lash out. Maybe it was just the emotional tailspin he was on, but that line- claiming that they had anything in control- infuriated him. The children would've been the same as the ones before, lost forever with their fates never found, if it wasn't for him and Marionette. Especially if not for the Puppet, who had both overpowered Dave and unlocked the door. He wanted to say something, but anything would be a mistake. Instead, he simply nodded in agreement. He had never felt so suppressed.

The conversation broke up at that point. Mike numbly accepted a card with the detective's name and number that he slipped into his wallet before heading to his car. Halfway there, he noticed that Rhonda was already in the parking lot. She looked like a mess, so when she got a moment free he approached her, went back into his wallet, and offered what free cash he had as 'an advance payment' towards the Magic Puppet Box. She thought that he offered the money out of sympathy. He decided not to tell her that most likely her 'Puppet knockoff' had disappeared from the restaurant. She probably wouldn't even notice.

Then he finally got in the car, not even needing to check anything or wait, and started to drive home. As he pulled onto the highway, Marionette slipped out of the backseat and into the passenger one. He was now wearing Mike's jacket and had it pulled tightly around him, regardless of a few blood stains that would need to be washed out. It wouldn't be the first time that had to be done. Neither of them knew what to say first. The low hum of the car was just such an abrupt turn from the chaos of the night. It was still there, lingering over them, but their time was done.

Mike reached up to adjust the rearview mirror enough that he could see into the backseat. There was the Security Puppet in the back seat, just as he had anticipated it to be. It looked like Marionette draped some sort of a green jacket over it, but he didn't recognize it. He also noticed the bracelet resting on the console while turning to glance at Marionette. He wasn't sure when the Puppet got it from Dave, but he didn't remember it being on Dave when he checked on him with Jose. He must've been quick or had been quiet enough to slip right past Jose.

They still didn't say anything; there wasn't much to say. The form in the back was still limp as could be and whether it truly was Charlie was not yet to be seen. He had to change the subject quickly of the thoughts would return.

"Can I say something weird and largely inappropriate?" Mike asked abruptly. Marionette turned his mask towards him. "That thing you did- controlling the frog and the hippo at the same time- that was amazing," he admitted, getting the slightest glint of a smile. He couldn't deny that he had been incredibly impressed. Then again, whenever Marionette showed off his paranormal strengths Mike found himself impressed. Such a rush, and it lingered even beyond leaving the theater. He clung to that rush. "You never fail to put on a show."

"You should see me on a good day," Marionette remarked with a light chime. He paused, watching Mike, and slid down to prop his head up with his hand. He looked both physically and mentally exhausted, which was understandable. "…Let's ignore the elephant in the room and fixate on the fact that the missing children were found, yes? That'll make this an easier car ride."

"That's what we _should_ be focusing on. Mari, do you realize what you stopped from happening?" Mike asked more seriously. He couldn't help but be insistent as he saw how depressed the other looked. He glanced between him and the road. "You saved those kids lives. You saved Chrissy's life. You stopped another missing children incident before it could even get off the ground!"

"Dave was nothing like William. He would've gotten caught," Marionette brushed off.

"Really? Because it took the cops almost thirty minutes to get there and I've got no doubt that someone back at the pizzeria mentioned this place," Mike pointed out. "All the evidence they had on the last case… Let's face it. Even someone like Dave could've gotten away with it." He then narrowed his gaze on the road. "You should've seen what sort of state he was in before they wheeled him away. He was foaming like he had rabies."

"Oh, marvelous. As though he couldn't get any more charming," Marionette remarked. "Sometimes you can tell when someone's too broken."

"Yeah, he'll get shipped off to an asylum for a few years… I mean, depending on the hospital it could be just as bad. Hell, I wouldn't want to spend even a week at our hospital, and it's pretty much tolerable compared to what I've seen." Marionette looked to Mike almost curiously for a moment, but then decided not to say what he was thinking. "The point is, you stopped that from happening. I played back up, which I'm fine with. I'm willing to back you up anytime, whether it be a life or death situation or up against a counter." He smirked as the flustered look that passed the other's mask.

"Mike, this isn't exactly the time…" Marionette lightly reminded.

"No, I think this is the perfect time," Mike quickly corrected. "I see you over there. You're already starting to overthink this. Let's leave that elephant untouched until we get home, alright?" They both needed that much of a respite. Even if it was just the drive home, they needed some amount of an escape. "You did amazing tonight. Hell, you probably saved me from being wrongly accused alone, and you saved plenty of others… It'll be a little while. Why don't you get some rest?"

Marionette released a thoughtful hum and slid further down in the seat. "Wake me up if I fall asleep… If I can ever sleep again."

"If I'm still awake, sure," Mike agreed. He then turned his attention on the road. Marionette considered putting on the Walkman to listen to something relaxing, to lose himself, but he couldn't afford to detach himself that far. He let his body collapse, but stayed alert, listening and thinking without moving. It almost felt natural.

* * *

 **Mable: Almost anything, no matter how odd, feels natural when you live in a world where the Music Man exists.** **Trust me. Anyway, the aim is to post again on Thursday and get back on the weekly schedule. I hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Mable: And I got it posted on Thursday!... After Midnight, I'll admit, but still finished. So, I'll keep this note brief. Especially since there's not much for me to say. I apologize if there's a few mistakes, because the chapter required an almost entire rewrite before posting, so I hope any there aren't too egregious. Anyway, I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Nine_

"Foxy!" Jeremy called out through the window as he crawled down the highway in the direction of the theater. His eyes scanned the sides of the road frantically as he tried to search out the fox before someone else saw him. Mike's warning phone call had explained that Foxy ran into the desert, but he had almost made it to the theater and had still seen no sign of him. Not to mention that the theater was probably swarming with cops who would see him and question why he was prowling at night. Or worse, they would see Foxy running around.

In his panicked state Jeremy could already imagine them wheeling Foxy away into an evidence locker and them never getting him back. Or worse, labelling a threat and opening fire as Foxy sprinted around the parking lot. Then Dave would sneak out the back and be on the run, terrorizing other businesses-.

By this point, Jeremy was borderline hyperventilating. He looked out the rolled down passenger's window, then out his own, then called out again. "Foxy? Fox- Gabe!" Maybe using his real name would attract his attention. "Gabe? Gabriel!" Still nothing and Jeremy was starting to worry only more. He drove a bit faster as he closed in on the theater. He soon could see the distant lights and knew he was running out of time.

Then Jeremy caught a break. Out of the corner of his eye he saw what looked to be a shadow dropping into a ditch on the side of the road. He swerved to the side of the road and came to an abrupt stop. "Foxy?!" There was movement from the ditch and Jeremy wrangled his flashlight out of his glovebox and pointed it out. He caught the slightest glimpse of rust colored fabric in the light. "Foxy, it's me! Over here!" he desperately called. He then whistled, "Over here, Foxy! I'm in the car!" The figure stood from the ditch but didn't approach. "Hurry, Gabe! We'll get seen!"

Finally, Foxy jogged over to the car. He leaned in to the window, with his golden eyes fixating on Jeremy with an almost unenthused look. "I could go without ya callin' me like a mutt," the animatronic remarked. Jeremy responded with a sheepish look but didn't have time to explain before Foxy moved to open the back door. "Yer gonna need to turn this thing around quick. The whole parking lot's full-." He stopped when he noticed the tarp laid out on the backseat. He stared at it until the human noticed.

"Oh, that! That, uh… I though you might get some sand on you," Jeremy quickly excused. "I figured it would be easier to clean..."

"…Ya really do think I'm a mutt, don't ya?" When the human sputtered, Foxy gave a sort of scoffing noise of amusement and climbed into the back. He shut the door behind him. "Alright, Lad. Turn us round and ship off to anywhere else but here! We stick around too long an' we gonna get caught." He shuffled around uncomfortably, feeling stiff and clustered in.

"Just stay low, okay? And hold on," Jeremy said. He then risked the possible illegal turn as quickly as possible, considering that the police were so close by. Soon they were heading down the road back towards the city. "What happened in there? Did he… Did you get Dave?" The fox flinched at the mention of the man and gave a weary exhale.

"No, Lad. He was too quick fer ol' Foxy. Marion and Mike got 'em, I just watched the kids an' kept them distracted." Saying it now made it sound like he hadn't done anything at all, and he could've believed it. He intended to slice his hook through Dave's gullet and get proper revenge for the children, but instead he did little more than play babysitter. He shifted uncomfortably before leaning down to strip the fabric off his lower legs, hoping it would help him move easier. "I 'aven't even a clue whether they got the bloater or not…"

"Mike said that they did. Don't worry about Dave. I'm not," Jeremy reassured. He then perked with a happier smile. "So, you got to protect the kids? That's great! I know you'd never let anything happen to them. I'm sure they were safer with you than anyone else."

"An' what about you?" Foxy inquired cheekily. Pushing aside his own feelings, he leaned forward against the back of Jeremy's seat, tapping his shoulder with the hook. "Ya think I didn't see ya flogging that bloater? That be impressive, Lad! Who taught ya ta swing a hook like that, eh? T'wasn't me!" Jeremy gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"I got it as good as I gave it, Foxy," Jeremy humbly denied. He then hesitantly touched his sore eye with a hiss. "I'm going to be feeling this tomorrow." The pirate started leaning further between the seats but got caught in the awkward sort of squeeze. "It's fine! I'm fine, don't worry about it… But yeah. They got Dave. They took him to the hospital, but then he'll be off to jail and out of our hair for good." Foxy gave a disapproving noise as he slipped back into the seat again.

"Meh… A hospital be too good for him. He's prob'ly fakin' it!" Foxy accused with a low growl. He slid back down under the window and glared at the floor.

"…Yeah, I'd say so." Foxy was almost surprised at the usually innocent Jeremy's blunt agreement. "I mean, some people actually do get injured while being arrested, but a friend of mine- old friend, ex-friend now- tried to fake blood sugar problems so that he'd go to the hospital instead of right to jail. I mean, it seemed like a good idea at the time. We got out around the same time the next day, so he pretty much lost an hour of being locked up," the human finished in explanation. He noticed Foxy shift upwards abruptly and was confused by the fox's lingering silence. "…What? You knew I went to jail."

"Ya told me ya went to jail, Lad, but ya never told me ya were a repeat offender!" The shock was quickly replaced with amusement, along with a smirk on his voice. Almost immediately, Jeremy felt his face begin to flush. He hadn't expected that Foxy would've picked up such a minor detail. "Well, well. I knew ya weren't as much of a goody-goody as ya try to let on, but I didn't expect ya to be a hooligan!"

"Well, I… I don't… I wouldn't say a hooligan, I mean… I was on first name basis with most of the cops. That's why I moved here." Foxy bellowed out in laughter and Jeremy flushed darker, with the slightest bit of a smile. At least Foxy was _impressed._ Pretty much everyone else who know about his track record- except maybe Fritz, Natalie, and Mike- hadn't been nearly as relaxed.

"So, tell me, Lad," Foxy began. He then gave an uncomfortable 'omph' as he struggled to turn himself. The backseat just felt too small and he was half tempted to try the front seat. He doubted he would fit comfortably, and he didn't have the ability to contort himself down into the floorboards like Marionette managed to. There was shuffling as he removed more of his outer pieces. "Whatcha do that put you in the brig so much? Driving without a license? Vandalizing and graffiti?"

"Shoplifting, mostly," Jeremy admitted. "Music tapes, candy, food, cigarettes. Pretty much anything I could get my hand on."

"Ya shoplifted food? If you were that hungry, why didn't ya tell someone?" Foxy asked in confusion. "And you smoking? I don't see it, Jer'my."

"Well, no. I didn't smoke. Some of my friends did and I had the sticky fingers, so I stole for them." Jeremy sent him an embarrassed smile in the rearview mirror but couldn't see the fox with how it was turned. "And… It wasn't, like, needy stealing. They would have probably been way more sympathetic if I was stealing because I was hungry. I just… For instance, I wouldn't like dinner, so I'd go to the store and steal something premade. I'd go to jail over a hoagie sandwich, Foxy. _A sandwich._ " It took a few seconds this time before Foxy broke into laughter. This time, Jeremy frowned in pouting. "It's not that funny…"

"Lad, you look at me with a straight face and tell me that ain't funny," Foxy challenged. Jeremy stared straight ahead, deciding not to even dare and try. "'Sides, I've done worse. A couple of me old crew and me painted the side o' a school. Nearly got sent to juvey, if'n not fer connections. Can't remember which one of 'em, but his pa was pretty big in town. Got us off the hook faster than a Great White hooked to a wobbly fishin' boat." Jeremy snickered lightly. "Whazzat, Lad? Ya surprised."

"I, uh, honestly? No. From what you've said- you haven't said much, but what you have said, you sounded like you were pretty much the stereotypical bad boy."

Foxy scoffed, "There ain't be nothin' stereotypical 'bout Captain Foxy!" He looked upwards at the streetlights as they turned off the highway and back towards the city again. His hook lightly dragged along the backseat. "…Except that he be a children's entertainer who ain't fit fer huntin' anymore."

"Don't get all melancholy about that! I told you everything Mike said… But…" Jeremy hesitated as worry started to fill him. "He wanted to get off the phone pretty quickly… I don't know, he acted like there was something he wasn't saying, but I- you know me, Foxy. I'm not the type to push."

"But yer the type to steal a sandwich. Lad, I don't know you anymore. You be a stranger," Foxy quipped back. "… Come to think of it… Seemed to be somethin' odd going on…" It was then that he suddenly remembered how much blood he had smelled. At the time he hadn't thought about it, and the first thought was that it was from Marionette attacking Dave. However, even that seemed odd, as he didn't have teeth nor claws. Not to mention that Mike didn't have any blood on him. Only now, with the children safe and no longer in view, did his curiosity suddenly become insatiable.

He then realized that Jeremy was still talking to him. He shook away the thoughts. "What was that, Lad? I was somewhere out at sea." He rubbed his hand over his metal face as he dropped his fabric head onto his lap.

"I was just saying that you could come home with me. I don't know if the cops are going to still be at the pizzeria anyway. Smuggling you in isn't going to be easy, Captain," he pointed out. There was a little too much excitement in his voice, but it was no surprise that Jeremy enjoyed taking Foxy home. Even if his home was a little less friendly now that there were more animatronics inside. Foxy gave a disinterested sort of noise as an answer. "It will be great. Everyone would love to see you anyway." Again, Foxy seemed less than interested, but he didn't really have a choice. "Maybe you could even look at some realty pamphlets I picked up?"

"Yeah, sure thing, Lad…" Foxy answered as they continued the drive. It wasn't too much longer before they were parked outside of his apartment.

"Okay, so we'll just use that tarp you're on to cover you and get you right-!" Jeremy turned into the backseat and immediately cut off. Instead of looking into the familiar face of the fox, he was staring at a blank endoskeleton face. He glanced down at the empty head on his lap in shock; he didn't even realize that it came off.

"Right what?" Foxy coaxed. Just a blunt question and Jeremy paused.

"Right… On? I, uh, I didn't know your head… Came off." Foxy scoffed with a low rumble of laughter. He didn't buy it for a second and the flustered man started to open the car door. His cheeks were slowly staining in pink. "Let me just get that for you-."

"No need, Lad. If I could run from the pizzeria to the theater, then I can run from here to yer door," Foxy quickly excused. Before Jeremy could even contemplate what was happening, Foxy rushed to put his fabric back on. "Just get the key out, yeah? I gotta get in quick." While the human seemed hesitant, he did start to get the proper key out and handed it over. "Thanks, Lad." After a quick stretch of his legs, Foxy took off to the door and unlocked it, scrambling with the lock. Jeremy got to the door right as Foxy got it open, and the animatronic pushed him in before following quickly inside.

As soon as they were inside, they were rushed by tiny animatronics. Or, at least, Jeremy was. The Minireenas hurried to his feet and looked up eagerly at him, including the still more demure Lilium. Even Plushtrap could be seen peering out behind the couch. Neither Max nor Balloon Boy were to be seen, but the Bidybabs were looking out from the bathroom door. Foxy could hear one of them whisper, "He brought the fox home. He must have been with the fox." Then the door was slowly pulled shut and the Bidybabs were gone once more.

That scene alone could sum up Foxy's experiences with Jeremy's 'orphans' better than any anecdote could. They didn't like him, they believed he kept Jeremy away, and when given the chance they would rather just leave the room. He could already tell that tonight was only going to get better and better.

"Maybe we could turn the news on and see what they're saying," Jeremy pointed out as he tried to walk with the Minireenas hanging off his legs. A quick scan of the couch revealed no remote. "Max must have it… Hold on, I can do it manually, but this is going to take a minute."

"I ain't rushin' off," Foxy quipped as he dropped onto the couch with a thump. He could hear Plushtrap's small footsteps as he sprinted off into the kitchen. "How's yer eye?"

"To be honest, the mace stung a lot worse than the punch," Jeremy remarked as he clicked through the channels. He used his free hand to pat Daisy's back, as she had made it to his waist and was now clinging on for dear life. Once it was on the news channel, he crossed to the couch to sit down, and only now did the dolls drop off. Though that was only so that they- the three performers, as Lilium decided now to go after Plushtrap- could climb onto the couch and crawl into his lap. Forget-Me-Not hissed at Foxy once she had found a comfortable spot in the crook of his arm. "Don't be like that, please."

There was no point in really trying with the little animatronics. They obviously didn't like Foxy standing in between their time with Jeremy, nor sharing him in the slightest. Foxy could care less right now. For the first time in a long time, he felt winded after running for so long. It was such a bizarre feeling in this body; Foxy almost liked it. It reminded him of when he used to work out as a teen. Long afternoons of running, push-ups, sit ups, all trying to relieve the frustration of his homelife. Looking back on it, he almost missed those simple days where exercise made everything disappear for a while.

Or he did until something crawled over the armrest and flung itself into his lap. He looked down at Balloon Boy's wooden back, watching as it turned its head around to face him, giving him a laugh in greeting. Its original body had been creepy enough, but this Pinocchio-esque one only gave him more examples to show it. It was slightly uncomfortable. Foxy wasn't surprised that Balloon Boy would laugh at his pain.

"That's it. That's the place," Jeremy pointed out as the news came on to show a scene outside of Magictime. He leaned down towards the dolls in his lap, "We were _just_ there right before we got home." They turned their heads attentively towards the screen. "There's animatronics there too."

"Wouldn't want to be one of those poor suckers, soon to be dismembered and forgotten in a garage. Alive or not, that ain't a good way to go." As callous as Foxy sounded, he was aware that the animatronics inside were not possessed. Sometimes it was a little harder to tell, but none of the four standing in that front room gave any indication that they were even the slightest bit alive. The closest thing was the Candy Cadet, but it too seemed to be a lifeless husk. There were plenty of empty shells hovering around, waiting to be filled by a monster like Dave.

He leaned back against the back of the couch and stretched an arm out past Jeremy's shoulders. "There was supposed to be that Marion knock-off too, but I didn't see it. Not that I think Marion's gonna be disappointed to see that thing chucked in a dumpster," the fox pointed out.

"I thought Mike bought it," Jeremy chimed in, still staring intently at the television. "I don't think he took it home with him though, and it's not over at the pizzeria if you didn't see it." He barely noticed as the captain started to sit upwards.

"He _bought_ it?" Foxy asked. "He… He wanted a clone of my brother, he took it home- he wasn't happy with one?" It baffled him. He didn't even notice that he had gone out of character until now. "Of all the creepy things-!"

"Foxy, shh! Look, look!" Jeremy gestured to the television where the camera suddenly cut in on an interview with what looked to be the man in charge of the investigation. Now Foxy's interest returned and he leaned forward, causing Balloon Boy to almost get pinned sideways. Though the animatronic didn't seem too bothered, nor offended like the other little ones would've been. Foxy was transfixed on the man on the screen as memories flooded him.

"That's him… I know that man! That's the guy who investigated Freddy's!" Foxy revealed. Jeremy looked to him in shock and the pirate continued. "My eye doesn't deceive me; that's 'im alright! I'd recognize 'em anywhere! That's-!..." And then Foxy drew a blank. By now the small introduction bar that said his name had disappeared too. "…I ain't got a clue." He gave a slight shrug and clapped his hand on Jeremy's back. "It'll come back to me."

" _At this time, we're investigating this case as unrelated to the unsolved missing children case at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza,"_ the detective abruptly announced in his interview. He had dropped the name of Freddy's so quickly that it almost took both Foxy and Jeremy off guard. _"The investigation is still early in development, but we have the suspect in custody and the children have been safely returned to their parents."_

"Glad to see that the police force still be doin' a bang-up job!" the fox proclaimed with exasperation. He then gave a weary exhale, "How many years has it been, and they still never found a single lead…" He was starting to come out of character and didn't even care the slightest bit. He tiredly lifted Balloon Boy under the arms and placed him between himself and the armrest.

When it came down to it, Foxy couldn't help but be a little frustrated by how little interest was shown in the Freddy case. While he couldn't afford to have someone digging up the past, the fact that nobody even seemed interested in doing so frustrated him. This kidnapping event was almost the same as the one at Freddy's and involved a worker at the old establishment, and yet nobody even considered it. The detective on the case simply cast it aside. Because of this, Dave might get off easy, and as usual, William Afton averted detection. The mystery of Freddy's was just not important enough.

"We should all be happy, right? We don't want Freddy's following us forever…" He tiredly hunched forwards, his arms resting on his legs, head dropped, and shoulders slouched. "But after all these years… I sort of hoped that somebody would've found something…"

"Someone got Dave, right?" Jeremy offered as he reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Might have not been the cops, but it was us. We found out the truth about Freddy's too, and if Bill was alive today we could've turned him in ourselves." He sent him an assuring smile. It almost seemed punctuated by the reddening skin on his cheek and around his eye. Jeremy had that way about him, though his wording tended to have its questioning moments.

"…The greatest revenge of all would've just been calling him Bill even once. You better believe that would've killed him," Foxy pointed out. He then started to recover once more, "Yer right, Lad. Yer always right…" He reached forward and nudged his chin up so that he could look over his face. "Yer gonna want to ice this," Foxy suggested as he traced the cold metal of his hook over the reddened skin. Jeremy flinched at the coldness and gave an awkward smile.

"Great, I have a badge of honor," Jeremy said. "Good to know that I'm not going to forget tonight for a few days." The pirate chuckled good-naturedly as he pulled him into a one-armed hug. He ignored the hissing and 'uh!' noises that the Minireenas used to protest being jostled. He could live with it for Jeremy.

" _-Was found dead on arrival. Resuscitation attempts were made, but the victim was declared dead at ten-."_

In an instant, Foxy yanked back, holding Jeremy's at arm's length, and looked towards the screen. "What the bloody 'ell was that? Dead? Whose dead?" He knew what he had heard, and he was suddenly fixated. It was then that the image of the theater and cops was replaced with the photo of the victim. It looked to be taken off a driver's license and wasn't a full body view, but the face alone already showed what it needed to. "That- That be Charlie!" Foxy had seen Charlie enough to recognize her face. Frequent visitor, Henry's daughter, _Goldie's_ daughter, friends to Marionette, and now dead on arrival.

"It was _Charlie?_ " Jeremy asked in disbelief. "What was Charlie even doing there?! I thought he was only kidnapping kids!" He knew much less about the girl but had seen her once or twice. He was totally aghast for a moment and was snapped out of it when Foxy stood up abruptly. "Foxy?"

"Ya said Mike got off the phone real quick…?" Foxy drew out. Suspicion laced his voice as he tapped his hook on the television. "Smelled all like blood back there. Bet it was her… That knock-off was missing…" he muttered to himself. All at once it hit him and his eyes widened as he realized what this all meant. "Blow me down. He did it, didn't he? That's where he was. That's why Mike didn't know where he was, an' why he wasn't with the kids…"

"What are you talking about? Do you mean Dave or Marionette?" Jeremy asked as he set aside the Minireenas and Balloon Boy to stand. He stood in front of the couch momentarily before he looked back to the screen. "…She's not really dead, is she?" In response, Foxy lowered his head. "I can call Mike and-."

"No." Both were surprised at how quickly Foxy shot the idea down. As much as he wanted to know, he knew that this wasn't the time to intrude. If his brother was doing what he thought he was, then he would need his time to handle it. "Not tonight, Lad. We'll find out tomorrow. Let's just… Let's just settle in fer tonight." He backed towards the couch before turning towards the man. "It's been a long night and whatever happens… We both know it ain't goin' anywhere by tomorrow."

"I guess… Yeah, that makes sense. Should I put it on something else?" Jeremy offered. "We'll just get the whole story tomorrow. The news might stretch out for hours anyway." He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "I think I'd prefer it too, actually. I can't imagine the dreams that might come out of all of this."

"Nightmares, Lad. Those be nightmares," Foxy corrected grimly. He then went to drop back onto the couch, and promptly landed on top of Balloon Boy, who had for whatever reason scooted underneath him. "Oh, for cryin' out loud, BB!" the pirate called as he tugged the animatronic back out from under him. Balloon Boy responded with a slightly pained giggle. He then noticed Forget-Me-Not and Rose glaring at him from across the couch. "Yeah, I see the two of you too." They climbed over the armrest and dropped out of view.

Indeed, there would be nightmares tonight. There was no doubt about that. To think that all these small, frustrating creatures were the same as he was. He kept his complaints to a minimum as Jeremy returned beside him. This time he scooted a little closer to the fox than before, but kept his eyes trained downwards. He removed his glasses to clean them and sighed as he got a better look at the cracked lens. It was by sheer luck that the frames hadn't been bent. "Gabe…?"

Foxy flinched lightly and almost considered correcting Jeremy but decided against it when he noticed his more somber behavior. "Yeah, Lad?" There was a long pause as he absentmindedly tried to clean the good lens on his shirt. It was clear that he was hesitant to say what he wanted to.

"I just want you to know that I… I think what you did- I think you going to the children instead of going after Dave… I don't think I've ever admired you more. I just wanted you to know that," Jeremy admitted to him. Foxy was positively dumbstruck by the suggestion. He almost was doubtful of it, thinking that they were just mindless assurances, but he knew that the man wouldn't do that. Jeremy was readable, and the difference between him just trying to comfort and him being fully outright was night and day. He silently put his arm around the blonde's shoulders.

"Thanks, Jeremy."

* * *

Marionette entered the pink bedroom and flipped on the light switch. He then hurried to the bed and pulled the comforter and sheets down. He frowned at the light dust that had settled on the comforter. "I should've washed these beforehand. Who would think a bed would collect so much dust?" He lightly beat at the pink comforter. "Should I beat it out?"

"I don't think it matters. It's on the outside, we can wash it later," Mike assured as he slipped into the room. He was carrying the Security Puppet's limp form in his arms. It was awkward, especially since he didn't know how he was supposed to carry it. Or her. If it was her. For now, its arms dangled down, and its legs folded together. Its head tilted back and the sphere on the end of the prong on the back of its head jingled like a bell as it brushed the door. It would certainly be an awkward body, or Mike believed so, but he would agree that it was marginally better than the other options.

"Yes, sorry, here." Marionette tugged down the blankets further and moved out of the way. "I just… I just want her to be comfortable." Regardless of how weird this all was, Mike was gentle as he set the Security Puppet onto the bed. Marionette quickly pulled the blanket up and tucked it in, ignoring its vacant smile as he pet over its head affectionately a few times. Mike, who still had the green jacket in his arms, handed it over. "Thank you." The Puppet tucked it in too. "It might make her feel better to have something that she remembers with her when she wakes up."

"How long are we looking at? A couple of days or a couple of hours?" Mike asked. Marionette drew back with a sigh and rubbed his mask tiredly but thoughtfully.

"It depends… Usually a few hours at least. It really depends on how she takes to her body. Usually those with their body attached to the animatronic take faster, become more grounded, but due to how quick this all had to be… She may need more time." He then turned fully towards the human, watching as he removed his hat and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"That's probably for the best. Let's give her some time to rest." The human then reached out and turned off the light before heading out. Marionette followed out, with the door telekinetically closing behind him. In the hallway, Mike rubbed over his face tiredly and tried to think of what to do. "I could go in there right now and try to sleep, but I doubt it would go anywhere. How am I wired and exhausted at the same time?" He gave dry laughter, not noticing at first that he wasn't being followed. The striped one hovered outside the door for a moment, then it all weighed down on him.

In an instant, Marionette dropped against the door and fell to the floor. He bent his legs and wrapped his arms around them, dropping his head onto his knees as he let the emotion pour out. By time Mike looked back, Marionette was sobbing inconsolably, letting out all the pent-up tears from earlier. Mike was surprised and confused but knew what was happening. "Oh, Mari…" He sighed and knelt in front of him on the carpet. "Mai, it's going to be alright."

"I didn't want you to ever see me do that…" Marionette admitted pitifully. "I wanted- I wanted you to see me in control. Not like a mindless monster that does whatever their programming commands!"

"Mari, I was seconds from knocking Dave's lights out. Nothing you did was wrong," Mike insisted. He would've continued if not for the striped male shaking his head insistently.

"It's not that. I mean… I meant what I did to Charlie… The _Joy of Creation-_ as if any of it was joyful!" He leaned his head back and it thumped against the door behind him as he stared at the ceiling. Purple paint dribbled down his pale mask. "I didn't want you to see that. I did that to Charlie without asking her, without knowing what she wanted. Would you want that? To be trapped in a body without even choosing which one?"

"Well, to be honest…" Mike paused as he considered how honest to be.

"It doesn't matter," Marionette interrupted. "Because it doesn't matter if you told me to or not, if you begged me to let you move on, if keeping you here would only put you in a body you didn't want, or anything else. If you died in front of me, I wouldn't be able to control myself. There wouldn't be any choice or decision, I would just do this thing I was made to do." His music box made a cracking noise, causing his voice to choke. "It's different with children. They wouldn't be able to make that choice. They would naturally want to live… But adults- would they want this life?"

"Marionette, look at me," Mike insisted. Marionette lowered his head to look into those firm, blue eyes. He felt exposed underneath them; Mike had a way of doing that to him with just a look. "What you did was save her life. If it's being an animatronic or nothing, no sane person would rather be dead. And that includes me." He reached out and took both of Marionette's hands; mostly because his fingers were digging into his own fabric. "If anything happened to me suddenly, if someone killed me, if I was in an accident, you've got my full consent to put me in a body. Don't even overthink it."

"Okay…" Marionette agreed almost meekly. There was a slight relief in hearing it, but the tears were still fresh, and the guilt was still there.

"I could think of something worse than spending a second life alongside you," Mike reaffirmed as he traced his thumbs over the back of the Puppet's hands. "And as for Charlie…Charlie's young. Charlie got a bum deal; she almost lost everything. Maybe this isn't the same as being human, but she's got a chance to live a good life. We have a good life, right?"

"…Yes, we do," Marionette agreed again. He drew back one arm to lightly wipe at his tears. "You know we do. I love being with you."

"And I love being with you too. Charlie's got a chance to get that instead of just being a casualty to another Purple Man. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and I don't know how exactly we're going to do help her get comfortable, but you did a good thing." It was only at this moment that Mike realized that Charlie would be staying with them for a while. It would be weird having someone else with them in the house, but they would adjust. This was the least of their problems and it went behind other thoughts. "…And if I didn't want to see it then I could've walked away, but you couldn't have dragged me away."

"Maybe I could've, but I didn't feel like it," Marionette quietly tried to joke. Mike smirked at the effort, glad to see a more positive twist, and released the Puppet's hands so that he could try and wipe away the tears. "What now?"

"Probably going to soak my jacket first thing. Maybe throw it into the sink with whatever we have under the counter and deal with it tomorrow… I don't know, it's early and I'm exhausted. Maybe we'll force ourselves through a few minutes of whatever's on tv and then pass out whenever that gets boring," Mike suggested. He rubbed over the Puppet's striped leg affectionately, trying to ease him the rest of the way. "Maybe just try to keep it a normal night."

"…I think I would like that," Marionette agreed. The human offered his hand and pulled the Puppet off the floor. He reached up to fuss with his mask, "How bad does it look?" Mike stared back blankly, looking at the smeared tears on his mask.

"You might want to soak it in the sink," he finally remarked with a playful tinge. The animatronic made a motion like he was rolling his eyes in response, but a small touch of a smile was starting to return. Before Mike could even remark on it, or say anything, Marionette moved in and hugged him tightly. He pressed his still damp mask against Mike's neck, clutching on. Naturally, Mike couldn't tell if it was a vie for affection or a response to being told that he was covered in paint. Not that he was afraid of the stains of the tears. Even if he was, it wasn't important in comparison to the need for comfort. It had been a long night.

They then headed into the kitchen. The Puppet started to fill the sink and scrubbed at his tears, before moving aside for Mike to submerge his jacket in the sink. He wasn't concerned about the shed tears and merely dumped in more detergent from underneath the sink. "I think our next investment's going to be a better washing machine." Not to mention how loud it was outside of the master bedroom. He looked over to Marionette, who was looking through the refrigerator. "Planning on some late-night stress-baking?"

"I'd rather find something leftover to heat up for you. You haven't eaten anything," Marionette pointed out. He pulled out a Tupperware container and tried to look through the sides. "…Do you remember what we had in this?"

"Don't bother, I lost my appetite a long time ago," Mike waved off as he briefly worked the jacket into the mixture. He then dried his hands off and peered curiously over the Puppet's shoulder. "I don't take the fact that it fogged up the plastic as a good sign."

"I'm opening it," Marionette forewarned. He then popped open the container and Mike nearly recoiled behind him. It looked like pasta salad, maybe, but it smelled like some sort of meat that had stayed out a bit too long. "…I think it's tuna." He half expected Moppet to come over, but one look at the adolescent cat showed that she had no interest in it, and instead was much more content to stay sprawled in her bed, watching the scene from a distance. Marionette looked back to Mike, "You only had cake today. You need to eat something."

"Well, that's _something_ alright," Mike murmured as he looked at whatever was in the Tupperware. He crossed his arms thoughtfully as he looked at the grey mixture. For a moment he contemplated it: after a night full of death, kidnapping, and facing the past, here they were trying to figure out whether or not something was edible. "…You know, I'm starting to wonder what would be more devastating: waking up as an animatronic or waking up and having to live with us."

"For that comment alone, you're eating this."

* * *

 _Cold and wet. Something smelled stagnant, like copper and refuse molded into one. Very cold and damp, and heavy, and the sound of a roaring screech._

 _Headlights._

Bright, unyielding _headlights_ that were followed by agonizing and sudden **pain**. Then everything had become very hazy. She couldn't remember anything past that point.

Charlie felt strange as she awoke. She wasn't sure how, but the lack of immediate pain seemed to be a good thing. Her vision came quickly, and she realized that she was in an unfamiliar bedroom. There was fear instantly, for that man could've taken her home, but it almost seemed lessened by the conditions of the room. This didn't look to be the home of a child snatcher. If anything, it looked like a young woman's bedroom, but she didn't let her guard down.

" _What happened?"_ She weakly turned over to look towards the window, where sunlight tried to come through the curtain. _"That guy and that girl… And he was in a car…"_ Then the flash of headlights returned. That instant she had looked back seemed trapped in her mind. _"…Did I get hit?"_ She moved her body slightly. Something felt amiss, but she certainly didn't feel like she was suffering from severe injuries. _"Maybe not?"_ She shifted toward the edge of the bed that faced the window. _"Maybe I should get up and figure out where I am…"_

Yet as Charlie tried to move her body she realized that the abnormal weakness was more than just weariness. She tried to pull herself to the edge of the bed and barely managed to. Her arms were cooperating, but her legs still felt stiff, and everything just seemed a little odd in comparison to how it was supposed to feel. Yet Charlie knew she had to get out of bed and get wherever she could to call for help, or at least look through the window. Who knew if anyone was able to catch that man before he disappeared with the girl for good.

" _I hope she got away. It looked like she was going to outrun him, but the car… Let's just not think about that."_ Charlie shakily pushed herself upright and tried to slide her legs out of the bed, but they were almost tangled under the blankets. They were too weak to pull themselves free and she fumbled forward. _"Something's wrong with me."_ In a last-ditch effort to save herself from the fall to the floor, Charlie reached out to grab for the beside stand.

A long, striped arm with a jet-black hand reached out instead. She gasped, heard an out of place jingling noise, and proceeded to collapse to the floor painfully.

For a moment she just laid there on the carpet, thinking that she was more confused than she thought. _"I… I think I'm hallucinating… Someone drugged me…"_ It could explain why her body was so weak. _"Maybe if I just open my eyes slowly…"_ Her vision started to return even though she swore she couldn't feel her eyes opening. Laying in front of her was another black hand. She raised it and looked at it as she tried to push herself off the carpet. Whatever type of hallucination this was, it certainly was a strong one, and she looked down at herself. To her horror, her entire body was distorted.

Her entire form looked like some sort of corrupted version of the Puppet and not of her human body. She started choking, trying to vocalize anything or even call out, but found her voice quite silent. Worst still, even if she could speak it would likely only be drowned out by that intermittent jingling noise. It sounded like bells and it only increased over time, making her even more anxious. _"What's wrong with me?! I can't breathe!"_ She tried to force herself to breathe and found nothing entering or exiting. She reached for her mouth and her hands touched over firm plates instead of skin.

That was when the panic took over. Charlie grabbed at the plates to try and yank them off and reach the skin surely underneath, but they wouldn't budge. She then lashed out at anything else. She grabbed at herself, the carpet, the curtains, and anything in her reach to somehow snap her out of whatever this is. Her arms, originally feeling strong, started to weaken in her frantic display, and she began to have trouble keeping herself upright. Her head thumped against the wall as she briefly collapsed; to her continued panic, she barely felt it at all.

" _What is this- What did he do to me?! The car didn't-! I don't understand, I'm not supposed to be like this!"_ Everything that she wanted to say stayed quiet, and instead all she heard were those accursed jingles. She was nearly broken down into weeping, but there were no tears and there were no sobs. All she had was a shaking, unfamiliar, weakened form.

This was no hallucination. She was an _animatronic._ She tried to scream, and the bells were deafening.

"Charlie?!" Out of nowhere, there was another voice in the room.

Charlie shoved herself back until her back hit between the nightstand and the wall. The lamp above her head wobbled, but she wasn't paying much attention to it. She was instead trying to comprehend what was happening.

It was now that Marionette appeared around the foot of the bed. She didn't know how to react to his sudden appearance, other than taking it as a horrified confirmation. He had been the one to tell her about the dead being put into animatronics. He was here, she was in an unfamiliar body, and it all fit together so well. Dave had killed her, and Marionette had made her into an animatronic. She was trembling.

"Oh, Charlie…" Marionette's voice grew soft as his face twisted into a mix of sadness and sympathy. He floated in closer and knelt on the carpet before her. He started to reach for her and she turned her head to look at his hand, startled, so he drew back once more and decided to wait. "I know you're probably frightened and confused…" There was an off-tune sound from his chest. Only now did she realize how similar the jingling noise was to the Puppet's own chiming. "Charlie, I'm so sorry," Marionette choked. He raised a hand to his mask to try and focus on stopping any tears. "I di- I didn't know what else to do. You were so fa-ar gone…"

Marionette looked up at her before reaching for her again. This time she didn't look startled or recoil, and the Puppet laid a hand on her shoulder. In response, Charlie dropped her head, as though giving up on any chance of waking from this budding nightmare. Acceptance came quick, but that didn't mean that she was able to handle it. She started to shut down; she felt empty. Noticing this, Marionette moved in and wrapped his arms around her new body, hugging her close.

"It's going to be okay. It's a new day and… I'll make sure you're safe. I can take care of you. We can take care of you…" Marionette promised her. "You won't be alone…"

And in a matter of moments, Charlie had lost everything.

* * *

 **Mable: Sorry, Charlie.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Mable: So, two things today. Firstly, it's my birthday! Happy birthday to me. ^-^ Secondly, I wanted to point out a recent piece of fanart done by toasterwitch on DeviantArt. It's called Sad Puppets and should be under the scrap folder, so give it a look! Lovely picture. ^-^ And I'm not just saying that because I'm puppet crazy.  
** **Anyway, I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Ten_

Jeremy heard the phone ringing vaguely in the back of his mind. This still only partially woke him, and he sat upwards to look around his bedroom. It was morning already and sun poured through the windows, but he honestly had never felt so unready to start the day. He had stayed up uncomfortably late to spend time with Foxy- he didn't get him home as much now with the added animatronics- and now he would regret it. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly as the ringing stopped and, within a minute or so, heard footsteps towards his room. It was only now that he realized Foxy was no longer in the bedroom with him.

"Here he is. Give me a second." Jeremy could hear before Foxy stepped into the bedroom. He offered over his phone with a quick, "It's Fritz."

The blonde blinked briefly, rubbed his face, and then leaned over to click on his bedside lamp and slip on his semi-broken glasses. He then took the phone tiredly, "Morning, Fritz. A little early, isn't it?"

"It's never too early when you're running out of time," Fritz quickly excused. He sounded flustered, which Jeremy noticed and perked at, paying more attention to the phone as he leaned back against the pillows. Foxy sat down on the foot of the bed and then laid back over the foot. It was clear that he too was tired. "I got a call from the news this morning. They want to come and do an interview, which means I need Foxy here or they're going to start asking questions. I don't think we should open to the public- opening the day after that catastrophe is going to make us look like…"

"Like we don't care?" Jeremy guessed.

"I was going to say, 'like Freddy's', but yeah. Same difference," Fritz said with a light scoff. "So, I've got to call Mike and warn him, because he's going to have to be here. Then I can bring the van over and pick up Foxy, because I really, really don't want to get stuck trying to answer why they can't see Foxy if they ask to see him." Perhaps Foxy was listening, as he slightly turned his head and his ear twitched thoughtfully. It was almost a shame for him to leave so soon when they weren't even opening the restaurant for the public. With that thought, Jeremy got an idea.

"You know… I can move him and save you the trip. I have the tarp and he fits in the back seat. You just worry about getting ready for the news and I can bring Foxy… In fact, I'll call Mike too. I need to talk to him about something and… I'll call. You don't mind?" Jeremy asked.

"Nah, I need what time I can get to rehearse every possible question, so they don't stump me. Last thing I need is to say something stupid and get the cops back over here." There was another voice in the background that sounded like Natalie. Jeremy couldn't hear what she said, but it must've been a joke as Fritz gave a small, weary snicker and a, "I hope not, but knowing our luck, sure."

"Alright, I'll call him and bring Foxy over. See you later," Jeremy finished and ended the call. "Hey, you don't mind me calling Mike before we head over, do you? I'm guessing not. You're probably just as curious as I am," he pointed out almost playfully. He adjusted his glasses and tried to work around the cracked lens.

"No problem. I'm not looking to rush out," Foxy said. He rubbed his good hand over his face wearily and stretched out on the bed. For a moment he stayed like that and Jeremy started to dial, but then the pirate suddenly lowered his hand. "Wait a minute…" Jeremy looked up as the fox sat upwards abruptly. His eyes were widening in panic. "How long have I been out of character?"

It was the first time that Jeremy even realized that Foxy was out of character. He had dipped in and out the night before, but this was the first time that Foxy had been fully out of it without seemingly noticing it. Foxy's natural accent was even coming through, which Jeremy couldn't help but be a little curious of. He wouldn't dare say it now while Foxy was freaking out though. "You weren't doing it before bed, so I don't know. How long have you been awake?"

Apparently, this was the wrong question, as Foxy proceeded to strike his own chest in rapid succession. Jeremy's eyes widened, and he reached out to stop him. "Hey, no, wait. Don't do that. That can't be good for you." Foxy raised his hand to stop the man and continued doing it, as though it would somehow knock him back into character. As though something like that would work. The blonde sighed, "Then can you at least not use your hook?" The pirate responded by making a strange throat clearing noise and stopped the thumping.

"Yar! There we go. Sorry 'bout that, Boyo!" Foxy said, but in his pirate person. He reached out to pat the man's leg through the blanket. "Now then, call up Schmidt and let's figure out what the bloody 'ell happened last night." He then scoffed and murmured, "Like we don't know already." As his thoughts returned to the possibility of what happened to Charlie, Jeremy quickly dialed the other security guard's number. He decided to let the odd moment go, even when he inwardly noticed how frequently Foxy had been coming out of character recently. He hadn't any idea whether it was a good or bad thing.

* * *

All Mike wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep in after the night before. He could already feel the grogginess when his cell phone started ringing and roused him, and he regretted turning it back on. At least he had forgotten to turn the alarm on. He leaned over and fumbled to grab the cell phone, but by time he got it the call had ended. It wasn't a big loss; he might've subconsciously been hoping to miss the call. Now with it in his hand, he laid back against the pillows again and continued rubbing at his face.

Right when he started to relax once again, Marionette slipped in from his side of the bed and hugged tightly to Mike's side. He was clearly awake too, or at least half awake from how he clung, resting his head on Mike's chest. Mike smiled tiredly and pet along the Puppet's head, tracing along the edge of his mask affectionately. He could hear the faint, weary warbles in response. Mike hoped that at least he would sleep longer. It had been an exhausting night for him too, and much more emotionally charged than either would've wanted to admit.

Just as Mike was about to feel safe enough to shut his eyes again, the phone started to ring once more. _"For Freddy's sake, it's too early for this,"_ he inwardly complained. With a sigh, he raised the phone and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hello, hello. It's me!" Jeremy greeted with a half yawn. "Sorry to call you so early, but Fritz said the news is coming by later, so I have to move Foxy to the pizzeria and you have to be there because you're a hometown hero… And it might just save us from the possible backlash of obviously being a Freddy Fazbear spinoff chain."

"I'm not sure if a guy who breaks into a theater and ties up a kidnapper with a superiority complex counts as a 'hometown hero'. I'd need at least one sport under my belt and a little more community service," Mike lightly joked, almost fading back out as he methodically pet over Marionette's head. Then he sobered up quickly as he realized what Jeremy was saying. "Wait, they already got my name? I can see this all going south really quickly."

"Tell me about it! Thank goodness you, Mari, and Foxy got the kids out of there. If anything happened to them then they would dig up Freddy's old graves faster than you could say… 'Wait, there were other missing children'?" Jeremy answered matter-of-factly. For a moment he sounded relieved in Mike's agreement, but then he fell quiet as he noticed Foxy looking to him expectantly. "And, uh…" He gave a light cough awkwardly. "You… You heard about Charlie, right?"

"Yeah, I was there," Mike answered. He remembered it certainly, especially with it looming in the bedroom next to his. "I'll head over there, but I won't be there right away. If Fritz asks, I have to stop by the police station on the way. I've got to show up or I'm going to look suspicious and we can't afford that. One missed interview and suddenly they'll start asking the obvious question of why I was at the theater in the first place, and the bracelet's only going to get me so far." Marionette nuzzled further into his chest, almost comfortingly. Mike traced along the side of his mask. "…But don't worry, I'll be there."

It was now that Foxy leaned over and made a grabbing motion for Jeremy's phone. The blonde looked at him questioningly for a moment before realizing what he wanted. "Uh, hold on. It looks like Foxy wants a word with you," Jeremy forewarned as he handed the phone over. "Sorry, I'm still half-awake," he apologized to the pirate as he moved his glasses to rub at his eyes again. "I knew we should've headed to bed at Midnight." Foxy silently agreed with him.

"Mornin' Mike," Foxy began. He then jumped straight into being blunt. "Let's not play games with each other. We both know somethin' happened last night that I didn't see." On the other end of the line, the security guard was almost baffled, then gave a dry sort of chuckle.

"Well yeah, Foxy. I'd say something did happen. A man kidnapped four kids and had to be taken down by Mari. I'd say _something_ happened," Mike answered in amusement. It was all forced; somehow Mike knew exactly what Foxy was trying to ask about and naturally knew to be on guard.

"That ain't what I mean. I need to talk with Marion. Where's he?" Foxy inquired, becoming more demanding. He tapped his hook on the frame of Jeremy's bed loud enough that it could be heard over the phone. He was becoming impatient.

"He's right here, but he's still asleep. He needs the rest after what went down last night. I'm sure you'd understand that, especially since I heard that comment Jeremy said about not sleeping," Mike quipped back. Foxy was oddly silent. Even the tapping had stopped. "…Foxy?"

"You're in _bed_ with 'im _again_? Schmidt, there be four bedrooms in that house!" Foxy said. He turned and scoffed towards Jeremy. "Ya hear this? An' he be bum-squabbled enough to call me out on bunkin' here!" Then he spoke back into the phone again, "It just be fer a second. Wake 'em up."

"You know, now that you went out of the way to tell Jeremy, I'm almost mortified enough to hang up," Mike flatly answered. He was then prepared to shoot Foxy down again but was cut off when Marionette reached blindly for the phone. "Hold on, I think he decided to grace you with his presence. Brace yourself." Finally, he handed over the cellphone and with a metallic sigh Marionette answered it.

"Good morning, Foxy," Marionette greeted as he drew back his arm to drape over his mask wearily. "I know what you're calling to ask about. Yes, the children are okay, yes, I attacked the Purple Clone, and yes, I recognized him." He almost hoped that covered everything, but from Foxy's discontent hum he knew that it wasn't.

"First thing's first, tell Mike I be sleepin' on the floor. I know he's looking all smug over there," Foxy insisted. Looking back, Marionette could see that Mike was only semi-smug. Though this amusement was short lived when he continued, "What about Charlie?" This was the last question that the Puppet had wanted to receive. Marionette drew away from Mike and turned over, holding the phone to him still and hesitated.

"…How did you know about Charlie?" Marionette asked in a hushed voice. His free hand tapped on the bedding, almost trembling with nerves. He felt as Mike stood and could hear him moving around getting dressed. No doubt he was still listening, but at least he was trying to seem like he wasn't eavesdropping.

"Saw her on the news, smelled the blood. What happened?" Foxy persisted. Yet Marionette knew what he was really asking- _he knew_ \- and drew his legs in closer to himself.

"She was… Hit by a car… Her body was too broken to be saved," the Puppet explained. "I- I don't even know how she got there, or why anyone would… He was a monster, Foxy. Dad would've been impressed." Foxy scoffed at this.

"Yeah, then he woulda 'disappeared' without 'o trace. Dad didn't handle sharin' too well… Had no shame though. Woulda just took out Dave and took over wherever he was doin'. Draggin' kids over to ARI kicking and screaming," Foxy partially vented. Though he then caught back on. "Yer changin' the subject… Or I'm changin' the subject. Ya didn't say... Is she there with ya?" It was clear that Foxy already knew. He sounded rather unsurprised too. He had begun to have the hunch hours ago, so now with it confirmed, he wasn't exactly shocked by it.

"…She's in Elizabeth's bedroom. I haven't checked on her yet, but I haven't heard anything either… I don't think she's awake yet." He almost jumped when Mike's hand suddenly rested on his back. Marionette trilled lightly and pressed back into the touch. He quickly started to raise back out of the decline that he was on, his tone becoming less dire. "I'm a little worried, but I found her a good enough body."

"Ah, good. I was worried ya stuck her in that fake puppet. There be no fate worse than knock-off." There was silence on the line. "…Ya did, didn't you?"

"It was that or Orville."

"Good enough." Foxy paused for a moment, shuffling uncomfortably, then added in. "Ya know it ain't yer fault, right Marion?"

"I know…" Marionette closed his eyes as Mike continued to pet over his back. "…I think I'm going to wind my box and go back to sleep if that's okay. I don't think I can come in today."

"Lad, we ain't openin' today. We got- ugh- the _press_ sniffin' around. I ain't comin' out from behind my curtain." The desk creaked as he leaned on it. "Ya just sit tight. I'll tell ya if the fuzz swings by, yeah? Just keep an eye on… The new lass." It was weird to say, but it was true. She was the first newborn animatronic that they had in a long time. "And take care of yerself."

"I will," Marionette agreed. He trilled again as Mike's hand moved to rub his shoulder and arm. Slowly, the Puppet was lulled back into a comfortable state. He soon ended the call, to which Mike reached down to slide it from his hand. Marionette wanted to thank him for the comfort, but instead of formulating words he reverted to warbles, feeling his chest vibrating at the affection. The human was still so comforting after what he had seen the night before; it was a confirmation that the Puppet direly needed. Mike leaned down and pressed a kiss to his neck, smiling at the light trembles that came from it.

"Sorry about taking off so early. Are you sure you'll be okay alone?" Mike asked. Marionette nodded in agreement and was rewarded with a kiss to the cheek. "I'll be home as soon as I can." He then drew back, hand still on Marionette's shoulder, and reached to grab for the music box. He just wanted to make certain that the striped one would be comfortable while he was gone. Last night had been rough night for them both and tending to Marionette made Mike feel better about it.

Especially after what he had seen Marionette do the night before. Not even what happened with Charlie, but the possession of another animatronic body, and how easily he had been able to control and contort them. It was as though the Puppet was either becoming more powerful or had been holding back. That could've been frightening to anyone, but Mike wasn't anyone, and the more he thought about it the more he relished in it. The more he wanted to think about it and wanted to understand how it all worked. This wasn't the time to mention it, but he doubted the questions wouldn't eventually return.

He wound the box a little and set it on the bed. "I'll be back after PR talk with Dick Tracey and fifteen to fifty dozen reporters," Mike finished. He waited until he was certain Marionette had fallen asleep before he headed out to the living room. He flicked on the television, turned it to the news, and made himself a bowl of cereal. Not the best breakfast, but quick enough considering that he was already pressed for time. He then sat down at the dining room table, facing the living room, and tried to listen in to the television. It was, as expected, about the kidnappings and even the night before.

" _The children were unharmed and suffered only minor dehydration. All of them have been returned safely to their parents and are expected to make a quick recovery. The suspect, thirty-five-year-old Dave Miller, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight."_

The sound of Mike's spoon hitting his bowl drowned out whatever came next. _"I'm sorry, what?"_ Mike stood from the table, mouth still full of cereal, and looked to the screen. He knew what he heard was correct. "Dave's _dead_?" Just so flat and panicked at the same time; both disbelieving what he was hearing and so in shock that he wouldn't argue. He pushed back his chair and hurried down the hall. _"Mari needs to know this… How is Dave dead?! How exactly did he just spontaneously drop dead?!"_ How could foaming at the mouth equate death? What could've killed him?

Not that Marionette nor Mike would have any lasting grieving about the loss, beyond the fact that Dave effectively skirted prison time. Though that was only if one considered death as a better outcome than prison, which Mike honestly didn't. Still, he didn't think it could bother the Puppet too much. He had wanted Dave to be punished but had seemed reluctant to take steps towards anything further. He had been rather unconcerned by what happened to Dave after that, so certain that it wouldn't been an issue. So certain that Dave was not a threat. Mike's hand was about to grab the doorknob when he suddenly remembered specifically what had been said.

" _He won't be our problem for much longer,"_ Marionette had said with the upmost confidence. As though he knew that Dave wouldn't be around much longer. It was only now that Mike considered the state Dave had been in when he drug his body out of the hallway and into the office. He had already been drooling and unconscious, and his brief call after Mike hadn't been an assurance that he was all there. It was just impossible for the security guard to tell at the time because of everything else happening. Now that he looked back, it seemed like Dave ran into that hallway fine and came out mortally wounded.

"… _Did Marionette kill Dave?"_

Mike hesitated at the door, staring at the wood, and tried to contemplate what that meant. Did that mean that Marionette had caused his death, or did he just know that Dave was dying? Either was readily believable, but both were rather shocking. That was why Marionette had stopped his hunting of Dave and why he had lost interest in his fate; he knew he wouldn't be around much longer. Yet then he immediately recoiled. _"No, he wouldn't have done that. Or he wouldn't have done it and then acted like he didn't. Besides, nowhere did Mari ever say he could spontaneously kill people."_

The security guard rubbed a hand through his dark hair. He couldn't imagine what sort of power would be needed to kill someone so quickly. Perhaps the Puppet was hiding that power, but his behavior afterwards seemed to work against this. This was all too much to take in at once, especially before going in to the police station. Seeing as though he had to leave anyways, Mike decided to not wake Marionette. He turned around and headed back towards the dining room and headed to the front door, ignoring what remained of breakfast in favor of getting out of the house.

" _I'll tell him about Dave later. He's got enough to worry about."_ The world would be a safer place without Dave, he supposed. Even if he couldn't help but still be in shock. Thirty-five years old and lost his life trying to replicate Freddy's. With an unsettled shudder, Mike wondered if he could've been in the same boat if things had went differently. Part of him suspected that he could've been.

* * *

Foxy waited until Jeremy drove off before he headed to the office. He was glad that Jeremy didn't guilt himself into staying. Always the nervous type, Jeremy wasn't the type that would do well with talking to the news. That and Foxy felt the need to protect him. If he could do that through making sure he went home, then that was some sort of victory. He nudged open the office door and found Fritz inside. The technician was slumped onto the desk with his head resting on his folded arms. The animatronic stood over him with a weary sigh.

"Ya need to get yer mind off of work," Foxy remarked rather loudly. Fritz shot upwards in a slight panic at the sudden voice. The pirate slightly scoffed at it. "Back at the warehouse? Yer gonna run yourself ragged, Smith."

"I know, but I needed something to take my mind off of things…" Fritz admitted with the slightest bit of shame. He started to stretch and stand from his seat. With a shake of his head, Foxy turned to leave the office. The technician noticed this and called after, "Wait. Before you go, can I… Ask you something?" Foxy's pausing at the door showed he was agreeing to such. "It's about your programming."

"Ya mean it's about Baby," Foxy clarified. He leaned on the doorframe. "What is it, Mate? Havin' trouble crackin' the code?" Fritz nodded in agreement. "That's cause a lot of it's up here. Ya wanna break through it, ya gotta have two things: stubbornness an' luck. Ya ain't got those, ya ain't got nothing," he said, tapping his head.

"That's easier said than done. I'm looking to get rid of Baby's reflex to attack kids. The coaxing in and grabbing with the claw," Fritz remarked. "And I'm trying to do it manually because Baby's not awake-." Foxy stopped him by raising his hand, then pointed at the technician.

"That be the problem. Ya can't break a habit if she ain't workin' to stop it. It's more than code; yer reprogramming the brain. Or, at least, ya are when ya ain't got coding to rely on." Fritz immediately looked discouraged and dropped his gaze to the Handunit on the edge of the desk. He had no doubt that he wouldn't get full willingness from Baby. "She's always been like this," Foxy said as he leaned on the desk. "Baby never had to do anything fer herself when she was a kid. She wants everythin' done fer her, an' then she'll act like she's queen. Drama queen."

"I know…" Fritz tapped his fingers on the desk. "I know Baby wants an easy way out, I mean. I do too, but I'm just… I'm not a good enough technician. Chance, maybe. Not me."

"Don't say that," Foxy suddenly snapped with a low growl. Mostly because he didn't like even thinking of Chance after what had happened. Secondly because he was growing weary of the lack of confidence circulating the pizzeria. Yet he also understood it; Fritz had been working nonstop with no avail. The pirate hadn't really been supportive either, as his past with Baby was beginning to leave him more bitter. He didn't want to help her when she wasn't helping herself, and still he was tempted to help Fritz. He tiredly let his head drop and gave a metallic sigh. "I'll help ya out."

"You will?" Fritz asked in surprise. "You know about breaking this programming code?"

"I don't know nothin' 'bout that, but I know a couple 'o other things," Foxy said was a dismissive wave of his hook. He then backed to the couch and dropped onto it lazily. "First thing's first; whaddya doin' to fix the code?"

"I can't delete it, so I'm replacing it." Foxy gave a nod of understanding. "Replacing it all doesn't work, so I've been trying to replace one at a time. For instance, the urge that on sight of lone child she grabs them. I tried to substitute it out with the stimulation to want to make ice cream. Even though her ice cream maker is broken… If there at all anymore." He trailed off when Foxy shook his head. "Not good?"

"Ain't gonna work. It's like this: ya can't fit a square peg in a round hole unless it be smaller, an' then it ain't gonna fill up that hole. Ain't gonna fit right, ain't gonna stick. Ya need somethin' equal… Like this." Foxy gestured with his hand as he began to list. "Instead of grabbin' the kid, replace it with a program fer the claw the clamp in on itself on sight and not open until the kid's gone. Suddenly her body's movin' the same way it already be programmed to, but Baby ain't capable of hurtin' kids. Ya just use her ticks against her."

"…That's actually a really good idea." Fritz grabbed his pen and paper and started to jot it down. "What else?"

"Since it's all in the same location, ya hook up that ice cream maker programmin' and connect it to when she opens up. Suddenly, Baby's tryin' two commands at once. It shorts the whole thing out." Foxy laughed at the thought of Baby staggering in place, stuck between making ice cream and opening herself up. Maybe that would take some of the threat away. He then stood abruptly and circled the desk. "What else am I forgettin'? How much more?"

"There's a few things. I don't really want to take away her more flexible abilities, but I need to get rid of William's control." It was then that Fritz became curious and looked up at Foxy, who was now leaning over his shoulder to look at the pad. "Hey Captain, was there any programming that you had to get past? Not stuff like singing songs at certain times or a day and night mode, but something bigger?"

"Yeah, huntin' people wearin' purple," Foxy quipped. "It was a damn shame too, 'cause I be the captain of the hunt. You better believe I caught more of 'em than any of the others."

Fritz took one look down at his purple uniform and decided to change the subject back to Baby.

It was a couple of hours later when the press arrived. Now, when Fritz had talked on the phone with the planner he had assumed that one news crew from the local station was going to come by. Perhaps maybe someone from the paper as well. Instead, there were numerous people. Some even looked to just be spectators or were simply unidentified crewmembers dressed very casually. He was almost relieved that he had forewarned Natalie and Tabby not to come in. That didn't mean Fritz wanted to face it alone. He was just about to call Mike when his car pulled into the back. He met him at the backdoor.

"I'm shocked you didn't just turn around and drive home," Fritz remarked as he held the door for him. "Do you see this? I don't remember anyone saying anything about a mob."

"And an unprofessional one too. I don't even see a single pitchfork or any 'Hurricane Hates Foxy' posters. What a shame," Mike limply mocked. He seemed much more tired than he should've been. "Sorry for cutting it close, but I got held back at the police station. They had me retell my story on tape, had me write it down, got asked again about Freddy's- two cops then started talking about the Freddy's case while I was standing there. You better believe that was uncomfortable." Fritz didn't even have to ask; he knew what it was like to be directly interrogated so he understood this.

"Please tell me that they didn't say they were coming back here," Fritz murmured. "As though business couldn't take a big enough hit with the kidnappings."

"No, I don't think… Or at least, I hope so." As he stepped into the dining room, seeing a few people already let in, and exhaled wearily. "Let's get this over with."

The interviewer was a woman in her late thirties or early forties with sandy colored hair. She almost looked like Rhonda, or perhaps Mike was just blurring everyone out. He watched as Fritz talked with the woman and only paid half attention, only hearing her mention once that the interview would be live. " _That's going to be a killer. Mental note: try not to look suspicious when they too ask about Dave,_ " Mike thought as Fritz approached him. "What's the deal?"

"They're going to put mics on us and then we're good to go. Ready?" Fritz asked, clasping his hands together, looking strained. "Because I'm not! I… I totally forgot our story."

"We weren't connected to the pizzeria fire, the kidnappings, the numerous dead people, or any animatronics running wild… Actually." Mike perked as a new idea came to mind. "Actually- this is live, right? I should call Mari and get him to watch this. He'll be able to tell me how psycho I look. Could give you a couple more minutes to wipe the sweat off your forehead." This wasn't entirely true. It was also to ease himself by getting Marionette's encouragement. He turned to step into the Prize Corner and dialed the home phone number. Yet to his concern, there was no response. It seemed unlikely that Marionette was still asleep, so he dialed again, and again there was no response.

" _Maybe he's out of the room… Maybe Charlie woke up."_ That was almost a terrifying thought. The one time he had to be out of the house and he probably was needed. With a small sigh, he hung up the call and replaced the phone in his pocket.

Hopefully Marionette could handle it until he got home. For now, it was time to smile for the camera.

* * *

Marionette was startled awake by the sound of ringing. He pushed himself off the bed, having somehow gotten face down in the time he was sleeping, and tried to listen closer. The music box had run out some time ago and a glance at the clock showed why. It had been a few more hours and he doubted that Mike had returned, which meant the ringing wasn't him. It didn't sound like the smoke alarm either. In a matter of seconds- all of this had been in a period of perhaps ten seconds- he realized that the noise was coming from the next room. It was Charlie.

In an instant, he was off the bed and teleported into the pink bedroom. "Charlie?!" It didn't take him long to find her on the floor beside the bed. She was making confused ringing noises, trying to keep herself upright, and grabbed around in a sort of frenzy as she tried to get her bearings. Her features weren't yet adjusting to her expressions, but when she looked to him- trembling and trying to press back away- he could feel the fear radiating off her. It hurt more than he imagined it would have.

"Oh, Charlie…" he softly sympathized. Waking up the first time was never easy. His was tolerable enough, as his first memory as the Puppet had been of Golden Freddy holding him and softly comforting him. The guilt returned as he mentally scolded himself for not being in here with her, even if he didn't know if she would've reacted any better. She needed that comfort now. He moved in carefully and lowered to the carpet, showing that he wouldn't make any sudden movements, and started to reach for her. She flinched in fear and he immediately withdrew; not yet.

"I know you're probably frightened and confused…" As much as Marionette wanted to continue with that cool demeanor, his body betrayed him. His internal gears and cylinder made an obnoxious clank in response. He tried to suppress it, but his emotions were coming out. "Charlie, I'm so sorry…" The metals inside began to tremble and rattle, making it harder to still his vocal projection. "I di- I didn't know what else to do. You were so fa-ar gone…" He just barely managed to resist the tears, but they tried to return when he looked to her again. She looked so helpless like this. He needed to do something more.

Once again, he tried to reach for her, and now she was finally calmed enough to accept it. He held her close and wrapped his arms tightly around her, as though attempting to protect the other puppet from the flood of emotional turmoil that would come from something this devastating. He then found his voice and proceeded to babble in a panicked frenzy, like the Phone Guy trying to talk himself out of his final night. ""It's going to be okay. It's a new day and… I'll make sure you're safe. I can take care of you. We can take care of you… You won't be alone…"

He meant every word. Regardless of if she was Golden Freddy's daughter or not, he would protect her, he would keep her safe, and he would do whatever he could to fix his role in letting her become this. For a moment, he felt slight annoyance at the sensation of wetness dripping on his fabric. Of course, crying again, _"For heaven's sake, not now. I can't fall apart when she needs me."_ He subtly brushed the wetness on his chest and then reached to wipe his mask. His hand stopped midway when he realized that the tears on his fingers were a dark blue instead of purple.

They were Charlie's tears. Even though she was still against him, she was silently crying. He held her tighter in the hope to somehow ease her.

What a time for Mike to be gone.

* * *

"It is a horrifying thought that four, loved children could be snatched so easily in daylight," the interviewer sympathized in a rather over-dramatic tone. "Mr. Schmidt, please explain how you were able to find these children."

Mike had only partially been listening and was half lost in his own thoughts, so it was fortunate that she said his name early enough that he could brace himself. Absentmindedly fumbling with the microphone, he began to go over his answer.

"We've been running test on security bracelets that children would wear during parties to keep an eye on them. These bracelets would effectively keep an extra eye on children in situations where they might not be as easy to watch. Of course, we watch our kids-." Mike gestured to Fritz who nodded in agreement. "But we're looking into more ways of keeping a sharp eye out. One of our girls, frequently comes here, was trying out the bracelet for us when the, uh… The 'event' happened." He put the word in air quotes.

"Fascinating! And what led you to this idea?"

"Actually, it was Fritz's idea," Mike passed off. It took the technician a moment before he realized he was called on upon.

"Yeah, uh… It's kind of hard to explain. It was sort of an epiphany one night and was just there," Fritz vaguely explained. It seemed to work well enough. "But we weren't expecting to have to use it anytime soon, obviously. The kidnappings drew attention, but who actually thinks that something like that is going to happen?" He gave an awkward sort of smile.

"Well, it saved the day in this case. I suppose this means that security at Foxy's is going to evolve after this incident?"

"I wouldn't say it would evolve _after_ what happened," Mike corrected. Suddenly he was a tad more interested in the conversation, or at least in defending his position. After all, he was the only employee currently playing the role of a security guard, and even then, he dabbled frequently into the management aspect. "We've been trying to work on new ways to keep the children safe since we opened and it's one of the first things we look into when we have free funds. As it is, we have a full security system and cameras. The bracelets are just the next step."

"Do you think that family eating establishments are natural targets for predators?" The reporter's expression turned from sympathy to a dramatic sort of seriousness. Mike had no doubt that these questions were probably more for attention than actual inquiry, but he was willing to speak his mind.

"I could say so. Though unlike some establishments which are willing to ignore repeated threats and pretend that they didn't exist- I don't mean Magictime Theater, don't think that's aimed at them- we at Foxy's are actually seeing what's happening and will make this restaurant as safe as possible." Mike noticed Fritz was now staring at him with an unreadably horrified look. In the back of his mind, Mike vaguely realized that he was saying a bit too much. Yet after the frustration with the detective, he had to speak his mind. "Our goal is to keep the children safe and entertained. Whether they be inside or in the parking lot. Again, not a knock at Magictime."

"Are you aware of the children who went missing at Freddy's?" the interviewer inquired. "I suppose that would be a cold case now, but it does seem relevant."

"Yeah, it's… It's eerie," Fritz vaguely answered. He was clearly trying to keep distanced from Freddy's. "We've gotten quite a few questions about Freddy's-."

"I think everyone knows about Freddy's," Mike quipped with a small smirk. "Nobody really wants to talk about Freddy's, but we all know about it. I mean, I guess it's not something that just comes up at the dinner table." Fritz intended to interrupt and stop his partner before he said something that they would both regret, but the interviewer did it beforehand.

"There have been reports that the kidnapper, Dave Miller, had worked at Freddy's Pizzeria. These are unconfirmed, of course, but what do you think about the possibility that he worked that close to the last incident?" the interviewer inquired. "Could it be possible that he related to those past disappearances? Or more troubling, that he was… Let's say, inspired by these crimes."

"I'll answer that," Fritz volunteered. Maybe because of Mike's semi-outburst, but Fritz suddenly switched from flustered and docile to determined and much more even toned. Perhaps this was his 'public relations' mindset, and if it was then he switched at just the right time, because Mike knew he wouldn't do well talking about Dave. "Look, I don't know much about Dave, but considering his rap sheet, I don't think it's that hard to find a connection. Freddy's was just a pizzeria years ago and if he was connected then so be it, but it's obvious that his real problem was with addiction. If anything good comes from this, maybe some people who have a problem will want to get help."

"So, you think it was the addiction that led him to these crimes?"

"Absolutely. No rational person would stand up one day and say, 'I'm going to kidnap children'," Fritz said. Mike silently considered Afton and briefly wondered if he had that sort of motive. Then he shrugged it off. Afton's decisions were even beyond drug-fueled hysterics or copycat desperation to cling to the past. There were no doubts in his mind that Afton was just demented in some disturbing way. Fritz continued, "We were even considering the prospect of maybe having, I don't know, maybe putting up some posters or something to support kids in not getting tempted by drugs. It's not a big problem in this city, but it could be."

"I, for one, think that would be a great idea. It's about time that we had more children's mascots trying to promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. We would love to see what you do with it." Fritz flinched and gritted his teeth, suddenly realizing what he had unintentionally agreed to. "If you don't mind, we would actually like to hear more about the pizzeria. We know it's been booming in popularity since the opening. Maybe you could show us some of that pirate charm?"

What followed next was nothing less than free advertising. Mike and Fritz led the woman and the camera crew around the pizzeria, showing off what was there and giving a small presentation of what they had. They did ask to see Foxy and the animatronic managed to cooperate, but it became apparent from the pirate's twitching and occasional rattling growl- neither of which were noticed by the newcomers- that he was agitated. Most likely from the multiple comments about Freddy's and Dave himself. Mike decided not to poke the bear, or fox, and didn't pull him aside to ask.

Thankfully, the interview ended after about thirty minutes. The interviewer left quickly, and the crew remained to gather the equipment, but Mike and Fritz were effectively let off the hook. Though only then came the regret.

Mike sat down next to Fritz, who was sitting on the edge of the stage looking as defeated as could be, while the security guard just looked exhausted. "…Fritz, what _exactly_ did we just do?"

"I think we pretty much admitted that we're well aware of what happened at Freddy's, talked down all of our competitors in an attempt to jab at Freddy's, and then willingly volunteered ourselves to run a drug awareness campaign," Fritz answered as he rubbed over his face wearily.

Mike rubbed over his face with exasperation, "Yeah, that's pretty much what I expected to happen… Can't get any worse."

"You want to bet? Look at the door," Fritz pointed out. Mike looked out to see a familiar woman entering the pizzeria, Kathleen, Chrissy's mother. No doubt Kathleen had come by to ring his neck for letting Chrissy get kidnapped in the first place. That, or for the monitoring bracelet, which he had not mentioned to her.

"Oh, this isn't going to go well," Mike murmured. He then noticed the still lingering camera crew. "And the equipment's still here to record it. That's going to be great." This would end badly, Mike was certain, and Chrissy would be barred from visiting the pizzeria. That would break Marionette's heart if that was the case. "One of us is going to have to go explain ourselves." Fritz stayed completely silent and made no attempt to stand. "…Thanks for the offer, but I should handle this myself," Mike sarcastically quipped as he stood and headed over. The woman looked slight flustered when she came it, but immediately looked to him.

"Hey Kathleen," Mike led in. "I can't say I wasn't expecting you to come by. The press is all over-."

He was promptly cut off when Kathleen strode forward and threw her arms around him. Being hugged was the last thing that Mike could've expected considering the situation at hand. It was a pleasant surprise, even it did take him completely off guard. It was once she started to spill out endless thanks that he decided to hug her back. It was only now that he thought of all the parents who had gotten back their children, and for a moment he did feel like a hometown hero.

"Aww, that's kind of nice," Fritz remarked with a small smile as he watched the scene. Perhaps this wasn't as bad as they had anticipated it to be. It could always be worse, and four living children was still better than last time.

Of course, this was when Foxy wandered up behind them before hunching down and dropping a hook onto his shoulder. He then leaned in and whispered harshly, "Captain Foxy, scourge of the seven seas, can't go talkin' to the kids 'bout not takin' drugs! I'd be lookin' like a total nark!"

Good thing Foxy was there to keep them grounded.

* * *

 **Mable: Remember, as grim as things can seem, there's always a silver lining. I hope you enjoyed, and the next chapter will be posted sooner than later!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Mable: I am a published author! My novel, 'A Fool's Endeavor', is now on Amazon Kindle, for phone, and paperback! I'm so proud to have made it this far. ^-^ If you are interested then please check it out! My labor of love is finally complete- I have created life!... Or, at least, I wrote a book. XD Conglaturation to me. Seriously, though, if you are interested in medieval-fantasy and like my structure of writing, then maybe look at the page and see if you're interested.**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eleven_

Funny enough, after the police, the news, and Kathleen, Mike had the hardest time getting through the drive back home. It was only now that thoughts of Magictime Theater truly returned, and he got to think of the nightmare everyone had went through. Parents might've been negligent in some cases, he didn't know, but they obviously were devastated by the loss. To think of having a child vanish and never seeing them again was hard, and that was mostly because it had happened at Freddy's and the culprit got away with it. In this case, Dave took the fall- and apparently died- and now Rhonda and Jose were sure to lose their livelihood.

There were mixed feelings on this. There was no doubt that Magictime Theater was going to suffer massive setbacks from this, if they didn't shut down altogether. Which Mike wasn't sure if he wanted to happen. Sure, he didn't want the competition, but he wasn't a monster looking to take out other businesses. Yet on the other hand, Mike couldn't help but be frustrated at the situation. How someone could not know that there were children in their basement for a week was absurd. They were children stuck in a small room, living on mattresses, eating whatever garbage Dave scrounged together for them; there had to be some repercussions for that.

Part of him wondered how the animatronics would fair after the place closed. They weren't alive he didn't think- considering what happened he certainly hoped not- but it was still tragic to see a working animatronic go abandoned. They declined quickly when not tended to and while Mike wasn't exactly fond of them, he would've been willing to purchase them to save them from such a fate. If they had that much many to spend. It seemed like a waste to have them rot away like the ones at Chippers had done, even if they were talking about Orville the Elephant.

" _You're getting too attached to animatronics, Schmidt. They're not all like Marionette. They're not all cuddly and sweet- most of them aren't even alive,"_ Mike mentally scolded. _"…But still, would be nice to have workers that we didn't have to worry about overworking. Just stick them on stage, program them, and let them run through… Eh… Might creep out Foxy and Mari. It would be like making a scarecrow out of a corpse."_

The thoughts only died down once he pulled into the driveway. Now he would be able to see why nobody answered the phone, and whether it was simple oversleeping or something serious. He unlocked the front door, slipped off and hung up his coat, and looked around the home. The television was off, the lights were all on how he left them, and only now did he notice leaving out his bowl, which he proceeded to put away out of reflex. Maybe the Puppet was just asleep.

"Mari? I'm home!" he called out. Yet there was no answer. Usually Marionette would greet him at the door, so this made a case for him being asleep. Something just didn't feel right and Mike was starting to get a little more uneasy. " _Maybe he's in the back…_ " He started down the hallway. "Mari? Is everything okay?"

A few steps into the hallway and he could hear a muffled voice from further down. Then, only a moment later and without much warning, Marionette appeared in the hallway before him. The Puppet's distress was immediately obvious from both his melancholy look and the purple smeared onto his porcelain. Mike knew something had happened while he was gone.

"Mike, I'm glad you're home. I'm sorry, I… I didn't hear you calling me. I was a little unfocused…" His voice was meek, and he fumbled his hands together, absentmindedly playing with one of his strings, and sighed. "I'm not quite myself. There was a bit of an… incident while you were gone."

"I can see that." Marionette tilted his head and Mike pointed to his mask.

The Puppet touched at his mask before noticing the dry substance on it. He gave a twang of disappointment, "For goodness sake." He then quickly whisked into the bathroom to wash his face in the sink.

"You have a little blue on your chest too," the security guard forewarned. He stood in the doorway and watched as Marionette scrubbed the cool water onto his face and fabric. "I'm going to take a guess and say she didn't take it well."

Marionette hesitated to watch the light purple rinsing down the drain. He then sighed and shut off the water, but kept his hands resting on the edge of the porcelain. "No, she didn't… But I'm not too surprised." He turned his head to look at the security guard and gave a feathery sigh of distress. Then he fully turned towards the security guard and began to explain. "She panicked, and I managed to calm her down, but she's… She won't speak. I can't tell if she's having trouble speaking- it's very likely- or the shock made her mute. She… She won't leave the closet. She's holed herself up in there."

After admitting this, Marionette put one arm around himself, almost clutching him middle, and covered his face with his free hand. It was obvious that he was upset. As simple as he tried to say it, he was distraught that Charlie reacted so severely. Though Mike was also becoming increasingly concerned from how Marionette was reacting to it. He had seen others become animatronics, so if he was concerned about how she was handling it then Mike was also concerned. She was a human who had just become something entirely different; it wasn't surprising that it would be difficult to handle.

"Maybe I should go check on her. Not that you're not doing an excellent job on your own, but, I don't know, maybe having me tell her everything that happened will help. I can't see it hurting," Mike offered. The Puppet nodded vigorously in agreement, as though he had been waiting for the man to offer. This would be as important as the interview with the police and the news, even if on a smaller scale. If he said something wrong then he could risk further despair, but for some reason Mike felt a little more confident in this case. The only person who could twist his words was him, and honesty, full honesty, would be a vital tool.

"I don't know why I even imagined she would handle this well. Her life as she knew it is over." Marionette sighed in somber defeat. "This house is where dreams go to die."

"That probably explains why we have so many nightmares," Mike quipped from behind. Before the door could be opened he turned back and added in, "By the way, Fritz asked me to call him about fixing Baby."

"Let's deal with one unstable young woman at a time," Marionette insisted. Mike shrugged half-heartedly and stepped into the bedroom, with the striped one following right behind. The bedroom light was on, the curtains were closed, and the closet doors were cracked open, with the artificial light not reaching inside. The security guard approached the closet door and laid his hands on the knobs.

"Charlie? It's me, Mike," he said to brace her with this then opened the doors. The Security Puppet was pulled into itself against the back wall with its head resting on its arms, which were resting on its knees. It, or she, didn't even look up as he opened the door and leaned in. "Don't worry, I'm not going to come in… Looking at it, I probably couldn't even if I wanted to." He looked at the boxes of toys and clothes stacked in the closet. "Well, looks like we do have a store room. Not really what I was expecting, but good to know that I've got another place to dump things."

He got distracted briefly but then was brought back by Marionette's worried tap on his shoulder. Mike waved him off and looked to Charlie once again. Then he knelt beside her and let his concern come through. "We were worried you weren't going to wake up. You slept through most of it. Probably for the best; last night was one hell of a night. If it was possible, I would've slept through the whole thing too, but I'm still the designated driver." She shifted her head and started to lift it upwards, but did so shakily, as though her neck and body was still weak.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that you're really confused about all of this, probably freaked out about it, and you've got every right to be," Mike assured. He decided to go ahead with the truth. "We aren't exactly sure what happened, but from what we saw… It looked like Dave hit you with his car." The female puppet gave a sort of shudder as his description fit into her memories. "When we got to you, you were bleeding out. It didn't look like you were going to make it, so… You know. You obviously know… By time the paramedics got there they couldn't revive you, and we brought you here so that you wouldn't get shipped off by the theater."

Charlie shifted a little bit. She then rubbed a hand on her mask as though still feeling it in disbelief. A low jingling echoed through her chest. Alas, Mike wasn't as fluent in jingles as he was in chiming, but he assumed it was something either somber, confused, or a mixture of both.

"I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I've got this vague idea, but it's nothing like the real thing… but that doesn't mean you have to go through it alone. We're both here for you, and we're going to make sure you can get through this." Mike then looked back to Marionette to find him missing. He stared at the empty space briefly before looking to her again, "Mari'll be back. He went to see a man about a crazy clown woman."

The Security Puppet shifted again uncomfortably. She moved her new legs and looked down at them, trying to straighten out her back once more. Halfway through the motion her body gave out and she collapsed into herself again.

"Take it easy. Mari said it might be a little while until you're used to this body… _That's the understatement of the century._ Or take a few days before you get your strength back. Getting used to the body in a physical sense." Mike's recovery was only somewhat successful, but he had a feeling that Charlie would've had the same reaction regardless of whatever he had said. As for him, it felt so strange. It didn't feel like he was talking to the Charlie he had somewhat knew. Though that could've been because she still couldn't talk back.

"You want to come out here and… I don't know, look at the house? You're probably tired but, I mean, the house isn't that big," Mike offered. He wanted to do something to ease the mood. Though it was cut short when the Toreador March suddenly echoed out from his pocket. "Hold on, that's probably nobody," Mike assured. He intended to check the phone, see it was someone he could avoid, and hang up to return to comforting Charlie. Unfortunately, he recognized the number. "…Or it's my mother. Let me just- I'll be quick, I promise." Not feeling comfortable leaving the room, Mike just moved to the other side of it.

As soon as he answered, he was met with the frantic voice. "Hey Mom. I'm- No, I'm okay. No, Mom, I'm fine… It was a late night and Mari was tired… Yeah, he was there too… No, he's not a problem. The guy, he's… Uh…" He turned his head away in the hope that Charlie wouldn't hear and muttered out. "He's dead… No, I didn't do it!... Mom, please don't cry. People are going to think you're crying for the kidnapper… Don't cry for me either. Cry for the kids… No, they're fine."

Marionette returned before Mike could get off the phone. He briefly acknowledged the man's situation before approaching the closet and kneeling beside it. He looked to Charlie in concern and the new puppet simply hid her head back into her arms once more.

"Would you… Would you let me take you back to the bed? You look tired, Charlie. I think you would be more comfortable in bed," Marionette offered. He just wasn't comfortable leaving her enclosed in a tiny, overstuffed closet.

At first, she looked reluctant, but she then gave a small nod and tried to lift herself. Marionette slowly wrapped an arm behind her while taking her hand and trying to help her up. She couldn't hover at all and her legs were almost just as wobbly as Marionette's were. Though considering that he could get her up on them it was already a little better than him, who had only become capable of standing without using levitation- even while teetering- relatively recently. Perhaps her body wasn't built the same as his. He couldn't help but be moderately curious, but this was neither the time nor place to ask about examining her body.

He glanced at Mike right about the time the human noticed what he was doing. "Sorry, Mom. I have to go, Mari needs me. I'll call you back later." Mike ended the call and hurried to Charlie's other side. "Alright, so are we carrying her or letting her walk?"

"A little of both?" Marionette guessed as he looked down. She didn't look too stable and he immediately regretted the call. "On second thought, let's just lift her. She's tired anyways and she shouldn't have to push herself to get into bed." Mike nodded in agreement and boldly reached down to lift a leg. The Puppet didn't feel as confident in doing so and nowhere near bold enough to overstep anymore boundaries, so instead they just carried her in a strange, lopsided fashion to the bed. Thankfully, they were at least able to get her in and under the covers.

"There you are! Would you like us to stay until you fall asleep?" Marionette chirped as he began to dote on her. She promptly responded by rolling over to face the window. After a moment, he concocted his own answer. "It's no trouble at all! Here, let me just tuck in your jacket over you so you'll be more comfortable."

It was clear that Charlie was shutting down emotionally once more. It really was no different from the closet, but from how Marionette was acting it almost seemed like Mike was the only one who noticed it. Still, he decided against suggesting that they should leave. He told her they would be there and after the phone call he was already borderline hypocritical. So, he decided not to say anything at all. If she wanted them gone then she would make the motions to communicate it.

Marionette slid to sit on the edge of the bed, legs crossed and leaning back on his arms semi-casually. He was overcompensating, but at least he was no longer crying. "So then, your day?"

"I went down to the police station and then sat with a news crew for over an hour. It was a ton of fun," Mike sarcastically quipped as he sat down alongside him. Joking aside, he knew that the Puppet was stressed out, and so he continued with something more positive. "Kathleen came by to thank us after the interview. I expected her to freak out, I expected her to wring my neck, but I never expected she was going to offer us money. I almost took it until I realized that Chrissy's allowance is pretty much paying Jeremy's moving expenses," he added with a playful smirk.

The relief was immediate. Marionette had anticipated that Kathleen would turn her anger on them. Though he wouldn't have blamed her, as he couldn't help but blame himself for letting Dave get Chrissy in the first place. By the end of the ordeal he was so relieved that she was safe that he had almost completely forgotten the risk of never having her return to Foxy's again. He would've still tried to visit her, but it would've been so much harder to do so. "Did she say how Chrissy was?"

"She's missing you already, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that she's still shaken by this whole thing. Still afraid of Dave too, and Kathleen didn't think it was a good idea to tell her about what happened to him… Speaking of which…" Mike's blue eyes slowly slid over to lock onto the Puppet. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead," Marionette agreed with a wave of his hand.

"Should we leave?" Mike asked, looking back towards Charlie. The last thing he wanted was to put her under anymore stress. Especially depending on the answer.

"I think she's asleep now… But if she's not, I have nothing to hide," Marionette insisted. He turned his head towards the security guard. "What is it?"

"Dave's dead." Mike yanked it off like a band-aid and tried to make it as painless as possible. "I'm not sure what killed him, but they were talking as though it was drug related. He died last night." He wasn't sure what he expected from the Puppet. The slow look of dawning shock had been a realistic possibility and seemed to suggest that he didn't know. Though there was still doubt, Mike's desire to as Marionette directly if he was involved or knew about it was briefly diminished.

"He's… Dead," Marionette repeated. His voice cracked lightly. "What… What does that mean about the investigation?"

"I don't know," Mike admitted. "I guess it means that it's over. They caught him at least. Didn't really serve any sort of sentence, but at least they know who did it…" He shrugged a bit; optimism wasn't exactly his forte. Especially not when he had almost protected Dave with the hope that he would serve a sentence, all for naught. "I can't say I feel bad for him, or that I'm surprised after he had to get wheeled out on a stretcher. Not after he was drooling and everything."

"Yes, the foaming. Perhaps it was his heart. Maybe the fear mixed with whatever poison was in his body was a lethal concoction. It could've been the shock of the animatronics' attack, it could've been seeing me, it could've been something defective in his heart," Marionette murmured. It almost seemed like he was searching for an excuse past his slightly vacant look.

"Could've been me. I tased the hell out of him," Mike pointed out, almost in the same line of defense. He then scoffed, "Fear and electrocution- the one time we could've actually used Ennard for something. You know he still owes us a favor."

"To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have stopped it if I could've," Marionette interrupted. He hated saying it to Mike because he didn't want to frighten him, but he found his anger bubbling over. As much as he wanted to give the impression of being calm and level headed he found himself being honest instead. "I wanted to do it. I wanted to break his body." For a moment his mask twisted in anger, with the pinpricks of lights returning once more, but then it died down quick. He lowered his head in shame. "And in the process, I almost hurt an innocent man. If you wouldn't have stepped in, would I have noticed my mistake in time…?"

"Yes," Mike bluntly stated. Marionette looked upwards doubtfully and guiltily. "I'm not just saying that. I think if you got close enough you would've noticed your mistake, but by then the real Dave would've slipped away. The only reason I wanted to turn Dave in alive was for myself." The Puppet looked confused and Mike decided that he too needed to be honest. "When I was talking with Dave, distracting him, he pointed out that I could've taken the fall for all of this. That's when I knew we had to keep him alive, because I knew if he was dead the suspicion would fall on me."

"…I didn't even consider that…" Marionette murmured quietly. "…I suppose I could have replayed audio of Dave confessing- or mocked it well enough- but that still would've been a much more difficult explanation… I feel like a murderer."

"Why? You didn't murder him," Mike remarked. The Puppet said nothing, and the security guard looked at him. The animatronic looked strangely guilty. "…Mari?"

At once, Marionette gave a tired, chuckling chime and crossed his legs on the bed, propping his head up with one hand. "Let's just agree that we do better with aggressive animatronics." He seemed to be trying to change the subject. That seemed the slightest bit suspicious, but the human decided to go along with it. Even if the death was still very strange.

"I second that, and we can prove it when Fritz calls us in two hours about Baby being out of control," Mike remarked with a smirk. He hoped that wasn't a joke that would come back to bite him. He grew a bit more serious, "Don't let Dave be a mark on your conscious, Mari. I don't. I mean, I'm shocked he's dead, and I guess there is a part of me that doesn't naturally want someone to die, but he set the whole thing up himself."

"I know… And I won't. Trust me, I have enough on my conscious," Marionette assured as he reached for Mike's shoulder. "I'm just relieved that I didn't scare you off for good." As much as Mike would've loved to list out how much the Puppet had done that was actually terrifying, he didn't. He kept the tone light.

"You'd have to try a little harder than that to get rid of me." After all, it had been them holding together this long. It was right at that moment when Mike vaguely wondered how long Charlie would be with them. They had yet to discuss whether this was a temporary arrangement or whether he was considering keeping Charlie there longer. Considering the scenario, it seemed likely that she would need to stay with them for some time. Neither of them would turn her away.

…He didn't even want to imagine how she was going to feel when she realized that she couldn't just go home and live normally.

* * *

Something was different when Baby woke. Her eyes were still covered, and she was still in the same position, but something seemed odd. Perhaps it had something to do with how quiet it was in the room. There was some movement, but not the babbling from the startled technician that she had anticipated. He always seemed so nervous that he couldn't help but babble out and she had become familiar with it, so this was unexpected. Her claw twitched as she turned her head to listen.

" _Hello?"_

That was the voice of a child. Baby immediately focused in, but then wondered if it was just another test. It seemed likely, but she was surprised they were trying again so soon. Though then again, she wasn't sure how long it had been.

" _Umm… Hi… Can you talk?"_

It wasn't until she heard the squeak of a toy that she genuinely believed it was a child this time. It was a lone child coming towards her. She found herself staring in its direction even when she couldn't see and waiting for the boy to draw in closer. A soft footstep and she could tell he was almost within her reach. She knew the reflexes would kick in soon enough. That uncontrollable urge to grab was just as fluid as breathing would've been, she supposed.

" _You can talk to me. I'm alone. I won't tell anyone…"_

With that, he stepped into her range, and her claw clamped down… On itself. Baby tried to flex it, but it felt jammed into itself. This didn't feel right, especially when the child was so close, and the desires were back. That need to feel whole was coursing through her. That urge to open herself and offer a freshly made cone of ice cream. Children loved the ice cream. Soft and gentle, cold and sweet; they were to it like a rat would go to the cheese on a trap. All that delicious ice cream, so soft that it was about to melt, and the children would come in closer and closer. Her chest tightened as parts that should no longer open wanted to open.

Baby wanted nothing more than to open her chest and- _make ice cream._

…No, that wasn't right. Ice cream wouldn't make her complete. It was that filling of fulness, of warmth, and that complete feeling that she desired. She would be whole, she would do what she was created to do, and she didn't care if it was all programming. She tried to clench her claw, her other hand scraping on the floor, and her chest jittering to open and close even when it fought itself. She wanted the feeling of completion, even if she knew it was the programming. It made her want more than anything to open her chest and blend her insides until the softest, coldest, sweetest ice cream treat was served.

She didn't want to touch the child at all. Now that he was close, Baby just wanted to _make ice cream._ Sweet, cold, and soothing ice cream would be perfect. Whether she used it as bait or just held it in her hands until it dribbled down her fingers. Then she would lick the ice cream and taste the sweet vanilla full all her senses and cool her body from the inside out. She missed the taste of it.

No, that wasn't right. She didn't taste ice cream. Baby didn't eat anything and never had. She just smelled it, and ice cream, while faint, always smelled good.

It was such an entrancing thought that Baby was cut off guard when a hand suddenly touched her. Her claw was tightened like a vice, her torso shuddered, her hand raised, then fell, then raised again, clutching in place, wanting something and yet so unsure what it was. She couldn't even manage to grab ahold of the child as her mind clustered together into a web of need, of being complete, of ice cream, of flustered programming, and suddenly it all gave out. Suddenly her mind went clear and her body went still. Baby's mind collapsed in under the weight of its own programming.

There was a moment of silence. Then, suddenly, there was an eager burst of laughter.

"Wonderful! You did great!" Fritz exclaimed as he set the squeaker and tape player aside. He then came back over to Baby and knelt in front of her. "That's the first time you've been able to resist against the programming! How are you feeling? Everything seems to be working right?"

Yet everything didn't feel like it was working right. The fact that nothing would work right when she thought there was a child, and only felt normal again now that she knew it was a trap, was a warning sign that something inside of her was changed. She didn't like that feeling. The thought that he could manipulate her so easily was frustrating. "I'm not sure. I feel broken and nothing works… So, no, I would say that nothing is working right."

"Trust me, Baby, this is just the first step to erasing all of this and leaving you a free person," Fritz reassured. He was too delighted by his progress to think of what he was doing next and reached out to lay a hand on her arm. It was a bold gesture, and risky considering that Baby was so unpredictable. Honestly, this was the first time the technician had touched her in a friendly way and not just as a technician. It made her claw clench even tighter and her internal wires shift. She just wasn't used to anyone being unafraid enough to risk such an action.

He was a foolish man, but his touch was… Comforting.

"You did really good today. If we keep making progress then in no time we'll have this all reversed, and you'll be free of these impulses," Fritz said. His tone faltered, "But for now… I guess I'll put you back under to rest. There's still more I need to fix in the meantime. Don't think of it as a negative though; this really is a breakthrough." His hand patted her arm. So warm, soft, the sensation of flesh that Baby missed. It had felt like an eternity since she had made touched real skin. It made things whirr in her chest that she didn't even know could still come on. He must have fixed something internally to take that coldness away.

He reminded her of someone. Maybe her father- or creator. She only vaguely remembered him, but in some moments- beyond the jolts of electricity and being scooped from the inside out- she could vaguely remember being treated warmly. How long had it been since someone had used that tone with her? Fritz sounded so proud in her, even though her body was more broken than ever. She liked hearing that and only wanted more out of it. She needed to thank him in whatever way she could, and thus forced herself to say the closest thing to one.

"If you're going to break my mind, you could at least fix my ice cream maker."

* * *

She waited until she had heard Mike and Marionette quiet down and assumed they had went to bed. It wasn't that she was worried they would stop her, but she wanted to avoid the coddling for the moment. She already felt so weak without it. She appreciated that she hadn't spent all day alone- even if they had kept asking if she wanted to leave the bedroom. At the time she hadn't, but now she felt like she had to do something. Charlie didn't trust her body as she slowly moved her legs out from under the covers. She suspected that it would fail her, but she needed to try something.

She pushed herself off the bed and onto the tips of her legs but was rewarded by wavering in place before collapsing back in the sitting position. _"It's not even like walking on legs! It's like walking on stilts!"_ she lamented in frustration. Her impatience turned to somberness. _"I'm going to be walking on stilts from now on…"_ Which meant that she had no other options. If she waited then she wouldn't go anywhere, and she was too embarrassed to ask either of the others for help.

Once more she pushed herself up and hunched over to grab the bedside stand. With both her hands on the piece of furniture, she was able to keep herself upright, though only barely. Taking everything as slowly as she could, she straightened herself up. Charlie thought that she had finally gotten it as she had mostly straightened herself. She then took a step towards the bedroom door, started moving and then didn't stop, and hit the carpet heavily. She gave a huff of static in discomfort and frustration, and she slowly began to pull herself up onto her hands and knees.

Reaching upwards, Charlie tried to use the doorknob to lift herself upwards. She couldn't straighten herself like this, but she just managed to get onto her points again. Then she opened the door and held herself up with the frame. One of the doors in the hallway was cracked open and light filtered out through it into the hallway. Focusing on it as a point to make it to, Charlie took a few wobbly steps. Once more she collapsed to the carpet. If she was expected to hover like Marionette, then she had no idea how she was going to accomplish it when she couldn't even keep herself up.

Tired of struggling against it, she began to crawl along the carpet towards the door. _"What's more humiliating, falling on my face over and over or crawling?... Falling, definitely."_ She got to the door and guided it open. It seemed to be a bathroom and was exactly what she needed.

Charlie pulled herself up off the floor with the sink and managed to brace herself on it enough to look at herself in the mirror. Now seeing her face for the first time she was once again taken aback. She hadn't really expected it to look like it did, even when it totally fit with everything she could feel. She really was some sort of puppet like Marionette was- it certainly explained the legs- from the tear marks to the pale mask. Just staring at her new body felt like too much.

" _Well, here I am. Alive and not dead…"_ Charlie's hands tightened on the sink as she felt the horror return. _"And now an animatronic… Forever… And I'm never going back. My body is gone… Forever."_

Whether it be from her weak legs or overwhelming emotion- she would rather believe the former- Charlie dropped forward and hung her head down to stare into the bottom of the sink. Her arms shook from strain as she tried to ease herself. _"I can do this. It could be worse. I could be dead,"_ she reminded herself. Small, blue tears dotted the bottom of the sink against the white porcelain. She certainly didn't want to be dead either, but this wasn't what she had ever anticipated. _"If I would've just gotten out of the way-!"_

An agonizing draw of squealing bells choked from her chest and she tried to swallow them down. She had almost hoped that she controlled the bells. It was bad enough having one ring from the back of her head whenever she moved. Nothing like a constant reminder that she was an overgrown toy.

It was at that moment that Charlie had the intense urge to go home. She didn't know what she would do next or how she would continue from here, but she needed to get home, even just for a moment. _"Calm down, Charlie. If I can get down the hallway then I can get home… And maybe get back before they notice I'm gone."_ She just needed to be home, if only for a few moments, as though she was being pulled to do so by puppet strings. She just needed to remind herself that home was still a real place. She couldn't understand why, though. Home had never been a comfort for her. It was just full of empty memories. It wasn't like she even had a family to go back to…

But if she could crawl from the bedroom to the bathroom, then maybe she could even crawl all the way home.

* * *

Marionette woke up with the feeling that something was wrong. He wasn't sure if something woke him or not, but he felt uneasy, and knew he wouldn't fall back asleep without checking on Charlie. After the incident earlier, Charlie had been largely confined to the bed, and it was possible that after sleeping so long she had roused once more. It only took him an instant to check his internal clock, to which he realized that it was still late at night, or early in the morning. It was certainly an odd time to wake up for no reason. He slipped out from under Mike's grasp and left the bedroom to go see if the girl was alright.

Charlie hadn't exactly recovered after the incident earlier. It was quite clear with how reluctant she was to engage in anything that it was still a hard adjustment. This left him in a weird situation; he wanted to distract her, he wanted to help her, but he couldn't do that until she was ready. Thankfully, she hadn't refused his and Mike's company throughout the day. This was great considering that Mike was able to talk his way through anything and come out of it sounding as comfortable as could be. She didn't talk back yet, save the occasional low bell noise to signal distress.

If she was awake now, then it was possible that she had retreated to the closet again to feel secure. Perhaps it was some sort of 'box-centric' programming that she didn't even know existed, but he suspected it was just for security. Perhaps he needed to consider taking the things out of there and moving them into the attic instead. Just in case she wanted to permanently use the closet as a personal 'box'.

It didn't seem like a wise idea to teleport in and risk startling her so Marionette instead used the door as he would in any normal situation. He opened the door carefully and peered inside the room. The overhead light was off, but the bedside lamp lit the room in a warm glow. His gaze fell on the empty bed.

"Charlie?" Marionette asked as he hovered closer. The blankets were nudged down, and her jacket was missing, so he then looked to the closet doors that were open a crack. He withheld a distressed tune as he approached them and carefully opened them. To his immediate confusion, the Security Puppet wasn't in the closet either, and now he wondered if she was somewhere else in the house. " _I didn't check the living room… Maybe she went out there?"_

He shut the closet and turned around. It was at that moment Marionette noticed a disturbance in the curtains. They were moving the slightest bit and he moved to them and drew them back. The window was left open underneath the curtain. For some reason, Charlie had decided to open the window.

He had only a second or two of ignorant bliss before realization abruptly set in.

Marionette leaned out the window abruptly and craned turn himself to look around the backyard, only to find nothing. "Charlie?!" he called out as he started to slide out. He then stopped momentarily when he was halfway out as he noticed a disturbance in the mud that had culminated underneath the window from the recent rain. It had to have been her, as she no doubt had trouble climbing out the window in her new body. The panic was immediate, and he risked being spotted as he circled the outside of the house to look for her.

He had hoped that she hadn't gotten too far in her state, and that nobody would spot either of them due to what time it was. Thankfully, the latter seemed like a possibility, as Marionette hovered out in the driveway without any eyes falling on him, nor even spotting a house in the vicinity with any of their lights on- save maybe a porch light. But Charlie was nowhere to be seen, and Marionette found himself nearly spinning in place trying to see her. He could feel the panic beginning to grow. His music box tightened, and his insides began to tick in nervousness as he thought of the worst. Then, in an instant, he appeared inside the master bedroom.

"Mike!" Marionette grabbed Mike's shoulder and shook him in a frenzy. "Mike, get up! Charlie's gone!"

"What?" Mike asked groggily as he started to waken. He roused faster and started to sit upright. "What? What's going on? Where's Charlie?"

"She's _gone_!" the Puppet exclaimed as he finally released the human. "She went out the window! I went outside, but I couldn't see her anywhere! She could be anywhere by now!"

Mike certainly heard this. He flung himself out of bed and fumbled to turn the lamp on. "Please tell me you're kidding," he blurted out, but knew obviously that he wasn't. "Did you see what way she went?!"

"No, I didn't see anything, but I know she went out there. I can't even imagine where she was planning on going," Marionette insisted. He raised a hand to his mask and began to pace in place. "No, that's not true. I suppose the only place she might go would be back to her home, but I don't know when she left. She could still be out on the street for all we know!" He grew only more panicked as he followed Mike out of the bedroom.

"We don't need two animatronics wandering the streets. Go out into the car, I'll drive us over there, and you can keep an eye out on the way. We'll find her; she can't have gone that far," Mike said, taking charge as he slipped on his shoes. His jacket was still damp, so he decided to forego wearing it. It would be a warm enough night anyway. Especially now since Mike's heart was racing and his adrenaline was pumping. Marionette teleported into the car and Mike locked the door before following into the car. "You made sure she wasn't in the closet, right?"

"Yes, before I noticed the window and the indentions in the mud… She can't even walk. How did she think she was going to get there?" Marionetted asked in disbelief. He didn't ask why, because there were hundreds of obvious reasons why she would. Maybe she was homesick, maybe she needed her things, maybe she just got scared. "She could've just asked us. I would've taken her home."

"You can't walk, and you get around fine," Mike absentmindedly remarked as he turned on the car. He noticed the following silence and looked over to see Marionette shooting him a disapproving look. "Hey, it's true. That wasn't a joke." The Puppet could only assume that it wasn't because Mike was too tired and flustered to think of a punchline. Part of him almost wished that he had, if only to ease the nagging tension. Mike was awake enough to notice the distress. "Mari, we'll find her. She's not in immediate danger and she's smart enough not to get caught. Everything's under control." He then started to back out of the driveway. "It's not like Foxy hasn't done the same thing."

Sadly enough, Mike was right. It was almost comical.

* * *

 **Mable: It makes you wonder… Should we be concerned if Foxy goes jogging daily? Ha, ha… Maybe.  
So, uh, next chapter will be next Thursday, and if you'd like to spread word about my book I would be grateful. ^-^ I hope you enjoyed!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Mable: Sorry that this chapter is a day late, but yesterday I was doing editing and realized that there was a massive rewrite needed. As such, I may have missed a few errors, but I checked twice so hopefully that isn't too obvious.**

 **You might remember that I published a book called 'A Fool's Endeavor'. I wanted to mention that if you have Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited then you can read it for free! ^-^ I don't remember if I mentioned it last time, but I feel like I should bring it up. Especially since the book is still brand new and I still want to keep chatting about it. XD**

 **Anyway, without further ado: I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twelve_

When Mike had brought Charlie home so long ago- before he had even known Henry's true fate and connection to everything at Freddy's- there had been a woman waiting for her. He had thought that she was Charlie's mother. The girl had walked past the scrutinizing gaze as a child would under a parent, even if the similarities between them were less than the usual direct relative. As they pulled up to the house, Mike had thought of the woman again and worried they would be confronted by Henry's widow, but there were no cars in the driveway and only one light looked to be on inside.

"I'll park and try not to look extremely suspicious. Last thing I need is to be caught outside of _Henry's_ house," Mike said. He looked around and parked in the empty driveway. "No cars _…_ You think her mother would've left?"

"I don't know. When I came to see her after what happened with Goldie, she was alone in the house…" Marionette pointed out. Curiosity started to appear, but he forced it back. It wasn't the time to question such trivial things. "I'm going to look. Wait a moment and then follow me." He quickly teleported to the side of the house and started to circle around the back.

Before he could get to the back of the house, which was his route to Charlie's bedroom, he found a backdoor by the garage. To his surprise the door was left ajar with a single key left in the door. It was as though Charlie was in such a rush that she hadn't even worried about locking the door back. This did confirm that she was here, and Marionette slipped inside. The house was mostly dark and equally unfamiliar as he made his way in the direction of the hall and Charlie's bedroom. The bedroom door was open and from down the hallway he could see a shadow inside. "Charlie?!"

There was the sound of clashing bells, a strange thumping, and suddenly the door slammed shut on him. Marionette rushed to the door and laid his hands on it, but she held her weight on it long enough to lock the door. He could've unlocked it easily but considering that she had purposefully shut him out he felt unable to do so. He simply couldn't let himself in. The whole point of learning to unlock doors was so that he would never get stuck behind one ever again, and still he couldn't do it. Not when she already had a good reason to push him away.

So, Marionette just stood there at the door, dropping his head, and waited for something. This something eventually turned out to be Mike who managed to find his way into the house through the back door.

"Is she in there?" Mike asked as he walked up. Marionette nodded silently. "…Are you going to go in there?" Mike asked again. Marionette shook his head, still just as silent. "Okay…" the human looked at the door, then back to the Puppet. "…Can _I_ go in there? Let me make up for that garbage babbling I was doing earlier. I think I know what to say."

While Marionette was hesitant, he decided that he trusted Mike more than he trusted himself. He unlocked the door and moved quickly back into the shadows of the hallway. The human still knocked before he entered.

"Charlie, I'm coming in," Mike called into the room. There was no response. "I'm taking your silence as a go-ahead." He then opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. He shut it to a crack, but it then shut the rest of the way from Marionette's own influence. Now he was alone in the bedroom with the Security Puppet.

The first thing that took Mike off-guard was that Charlie was capable of standing. Though she wasn't standing well; she was hunched over, legs bent and braced onto the floor carefully, as though she would fall over if she didn't. He couldn't see her mask as she had it angled away from him, so he couldn't tell if it was able to show emotions like Marionette's could. He could still tell that she was distressed. It was obvious from how she was standing there alone, looking like she was about to either fight him or dive through one of the windows, that she was not as calm as he had hoped she would be.

"You could've told me that you wanted to come home. I would've driven you over here," Mike pointed out. He glanced down and noticed the dirt on her legs and knees. "I can only guess how hard it was for you to get all the way here on your own. Not to mention that you could've been spotted… But then again, I'd be a hypocrite calling you out on it and not Mari and Foxy… And don't get me started on the clowns prowling the streets."

He watched as her head dropped and she looked to the floor in what looked like shame. Then she turned and in one awkward sort of half-sit down and half-fall she dropped. She barely caught the foot of the bed before landing on the floor, sitting there, staring towards her closet. The Security Puppet's posture was a defeated one. Her arms hung loose, and her head still drooped, jingling as the point on the back of her head pressed to the bed. He knew that he didn't need to say anything more about the risk; it was obvious that she knew exactly what risks were involved, but she simply seemed unable to care.

The Security Puppet slowly looked to the side and her gaze landed on a rabbit toy that had fallen on the floor, that she had dropped when the Puppet nearly got in. Mike watched as she slowly lifted it in one hand and stared down at it. It was only reminiscent of Marionette's behavior with the Golden Freddy plush, save that it had mechanical pieces jutting out of it. He moved to sit down beside her, and she must have pressed a button on the doll for it proceeded to make a grating static sort of noise. It sounded like an old voice recording.

"That your rabbit?" Mike asked. He realized it was almost patronizing and changed his tune. "Kind of sounds like… I guess it's Henry's voice, isn't it?" He was going to say Golden Freddy but cut off to avoid the unsettling realization that Henry had a bad habit of talking through dolls to children. Apparently, it was an effective strategy. "Mari's got one like this, except its got a mouth like a nutcracker and a taste for finger flesh." There was a slight jingle from Charlie.

And then she did something he hadn't expected her to do: she spoke.

"He g-ve… im to… me," Charlie managed to force out. Her voice sounded the same as a human but was full of static and other interference. The fact that she was talking so quickly surprised Mike. "W-s my ch-dhood fr-nd."

"I bet he was great." Mike had no idea what that comment meant even after he said it. "You got more of them?"

With a nod, Charlie pointed to the closet. She made no effort to approach, so Mike opened the closet instead. Inside was a short, porcelain looking doll with a puffy dress and a slightly cracked face.

"-Name's Ell-…She w-s… playm-te," Charlie explained. There was a moment where it seemed like she was going to brighten up a bit. She looked fondly at Ella and down to Theodore, but then her gaze fell upon her own, black fingers wrapped around the broken toy. She shuddered inwardly and spoke her words haltingly so that they would all come through.

"I'm. Like. These. Broken. Toys," Charlie slowly forced out. "It's. Over. It's -ll -ver."

"Don't say that," Mike interrupted. His voice softened from his much more neutral one as he knelt on the carpet in front of her.

"-'ve lost ev-rrrything," the girl vented. She looked down at herself, at her legs, and then brought her fists down on the carpet beside her in a flair of frustration. "I w-sn't supposed to bec-bec-become this! I-I'm. Broken. _Broken_. Toy!" She grabbed at herself around the middle and hunched over, her prong jingling again behind her as she did so. Just hearing it made her want to tear the bell off, but she knew it would do nothing for the ones inside of her. For a moment she sat there, twitching, and only now realized that Mike was still watching. She pulled her legs in against her chest. "I'm fine... I'm fine."

"You don't have to be fine," Mike assured as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "I know this isn't what you wanted. None of us wanted this. Not Mari, not me, certainly not your dad; nobody wanted it to get to this…But it did, and now we're going to handle it." She looked to him hesitantly and he took this as the signal to continue. "I can't give you a normal human life back… But you can still have a good life. You can still have a _life_."

"I do-on't w-nt to be a sing-ing-ing mach-ne…" Charlie murmured lowly. "But all th-se b-lls..." She shuddered at the thought of just being a doll to perform on a stage. Just like the dolls left abandoned in her closet; a tool to be taken apart and put back together at will. No longer human, no longer safe, and capable of falling into any hands.

"What did you think, that we were just expecting you to hop aboard and become a stage show? Charlie, no. We wouldn't do that. Mari would never do that. He cares about you, and he knows better than I do what it's like to get strung into a bad situation. You're still human even with a different body." He squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "The only reason we even took you home without waiting for you to wake up was because we couldn't leave you behind at the theater. Who knows what is going to happen over there now that everything's gone down."

Charlie felt a tinge of hope for the first time that night. The thoughts of becoming a falling apart animatronic left to rot away in a pizzeria was unbearable. There was a relief in the promise that she wouldn't be forced into a restaurant; it didn't fix everything, but it helped. As did the assurance that she wasn't going to be abandoned to her own devices. She both lamented her loss of independence and clung onto the idea of getting help from someone else. She needed help. Especially- she looked down at her hands again- if she was to be stuck in this body. It was one thing assuring herself that she would press on, but it was another thing doing it.

"I'm not going to tell you not to tell your mother. I've pretty much let too many people know, so one more might not kill us… Especially if it's your mom. I doubt she'd risk you in telling someone," Mike offered. _"And if she did, everyone would just assume she's a hysterical mother."_ Really, Mike didn't want anyone else knowing, but telling her not to outright would only make her feel worse. "…Just don't tell her we hung out here in the middle of the night or she might get the wrong idea."

"My mother's gone f-r ye-rs," Charlie explained almost nonchalantly. Her voice seemed to be slowly leveling out as her emotions did. "My -nt doe-n't stay here -nymore."

"Well, you can call her if you want. I don't discriminate." He knew he was stepping into dysfunctional family territory; he recognized the signs already. It seemed best to just step right back out. "The eventual point was going to be that we want you to come home with us. We can even grab your stuff while we're here."

"Do I need it?" Charlie asked quietly.

"Sure. Maybe we can find you another jacket in case you feel like prowling the suburbs at night." Mike looked down at the green jacket that Charlie was currently wearing over her new body. Other than the sleeves now being too short and fitting a little strange, it seemed to work well enough. She tried to tug them down absentmindedly as he stood. "Just point me in a direction and I'll do the heavy lifting. That's what I'm here for."

He started to look around the room and eventually spotted a backpack in the corner. Inside there were a few text books but room for other things to fit in as well. He then began to just take random stuff off the desk and put whatever he had into the backpack. All the while he decided to continue the small talk, "So… You were in college, right?" He could tell she was nodding from the jingling alone. "What were you studying?"

"Ye-, robo-tics," Charlie admitted. She learned that keeping her answers short kept her voice intact. "F-mily business."

"Really? Great. I went to the one up north before I dropped out to pursue my lifelong dream of financial ruin. Opening the pizzeria is just a side project while I prepare for my next lengthy hospital stay." He then turned his attention back to her and the toy she had been clutching, which now sat prone in her lap. "How about the rabbit?"

Charlie side-glanced at the doll. Once a childhood companion bubbling with her father's comforting voice, then a vessel of never-ending nostalgia, and now a mocking reminder that she and him were nearly the same. The same gears inside of him could be inside of her, especially since Henry might have made both. She could even hear something like a speaker vibrating in her chest every time she 'jingled', and speaking had become some sort of unreliable reliance on thought instead of actual movements. He would be a reminder of this transformation, and yet holding his weight was also a surreal comfort. With a low jingling, she handed it over to Mike.

He fit it into the bag and then looked to the closet. "How about her? I'd probably have to throw her in the trunk, but she should be fine." He knelt beside her and looked over her and his eyes landed on her feet. "Was she on a track?... I'm not exactly a technician, but I might be able to get her working again." He touched her porcelain cheek and all at once the entire face dropped off like a mask, revealing metal and stuffing staring from underneath. Without a word, Mike raised his hands, took one step back, and turned away. _"There's no way in hell-."_

"My -lbum. I need- need my- need it," Charlie said as she started to lift herself. She leaned back on the bed as she tried to balance on unsteady legs once more. She then pointed to the desk, "Top dr-wer."

"Got it." The photo album was right on the top and looked to be at least ten or so years old. He carried it in his arm because of how full the backpack was, throwing it over his shoulder. "Ready to go?"

The Security Puppet sent a longing look over the room. This, again, wasn't home. It was just supposed to be a brief stop in her life: the house was supposed to be sold and the past was supposed to be erased for good. Then she learned about Foxy's, then her father, then the theater, and now she was like this. A voice in the back of her head mockingly reminded her how desperately everyone had tried to get her to return to school, to get away from the memories, and now…

The cold sensation on her face alerted her that she was crying again. _"Not now… Not in front of them."_ She knew he was still staring at her, so she made no attempt to straighten from her hunched position. Unfortunately, the tears didn't stop like she hoped. Blue paint dripped onto the comforter where it would surely stain. It wasn't her problem any longer. It started dripping faster.

At first, Mike didn't realize what was happening. He noticed how she was hunched over but didn't realize she was crying until he leaned enough to notice the dripping paint. _"Ah geez… Round two and I'm completely out of my league."_ He didn't want to just leave her crying and stepped closer. "Charlie-."

Charlie cut him off with a noise of strange, strained jingling. Almost in a rush, she started to push herself off the bed and ground, and tried to regain her footing, attempting to force back the emotion. Though she couldn't even out her voice and had to rely on forcing it out in any tone she could. "I'm okay. I can… I'll hann-dle it."

She yanked the door open and nearly threw herself out. It was mostly bad timing that ended with her falling directly into Marionette. Though even this was fortunate, as she would've elsewise collapsed to the carpet. The Puppet caught her and helped her back to her feet, or to her legs. He then braced her, hands resting on her shoulders, and briefly glanced over her. It was so odd to him that she was even capable of walking when she couldn't even levitate; her determination was a powerful thing. He gave a sympathetic peal as he looked back to her face.

Marionette wanted to comfort her, he wanted to help, but he stayed at bay and waited for a signal to give it. Eventually, she did manage to look at him and made no attempt to draw aback. She was waiting for something. Most likely for him to say something, but he wasn't sure what he could say after Mike's own words. He slowly moved in and wrapped his arms around her in a reassuring embrace. To his surprise, her head dropped onto his shoulder. He wasn't sure if it was accepting the comfort or due to exhaustion, but he took it as a good sign.

He smiled past her at Mike and the human could tell that he was thrilled by that much. It was a start at least. The Puppet hugged on tighter, trilling lightly as he turned his mask against her, and Mike finally stepped in.

"Alright, let's get moving before someone spontaneously spots us and calls the cops for trespassing." Mike moved to Charlie's opposite side and offered her his arm. She willingly took his assistance with a silent nod. "You've got the key?" She hesitated a moment, then retrieved it from her jacket pocket. It felt so odd to only have a single key left. She didn't even know where her car keys were anymore and yet still handed over the last key without much delay.

Once outside, Mike relocked the back door while Marionette held Charlie upright, hands now permanently cemented to her shoulders. He couldn't help but notice the dirt that was still slightly smeared on her legs and the last thing he wanted was her to fall over and collect more stains. He glanced back towards Mike and watched him drop the key into the backpack once more. They exchanged a brief look where Mike sent Marionette a slight shrug, as though explaining why he was bringing the key, and Marionette sent back a weary smile. What a long night.

Charlie willingly got into the backseat and promptly slumped onto it as though spontaneously losing sentience. The only thing propping her up was the backpack, which she draped her arm over. Mike turned on the ignition and exhaled in relief. _"That went better than expected…"_ He glanced over at the Puppet in the passenger seat and noticed that he was watching him, propping his head up with his arm resting on the door. It was clear that even though it all turned out well he was still concerned. Probably exhausted too. Mike felt the need to say something poignant.

"Any more houses you feel like breaking into?"

By time they arrived at the house, any buzz from adrenaline was starting to wear off and Mike was beginning to feel the effects of running around in the early hours of the morning. Not to mention that he was still carrying almost everything. He had to set the photo album down just to lock the door back before helping Marionette with Charlie. She was determined to walk even with the assistance; he had to admit, it was impressive to see such resilience from someone. He dropped the bookbag on the floor beside the bed as Charlie released his arm to sit down on the bed.

"You don't have to stay in here if you're not ready," Marionette assured her, keeping a hand on her shoulder even when she was no longer leaning on him. "I don't want you to feel like you're stuck in this room."

"Need sleep. I'm go-ng to be okay," Charlie reassured. This time it wasn't just passiveness to get herself alone. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so worn out, and it didn't matter that she was no longer a human on that front. She slid further back on the bed. "I'm not going -nyw-ere else."

"Would you like us to stay until you fall asleep at least?" Marionette offered kindly. Charlie wasn't even sure how to react to a question like that. Thankfully, Mike did.

"Mari, if we stand here and stare at her then she's never going to sleep again. That's where friendliness starts crossing that thin border into creepiness." Mike reached to take his arm and guide him out. "I'll probably still be awake at sunrise, so if you need anything you know where I am. And he doesn't ever sleep," Mike said back to Charlie as he guided the Puppet out. The other puppet nodded in understanding before watching the door close.

While everything was still as confusing as earlier, Charlie did feel at least a bit more comfortable in this new situation. She was exhausted, but she knew she wasn't trapped. She was no longer human, but she would maybe adjust to this. As for Mike and Marionette they were certainly odd, especially in how they spoke to one another even though there was the human and non-human barrier, but they did feel trustworthy. They certainly did seem to care, though Charlie couldn't really tell why they did. It could've been guilt or obligation and they still gave off the impression that they genuinely sympathized.

Yet Charlie didn't feel safe. She felt vulnerable lying on the bed. Perhaps because she wasn't covered up, but she had a feeling that getting trapped under a blanket wouldn't help this sensation. She realized what she needed and reluctantly pushed herself back up. Her eyes aimed at her pack before she leaned down and reached inside, and soon tugged Theodore out. It made her feel like a weakened child; she needed him where she was going. She also grabbed one of the pillows before rising to her weakened legs and managing the few awkward steps until she could open the door.

With little more than a small ringing from the bell hanging behind her head, Charlie stepped back into the closet and closed the door behind her. Maybe now she would rest comfortably.

Out in the living room, Marionette spotted the photo album left on the back of the couch and looked down at it curiously. "Did you mean to leave this out here?" he asked as he rested his fingers on the edge of the cover.

"No, I just had my hands full. I'll take it in to her tomorrow," Mike answered as he collapsed on the couch. "I hope I can get back to sleep. This in not the night I want to get four hours of sleep."

"Then go to sleep," Marionette pointed out with an amused chime. Though that musical laugh cut off quickly as his interest got the best of him and he flipped open the album. He focused on the first page of photos. If he would've had blood it would've run cold, and he nearly shivered at the people in the photos. He then looked past at the security guard on the couch. "Mike… Have you ever seen any pictures of Henry?"

"I think I have." Mike wasn't entirely certain and wasn't awake enough to remember. He watched as Marionette circled the couch and moved his legs so that his companion could sit down on it. The Puppet then slid closer and showed him the page of pictures. The interest started to grow as he saw the man in the book, and Mike took ahold of half of the album. "I'm guessing that's him?" he asked. Of course it was. All the pictures were of Henry with his wife and children, save a few with other family members near the bottom. The first picture that Mike locked onto looked like the basic family photo of Henry, his wife, and two toddlers.

"That was him, which would mean that the little girl is Charlie… I sort of recognize her, now that I'm looking at it. I don't ever recall seeing his wife though."

"I don't recall you mentioning Henry having a son either," Mike pointed out as he tapped over the boy. He looked a bit like Charlie in age and their clothes seemed to be styled after one another.

"That's Henry's son, Charlie's brother… I wouldn't mention him around her. I don't know how she feels on the subject, but I do know that he was one of the first missing children," Marionette explained. He couldn't help but be the slightest bit unsettled by remarking on it. "Goldie mentioned it once, but I never put together his connection with Henry. If anything, I suppose I would've more readily believed that Goldie was him. How blind I was!" He gave a forced, dry chuckle with no chiming.

"Did they work together after he suspected that?" Mike bluntly asked. He wasn't even thinking and let it slip out as he laid back against the back of the couch.

"I… Well, I guess so. My timeline is a bit shaky, but he must've had to, for Henry and William were good partners until something happened. I suppose it must've been his son disappearing."

"Henry never ceases to amaze me," the man muttered quietly. Just quiet enough that Charlie couldn't overhear and loud enough that Marionette could. "If I even had a hunch Fritz took my kid, I'd fillet him with a pizza roller."

"Oh, how charming! And positively creative- my goodness, Mr. Schmidt, you would make an excellent executioner," Marionette teased playfully. "Any other punishments in mind? Electrocution? Lock him in a walk-in freezer?"

"Have him eat something we find out of the back of our fridge. Guaranteed to decompose him even before he's dead; two birds with one stone," Mike said with a scoff. He then watched as the Puppet turned the page. He considered mentioning that they were invading Charlie's privacy, but his focus waned, and an eyebrow shot up as he noticed what looked to be half of a picture. It had been carefully cut down the middle, so one could still see Henry standing and smiling in front of what looked like Fredbear's Family Diner. It became very clear that someone else had been cut out of the picture.

Either Marionette had no comment or decided to simply ignore the photo. He instead moved on and looked through the rest. "I don't remember ever going to their barbeques- I was too young to remember- but Henry's wife was an amazing baker. I've never been able to make brownies like her. When he brought them to the restaurant, that is." Mike gave a non-descript hum, showing that he was listening, and slightly leaned on the Puppet's shoulder. "…Sometimes I wonder if Henry treated me kindly back then because he lost his son. I hope that's how it started…" Because Marionette knew that wasn't how it ended.

He flipped a few pages and found more recent photos. Charlie looked to be under ten, but he couldn't guess how far. Henry was in the photo, so he was still alive, but even though their smiles he could see that both him and his wife looked exhausted. As though the life had just been sapped out of them. He didn't want to look any further and slowly closed the book on his lap.

"…You know, Mike, there's a photo album in the cabinet above the dryer. I can't remember the last time I looked at it, but maybe… Mike?" He noticed something was odd when Mike didn't immediately respond and glanced at him. "Mike?" From the way the man suddenly straightened it was clear that he had started to fall asleep. Marionette literally and figuratively set the photos aside with a light trill of mirth. "Mike, go to bed. You're exhausted."

Mike didn't even argue. He stood from the couch, muttering something about kicking his coffee habit, and started to head towards the hallway. He sent Marionette a weary, questioning look, in silently asking if he was coming. The striped one set the album on the back of the couch again and followed behind him. Charlie was safe again, the photos could wait, so he would be fine. He wouldn't worry any longer tonight. He wouldn't think of the old photos from the distant past.

Hopefully by morning he would forget the ones in the cabinet.

* * *

" _What do you mean?! He's here?!" Scott blurted out in shock as he turned from the monitor. "Why haven't you taken him to jail if he's here?!" The faceless police explained that they couldn't prove anything against Dave, so he would be staying right where he was. They couldn't even ask him to leave the pizzeria. This naturally horrified Scott who opened the left door and looked out. "Where is he?!"_

 _As soon as he asked this, Dave walked past the door and continued down the hallway. However, to Scott's horror, he quickly recognized that it was not Dave walking down the hall, but a thin, gaunt William Afton. He choked and shut the door again, then turned around to face the cops._

" _That's not Dave! That's William!" Scott pointed. He then shuddered, "He- He was supposed to be dead! If he figures out what I've found out about Baby's Circus World, he's going to kill me!" To his horror, he also realized that William would be able to get his life insurance if he claimed insanity. Then he could reopen Baby's Circus World and take Ennard to go work there. "Is there anything you can do?!"_

" _Legally, he hasn't done anything yet," one of the cops pointed out. "If he does try to kill you, you can defend yourself, but the legal fees will be so high that you'll have to sell your house."_

" _I'll take that chance!" Scott knew that if he told William about what he knew, William would try to kill him on the spot, so then he could defend himself and get rid of him once and for all. He stood from his office chair only to collapse back into it again. He looked down and found that he was missing his prosthetic. "Someone stole my leg!" he choked out. "I can't take the office chair into the hallway or I'll be fired! One of you has to carry me!"_

"You're never going to believe who popped up on TV."

The Phone Guy's eyes opened suddenly to semi-darkness. Light entered the room from the open bedroom door and cast the slightest glow over the wire being leaning over him. As per usual, Ennard was leaning in much closer than he should've and watched with glowing blue eyes, but the human was too used to it to even react. He blinked back his tiredness and tried to figure out what the animatronic said. "What?"

"I saw that Dave guy. You were right, he was really weird looking! A total creep!" Ennard exclaimed with amusement on his voice. He sounded almost giddy, but what he said struck horror into Scott's mind. It took a moment, but the man then started to sit upwards- as much as he could under Ennard- and reach for the light.

"How did you see Dave?" Scott asked as he turned on the lamp. He looked back to the animatronic with growing panic. "Ennard, please tell me you didn't-!"

"He was on TV, I just said that. Gee, it's almost like you don't listen," Ennard interrupted to calm the panic. He then gave another giggle as his blue eyes fixated on his companion. "I love when you get all riled up over nothing! Probably not good for your body." All at once, Scott felt a wash of relief. He had feared the worst, that the clown had gone after Dave, so this was much preferable. Or it was until he realized exactly what the amalgam had told him.

"He was _on TV_? What? What did they say?" The panic returned tenfold as he felt around beside the bed for his prosthetic. Ennard watched him scramble for a moment and then nudged his arm with the fake leg itself. The human took it and scrambled to slide it on, fumbling with it until the animatronic reached out intending to assist. He was a second too late as the human managed to get it secured right before he could intervene. He then wobbled onto his feet. "Ennard, what did it say?" he asked again, nearly stumbling over himself. "Someone's dead, aren't they? Is it Mike?"

"Hey, easy! You're going to fall right off your leg," Ennard finally stepped in. He caught his arms around the human to stop him from becoming even more frantic. He then processed what he had said and gave the slightest bit of a chuckle. "That sounds so weird. Falling off your own leg." He then tugged the man with him. "Come on! You'll miss it!" An arm still around the other, he tugged him out into the living room. He had been aware that Mike and Marionette had planned on going to the theater tonight, so he was especially uneased. Once in the living room, Scott saw the newscast talking about theater and pictures of Dave and four children on the screen.

"He really did do it… Oh dear God, he killed them…" Scott pulled away from Ennard and wandered to the television. He swallowed thickly and grabbed at his own arms. "All those kids…"

"The kids are fine," Ennard said bluntly. "Dave's dead."

Scott didn't really have a moment to process the relief before he was brought back down by that second reveal. Dave was dead, he wasn't a threat, he couldn't hurt anyone, and he couldn't become another William… But what killed him? Scott turned slowly and looked back at the clown who was now caught in the shadows of the man standing before him. His eyes no longer glowed, and the darkness almost seemed to cling to him. A growing look of uneasiness spread across the human's face as suspicion started to rise. Ennard just continued to watch back. His blue eyes twitched; he was starting to recognize that look of dread.

"Uh…" Scott began uncomfortably. "You wouldn't have… I know you _didn't_ , but you wouldn't have…?" He was cut off by a crackle of amusement, which only made Scott more uneasy.

"Scott, do ya think if I did it that I'd tell you about it?! Ha ha, you're already jumpy as it is!" Ennard answered in what was a clear 'no'. Or almost a no. No, he didn't do it, and that made Scott feel better. The clown quieted his laughter down slightly, "Why? You don't even like Dave! Look at him; I've only seen him for a couple of minutes and I don't like him! You're gonna sleep better knowing he's gone."

"That's not true. I- I'm glad the kids are safe, and he's caught, yes, but I wouldn't wish death on anyone," Scott denied quickly.

"Aww, come on, Scott. You don't have to lie on my account. I felt how fast your pulse dropped after I said he was dead- and you were thinking I did it! Must've been pretty relieved," Ennard continued. It was almost like he was fishing for something, and unlike his usual efforts this time they were much more direct. The man hadn't realized that the animatronic could listen in on his heartbeat either. There were simply some reflexes that he couldn't control, and they would always give him away. "You didn't like Dave!"

"Of course I didn't like Dave," Scott defended. He felt the need to do so considering his longstanding role as keeper of Freddy Fazbear's many secrets. "And even if I could tolerate Dave, I couldn't now, knowing what he did to those kids."

"But we knew he was doing it," Ennard pointed out innocently. He gave the slightest bit of a shrug, "but ya did protect him."

Scott decided to completely ignore the argument that suspicion didn't justify such rash action- knowing Ennard's own feelings he doubted he could convince him- and he focused on the second point with an exasperated exhale. "When did I ever protect Dave? I haven't even seen Dave. This is the first time I've seen him in years." He looked back to the picture and nearly cringed. "And he looks a lot worse than I remember."

"You protected him from me." All the humor and the laughter dried up. His tone and volume had lowered, the static edged in, and his voice became a hollow mimic. Ennard stopped pretending all at once. "You wouldn't tell me _where he was_."

Scott looked back to him in shock. Ennard didn't air grievances. He let them hide away behind a cheery exterior until the mask simply wasn't enough anymore. There was still plenty that he was not saying, and Scott knew that, but he didn't know how to respond to it. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt. Perhaps he had inadvertently protected Dave, but it was ultimately to protect both himself and Ennard. He did care about the children and he would've stepped in if someone else hadn't, but he didn't know if he would've been willing to risk everything they had by letting the clown look for him.

Then it finally happened. Ennard's voice changed to his true one, his broken, distraught one, and revealed what was really behind all of this. " _ **You-rre still afrraid of me-e…**_ "

"Ennard, no," Scott easily denied. "It's not- It's not _you_. Or it is you, but it's not that. I'm afraid for you. I don't want anything to happen to you." But Ennard's stillness and continued distance- usually he stood closer than this- showed that the words weren't reaching their mark as easily as the human had hoped. So, he took the next step, literally, and moved in. It was the easiest way to show he wasn't afraid. Even if he was afraid of what Ennard would do, it wasn't what the clown would do to him. He knew if they were in this house together that they were safe; it was the outside world that frightened him.

"Do you know what would happen if someone found out about you? Let along if someone- if someone found out that you _killed_ someone, even if it was a guy like Dave? They wouldn't take you away and sell you, they wouldn't try to put you in a warehouse, they would kill you! And… And I wouldn't put it past them to try any way that they could… And they'd get to heat eventually." He noticed the slightest shudder in the wires and Ennard broke their gaze to look away. He didn't tend to do that; it was usually the human who would need to break their gaze. Unless there was something else, like guilt, like the knowledge he made the wrong choice.

"Ennard…" Scott exhaled and reached out for him. First one hand on his shoulder, then the other on his opposite arm, taking in the chilled but not cold wires. They reflexively moved and shifted underneath his fingers and reacted to the touch. He took the rest of the initiative and leaned in to slowly embrace the animatronic. He could hear the breathy sigh of contentment that signaled Ennard calming down. It wasn't long before Ennard returned the gesture and clung to him in his typical fashion. His wires tightened in a needy sort of way, a way that the human was familiar with when he was upset.

"I just want to keep you safe," Scott finished, and it was the truth. It had been a long week of worrying about things he couldn't fix. He was helpless in every aspect, save keeping the amalgam from doing anything risky. He could hear the low lull of the television and dulled voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. Maybe that was for the best. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the details.

" _ **Scott…**_ " Ennard murmured out lowly.

"Yeah?" Scott asked. Ennard hung on that word for a moment. He squeezed the human tighter against him and pressed his mask into his hair. There was the dullest squeak, but Scott was too distracted by how peculiar he was still acting. Usually Ennard would go back into character by now. He waited for him to say something more, and eventually he did.

" _ **I would have.**_ "

The Phone Guy felt that chill return. Not because of Ennard's reveal, even though it was cryptic, but because for a split-second Scott swore that his broken voice evened out. For a single sentence, he almost sounded human. _He almost sounded like William…_ But Scott knew he couldn't rely on his own judgement. Everyone who was the slightest bit risky became William in his eyes eventually. He was the dark force that loomed in his dreams. He was the reason that he couldn't trust Dave, or Mike originally, or really anyone else. Except for Ennard. He trusted Ennard because he was honest, because he wasn't the monster that William was.

"I know…" Scott decided to be honest as he tightened his fingers in the wires. "I would have too."

* * *

 **Mable: For clarification so that nobody's confused. The scene with Scott and Ennard does take place the night of the Magictime Theater Fiasco (official name now, ha ha.) Anyway, the next chapter should arrive on Thursday as expected. I hope you enjoyed!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Mable: A little late, but still Thursday somewhere! Ha ha… Kind of. XD Anyway, here we are again, and here I shall continue without delay. I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirteen_

 _Where was her father?_

 _She thought that he was just nearby, but now the diner was empty and she was standing alone. She looked towards the front door and through the wide windows at the pretty, sunny day outside. Maybe her father went outside. Maybe she just wanted to go outside and play in the park nearby. Swings and slides sounded like more fun than staying in an empty diner. She headed towards the front door and reached for it when suddenly she was stopped abruptly by a tug on her hair. She looked back to see that something had caught her lengthy ponytail. It became apparent that tugging at it wouldn't free her either._

 _The little girl then began to follow the rope of hair. She followed it with her hands as it wound around chairs and under tables, continuing to stretch further into the diner. It passed the stage, followed the tiled floor, and led into the back hallway. She didn't remember her hair being this long, nor as cold and slick as it felt underneath her hands. Finally, she looked up to find herself outside of a door to one of the back rooms. Without even thinking of it, she let herself inside, and…_

 _There was a box._

 _It stood taller than her and was decorated liked a carefully wrapped birthday gift. Her hair followed along the floor, climbed the side of the box, and disappeared underneath the closed lid. As soon as she saw the box a strange sensation settled over her. Suddenly it wasn't the hair that made her step closer but some sort of other strange suggestion, one that she couldn't see that drew her towards the box. It was nearly hypnotic as she inched closer and reached up for the lid. There was a damp smell coming from the box as she opened it. A gust of earthy, musty air seemed to waft out as she raised herself onto her toes._

 _She pressed against the hair and peeked inside of the box. The space inside of the box was nothing back a black abyss… Except for two dots of light waiting inside. She started to lift the lid further-._

 _Out of the darkness, bursting out of the box, came a set of thick, yellowed hands made of moldy fabric. They clamped onto her wrists and yanked her into the box in a smooth motion as the pinpricks widened and brightened. She couldn't even scream before she was overtaken by the light._

Charlie awoke with a jolt and fumbled around in darkness before she remembered that she was still in the closet. Only then did she realize that she had been having a nightmare. She should've expected one and yet it still managed to catch her off-guard. With a weary ring, she fumbled with the closet door and opened it so that she could look out. She didn't want to go back to sleep both because of the risk of more bad dreams and because of how much she slept the day before. She didn't think she could stand being prone for another moment. Though she wasn't sure if she could stand again period.

She held onto some of the heavy boxes in the closet as she stood herself up once more. It still felt oddly floated and stilted, though not in an effective way, such as if she was actually floating. It looked like she would be struggling with walking a bit longer. She took a hesitant step out of the closet and held onto the door to keep her balance as she looked around. Apparently, this would be her bedroom for now on, or for however long she would be staying her.

" _I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this… Maybe it's all the pink. At least it's not as pink in the closet."_ Charlie thought. She then was stuck with a new hesitation. _"…What do I do now?"_ To Charlie, becoming an animatronic meant a lot of time standing prone, but that was because that was what she had seen of the existence of animatronics. They stood, they waited, and they performed, and it seemed like a dreary existence to someone who had so much beforehand. Yet on the other hand- she looked down and flexed her dark fingers- it certainly was… Interesting?

" _Okay, I can't just stand here,"_ she decided with a nod, ringing her prong's bell as she did. _"Let's go get a better look at the rest of the house."_ She noticed that she felt surprisingly lighter standing upright compared to the day before. It was still like standing on stilts and her balance was still suffering, but she didn't have to hunch over as much as she was the day before. _"So far so good…"_ She released the closet door and took a few careful steps to the end of the bed, where she grabbed her jacket off the foot. _"Now the door."_

It did occur to get that even if she had survived the attack from Dave that she would've been severely injured. Surely, she would've expected a long recovery period, and this was somewhat like that. If anything, this might had been quicker. Charlie made it to the bedroom door and slowly drew it open to stare down the hallway. She could hear talking from in the living room and quietly shut the door behind he and tried to not alert to her presence too quickly. Alas, that wasn't the case. Only a few moments after she had shut the door, Marionette appeared in the hallway alongside her, and she gave startled flinch as the Puppet smiled brilliantly at her.

"Good morning, Charlie!" he greeted in a chirp of delight. "We were just wondering about you. How are you feeling today?" 'Wondering about' was an understatement. Marionette had been virtually obsessing over how today was going to go after how 'well' the night before had gone. It was very possible that Charlie could've lapsed into depression, which would've been understandable after everything, so he was relieved to see her awake and willingly leaving the room.

"Feeling… Better? I think. I don't feel… right, but I feel solid," Charlie drew out as she absentmindedly tugged at her sleeves. The striped male chimed in delight.

"Your voice sounds better already! Only one day and speaking freely. You are your father's daughter, I suppose!" Marionette chuckled good naturedly and beckoned her towards the living room. Inwardly, he couldn't help but be even more relieved by all of this. All his worries seemed to slowly be melting away after a morning filled with nothing but worries. They entered the living room with Marionette moving smoothly as Charlie wobbled behind him at a slower pace. "Look, Mike, we have a third player joining us!"

"Rise and shine, Charlie. You're just in time to watch me get beheaded by Balloon Boy's deranged cousin, Scissor Lad," Mike greeted with a playful smile. He briefly looked over before returning to staring intently at the television, with a controller held tightly in his grasp. In comparison to the seemingly bright eyed and bushy tailed Marionette, Mike still looked half exhausted. His hair had a ruffled 'bedhead' look and he was slumped in a still weary way, with their cat sitting in his lap. Marionette trilled and moved to the back of the couch behind him, looking down at his companion with amusement.

It was about right now, as uncomfortable as it was to realize, that Charlie noticed how similar Mike was to John. She didn't know what was worse, the heat settling in her facial region or the pang of sadness in her chest. She was really wishing now that she had swallowed her pride and called him when she had the chance.

"Morning," Charlie quickly greeted as she managed to get to the armchair and collapsed in it. She shifted until she looked like she was sitting normally, even if she was partially slumped and had to prop herself with one arm. As she looked to the television, Marionette began to lightly fuss with Mike's hair, making sure not to start trying to sort it until the girl was looking away. Unfortunately, his light fiddling couldn't reverse the bedhead, but that didn't stop him from trying.

Only a few minutes later the phone began to ring, and Mike gave a defeated sigh. "I should get that, just in case it's the cops calling to tell me that they figured out I broke into the theater. Take over for me?" He offered the controller to Marionette, who eagerly rolled over the back of the couch and onto the seat. He smoothly took the controller, having anticipated this moment to eventually come. "I already checked the door on the right. There's a puzzle in there, but I need a key or something to unlock it," Mike forewarned as he stood and entered the kitchen. He answered the phone, "Hello, hello?"

"Hello, hello yourself!" Fritz answered over the phone. Even though sounding tired, he sounded surprisingly upbeat, and there was an excitement in his voice that Mike wouldn't have anticipated. "You're never going to believe what I managed to do last night." Before Mike could get the chance to ask, Fritz blurted out the point. "I broke Baby's programming!"

"…You _broke_ it?" Mike asked in confusion. "Wait, like, you cracked it? You've got it figured out?"

"No, I literally broke it. I took Foxy's advice: I couldn't get rid of the programming, so I reprogrammed enough of the stuff that the programming can't follow through. I broke the mechanics of it all!" Fritz sounded proud of himself. It was something Mike seldom heard, but he was equally impressed. "It was like this-."

As Mike continued on the phone with Fritz, Marionette stopped listening in when he noticed that Charlie was showing mild interest in the game. At least she was watching the television screen. He decided to take the chance. "Would you like to play?" he offered. "It's not the easiest game, but I'm sure you would do well once you got the hang of it."

"I don't know if I can…" Charlie admitted. He thought for a moment that she meant because of her skill, but then noticed how her free hand shifted in place. She meant physically, so he was quick to insist.

"It would be good for you! Every little thing helps. You'd be surprised how quickly your hands will get used to the controls," Marionette insisted. He moved to the floor and inviting beckoned her over. Charlie was uncertain about whether to even try. This all seemed so odd and playing video games was the last thing she thought she would be capable of doing in this new body.

"Hurry. Mike wasn't joking about Scissor Lad. I'm not sure if he's only in certain rooms, but it seems like he appears wherever if you're still long enough," Marionette pointed out. He chimed in delight as Charlie stood, swayed, and then did an odd half-fall, half-lunge at the sofa, and barely managed to flop down beside him. He watched as she turned herself around, managing to manipulate her legs into a partial cross, and faced the television. He handed her the controller and pointed out the controls. She took a moment to affix her hands onto the controller before beginning.

Marionette couldn't help but be excited as he watched Charlie play the game. He just had to be patient and supportive; neither of which Goldie had been to him. He was going to do things differently that Goldie had.

Fritz wrapped up his explanation on Baby. "So, basically, I got some progress done… The only catch is that I'm sort of stuck here for the day. Natalie's really afraid that I'm overworking again, so I don't want to rush back over there and worry her."

"No, that makes sense," Mike agreed as he poured himself more coffee. "Just take the day off and spend some time with Nat, alright?"

"Well, you see, that's why I called you. I need someone to go to the warehouse and check on Baby. I thought she was doing great…" Fritz hesitated a moment. "So, I left her on."

Mike considered spitting his mouthful of coffee back into the mug. Deciding that would be a waste at the last moment, he gave a heavy swallow, stinging his throat in the process. "I'm sorry, but I thought you said that you left Baby on in the warehouse with the tools, the spare parts, and the computer," Mike remarked. "Which could very well be the worst mistake possible."

"It wasn't a mistake, it… It was a reward. Foxy said that fighting the programming wouldn't be possible without Baby's full cooperation. I thought that if I showed her some forms of perks after progress that it might make her more willing to cooperate," Fritz explained. "Baby was acting strangely friendly last night. I think, personality quirks aside, that she's actually lonely."

"I guess I could believe that…" Mike sent a look into the living room. A month of solitude had made Marionette desperate after Fredrick died, Foxy's time alone had made him unnaturally clingy, and Jeremy's Minireenas treated one day alone like it had been weeks without word; loneliness made animatronics act unstable. Mike's sympathy for Baby was rather shallow but considering his limited time with her- and not considering his time with Ennard dressed as Baby- Mike was willing to readily believe that he was too detached from the situation to cast judgement.

"Alright, I'll mention it to Mari and we'll go over there, but I'm not going alone," Mike firmly insisted. Of course, it wasn't until after he said this that he considered what they would do with Charlie. He hesitated a moment. "Anything else I should know before I go over there?"

"Mention ice cream and her claw should clamp up. Just make sure it's not on your throat when you do," Fritz pointed out.

"Gee, thanks." With that, Mike hung up. He then stepped to the back of the couch. "Mari, could you come in here for a second?" Marionette looked back and tilted his head in confusion, but then nodded and rose. As he started around the couch, Charlie seemed to suddenly notice, and spoke up.

"You don't have to leave to talk," Charlie pointed out. She looked back to the game, flatly accepting what she saw as a pitiful attempt to cover their intentions: to wander off and whisper about her. "Even if it's about me, I don't mind." The Puppet was prepared to defend, but he didn't have the chance.

"That's not it at all," Mike defended smoothly. He then pointed a thumb back into the kitchen. "We're just going to make out in the pantry and spare you being scarred for life." With that, he beckoned Marionette again and headed to the pantry that he then opened. The striped male followed quickly behind.

"Mike, you're putting ideas in her head," Marionette murmured. After all, Charlie had no idea about their relationship. He looked at the pantry, then Mike, then the pantry, and then his eyes widened, and his voice grew quiet. "Wait, were you actually intending for us to…?"

"Actually, I was looking to see if we had any spare cereal, but I'm game if you're looking to try something new." Mike flashed Marionette a wide smirk, to which the Puppet looked immediately flustered. Right after this though, Mike blinked and looked back to the pantry in confusion. "Is it just me, or is this pantry colder than the rest of the house?" He looked down at the floor almost questioningly, as it almost felt like the cool was coming from there.

"What was it Fritz said on the phone?" Marionette asked as he rubbed at his cheeks, as though trying to rub away the embarrassment with his fingertips.

"He asked me to go to the warehouse and check on Baby, who he let run rampant in the warehouse, and I'm not going without a comfortable buffer, which would be you." Mike couldn't help but return to amusement after the interaction before but sobered slightly as he sent a glance towards the living room. "I don't know what you want to do about Charlie though. I don't plan to be there long, but I don't exactly want to ditch her."

"Nor do I… Hmm… I'll mention it to her and see what she says. She already knows we're talking about her, so at this point we should just ask her." Marionette turned to do so when Mike started to close the door on them. "You're trapping me," Marionette flatly pointed out. He knew what Mike was doing. "You're trapping me and Charlie's ten feet away."

"Just a quick kiss on the cheek?" Mike 'innocently' asked. He was flashing that smirk again though, so Marionette had a suspicion that his request wasn't nearly as innocent as believed. It was still hard resisting. Marionette gave a mock exasperated sigh before tapping at his cheek in directing. The man leaned in and discreetly rested a hand on the animatronic's waist. This should've been yet another sign that he was planning something else, but it wasn't obvious until Mike's slow descent to Marionette's cheek was suddenly shifted. He dropped his head down and caught under Marionette's mask, kissing at his neck.

Marionette gave a soft gasp and chime of surprise, then a warble that he could not resist. Even though he knew Charlie was nearby he still found himself tempted to let it keep going. Yet right as he was going to tether his fingers in Mike's hair, holding him in place and moving them further into the pantry, Mike smoothly pulled back. That sly smirk was still there; he knew exactly how to get the Puppet riled. He knew how flustered he was when he gave that look of slight scolding, one that was marred with too much temptation and quite discomposed.

Charlie, meanwhile, could only imagine what they were whispering about her. She almost found it impossible to focus on the game. As much as she appreciated their affectionate behaviors and supportiveness, this was the closest they had gotten to treating her outright like a child, and she was none-too-pleased with it. Finally, she decided to do something and paused the game. She then climbed onto the couch, intending to peer over the back and call them out. Maybe then they would be surprised enough to treat her like a normal person.

Of course, she just happened to look over the back right as Mike had his mouth on Marionette's neck, and that ruined her plans.

" _Whoa, okay, never mind."_ Charlie sunk back down the couch and onto the floor. She was half stunned, slightly disturbed, and rather confused about a few things that she would not bring up. " _I think I'd rather not know."_

Before either could notice her, or she hoped so, she turned on the game and returned to trying to lose herself in it. She wasn't entirely sure what she thought of Mike and Marionette like this, but she wasn't feeling up to thinking about it either. Humans and animatronics becoming romantic was a foreign boundary she wasn't yet ready to cross. Especially when it involved two people who she was now reliant on. It was only then that Marionette came to the living room to speak to Charlie. Both felt awkward and flustered for various reasons, all while Mike busied himself with looking for more cereal.

"Charlie, we have to brief step over to the warehouse," Marionette began. "Another animatronic named Baby has been getting help from Fritz in writing out some of her programming. He can't go see her and asked us to stop in and make sure she's… Comfortable…" He gave a weary sigh. "I won't lie to you; Baby can be a bit much. She's a bit abrasive and she virtually doesn't like anyone… She reminds me too much of my father."

"I'll be fine if you need to go," Charlie excused without thinking. Then when she did think about it, she came to a different conclusion. "Unless you're… Asking me to come?" She looked to him with growing interest. Her eyes even began to glow in small yellow dots, which she didn't seem to notice. "That… Seems like a bad idea… I'm probably not safe to be out there." Yet as hesitant as she sounded, that flare of light was still, signaling her interest.

"Would you like to come?" Marionette asked curiously. "Only Baby is going to be at the warehouse and there's a blanket in the car to use for cover." Honestly, the last thing he wanted was to take Charlie anywhere nearby Baby, but he was too thrilled by Charlie's own willingness to turn her down. "We don't have to be gone very long. There's not really much that one can do in a warehouse anyway, and Baby's liable to kick us out rather quickly." This seemed to start winning the Security Puppet over. "It's your choice."

"…Okay," Charlie agreed. She set the controller aside and started to push herself up. Marionette offered his hand, but she declined it. "I'm fine. I need to do this," she insisted. "It'll get easier."

"It'll get easier," Marionette echoed with assurance. He then looked back at Mike. "No cereal?"

"If nobody cares, I might go get something while we're out. Preferably after we get to the warehouse. The longer I don't have to be around Baby the better." He pretended that was a joke for Charlie's sake. Baby was someone who had to be seen to be believed. "Let's get this show on the road."

None of the neighbors were out, so Mike was able to get Charlie to the car, where she was covered up in the backseat while Marionette took to the floorboards. She didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or not. If anything, she sort of felt like a criminal on the run, but that wasn't exactly a terrible thing. It was still a step above 'stuck as an animatronic'. Still just the little bit of sunlight making it through the blanket felt like a relief and made the risk worth it. The ride wasn't long before Mike pulled into the warehouse's parking lot and stopped close to the doors.

Once both Puppets were in the warehouse, Mike headed in the direction of the office. "Let me go see where Baby is and make sure she's still sane." With that, he headed off towards the office. He had no doubt that Marionette was going to follow, but he wanted to make certain that Baby was still somewhat contained. The office door was closed, which was an unreadable sign since Mike knew Baby was capable of using doors and fitting through them. He opened the door slowly and started to lean into the office. It was pitch dark inside the room and he felt for the light switch. "Baby?"

There was no response and Mike flicked on the light. The office was empty and the animatronic was nowhere to be seen.

"She's not in there?" The voice right behind his ear caused Mike to give a startled shiver. Not quite a jump or a flinch, but some slight reaction of surprise. A black, fabric hand rested on his shoulder to ease him. "I doubt she would leave the warehouse. Baby isn't foolish and wouldn't go out in broad daylight."

"Was that revenge for the pantry?" Mike asked as he stepped into the office.

"…Yes." Marionette answered as he followed closely behind him. The office looked about the same as usual, with nothing out of place. The only thing he noticed, and he only noticed once he directly looked at it, was that the computer tower was on. He quirked a brow and turned on the monitor. To his slight surprise, the monitor booted up to show it open on a website depicting party supplies. "Looks like Baby learned how to use the computer. Unless Fritz was half asleep and forgot to turn the computer all the way off…" He squinted his eyes at the website. "Probably not. This isn't the supply company we use."

Before Marionette could consider it, he heard a thumping out from the warehouse. He headed out of the office in an instant, but whatever horror he was expecting he didn't find. The source of the noise was simply Charlie moving around boxes on the shelves. He approached and realized that she was looking into the box of security bracelets and cocked his head. She had to sit on the ground with the box to keep from totally collapsing and lifted one of the unlit, yellow bracelets. She only noticed him out of the corner of her eye when he hovered a little closer.

"These bracelets… There was a girl at the theater had one just like this, except it was green," Charlie revealed. She looked to Marionette inquisitively and held up the bracelet. "What are these?"

"Those would be security bracelets. When turned on, I can locate where it's signaling from. The only one currently working is the one that I gave to Chrissy, who must be who you mean…" Marionette kneeled down beside her. "She's a frequent visitor at the pizzeria. We're rather close and I hoped that if something happened… And it did… That I could use it to find her, which we did."

"She was okay?" Charlie asked in concern. "I broke her out of that guy's car right before it happened. I thought- he almost hit her. If he wouldn't have hit me then he would've hit her…" She dropped her arm limply and stared back into the box. Cautiously, Marionette reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder. She was a bit more comfortable with his touch and made no attempt to pull away. Instead, she gave the smallest jingling noise and tried to think about the topic at hand. "But you're close?"

"Yes. Chrissy is, for lack of a better explanation, my favorite. She's the only child that knows I'm truly alive. She had a habit of riding her bicycle home and he was waiting in the parking lot… I wouldn't have reached her in time if it wasn't for you though." He looked to Charlie with an affectionately thankful smile, "Her life is in debt to you, as am I." Charlie felt a rising warmth in her chest. Perhaps something good did come out of her loss. It only felt like more of a victory when she managed to suppress ringing that wanted to come free.

Meanwhile, Marionette turned the bracelet over in his hand and looked over it. "Now even though you're a _Security Puppet,_ I'm not sure if these would work on you. They might need to be set to a certain frequency." As soon as he had said that, Marionette suddenly had a stark memory of something else that could attract a puppet. He hesitated and contemplated whether it was worth caution her. It soon became clear that he needed to warn her. "If you ever see a black bear- it looks like a one eyed black Freddy- don't go anywhere near it."

Charlie's mask almost seemed to twitch in questioning. "Why not?"

"The bear can give off the same signals as the bracelets, so it is best to be careful. We're hoping the bear was destroyed, but I wouldn't want you to get blinded by it." Marionette then gave a more easy-going shrug, "The motto at Freddy's is 'If you go chasing rabbits, prepare to fall down a rabbit hole'. I suppose it works for bears too." He then chimed playfully. While Charlie was about to write the whole thing off, the mention of rabbits brought up uncomfortable thoughts of golden suits. Specifically, a golden rabbit suit, and a distant memory of her twin brother.

A wheeling, squeaking noise from behind interrupted any chance Charlie had to ask about the Bonnie suit. Dots of light appeared in Marionette's eyes as he stared ahead with a wary look. He didn't even have to look back. "Hello, Baby."

Charlie turned to look behind her and was taken aback by the mere sight of the third animatronic. It was nothing like the puppets' similar appearance; it was a broken hunk of scrap that might've resembled a female clown at some point. Now it was only a mess spilling wires and staring down with incomplete, glowing green eyes. It certainly was Baby, and her quiet approach only made Marionette feel less at ease. It didn't help that those green eyes were staring at Charlie so intently that they almost looked like they were looking through her. Charlie only managed to stand her ground by staring back and couldn't tell if it was out of defiance or dread.

The female clown then spoke, "How wonderful, you have a new doll to puppeteer." Her voice was soft, humanlike, and rather unnerving. It was much too appropriate.

"Good day, Baby," Marionette greeted with a slightly sour tone. The hostility was immediate between them, and the Puppet rose and faced the clown. "You look better," he forced out.

"I wish I could say the same to you, but you never change," Baby answered. He knew that she was being argumentative on purpose, but it would take more than pettiness to rile him. So, he answered with a chime of laughter.

"Don't feel obligated to," Marionette assured. Then his voice grew flatter as he simply stated, "I always look good." Hearing footsteps, he sent a glance back at the office, then looked back down at the Security Puppet. "And she is not a toy. Far from it, really. She is my friend and she has just recently taken her new form." He hoped that he didn't need to explain what he meant by that. Thankfully, Baby was insightful enough to pick it up and looked down at the Security Puppet again.

"You were one of the stolen children?" Baby asked directly. Marionette was surprised; how could Baby know about the kidnappings when she was shut down? Though he then realized that Fritz must have told her in passing. Either that or she was looking at more than just birthday supplies online.

"Not exactly, but close enough," Charlie dismissed as she finally looked down at the box. "I haven't been a child for a long time." It occurred to her that soon 'child' would be replaced with 'human'. That was a strange sort of feeling.

"And you have a name?" Baby pressed further. Her brief interest dropped into a more unenthused tone. "No, let me guess… Funtime Puppet?" She almost sounded smugly patronizing when she asked that. Charlie didn't get it, but she almost felt defensive as she straightened her back and looked back at the clown.

"My name's Charlie," she corrected the other female. "And I'm… I'm a _Security Puppet_ … Whatever that's supposed to be."

"Oh, you still have your name." Baby's voice was telling; her interest was piqued again. This really wasn't a recently deceased child, but a female of an age closer to an adult, killed and stuck in a suit. Baby didn't know if it was a sadistic sort of pleasure from seeing an adult being struck down or if it was the fact that it was another female. The only other female animatronic Baby had met was sweet, soft-toned, simple-minded Ballora. Unlike Ballora, who stayed mostly passive until her betrayal, this one showed that she wasn't intimidated by Baby. She already liked Charlie more than Ballora, but that wasn't saying much.

"Fritz couldn't come in today, which is why we're here," Marionette said in a slightly friendlier way. He didn't want to fight with his sister and knew he was partially at fault, letting her empty words get to him and responding to them. Things were supposed to be different now, so he calmed himself down and tried another tactic. "He said that you were staying awake but was concerned that you would be confused when he didn't come in."

"I'll be fine," Baby insisted. She almost sounded offended by the suggestion. "Unlike you, I don't need to keep my human companions constantly within arm's length… Then again, I don't keep human toys either." This got a blank look from Marionette. "I suppose he's somewhere nearby, isn't he? I doubt you would come this far without him." Baby looked around the immediate area of the warehouse and then down towards the office. She spotted movement through the open door. "Oh, there he is. I'm surprised you let him get that far without fearing he would run off on you."

"…Well, Baby, this has been a pleasant visit!" Marionette began in a saccharine voice as he forced himself into his default smile, "but I think we should be going. As you said, you don't need someone watching over you, and we have other places to be." He turned towards the office, hesitated, and then turned his head back. "Mike and I, naturally." It sounded a little more bitter as he started slowly towards the office. He hesitated to wait for Charlie, who got the gesture and started to push herself off the floor. She again struggled to stand on her own legs.

"You have trouble walking by yourself…" Baby began innocently. Then her voice almost turned a little coarser, "There's a metaphor in there somewhere."

While Charlie only felt inwardly annoyed, it came out externally in a low tone, slowed down jingle. It certainly sounded like it portrayed the frustration that she couldn't as she followed Marionette. She forced herself upright and struggled with her balance; she wouldn't let Baby see her fall. Mike was still fiddling with the computer history when Marionette entered the office.

"Alright, we're leaving," the Puppet abruptly announced. "I think I've had enough fun with Baby. Let's go get you breakfast and…" He hesitated a moment as he considered how terrible this went. His first time bringing Charlie out and introducing her to another animatronic and she was on the receiving end of Baby's attitude. She deserved something better; all three of them did. There had to be a way to salvage this outing. He slowly started to get a creeping smile as he concocted a new plan. "And head to the pizzeria to see Foxy." Mike sent him a quizzical look. "He'll want to meet her anyways, and he's been alone over there."

"Really?" The security guard raised a brow before giving a casual shrug. "You're the boss. If I get breakfast out of it, I'm willing to drive you anywhere." He then turned the monitor back off, not caring to shut the entire computer down, and stood from the chair. "I don't want to alarm you, but Baby has an unhealthy obsession with party supplies. So, don't be freaked out if fifty boxes of cupcake printed wrapping paper pop up on the doorstep."

"They can come out of Fritz's salary," Marionette dismissively waved. Though he took Mike's word in that he didn't find anything else too suspicious. Baby could do what she liked if it kept her passive. It was now when Charlie appeared looking a little less eager than expected. The Puppet smiled at her and approached to explain his new plan. Shortly afterwards, they were leaving the warehouse once more, with Mike locking the front door behind them.

Baby was relieved to see them leave quickly. As it was, she had been skating on eggshells anticipating Fritz arriving at any time. Now that she knew he wouldn't be coming everything was perfect. Even if she had become accustomed to his company, she had her own things to deal with now, and they involved research without distraction. She returned to the office and turned the monitor back on. She looked over the images of party supplies for only a moment before she left the set of innocent images and found the map she had been looking at earlier.

A plan was already beginning to form, perhaps Marionette had unintentionally given her the final piece she needed.

* * *

 **Mable: Baby can now complete her dastardly plan of ordering an unbelievable amount of party supplies and opening a pizzeria in the warehouse. Good on you, Baby, our little entrepreneur. The next chapter will be posted next week, I hope you enjoyed!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Mable: Not much to say today, so I'm just going to go ahead with it. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fourteen_

Foxy wasn't expecting anyone, but he jumped at the sound of the door opening with the same vigor he would've at opening time. He wasn't even disappointed either, even though Jeremy was still holed up at home and the pizzeria was closed and quiet, for Marionette was the first one to enter. He greeted him appropriately, "Ah, afternoon, Lad!" He swung an arm around his shoulders and tugged him into a loose hug. "I've been waiting for ya."

"Oh dear. That scares me," Marionette lightly joked.

"It should," Foxy lowered his voice as he started to tug his sibling down the hallway. "I want all the details, Lad. Yer lucky I let ya slide yesterday, but Jer'my was over here with a massive shiner. Ya wouldn't believe this thing, Lad. The thing looked like a plum!"

Yet right as he planned on continuing leading his sibling away, the other two finally entered, with Mike trying to somewhat shield Charlie as she slowly made her way inside. She held herself up with a hand on the wall and looked upwards, only to lock eyes with Foxy who was now staring back at her. His ears perked as he stared at the unfamiliar puppet and Marionette got an almost timid smile.

"All the explanation will come in due time. Firstly," Marionette began as he laid a hand on Foxy's shoulder to turn him towards the Security Puppet. "I think you've seen Charlie, but I don't think you two have properly met. As for Mike, I think you two know each other well enough," he playfully quipped. "Charlie, this is my older brother Foxy. You'll find him a bit more… Social than Baby."

Foxy's ears twitched and his yellow eye glanced in Marionette's direction. "Who said anything about Baby?"

"We went to see Baby before we came here," Marionette quickly explained. Foxy looked to him in surprise.

"Ya took her to _Baby_ before bringing her to see me? What, ya wanted to scar the poor lass fer life?" Foxy asked in confusion. Marionette realized where that comment may have been a mistake. He was just about to talk himself through an excuse when they were both interrupted.

"You're brothers?" Charlie asked in confusion as he looked between them. "Like… Mascot wise or actually brothers?"

"I be his flesh and blood brother under all this metal an' fur!" Foxy boasted with a deep chuckle. He then stuck out his good hand to the girl. "Captain Foxy, pirate scourge of the seven seas! Now lemme get a look at ya." He then started to scan over her frame and while Charlie assumed she should've been, she didn't really feel uncomfortable. It was still difficult to look at her hands and arms and equate them to being hers. Foxy then slightly turned and murmured, "This that knock-off body Schmidt bought?"

"It's not a knock-off, it's just not the original," Marionette defended. Though this probably had some weight to it as the design was very reminiscent to the Funtime animatronics.

"And you were human too," Charlie clarified. She already knew this, but she felt the need to double check. After all, she hadn't expected Foxy to still be so involved in the character. Even off the clock here he sounded like the pirate captain.

"That be correct. I was just 'bout a teen when I got a knife in me back," Foxy quipped. Charlie stared at the bluntness while Marionette slowly raised a brow, also questioning why he would be so forthright. Thankfully, Foxy continued by explaining it. "We all've been in the same boat. Yer amongst friends here." He then leaned over and called back to the security guard. "How about you, Mike? How'd ya end up dead inside?"

"I was born dead inside," Mike called back. "Hasn't stopped everything from trying to kill me."

Foxy gave a chuckle and started to beckon Charlie further into the pizzeria. "Come in, come in, Lass! After Baby, ya must be starved fer somethin' a little less bitter." Once he noticed her delayed walk, he offered her his arm and nearly whisked her away. His excitement was obvious, and Marionette was relieved to see him so excited. Foxy could certainly give a better first impression, and even though she had been there before, Foxy gave her a full tour of the pizzeria.

"This be the main floor. That's me stage over there. Kids come in, I come out, ya get it. This back corner be the arcade. The kids get their tickets from the games and then take them in to Marion to exchange 'em fer prizes. Ya got yer plush dolls, ya got pencil toppers, posters, shirts, all sorts of things that the kids like all in the Prize Corner. Only really one spot fer a puppet in there though," Foxy explained. That was the only warning that came before he added in, "But all that's over here by the door is the doll stage fer the 'Reenas. We could put ya a box right here by the door."

"What? No, wait," Charlie interrupted in a near panic. She raised her hands in defense and shook her head, her bell jingling as she did so. "I'm not going to be a performer. I'm just… I'm just an animatronic, not a performer, right?" She looked to Marionette questioning, desperately, and Marionette nodded in agreement.

"Aww, that be a shame, Lass! If ya change yer mind, the place'll be here waitin' fer ya." Foxy didn't press her. After his death the last thing he wanted was to suddenly be pushed onto a stage and be pronounced Foxy the Pirate, so her reluctance was familiar enough. A shame, but understandable in these circumstances. It still seemed to make the situation a little awkward, or at least Mike thought that. He decided to dismiss himself from the scene.

"I'm going to go find a plate since we're sticking around awhile," Mike announced as he lifted the fast food bag. Foxy glanced over and gave a dismissive waving gesture, and the human gladly turned to go, already feeling half-starved.

"Wait," Charlie broke out. "I'll come with you." She staggered along the floor and tried to hurry on her stilt-like legs. "I'm sorry, I'm coming."

"I'm not going anywhere," Mike patiently answered with a shrug as he opened the kitchen door for her. He had a feeling that he was about to be cornered for reassurances, but he figured he could do that while eating. As they left the room, this left the remaining two animatronics standing in silence. The tension that they knew would eventually arrive came abruptly.

"It was the best body I could give her," Marionette defended insistently. "I know it seems like I selfishly chose my image, but the others were clunky and much larger. I thought this one would be easier to adjust to."

"Lad, ya don't need to explain it. I'm just glad Mike didn't talk ya into bringing back that Porkpouch bugger," Foxy remarked. Then he scratched at the back of his neck with his hook. "I, uh… I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner… I should've been there when it happened. I got to the kids, but just barely."

"No. I'm glad you weren't there earlier. I… I did some things I'm not proud of," Marionette meekly insisted. He looked to his sibling with shame. "I didn't show much mercy."

"Did ya kill 'em?" Foxy inquired. The Puppet thoughtfully tapped his fingers together.

"Well, technically, you could say that I did…" Now that he thought about it, it seemed very likely that he was the cause of Dave's death. Then again, he truly couldn't tell, but it certainly didn't help his possibly already faltering heart. Marionette looked back to Foxy who was watching alertly and expectantly. He knew what he wanted. "…Yes, I did."

"Atta boy!" Foxy playfully praised as he patted him on the back. "Yer finally joinin' the family business! I'm real proud of ya." This only managed to get a slight frown out of the younger. Foxy's voice grew gentler, "Don't worry 'bout it. T'wasn't like the guy didn't know what he was doin'. He worked at Freddy's, yeah?" The Puppet nodded silently. "Then he learned his own trade workin' with… the family…" Foxy turned his head towards the glass windows. His patch raised as yellow eyes focused in.

"It's not as though I strangled him or snapped his neck. All I did was startle him into what might've been a heart attack. I'm not really certain," Marionette meekly mused. "…And I still feel wrong. Not for Dave's sake, but that my own innocence, or what remains of it, feels like it has been-."

"Lad, _we got company,"_ Foxy abruptly warned. Marionette's head snapped over to see a car pulling into the parking lot. Not just any car either, but a Crown Victoria, a _police car_. "Schmidt, get out here!" Foxy bellowed back to the kitchen. He then yanked Marionette smoothly into the prize corner, shoved him towards his box, dove behind the counter, and disappeared.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Mike was watch nearly throttling a half-empty bottle of ketchup that refused to give up its contents. Nearby Charlie was leaning against the counter, half collapsed on it, head in her hands.

"I can't do it," she vented. "I just- I can't. I can't do it. I don't want to disappoint Marionette or Foxy, but I'm not… Ready to become a circus act. I'm just not-…" She let out a low ringing like a sigh as she drew back to stare at her hands. "…It's not just that I'm not ready, I don't think I can. I can't imagine me out there performing like an animatronic.

"Don't worry about it," Mike casually remarked as he took off the cap and jammed a plastic butter knife into the bottle to free the ketchup. "Foxy's just thinking out loud. He isn't going to force you into performing if you're just honest with him." It was then that he noticed how thick and buttery the ketchup had become. He gave a light scowl and looked to Charlie, intending to ask her opinion on whether it was worth eating. Yet he paused when he noticed she was eyeing him. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I was just- I only just now realized that I can't eat anymore," Charlie slowly answered. She looked vacantly- though it was hard to tell- at the floor. "If I would've known that was my last meal, I… I think I would've done something more special than microwave macaroni…" He could tell she was starting to decline once again.

"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure there's some variation of taste. Or else Foxy just lathers himself up in cake for fun," Mike playfully remarked. She looked to him curiously. "Might be worth breaking open a container of icing to see if you can get a reaction like Mari and Foxy can. There's some in the pantry if you want me to get it." She slowly looked towards the pantry and started to consider it. It wasn't as though she would be risking anything.

"Schmidt, get out here!" Foxy's voice suddenly bellowed out. The security puppet jumped while the security guard rolled his eyes.

"Oh great. Sounds like Mari ratted me out to Foxy. Not sure for what but does sound like I'm about to get chewed out," Mike remarked. He grabbed his plate and started out of the kitchen, but only got the door open before he spotted the man walking to the front door. Immediately his eyes widened, and any humor was replaced by sobriety. He turned his head and called back into the kitchen. "We've got company. Try to hide in the pantry or something." Then he let the door shut and crossed the dining room.

The man who watched him approach, with a knock on the door in greeting, was none other than the detective whom had questioned him before. Almost as soon as he saw him, Mike expected the worst. There was no reason this man needed to come back and question him, yet here he was, and Mike was cornered. The paranoid thought that maybe the detective had been waiting for him appeared. Perhaps he had been stalking the end of the parking lot like Dave had, waiting for his victim to pass through. He could only hope that he hadn't seen the animatronics get smuggled in.

Mike unlocked and opened the door almost hesitantly. "Alright, you caught me. My social life is so pathetically inept that I eat breakfast at my job even when it's closed. You can take me to jail now, but only if my hash browns come with me and only if we stop on the way for ketchup," Mike flatly remarked to him. A joke could ease the mood, or at least make him look less suspicious.

"Still beats spending your weekend at a crime scene. You're off the hook," the detective responded without missing a beat. "I saw you here and decided to drop in. See how you were holding up." Mike almost responded, but he was interrupted by the man. "I saw you on the news. How's business going?"

"We're open," Mike remarked, splaying his arms. The joke didn't land. "I'm kidding, of course. What psychopath would open days after that happened? I'm just here running maintenance and getting brunch."

"Good, good." The detective didn't sound like he was fully listening. "The funeral is on Friday if you want to come, but you're not under obligation. It's fine enough if you'd just rather not get involved."

"Uh… Yeah, I'll be there. Where is it?" The detective game Mike the address to the funeral home and cemetery in St. George. Even if Charlie wouldn't have been currently living with them he would've still felt obligated to go. It had been a harrowing experience for everyone involve and he needed to be there. "Thanks for inviting me. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. Seeing me might set off her family."

"Don't worry about that. You should be there," the detective insisted. Then he hesitated and looked towards the stage. The curtains were closed so he couldn't see that Foxy wasn't there. Mike, however, could see straight into the Prize Corner and noticed Foxy hunching down behind the counter. He was about to start sweating bullets if the detective got anymore curious about seeing Foxy. "We found something concerning."

"Oh yeah?" Mike asked.

"In the basement of Magictime Theater was an animatronic elephant. You said you used it to climb out?" Mike nodded. "But you didn't touch it beyond moving the head?" Mike declined this. "Well, we found a trace amount of blood inside the suit. There was an incident recently involving the same elephant falling on a child, but the location of the blood made it unlikely that it came from the boy. Instead, we're looking to the selling of the animatronic, and traced it back to an auction at Afton Robotics. You used to work at Afton Robotics you said."

"Uh, no, never said that. I worked at-." At the last moment, Mike realized what the detective was doing. There was no way that he had told the detective he worked anywhere suspicious and he was rather sure that he hadn't fessed up to being at Freddy's. He was backed into a corner but worked quickly. "-Chipper and son's. Only for a little while when we were first opening. I haven't even been there since they rebranded."

Perhaps the detective was disappointed by the lack of a slip up, as he suddenly looked a little more disinterested. At least he wasn't curious about Chipper's. Then again, who was? "Afton's had been under scrutiny for years. I'm sure you know of the fire and the recent death of the newest owner, Chance Johnson, under mysterious circumstances. Chance Johnson who would be the father of Henry Johnson, the original co-owner of Freddy's." He had done his research.

"Yeah, I heard about that," Mike agreed. "It's a shame. You never know when a place is going to burst into flames. Though I'm going to go out on a limb and say this isn't the worst thing that went down at a Freddy Fazbear Pizzeria." The detective was staring at him. "…What? What's that look?"

"Nothing," the detective denied. Mike didn't believe it for a second. "I just came by to give you the information and see if you had anything new to add before we reopened the investigation into Afton Robotics." Mike forced himself to show absolutely no emotion and just managed a shrug and denied it. The detective turned to leave and then paused at the door, looking back. "There's a man working here named Fritz?"

"Sam Fritz."

"Right. Well if you hear from a _Fritz Smith_ then tell him we're looking for him." Then the man stepped out and Mike inwardly cringed. The detective knew something was amiss and all it did was leave him with a headache. He locked the door and took another bite of a hash brown as he watched the detective pull out of the parking lot.

"Took 'im long enough ta leave," Foxy grumbled as he exited the Prize Corner and headed closer to the safety of his stage. "Ya hear all that 'bout Chance and ARI? He's gonna gut the place! We be lucky we ain't stuck down in there! We better hope he don't start connectin' anymore dots." While Mike shared the sentiments, he didn't feel ready to relax just yet, and continued watching the empty parking lot.

Marionette appeared out of the Prize Corner, laid his hand on Mike's shoulder, and gave a light squeeze. Mike exhaled tiredly and looked to him, "We need to get out of dodge for a few days." There was a lingering pause as he continued eating, but then he continued. "Maybe go blow our savings in Vegas while we have the chance." The Puppet chimed in amusement and seemed to sympathize with him. He didn't have to say anything either, both were equally uneasy about the detective's questionings.

However, Mike's comment about skipping town wasn't one he was taking seriously, so when Marionette went to check on Charlie he thought it was the end of it. They stayed a little longer after that. Thankfully, Foxy had continued in being a good host to Charlie, and without making any other suggestions that would make her uncomfortable. This helped Mike who was lost in his thoughts. Mostly on whether or not anything was left behind in Afton's to incriminate him, as Chance had found. In a way, Chance was almost a saving grace, as he probably destroyed any evidence left behind. Still, they were on the radar now.

Mike also noticed that Marionette too seemed distracted. He was staying by Charlie and Foxy as they entered the arcade section, loyally following along and speaking with engaged, but he spent most of his time silent and seemingly poignant. Though Mike was too, elsewise he wouldn't be focusing so much on watching Marionette and so little on his meal. It was only a matter of time before they would be home again and perhaps then they could be forthright with their troubles. He hated admitting it, but Mike wanted to discuss it. He wanted to know what the Puppet thought they should do.

However, he wasn't expecting Marionette to engage a different sort of conversation on the car ride home. They had finally escaped Foxy's and were on the road back when the white mask slid up between the seats. As innocently as could be, elbow propped on the center console, Marionette asked, "So, where did you have in mind?"

"I'm sorry?" Mike glanced at him in confusion. The animatronic chimed lightly as his free hand's fingers tapped on the plastic beneath him.

"For where we're going to escape the chaos. We better hurry and decide; our 'free days' are almost over, and we're expected to open first thing next week. If we're going somewhere, we'll need to decide and go by this weekend," he explained. Setting aside that Mike was almost entirely baffled that Marionette was suggesting they actually should split town, the thought of where they would go led to a lot of immediate dead ends.

"Mari, you know I was joking, right? If we split, the first thing that detective is going to think is that we went to Vegas. Slots or not the place is a bust." There was a playful amusement in Mike's voice. "But if you've got a better idea that doesn't equate to my mother's house, then I'm game for it."

"Unfortunately, most of our local hotspots are either closed, caught on fire, are being investigated by cops, or switched to Mexican food," Marionette listed out. "Our options are rather limited."

"And I'm not exactly jumping to crash at Mom's when she's in freak out mode," Mike added in. He could only imagine how weird that would be. Especially if she became clingy and refused to let them return home again.

It was now when Charlie, who was currently smothered under the blanket in the back, spoke up. "When a friend of mine and I were planning on running away for a while, we thought about going out to Zion. It's not far from here." It was unclear whether it was a real suggestion or a joking one. It certainly sounded like a lighter comment, as though she would be smiling if not trapped under the blanket- and ignoring the mask's natural smile. She raised the blanket with her arm to peek out.

"That's it, we'll go camping!" Marionette volunteered dramatically. "Imagine it, Mike: you getting attacked by mosquitos, snakes, and whatever ungodly things are crawling in the desert and I get to watch!" Mike gave a scoff of amusement and expected that to be the end of it, but the Puppet was still watching him, as though waiting for an answer. When he didn't get one, he began to coax further. "You were the one who mentioned that you wanted us to go camping. Why don't we?"

"…Mari, we've got the police watching us, and you're willing to put yourself out in broad daylight?" Mike seemed shocked by the thought.

"I've hidden in plain sight before. Remember that night at the carnival? Everyone saw me, but nobody suspected a thing. We can do that again," Marionette persisted.

"That was different. I was in full costume, we were at a gig, and it was a carnival. It's not going to make as much sense when I'm carrying you around a canyon," Mike pointed out.

"They wouldn't see me. Or perhaps we would have to go out at night," Marionette said. He didn't seem detoured by Mike's resistance. "When would we have a better chance?"

"And Charlie?" the man asked. At the Puppet's silence he knew that he had hit the point of unknown. It was less likely that Charlie was going to be as willing to come with them, especially with how hesitant she was today at the pizzeria. Yet to his surprise, she spoke with a surprising suggestion.

"You don't have to worry about me. I was living alone before this happened. Even if I'm… Different now, I think I'm capable of watching myself," Charlie reassured. This only stoked the fires of Marionette's interest as he looked up at Mike again.

"We can be careful. Come on, Mike. You never were the type to be worried. You see how well I can hide…" His gaze fell over Mike's tense form. "…And I can tell that you want to go. I know when you're interested."

"Well, you got me," Mike caved. He paused long enough to reconsider it again. This was liable to get them both caught and send him to jail, but he couldn't resist the temptation of it. "…Alright, fine. This weekend will head out to the desert, die of heat stroke, scar some people, and hide from the cops. Will that make you happy?"

"I don't know," Marionette playfully murmured. His gaze narrowed as he rested his head on his hand. "Would that make _you_ happy?" Mike glanced at him again out of the corner of his eyes; blue eyes glancing to that teasing smile.

"…Yes."

By time they had gotten home, the two had managed to concoct some sort of rushed out plan about how they would do it. It involved borrowing camping supplies, buying others, and various ideas on how to be discreet, such as possibly hiking at night. That was Mike's idea and even though Marionette worried it could be dangerous for his human companion, the thought of being able to explore freely was overwhelmingly tempting as well. He could barely resist it. As soon as Mike was in the door from escorting Charlie, Marionette was already back to planning.

"If I do get spotted, I think it would be best if you pretend you don't see me and get away from whoever did see me. I won't appear on their cameras with my natural distortion and as long as they don't track me to you then I should be able to avoid any further following," Marionette offered. It seemed like a good enough plan. Not that he had any intention of being caught.

"So, knocking them out with a shovel is out? Shame," Mike quipped with a slowly forming smirk following. Sure, he joked about it now, but Marionette thought it was a reasonable enough idea. Nobody would believe that someone saw a striped puppet wandering the depths of a canyon, so he wasn't at too much of a risk. The security guard passed by, patting his shoulder as he did so. "I'm going to go see if there's anything leftover in the house worth using."

"Check Foxy's room. He could've cleaned it out, but I believe he used to have a tent in his closet," Marionette suggested, turning to point him down the hallway. "It shouldn't be too moth ridden. Foxy's closet always was a deathtrap."

This got the slightest snicker out of the human who moved onwards. The Puppet could vaguely hear Mike mutter under his breath, "This is just going to go _great._ " He couldn't help but chime in amusement at his companions continued pessimism even though he was obviously excited.

Yet while he was still excited, Marionette couldn't help but be a little concerned for Charlie. He looked to her and watched as she worked to climb over the back of the couch instead of walking around it. He approached the back of the couch and looked down at her, watching as she laid there on her side. "Charlie?" he quietly began. She looked up towards him. "Are you sure you will be okay? It should only be one night, but I don't feel right leaving you alone in the house."

"I'll be fine, Mari. Trust me, I'm used to living alone. One night's not going to-… I'll be fine." 'Kill me' seemed like the least appropriate thing to say. Charlie slid up on the couch to prop herself on the armrest. "Maybe a night alone would a good thing, just to show that I'm still capable of being alone. I'd have to rely on myself for a little while… I think I could use that in this body."

"Then that's what you'll get!" Marionette assured with a smile. "It'll be a night off for us all. For Mike and me, because we can escape the town for a bit, and for you because you can escape us." He chimed as he drifted around the couch. "And if you get uneasy or uncomfortable that night, you are always stay in Mike and my bed- That is, Mike's or my bed. Either bed, really." He thought he had just barely managed to save himself. Alas, after what Charlie saw earlier, she was rather aware of what was happening in the house. That slip up didn't make it by.

"I don't know, maybe. It depends on how good your pillows are." She considered saying more and finally dared to do so. "…Mari, I just want to say that you and Mike have been so great for these few days, and I…" Charlie tried to force it out. "You two have been great to me and I respect you both, and there's nothing I wouldn't…" But she couldn't do it. She already knew that she couldn't come out with it. In defeat, she gave half of it, "I think it's great that you two are so close, even though you're an animatronic now and he's a human being. I really think it's admirable."

"Thank you! Mike does have his charming points and I suppose I'm not half-bad on my good days," he playfully answered. Her suggestion went straight over his head; she was glad for that much.

* * *

Sometimes it got hot at night and the fans simply didn't help. It was on these nights that Mike wished they would've invested in a better air conditioner, and possibly one in the bedroom, as the one in the living room would have to creep down the hall before it made it into the room. He wasn't too surprised when he woke up in a near feverish delirium from the heat. He unwrapped Marionette from him, the Puppet being much too warm to stay alongside, and headed out into the living room. Someone had turned off the air conditioning and Mike mentally cursed as he knew it was probably himself who did it.

With a weary sigh, he crossed to the fridge to make a glass of ice water. Anything would take the edge off, he supposed, and gulping down icy water almost eased the heat. " _I don't remember it being this hot last summer. I thought it was supposed to cool down at night."_ He pressed the glass on his cheeks and forehead, then proceeded to just pour some of the water over his hair. _"Screw it. Maybe I'll just take a cold shower and call the night a bust."_ This seemed like a promising idea and he turned to leave the kitchen.

It was right then that he noticed a cold spot from beside the pantry. He hesitated and looked towards the door in confusion. Perhaps coaxed in by the promise of getting cooled down. He opened the pantry door and felt around. A cold aura of air seemed to be radiating from the bottom of the pantry. Furrowing his brows, Mike crouched down and felt around the floor. He had never questioned the small mat laying at the bottom of the pantry, but now poking around it he noticed it was so cold that it almost felt wet. He pulled it back and felt the floorboards.

That was when he found the hatch.

"What the?" Mike tossed the rug aside and lifted the small door, only to have it thump on the bottom shelf. He then removed the items off the bottom shelf and tried to remove it. It slid out easily and gave more room to open the hatch, which swung open into darkness. Frigid air gushed out as Mike stared into a dark abyss. "Great time to figure out we have a tornado shelter!" he choked out in shock. He went to retrieve his flashlight before returning and shining the light down what revealed to be a narrow stairwell.

" _William had a secret basement…"_ Mike gave a shaky exhale and started to slide himself into the space of the stairs. The floorboards were freezing on his bare feet as he stood and continued down them. They only went down twelve steps before ending in a single door. It was a narrow door, almost like a closet, and he reached for the handle. " _I'm making a huge mistake,"_ Mike warned himself as he reached for the handle. " _…But there's no backing out now."_ With that, he turned the knob and let himself into the room.

What waited was a small office. Not even as large as the bathroom, the closet-like office was set with a desk across from the door, numerous stacks of file cabinets, what almost looked like a large computer tower, and a single wooden dresser beside the door. The walls were lined with cork boards that were tacked with notes and blueprints. One even had a map pinned to it. It all felt very cramped and was surprisingly cold, which led him to believe that there was also another air conditioning unit in the room. It almost looked like an office from Freddy's; there was even a turned off fan on the desk.

" _This might take me a while…"_ Middle of the night or not, Mike was going to scour the room. He didn't think he could return to bed if he tried. He turned on a lamp on top of the dresser as he couldn't see the switch for the overhead light, then began to look through the drawers. To his slight surprise- at first it seemed confusing, but then he realized it was fitting- the drawers of the dresser were filled with tools, parts, trinkets, and random things for animatronic repair. The first drawer was mostly a makeshift toolbox, the second full of various pieces that he couldn't sort through, and then the third drawer became interesting.

As soon as Mike opened the drawer to reveal folded black fabric, he knew that he was in for something alarming, and he was. Unlike the ones above it, the drawer was neatly organized. There was black fabric, striped fabric, various pieces that almost looked like they came out of a music box: it was a drawer filled with parts for Marionette. Almost like a first aid kit made specifically for the Puppet. In the bottom of the drawer, wrapped in bubble wrap, Mike even found the elusive second mask- though he doubted Marionette could put it on.

It was the same porcelain as his mask, but the lips were pressed together with a slight smile instead of a joyous one. The painting was also rather different, with black diamond marks under the eyes, black lips, and a soft ruby hue around the eyes. It looked much more like the typical Pierrot than his normal one. He set it on the folds of black fabric and looked over the drawer. _"Looks like William stocked up on supplies after he brought Mari home… Not that Mari's ever needed any sort of replacement."_ It seemed like the Puppet simply repaired himself, but perhaps William didn't know that.

The fourth and final drawer was filled with tapes. Cassette tapes and VCR tapes were lined and labeled. Most of them just with dates, but one or two of the VCR tapes had actual labels. Naturally, these were ones that sounded innocent, such as 'Elizabeth's first birthday' and 'Summer Trip 1975'. They would be family videos, he assumed, and as for the unlabeled tapes, they would be Freddy's. He tapped his fingers on the edge of the drawer. _"It's going to take me months to go through these…"_ With a tired exhale, he slid the drawer closed. _"I can't really start tonight. That'll have to wait."_

The sheer amount of paperwork and blueprints shoved into the file cabinets was egregious, and a lot of it was seemingly unimportant legal documents. Mike was thankful that he had split what documents they had for Foxy's with Fritz and Jeremy, because he couldn't imagine somehow getting stuck with something like this. Receipts, inboxes, lawsuit inquiries and dismissals; so much unyielding stuff that he couldn't sort through. Then there were the multiple blueprints. Freddys, Bonnies, Chica, multiple Funtime animatronics; it all started to blend together. _"I'll come back to this."_

The things tacked to the wall consisted of newspaper clippings, photos, and the map itself. The map being of the state of Utah and being entirely unlabeled. Though closer inspection revealed tiny holes, as though there used to be pins in the map marking locations. The newspaper clippings were, disturbingly enough, all about Freddy's. Except for a few about Circus Baby's failed restaurant. There was even an advertisement flyer held to the wall. _"William must've really thought this place was going to make it. Maybe it would've if he didn't infest all of them with all that murderous intent. Waited until it took off and then did it. Impatient lunatic."_

It was now that Mike made it to the main desk. He found a light switch against the wall and flicked it on, which illuminated a long bulb over the desk. He hummed thoughtfully, " _Well, let's shed some light on this, shall we?... Except the obvious question of why William didn't put the switch at the door."_ With a scoff, he looked over the items, and he realized instantly that he had found the jackpot. Firstly, his eyes locked onto a stack of papers topped by Marionette's blueprints. The blueprints were the same as the ones he had found in the computer in Afton's. Underneath it was notes and scribbles.

One stood out. It looked like a hand drawn picture of Marionette's endoskeleton, but there was a brief blurb underneath it. " **Never had any connection to Puppet body- why this one?** " Mike blinked in confusion at the question, then continued to look through the writings. One was even more questionable: **"Henry's creation. Basic model used in Freddy's franchise. Wasn't being used during the accident. Machinery is basic- most functions come from life."** It seemed like William was trying to figure out how Marion became Marionette.

" _Give it up, Will. You know it was Henry. You're not that dense,"_ Mike scoffed as he went to set the papers aside. Then he hesitated a moment, tapping his fingers on the desk. " _Or maybe he was if he couldn't figure it out… But he still brought him home and got all these parts together…"_ It was then that his blue eyes landed on a blueprint of Baby, one that looked different than the one he saw before. _"Hello, what's this? Tampered blueprint?"_ He snatched up the paper, only to have his eyes widen when he saw what was underneath it, a single VHS tape labelled 'Michael'.

"Jackpot!" Mike whispered as he grabbed the tape and looked it over. Maybe William had left this for him. Maybe he assumed Mike would eventually find the office. "I mean, yeah, I'm living here. Eventually I'm going to notice a basement," he muttered to himself. He would need to watch the tape.

As for the blueprint, it was effectively the 'real' Baby blueprint. Unlike the one in Afton's, which had listed all her falsely positive traits, this one bluntly listed off the same storage tank, grouping coordination, and something cleverly disguised as being called 'ringleading directive'. It only took a few moments of scrounging before Mike located the paper that described what this directive was. _"Lead animatronic can coordinate and prepare performances amongst other animatronics programmed with directive seven."_ A simple enough explanation and was followed was a length amount of blunt lines of code.

It was nearly gibberish to Mike, who was almost half-asleep enough to miss the bigger picture. That was, until he realized what he was looking at.

These papers contained Baby's _programming_.

"Whoa, wait a minute…" Mike's face broke into a smirk. "William, you idiot savant! You left all her programming out here in the open!" He gathered up the pages with the blueprint and the tape. "All this secrecy, hiding all this programming, and then you leave it all out on the table. I got to hand it to you, _Boss_ , you just keep surprising me." He shut off the lights and took out of the office.

While he closed the trapdoor and the pantry, he didn't return the shelf to its place, intending to show Marionette his finding when he woke up. Then he crossed to the living room, placing the papers on the coffee table, and started to put the tape in. He turned the volume down low and waited expectantly. In the meantime, Moppet announced herself by brushing on his leg. "Hey, Cat," he greeted as he stroked her back. "You want to watch a movie? Let's see what _Fredrick_ left."

It was then that the video came on, showing security footage of one of the old pizzerias, in one of the hallways. Mike's excitement started to waver with exasperation as he wondered if his discovery was going to be rewarded with footage of himself in Freddy's. That would've been unsettling enough, but it wasn't like William would've been the only person recording him. For a few minutes there was nothing visible on the camera and he almost considered fast-forwarding ahead. He was interrupted when what seemed to be the outline of a human appeared at the end of the hallway.

It wasn't him, however, and walked very oddly as it somewhat staggered down the hall. Its gait was unsettling, with a partial drunken and partial injured gait to it. It started to close in and he watched as the camera's view focused on the form.

Mike instantly wished that it hadn't.

What passed in front of the camera, swaying and staggering on its feet, was terrifying. It was human shaped, but its skin was shriveled into a dark eggplant color, and its limbs didn't move correctly. Its entire frame moved as though it was empty, which could only go along with its gaping mouth, which was a black abyss that hung open much too far. Above it sat saggy, empty eye holes. This thing was no human, it was a corpse. Mike could've readily believed that this was the horrifying monster the animatronics saw when they said they saw the 'purple man'.

The footage ended quickly and only once it had did Mike realize he was clutching the cat. Moppet didn't seem to care regardless. "Sorry," Mike muttered as he released her and reached forward to shut the TV off. It was the first time in a long time that he had been frightened of anything. Just seeing that walking corpse- and it had to be a corpse- caused his skin to crawl. It made him feel unclean, like he watched something unholy. All he knew was that the tape hadn't been left for him. William would've never left him an image of something so disturbing.

Though this begged the question: this copse, this living purple man, where was it now?

* * *

 **Mable: I would've loved to end that with it looming over Mike's shoulder, but then I would've had to explain how it got there and nothing would've made sense. XD Alas, that idea must be squandered. Anyway, the next chapter will be posted next week. I hope you enjoyed!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Mable: Here we are with the new chapter! I've also been working on a second FNAF project for Halloween that I intend to post very soon, so I wanted to mention it prior to release so that it wouldn't seem so random. ^-^ But let us continue with the chapter for now. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifteen_

Marionette was used to Mike getting up before him. So, he wasn't too surprised when he came out into the kitchen to find Mike awake, eating breakfast and looking just the slightest bit distant. The smell of coffee was strong, and he was nursing a mug of it, so the Puppet could only assume that he had woken up earlier than he would've liked. "Good morning," he greeted affectionately. He patted his shoulder before continuing into the kitchen to fill the sink. "Have a rough night?" He didn't notice Mike's distant look returning, nor was he concerned when Mike cleared his throat in uneasiness.

"Actually, yeah. I woke up around five or six and started poking around the basement. By time I was done I was awake enough to just get up," Mike explained. Marionette raised a brow briefly but didn't look back. He instead poured some dish soap into the sink before dropping the frying pan inside, deciding not to physically touch the pan.

"I don't mean to disappoint, Love, but we don't have a basement," Marionette playfully quipped. Behind him, Mike rose from the table and approached him. Without a word, he rested his hands on the striped one's shoulders, and the Puppet was almost confused until Mike leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. He trilled in response but was still in the process of waking up himself, otherwise he would've recognized that the security guard was leading to rough news.

"Actually, we do. It's under the pantry," Mike quipped. He patted the animatronics' shoulders and then drew back. Then he sat back down to continue eating. His appetite was still only barely there, but he knew if he didn't finish that his stomach would be gnawing at him within hours. He only glanced over for a moment as the Puppet approached the pantry, as he wanted him to see it for himself. It wouldn't be something too emotionally traumatizing, but it was certainly shocking enough that one would have to see it to believe it. Though Marionette was not down in the basement as long as Mike was before he returned.

"Did you find anything?" the Puppet asked. There was the slightest tinge of dread in his voice.

"Did you go into that third drawer?" Mike asked. Marionette shook his head; he had yet to see the drawer of replacement parts. "Yeah, I found something. You're not going to believe this. This has to be the most screwed up thing to stagger out of Freddy's," he continued as he stood and guided into the living room. He turned the television back on and rewound the video tape inside. "I also found notes on Baby's programming that I'll pass over to Fritz."

"I saw blueprints out… But I didn't keep looking. I'm not sure if I want to," Marionette murmured. It was clear that he was uncomfortable about the entire thing. "…Was it about me?"

"No. There was a blueprint and some notes, but no secrets… Other than the basement itself, I mean. No, this thing I found, this is seriously disturbing." He pressed play and stepped back to let Marionette see it. After the original minutes where nothing happened, the footage of the staggering corpse began to play again. Mike couldn't help but grimace at it as he watched it lurch down the hallway once more. He couldn't understand why William would label this to him. Unless it was to his oldest son, but if they were not speaking then that also seemed far-fetched. Maybe it was him saying he intended to return as a zombie.

"Now I'm not exactly sure who this is, but I can guarantee that it didn't touch a drop of embalming fluid," Mike quipped. He looked to Marionette, who was staring blankly at the television, pinpricks lights in his eyes and making a very low dial tone noise. "…Mari?" Still no response. He waved his hand in front of his face, but the Puppet seemed to be in a trance. "…Well, I can't say it's an inappropriate reaction. I squeezed the cat myself."

It was incredible timing that at this moment the door down the hallway started to open. Perhaps Charlie had been coaxed out by them talking. In an instant, Marionette sprung to the VCR, ejected the tape and dropped down to shove it under the television and hide it away. Mike raised a brow at this but then noticed how Marionette was clenching and ringing his hands. It was a bold, red flag. "Wait, what was that thing? You know what it is?"

"No," Marionette denied, even if it seemed like he was hiding a suspicion. "…But it was very, _very_ purple." He shuddered, and the human was about to question more but decided not to when Charlie started down the hall.

"Morning," Charlie greeted with some strain as she maneuvered herself. She looked at the scene, then Marionette on the floor, and asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Mari was cleaning out under the TV and found some things that should've been forgotten. Like Fredbear and Friends the movie," Mike quipped. It seemed believable enough and Charlie continued into the kitchen, lured in by the smell of coffee. Once she was out of sight, Mike crouched down beside the Puppet and laid a hand on his back. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Just… Spooked…" He looked to the human and got a small smile. "I can see why you didn't want to sleep right away."

"I'll say. That's scarier than any horror movie we've rented… and it's shot better than them too, which is kind of sad now that I say it out loud," Mike scoffed lightly and gave the Puppet a one-armed hug. "You want to come with me to meet up with Fritz? We'll bail before Baby gets involved." The striped animatronic considered it but then shook his head.

"I only just got up and I already feel traumatized. I'm just going to call the day a loss and stay home, using what's left of it to nurse myself back to health." This seemed to make enough sense and they both rose from the floor. Mike finished eating before he tried to leave, so by time he was heading out the door Charlie was also aware of where he was going. Though while he had said he intended to stay stress free, Marionette was waiting for Mike to go so that he could return to poking around the basement. His curiosity was piqued, but he didn't want to worry Mike by forewarning of his plan.

Though Mike must have realized Marionette intended to go downstairs as he left his flashlight in the pantry, and recently he had started keeping that constantly within arm's length. The Puppet opened the pantry door and retrieved the flashlight, all while being watched by Charlie. She was currently holding a half full mug of coffee. Not to drink, she didn't think it was even worth any stains dumping it on herself, but to take in the familiar scent and warmth.

"I'm going into the basement for a bit, but I shouldn't be down there too long," Marionette said as he started to head inside the pantry.

"Basement? I thought that was a pantry," Charlie remarked. She leaned over and caught a glimpse of the stairwell. Her interest was piqued. "Can I come with you?" She started standing even before he answered.

"Of course, but be warned that there may be some disturbing things related to Freddy's hidden down here," Marionette forewarned cryptically as she hobbled her way over. "You may be scarred for life."

" _I'm pretty sure I'm already scarred for life."_ Charlie didn't say this thought out loud and instead gave a dismissive, "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

He started down the stairs and looked wearily at the door. He really didn't need the flashlight to see, but its light was comforting, and he needed as much comfort as he could get going through his father's things.

"Hold on," Charlie mumbled. He paused to look back up, watching her slide in at the top steps. "I only just realized that I haven't attempted stairs yet. This is going to be tricky…" She clutched onto the thin railing, which was more just a thin piece of wood somehow bolted into the cement wall. She tentatively lowered her leg, testing it on the next step, patiently tapping and testing her leg as though she was a cautious spider checking her web. "Here I go." She slowly took a few more steps, balancing herself as she did so. So far so good.

Yet halfway down that balance shifted. Charlie started to lean too far forward and couldn't right herself on legs without feet. She clutched to the railing, but only managed in swinging herself around, and then falling backwards down the steps. Marionette managed to catch her from behind once she reached the bottom of the stairs. She was relieved not to hit the floor but terribly embarrassed.

"Are you okay?" Marionette asked as he smiled down at her. Charlie struggled to nod in the awkward position, as her bell and prong was stuck between her head and his chest. He chimed affectionately and helped her back onto her legs. "Well, you did better than I would've. Congratulations!"

"Thanks…" Charlie mumbled. She fixed her jacket as he opened the basement door for them.

"Now, I should warn you again that I don't know what's in here. It's liable to be… If it gets too intense then we will leave immediately," Marionette promised as he floated inside. Though just seeing the small office was moderately upsetting. He couldn't believe that he had lived here for years without knowing it was down here. His eyes landed on the dresser and he moved in and rested his hand on the handle. He vaguely remembered Mike mentioning it.

"What exactly are you expecting to find down here?" Charlie asked with a tinge of amusement.

It was at that moment that Marionette opened the third drawer and found himself staring directly at another mask sitting on a bed of black and white fabric and music box pieces. There was a long silence that was interrupted by the Puppet.

"Alright, back upstairs."

* * *

"I wouldn't be surprised if there's more of these sealed rooms we don't know about," Mike remarked offhandedly. It had been easier just to drive together, so he picked up Fritz from his house and was now driving him to the warehouse. Fritz was looking other the papers that had come from the basement and taking in everything he could. "There was already that sealed closet with Golden Freddy in it. Who knows if there's a secret basement under the warehouse."

"There is a basement under the warehouse," Fritz quipped in amusement. "But it's not secret so I guess it doesn't count."

"…Really? Why don't we ever go down there?" Mike questioned. He then sent Fritz a disbelieving look. "I've seen every door in the warehouse and I don't remember a basement door."

"It's around back. For some reason you can only get in from outside. There isn't even a sealed second door or anything. There's just only one way in and it's outside," Fritz explained. He set the papers in his lap as he focused his full attention on the conversation at hand. "But there's nothing down there… I mean literally. There is _nothing_ down there. We can go look after I check with Baby."

"So, we have an entire basement stretched out under a warehouse and there aren't any stacks of garbage or even a single killer animatronic," Mike said. "That's so depressing."

"Maybe if Jeremy can't find a place he can move down there." Fritz paused a moment before looking to Mike. "Actually, that would be a great idea. If we had a bathroom and a kitchen down there, it could make a decent apartment. It's about the size of the warehouse itself, and there's a few rooms down there. He'd just have to worry about it flooding and learn to live without windows. He pretty much already does with all of the animatronics with him."

"Once again, that's so depressing," Mike remarked with an amused smirk. Fritz dismissed him with a wave, assured that his idea was a good one, and then returned to the papers until they pulled up to the warehouse. They then got out of the car and headed inside. "So, what's the plan?"

"I'm probably not going to change anything right now. The goal is just to make sure all of this is accurate, and if it is… If it is…" Fritz broke into a beaming smile. "I don't want to plan before it's a concrete thing, but if this is the real deal then you better believe that this is all going to be so much easier. For example, I could fix her ice cream maker, reroute her programming into that, and then instead of possibly killing children she'd put all her energy in the reflex to making ice cream. It would be the least intrusive way of doing this!"

"Sounds a little like brainwash but considering that Will put it in it's not a new thing," Mike remarked.

"In the long run, Baby's going to be happy. Unless she gets to the point where she's safe around kids, I can't really see her leaving this warehouse anytime soon." He unlocked the door and let them inside. He wasn't too surprised that Baby didn't rush to greet him, as she certainly wasn't the type, but the quietness was almost unsettling. "Baby? It's me! I'm back!" Fritz called as he stepped in. There was still no response. "Maybe she's back in the office," he suggested and beckoned Mike.

Once in the office, this revealed itself to be the case. Baby was sitting against the back wall and from her slumped appearance it seemed that she was asleep. From the lights missing from her eyes and her head tilted forward, it gave her the illusion of having her eyes closed. This was peculiar, but neither was too surprised by it, as both Foxy and Marionette slept normally.

"Baby?... She's pretty out of it. Maybe I can check this without waking her up. She shouldn't notice unless I was actually changing something," Fritz said as he got the Handunit ready and knelt beside her. "Just a quick check, Baby." With that, he plugged in the Handunit and began to search and tap. While he did that, Mike stood nearby and watched with vague interest. He started trying to talk again after a few moments to keep conversation going.

"So, I'm taking off with Mari this weekend to hide out in Zion. Do you mind keeping an eye on the house? Charlie's going to be there, and I don't want her to think we don't trust her, but she's also going to be stuck with the house that spontaneously expands," Mike remarked. Playfulness aside, he did want to make sure she was taken care of. "I'm going to leave yours, Jeremy's, and Scott's numbers in case anything happens. Like if that detective comes back- he was poking around Foxy's the other day… He was asking about you too."

"No kidding…?" Fritz looked back slowly in surprise. There was obvious dread in his gaze, but he managed to reign it in and cover it back up. "That's not a good sign. Maybe we should all consider running off to the desert… How exactly do you plan to hide a human-sized Puppet?"

"I'll manage. Trust me; after Foxy jogged through the middle of town at twilight, I'm convinced nobody sees anything that happens in this town," Mike scoffed. He removed his hat to fix his hair. "So, we're leaving Saturday morning and should be back Sunday. It won't be too long, but if you could just call or something then that would be great." Fritz agreed to this. Before Mike could continue, the technician broke into an eager chuckle.

"You got it. This is it. This all fits!" Fritz unplugged and shut down the Handunit. "Now all I need is to figure out how to reroute all of this, but this pretty much cracked the code. It even shows me everything else I can fix to get Baby's body back in order." As the technician continued to beam, the security guard's focus changed to the claw on Baby's arm. He thought to something on the blueprint.

"Do you think this came out of the chest?" Mike asked. Fritz looked to him questioningly and Mike nodded down at the claw. "Do you think this is the 'ice cream delivery crane' that was supposed to be inside of her chest?" Fritz looked to the claw thoughtfully.

"If it is… Ugh." He visibly shuddered. "That is not a claw for delivering ice cream. I think we can both agree on that. Unless Baby dolled it up-." Mike just sighed at the half-hearted pun. "-Then we can say for certain that this was used for malicious means… I'd have to ask her first and it would take a lot of supplies, but maybe I could work at getting Baby a real second hand."

"But then what would she use to crush our throats with?" Mike asked with a smirk.

"If she gets mad enough? Probably just her hands," Fritz answered.

"Good enough. After this, you want to go do something? I don't have to get home right away." Fritz agreed and with that the two got ready to leave, and soon headed out of the office and left Baby to sleep while they went to talk further about their plans elsewhere. They didn't notice how quickly it was after they left that Baby began to stir.

Her head raised almost immediately, and her eyes glowed thoughtfully. She took in what Mike had said more than what Fritz had, and she already had a budding idea starting to spread.

Perhaps she had found a solution to her problem.

* * *

Friday was supposed to be their day of packing and planning. After discovering the basement Marionette was eager to get away from the house. Even if he would be stuck hiding, he relished in the idea of escaping for even a couple of days. By now Mike had managed to find Foxy's old tent, but anything else they were stuck getting elsewhere, including a sleeping bag. Marionette had found it left on the couch as Mike headed into the master bedroom to 'change'. Naturally, the striped one was interested in the new supplies, and looked over the sleeping bag with intrigue. Just like when he was a boy, watching his brother living in a tent in the backyard, he felt that childlike curiosity.

He also noticed with amusement that Mike had only bought one sleeping bag. He hadn't even discussed if they needed a second or not, he just naturally assumed they would share. This was a good assumption, but he was still prepared to tease the man about it. That and ask him whether they needed a backup flashlight. He set the sleeping bag aside, headed down the hall towards the master bedroom, and knocked on the door with an eager smile.

"I'm dressed, come in," Mike called back. Marionette let himself in and went to speak but was immediately taken aback when he noticed what the man was wearing. Instead of his uniform or casualwear, Mike was wearing a dark suit, with his hair tussled a bit more neatly and him currently securing a tie. The Puppet gave a wispy gasp.

"I didn't even know you had a suit," Marionette remarked. He moved in quickly and eagerly looked over the man's ensemble. Just watching him tying his tie caused him to trill in delight. "I'm impressed. You clean up very nice," he murmured. His delicate hands reached forward to take the tie from Mike's hand, silently offering to do it himself.

"It's just something I had stuck in the back of the closet, collecting dust and waiting to actually be used for something." Mike got a slyer smile as he listened to another low warble. "If I knew you'd get this excited I would've put it on before now."

Marionette liked the sound of Mike being willing to wear it more and smoothed down the fabric. "Perhaps some night when we feel like exerting our status as a real couple… What's the occasion?" It was an innocent question and he curiously wanted to know. Yet when Mike hesitated Marionette flipped from his piqued interest to sudden horror. "Please don't say a funeral."

"Sorry, Stripes, but you hit the nail on the coffin," Mike remarked. He gave Marionette a more strained smile, showing his discomfort. " _The_ funeral is today, so I should go pay my respects… Even if it's not necessary with- you know." He cut off and gestured at the wall they shared with the pink bedroom, which had currently become Charlie's. The Puppet nodded and, to Mike's surprise, pushed back any discomfort and hugged the human warmly. "Mari?"

"Thank you for doing this. I know you don't want to be there." His fingers knitted into Mike's dark locks and pet him reassuringly. Nobody would want to willingly go to the funeral of a friend, especially when it involved uncomfortable questions and probably a few stares. The Puppet was sympathetic and would've gone with if he could, but this was something Mike needed to do on his own, and something that Marionette needed to stay with Charlie during. He hugged Mike closer, pressing his porcelain cheek against Mike's own. "You're doing the right thing, Mike."

"Yeah, I know. I figured if I did it now then I could get out of doing it later," Mike lightly cracked. He gave a tired sigh, betraying his actual feelings, and hugged the animatronic back. "I'm going to be glad when all of this is behind us, Mari. We had an easier time getting over the fire at Freddy's." Marionette drew back to finish with his tie. "I'm coming back right after, but I'm still expecting to be gone for a couple of hours. I didn't get any details on the service, but I'm not risking leaving early." That was what he needed; angry family members confronting him about why he was dealing with Dave while someone was suffering.

Mike honestly didn't want to go, but he knew he had to. He slipped on his dress shoes, stepped out of the bedroom, and wanted more than anything to have the chance to say, "Forget it," and take the entire suit back off. This time he didn't have that luxury. At least Marionette was still supportive; patting his back and brushing down his shoulders, and occasionally fixing his hair. Then again this might've just been because he was entranced in the new look and couldn't pull away from it. Mike wasn't sure why, but it was something he would certainly make notes about for the next time he was obligated to wear it.

Charlie was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and a textbook in her lap. She was hunched over reading and studying the material as though she intended to be tested on it. As though she would be returning to university when she wouldn't. Still, it was good to see her interested in something. For the first couple of days she had been so lethargic, so to see her actively doing something was a positive sign. Thus, Mike didn't want to have to mention the funeral, and tried to briskly walk past the back of the couch.

Unfortunately, this didn't work. Charlie's head rose, and she looked to him and over his outfit. "What are you-?" Then she abruptly cut off. He wasn't sure how, but she figured it out that quickly. Apparently, Marionette suspected this too, as he was tapping his fingers together almost anxiously as he waited on the other side of her. This was a conversation that Mike decided to quickly skirt away from.

"Well, if all goes well, I'll be back before sunset. I'll bring back a movie or something," Mike said. He then disappeared as quickly as he could before the situation could get anymore awkward.

Marionette didn't know whether to be impressed or not. He instantly went into distraction mode, looking for something new to focus on, and finally affixed his gaze on the book in Charlie's lap. "What are you reading?" he asked pleasantly, as though nothing was amiss. Charlie did not respond right a way and simply stared vacantly towards the front door. "Charlie?"

She snapped out of the trance and looked back. "What?... Oh, right, this." Her gaze fell back to the book in her lap. "It's one of the textbooks from school, an introduction to robotics. I know there's not really much use even reading it now…" She noticed that the Puppet was still looking at her and forced a quick recovery. "You want to take a look?" Marionette nodded and reached for the book. He then scanned over the page that she had it opened on and started to speed read through what was written. This gave her a few seconds to fall back into the creeping thoughts.

Of course Charlie knew where Mike was going. It wasn't hard to tell when someone was dressed for a funeral, especially since this- while being a few days late- would be timing perfect timing for her funeral. She could only assume that it took this long to do a proper autopsy. Just imagining her human body cut open and being buried, now forever beyond her reach, was a strange one. She had accepted it, but it still hurt. Part of her wanted to rush to the funeral home and try to take it back, but the other half knew that she couldn't, and that even if she did it would do nothing at all.

All her friends would probably be there, and probably her aunt would too. Maybe even her mother had decided to come by and see. Charlie could wonder but she doubted that she would ask Mike when he returned home. Jessica would be crying so hard that her makeup would run- and she would be wearing makeup. That was Jessica; always looking her best even in the direst of times. Charlie couldn't help but respect that about her. It was a somber wakeup call to think that their friendship had forcibly come to an undignified end. All they had was one last lunch. She had been so quick to rush out…

"This is fascinating," Marionette remarked as he looked through the pages. "I'm sure we have more books like this in the house, but this one is very well detailed. I could look for the others if you're interested in them." A normal person wouldn't have even the slightest idea what any of this meant. It took many years before he started to learn what the parts were that made up his inner endoskeleton, so he couldn't help but be impressed. Perhaps this would also help her adjust quicker as well. He sat down on the couch alongside her and continued reading and flipping through the book.

"Maybe, if I can get through this one," Charlie said pleasantly. She absent-mindedly fidgeted with her jacket. "You know… Mike reminds me of a friend of mine. They look a little similar and they both have that dry sort of humor. I was just thinking of that." She went to lightly laugh and was only a little surprised when her laughter came out like the jingling of a bell.

"It's an admirable trait. Or at least, I admire it. Mike's humor is part of the reason we get along so well," Marionette remarked with his own chime. "You and he were close?"

"Pretty close. We were almost closer than that too," Charlie admitted. Marionette looked to her with more interest and she used this as enough of an excuse to continue. "We went on a few dates together. We saw a movie once or twice, we went bowling, we were going to go hiking, we just… I really liked him. I still do. It's strange to think that I won't ever see him again."

"That's… Not necessarily true," Marionette admitted in defeat. "If you think he could keep a secret then perhaps eventually, if you were comfortable enough, you could… Just don't think that your chances are gone because you're an animatronic now. Mike is a human and him and I get along!" Charlie jingled in amusement with real giggling. Marionette thought it was relief, oblivious to the actual humor from his comment. "Tell me about your school! Please, I'm dying to know of your eccentric teachers and the shenanigans that you got into with your friends."

Charlie got the impression that Marionette had never been anywhere near a real college, so she decided to indulge him in memories. It felt better than thinking of Mike and her friends, and where they currently were.

For a moment, she nearly forgot she wasn't human.

It was about an hour and a half when Mike returned. By now, Marionette was dipping into one of Charlie's other textbooks while she was off cleaning some of the last amounts of dirt and dust from her legs. He could only assume that the conversation had made her feel better as earlier she could've cared less about the residue. It was fortunate timing as she was still in the other room wiping herself down when Mike returned.

The Puppet looked up to see the man wearily collapse against the door. "How did it go?"

"Nobody we know better die anytime soon, because I am never doing that again," Mike vented. He immediately kicked off his shoes at the door, as though his normal pair, and shed his suit jacket before tossing it on the back of the couch. He looked over the back of the couch as he loosened his tie. "So, the plan was to be at the wake and the burial and forego the reception, right? Well, that's not what happened. I get there, and Charlie's aunt had a total meltdown about halfway through the service, and _nobody helped her_. That detective was there, Charlie's friends were there, some other people were there; nobody helped this woman."

"That's… Terrible," Marionette sympathized. He checked the page number and then closed the book and set it on the coffee table. He had a hunch that Mike stepped in. "But… You helped her?"

"Bingo." Mike tossed the tie onto the back of the couch and ran his fingers through his hair. It was a stress response, but he managed to instantly and unintentionally tussle his hair back into its normal look. Marionette smiled a little. "So, I become a one man support group for this woman, and she goes through the whole thing. She comes into the funeral home fine, she goes through an angry tangent because Charlie's mom didn't show, she starts pleading with God, she cries, and by time we reach the reception she manages to pull herself together enough that I can leave."

"Poor woman… Best not tell Charlie," Marionette said. Then he retracted that. "No, wait… I don't want Charlie thinking that nobody was upset about her loss…"

"Including the detective, who was there with his entire family. Including his son- you might remember him as the boy who broke into Foxy's," Mike pointed out. "And yes, both he and his father recognized me, because _of course_ they did. As did the twenty people who each came up to me and asked about what happened at Magictime Theater, _while I was with Charlie's aunt._ Finally, I just gave up and started saying that I was too broken up to talk about it. It worked, but me, the idiot I am, didn't do it until almost two minutes before I walked out. It was a _nightmare_."

"It sounds like quite an ordeal." Mike hesitated at the back of the couch, so Marionette slid upwards, folding his arms on the back of the couch- over the discarded jacket- and looked up at the man with a soft smile. "But still, I'm proud of you. Just what you did for that woman alone was worth going." He rested a hand on his arm and squeezed it affectionately. "And now we really can put this behind us!"

Mike only wished that he could. All of this: Charlie, the funeral, Dave, was weighing on him still. He couldn't understand how Marionette was so collected when he had killed Dave. Yet here he was keeping it together and-.

And it was only then that the human realized his thoughts betrayed. For a moment, for a split second, that belief returned where he believed that the animatronic had killed the man. This time, Mike was fed up with these racing thoughts. This time, he would have to deal with it, even if it hurt.

"Not yet." Marionette cocked his head in confusion, but when Mike looked at him with such a stoic look in his blue eyes, he knew that what was coming was direly important. "Mari, there's been something bothering me for a few days now and after going through that… I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest." The animatronic nodded eagerly and the human inhaled to steady himself. "Did you know Dave was going to die?"

Marionette's eyes widened, and he straightened. "What?" his soft voice asked in alarm.

"The way you talked about Dave made it seem like you knew he was going to die. The fact that you just let him go… Or did you?" Mike looked more questioning. Not judgmental, certainly not fearful, but it was evident that he suspected something was amiss. "Mari, be honest with me. Did you kill Dave? I'm not going to freak out and run off if you did. I just want you to tell me the whole truth."

"I don't- I would have, but I- I didn't think he was going to die, but I assumed he- I was afraid for us and the pizzeria-…" Finally, Marionette caved and caught his head in his hand, hunched over in shame. "…No, Mike. I didn't kill Dave. Or I don't _think_ I killed Dave… But I was going to." The man raised a brow questioningly. "I held myself back because I didn't want to be the monster Goldie and my father had become…" The glowing returned in his gaze, along with a low static in his chest. "But I don't know how long that would've lasted."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked, furrowing his brows.

"How long would Dave have gotten for what he did? Ten years? Twenty? I could've been satisfied with him waiting in jail, but would I have been able to hold back when he was finally released? I don't believe much in spontaneous changes, Mike. My father proved that people can pretend to change and can convince the entire world." Marionette's hands tightened as the dialing rose in his chest. "And I know it's vile and hypocritical for me to say this when I swear that I'm not a murderer, but I wouldn't be able to trust myself… But it seems as though I won't be faced with making that selfish decision."

A look of shame crossed his mask and Marionette looked away. He couldn't bear to look at Mike after what he had admitted to. "It sounds so callous. These words coming out of my mouth aren't my own, but a product of my creation. It is the Afton under my fabric that would plot someone else's murder without remorse… I've never felt so unclean."

What he wasn't expecting was how quickly Mike leaned forward and scooped him up into a hug. He didn't even pause to take it in; he instantly drew the Puppet in for comfort. It was a nice relief, but the guilt was still there. Marionette tried to talk him down, assuring him that he didn't need to do it, but his voice had reverted to chimes and off tune sounds. Apparently, he really did need it. He stopped fighting it and embraced back, trilling against him.

"Mari, you didn't have to go through it alone," Mike said. It seemed like he meant that Marionette could've vented these worries to him. "I would've driven you to the jail myself." Or was intending to be an accomplice.

This got a chime out of Marionette, who warbled lightly in thanking and pressed further against the human. He didn't know what he would do without Mike. Somehow, he always managed to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground and even in the roughest situation, even when at a funeral, he managed to be the strong one. He welcomed that strength; he loved that strength.

"I didn't expect Aunt Jen to take it so badly," Charlie remarked. Charlie who neither knew was there.

Mike pulled back enough to look to the hallway. The Security Puppet was leaning on the wall while reaching back to adjust her bell and point. "…Exactly how long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes. Not too long," Charlie assured. As she released the prong it jingled lightly, followed by her own slight ringing of amusement. "But don't stop cuddling on my account."

Mike and Marionette had never yanked apart so quickly.

* * *

 **Mable: You know when life starts to get stable it's time to begin keeping an eye out. These quiet times are a gift, but it's vital not to let distractions cloud your vision… But for now, the next chapter will be posted next week!  
If only she would wait that long. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Mable: Because I'm running late, I'll keep this short. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixteen_

Charlie woke to the sound of light knocking on the bedroom door. She was still groggy from the night before, after waking up at around midnight and being unable to sleep again. It felt like she had barely gotten any rest and she had trouble focusing as she turned her head towards the door. Marionette let himself in and looked to her attentively.

"We're going to be leaving soon," he warned. She sent a weary glance at the clock which revealed it was already ten o'clock. Maybe they had been waiting for her to get up and normally she would've, but this body dealt with lack of sleep worse than her original one.

"Okay." Charlie let her mask drop back into the pillow. "Be careful," she managed to warn before she started to drift off once more.

"We will and I won't! I left the numbers out and everything should be fine until we get back," Marionette encouraged before he slipped back out the door. Then, before the door closed, he said with a smile, "Pray for our souls."

Then the door was closed, and he was gone. Charlie couldn't even begin to think about being alone when she was this tired. She rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head to both block out the light and smother her bell. Within moments she was asleep again and stayed that way for some time. She wasn't sure how long she slept, but she was awoken by the distant sound of the phone ringing. The sun's angle had changed so she could only assume that at least an hour or two had passed. Slowly, she dragged herself upright, and contemplated if it was worth trying to shuffle out into the living room. With a tinny sigh, she climbed out of bed.

Yet the Security Puppet noticed something peculiar. It almost felt easier to get out of bed and, even though it was still a balancing act, the weight of her body seemed easier to manage. That alone was a relief. The phone had stopped ringing before she made it out to it, which was almost a relief. For almost two minutes before the phone began ringing again. She considered whether answering it would be a good idea or not.

" _It could be Mari. I could see him getting frantic…But if it's someone else, how do I explain why I'm here? And why would Mari be calling so soon anyway?"_ It was clear that whoever was calling would continue until she answered, so she braced herself and reached for the phone. _"Keep calm. They won't be able to tell anything from my voice alone."_ She grabbed her bell to keep it from ringing just in case and answered the phone with a soft, "Hello?"

"Oh. Hello, Charlie. I'm so glad you answered."

The soft, feminine voice was absolutely the last one that Charlie expected to hear on the phone. "…Baby?" She didn't even know the clown able to use the phone with her less than human hands. She was even more surprised that someone who was so abrasive before suddenly sounded much meeker over the line. Baby's voice was so hushed that it was almost hard to hear.

"It's me. I'm so glad you answered. I wanted to talk to you," Baby explained. "I've had some time to think about how things went when we met, and I think we got off on the wrong foot. I was very cold to you and I shouldn't have been. I let my frustrations with the Puppet cloud my judgement and said things I shouldn't have…" She hesitated a moment. "…I hope you will give me another chance… I don't get to meet many people in this warehouse."

This all continued to confuse and astound the Security Puppet. It was as though Baby was replaced with a completely different person, or as though she had different personalities entirely. She couldn't say that she was ready to trust any animatronic other than Marionette, especially not Baby. Even Foxy, who had been charming during their meeting, she had trouble feeling fully comfortable with. It was hard to imagine that the clown was suddenly so remorseful, but what she said almost made sense. Her abrasiveness was, perhaps, in response to Marionette. Perhaps she really was apologetic.

…Or, most likely, she realized after a few days that Charlie was the best chance she had to be social. Charlie kept her cards held close to her chest as she answered. "It was a strange situation, I guess… I just barged into your house uninvited," Charlie guessed. She tried to judge and say what sounded the most neutral. "I'm fine in starting over if it means us being civil."

"That's wonderful," Baby praised. Charlie went to continue but the clown beat her to it. "Fritz was saying that you're alone too. That the Puppet and his human puppeteer are leaving, and you'll be left all alone."

"Only until tomorrow. I can handle it," Charlie clarified. "I'm used to living alone."

"You should come here," Baby encouraged. "We could start over from the very beginning. I want to know everything about you, so that I can forget about our bad first impression. It would be just like a playdate!" The silence made Charlie's hesitance obvious. "Fritz would bring you here and then could take you home tonight. You wouldn't even have to stay after nightfall. Would you come?"

"I… I don't know…" In any other case, Charlie would've been more considerate of the idea. Ignoring the fact that she would be going out without her housemates, she would be going out in broad daylight to visit a clown who had gone from absolutely hating her to some form of unexpected remorse. She wasn't even certain if she wanted to battle her own body when she could be safe at home, numbing herself with video games and textbooks. Yet Baby still insisted.

"Please, Charlie? I promise it'll be more fun than before. It'll be just like a party! Except just the two of us and without cake, unless you bring one with you," Baby offered. She sounded like she would keep protesting. In a way, it reminded her of how Jessica used to try and coax her to go out and do something when she was too caught up in school. It was while comparing Baby to Jessica that Charlie knew she was stuck.

"…Alright, maybe I'll come over for a little bit, but I can't promise I'll be there long," Charlie agreed as she looked around for an excuse to come back. She then spotted Moppet drinking out of her water bowl. "I'll have to come back at dark to make sure the cat is fed."

"Wonderful. I'll be waiting for you," Baby said. Then the phone call abruptly ended, and the Security Puppet was left with what she had agreed to. Somehow, she already knew this would be a mistake. With a sigh, she wobbled over to Moppet and knelt to pet her, stalling the eventual call to Fritz. At least she had an excuse to come home.

If only she had an excuse to not go at all.

Yet Charlie kept her word and soon found herself in the back of Fritz' car. Fritz was nice enough; Charlie had met him before the Magictime Theater event happened and, while they weren't even acquaintances, he seemed trustworthy enough. His confusion at Charlie's request to go to the warehouse was telling. It almost backed Mike and Marionette's previous mentioning of Baby; she just wasn't pleasant to be around. That alone made her wonder if this was an elaborate trap. Not one of significant danger, but one where she'd walk into the warehouse and become Baby's verbal punching bag.

"Here we are," Fritz announced as he pulled up by the door. "The phone's in the office and you have my number. Just call me whenever you're ready to go… Unless you want me to stick around. I can." Honestly, Fritz intended to find something to do with Natalie and Jeremy. Him and Natalie had both agreed that Jeremy needed to get away from the animatronics for a few hours and taking him to get pawed on by Foxy wasn't good enough. If this disrupted the plans, then so be it.

"I think I'll be fine on my own. I'm not afraid of Baby," Charlie remarked. She meant it as a joke but wondered if that could be taken seriously. "I'll call when I'm ready to leave?"

"Sure, of course," he agreed. He got out to unlock the door and shielded her as she shuffled into the warehouse. "Have, uh… Fun. If Baby gets too intense, you know how to get ahold of me." As though Charlie wasn't already seeing red flags. The door was shut but not locked again. Which was fine as there was a bolt lock on the inside as well in case she needed to lock it. She considered doing so before deciding not to. The soft sound of small wheels on concrete alerted her to Baby approaching and she turned to the aisle. Within moments, Baby appeared from the semi-darkness. Her glowing, green eyes instantly locked onto the Security Puppet as the clown eagerly moved in.

"Charlie, you came," Baby greeted in the same soft tone as on the phone. "I'm so glad. I was afraid you changed your mind."

"It took Fritz a little while to pick me up and drop me off, but here I am," Charlie remarked nonchalantly. The clown was staring a bit too intensely. "Did you… Have an idea of what you wanted to do?"

"Yes. I want to show you something," Baby remarked. She reached out and took Charlie's arm before smoothly turning to head toward the aisles. Almost immediately the Security Puppet's balance was lost, and she stumbled forward, being forced to clutch Baby's arm to stop herself from fully hitting the ground. The clown looked down at her. "Oh… You can't walk still." Her tone was unreadable. "And you don't float."

"I don't know how Mari does that or I'd be trying that now," Charlie remarked with only the slightest tinge of annoyance. It almost sounded like Baby was returning to how she was before. "I can walk, I just can't walk fast… Yet."

"I shouldn't have gone dragging you off. I'm sorry," Baby said, returning to her sweeter voice once more. "You can hold on and I'll help you. It's not very far; just in that aisle over there. I already have the box out." She guided the newer animatronic along, coasting slower on her skates, and this time Charlie forced herself to speed up. The box in question was sitting out in the middle of aisle and as they approached she noticed posters and pieces. She focused in on the images and was almost surprised to see that they were of a clown female that resembled Baby.

"What are these?" Charlie asked as she knelt and pulled one of the posters out of the box. She looked at cartoonish female clown shown beaming on the poster with the words 'Circus Baby's Pizza World' presented over her. "This is you?" Charlie turned back, almost surprised, and looked over what she knew as Baby. She looked only slightly like the clown in the picture, missing the care and falling to pieces.

"It was, and that was my old pizzeria. It was only open for one day…" Baby revealed quietly. "I used to be a performer at parties. I would sing, I could dance, I could even make balloons. Have you seen an animatronic make balloons with just a touch of their finger? I was built to do that."

"Why?" Charlie inquired. Baby cocked her head and the striped one realized that she didn't understand the specific question. "Why was the pizzeria closed after only one day?"

"Why?" Baby repeated. It almost seemed like she wasn't anticipating the question. Her green eyes briefly flinched, then she answered. "Gas leaks."

"I can see why it was closed," Charlie remarked with a slight cringe. "That actually happens a lot at restaurants. They don't check the ovens and then they try to cook a bunch all at once and something goes. Septic tanks too. It's a nightmare." She knew she was trailing off into chatters and reigned herself in. "I'm kind of… Surprised you're showing me this? I didn't think… I mean, we just met."

"I know," Baby answered. "…But… I thought if I shared with you my past… You might tell me more about yours." There was the catch. "I'll be honest, Charlie, I want to know about your human life. I would be so happy if you could tell me." She perked almost excitedly and cocked her head. "Did you go to many parties? What about school? Did you have a car? You have to tell me how many kinds of cakes they sell out there."

So that was it. Baby invited Charlie over to learn more about her human life. The Security Puppet wasn't surprised and, if anything, seemed comforted by the fact that her ulterior motives were so innocent. Sure, talking about it would make her uncomfortable, but it was a somber sort of uncomfortable. There was no point in not reflecting on the good times, even if they were long gone.

"I think I can manage that," Charlie agreed. "But, wait… Weren't you a human, Baby? I just assumed that the animatronics who were alive were all humans once." Of course they were. That was what made the animatronics sentient.

"No," Baby instantly denied. She then slowly raised her claw, almost thoughtfully, and lightly flexed it. She watched it open and close before adding, "But I've gotten close to them…" Charlie didn't know what she was suggesting, but it made her uneasy. Thankfully, the clown perked again. "But I would rather hear about you. Will you tell me?"

Charlie didn't really want to say no. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

It took a surprising amount of time for Mike to find a part of the camping grounds that were entirely secluded. By avoiding the most popular areas he was finally able to find an area to put the tent. It wasn't too far from the car and it didn't take Marionette more than a few moments out in the open to effectively 'map' the area enough to teleport between the car and the tent. This meant that he would be secure if he was careful, which Marionette was, and which Mike was less concerned with.

"Alright, I can't hear anyone at all out here. It's just you and me," Mike assured as he set the cooler aside. He then grabbed for his camera. "Come out for a second so I can snap a couple of photos. I'm not going to be able to use this thing in the dark." The Puppet looked reasonably skeptical, seeing as though it was broad daylight and they weren't exactly hidden well. Mike playfully added, "Come on, I think you could use a little sun."

As much as Marionette wanted to protest, he couldn't help but be curious and started to slide out of the flap. He looked around carefully as he tentatively raised into the warmth of direct sunlight. He couldn't remember the last time he was comfortable enough to stand out in the open in the sun; it was soothing as it sunk into his black fabric. At first, he looked around in paranoia, but he then started to look with interest, taking in the nature that he hadn't seen in so long. Perhaps ever, as it wasn't as though he had gotten many chances as a child, what with his unique situation.

"It's beautiful," Marionette quietly praised. "Look at those mountains!" They would certainly be interesting to look at closer once it got nightfall and he was free to explore. Some of the waterways too, he supposed, and in the distance he could see part of one of the rivers. "You wouldn't think it would be so dry with water right there." He moved in a bit closer to see better and moved in beside one of the trees to somewhat shield himself. Even the rough bark was so curiously pleasant underneath his fingertips.

A clicking noise alerted him to Mike and the camera. He flinched lightly and looked back. "Was that me or the river?"

"You, but there was a weird film on the viewfinder, so I'm guessing it didn't come through." Mike circled around the Puppet, who turned to face him, leaning back against the tree. "Just relax, alright? Nobody's nearby." There was a pause. "You're not relaxing." Marionette finally moved forward from the tree with a smile and raised a single hand in a wave. He then held the pose, waiting for him to take the picture. "…You're still not relaxing."

"It'll go through, trust me," the animatronic insisted. He forced back any of his defenses long enough for his companion to get a focused photo. "What a shame that we won't get pictures of tonight! We'll be seeing so much… Perhaps a flashlight would work? Though that lighting, hmm…" He rubbed at the chin of his mask and looked towards the water, which was apparently enough to earn him another click of the camera. He chimed in amusement at it and glanced over. "Any ideas on which path you will be escorting out on tonight, Mr. Schmidt?"

"Not a clue, but I'm going to do some scouting a little later to check it out. It's as good a time as any to hike under the baking sun," Mike quipped. That being said, he was a little excited about going for a jog somewhere that wasn't down their street and around their house. "If I find something closed in and vacant then maybe we'll go check it out before dark. Not that we won't get plenty of time. Most of these are families with kids, so they're not going to trekking out late."

"Then if you put it that way… Yes," Marionette agreed. Mike's eyes flickered up from his camera. "If you're able to find a safe trail that's not in the open then yes, I'll come with you. If not, then we'll have to wait until nightfall." The human was positively beaming at this. Marionette wasn't sure what had Mike so willing to risk getting caught, unless the event at Magictime had simply taught him that nobody would ever catch them, which was a terribly risky state of mind. Still, the thought was tempting. He tapped his fingers on his mask thoughtfully. "…In fact, why don't I finish with the rest of setting up and you go look around."

"You're sure?" Mike asked in surprise. The Puppet nodded. "Alright, then I'm taking off and will be back whenever I find a trail that'll work. Be careful, don't talk to strangers. That includes anyone we know from work." This got a chuckling chime through the tent. The security guard didn't exactly want to leave him alone, but he did want to go ahead with the running and casing of the area. He willingly left their little campsite and began searching out one of the hiking trails.

What followed next was a series of repeated failures.

It didn't take long to find a less strenuous trails that he could run on. After the adrenaline high back at the theater, getting a runner's high was much less impactful, but he couldn't deny that it was a welcome change. It was only now that Mike really considered how much more he preferred the control of being able to choose when he felt the rush. This would be the perfect time to indulge as well and he could live with the heat of the sun if it meant releasing those sweet endorphins.

Of course, it was right at that point when Mike was stopped nearly dead in his tracks by what was effectively a blockade of people. People hiking, people taking photos, people crowding the trail, and people immediately shooting down his interest. He wasn't too surprised; an easy, short trail would surely be packed with hikers. Especially the families who couldn't risk the harsher trails. After taking a few pictures he moved on to search out a more difficult trail, which he found. It was less comfortable running on, broken up by steps, and equally filled with hikers. Less people, but still too many to even dare coming through with Marionette.

It was only once he was ankle deep in water, slogging through the middle of tight rocks that Mike finally found a path that wasn't completely overrun by people. This was the only one that had a decent chance of being usable, but even then, it seemed like a risk. It was only through this ordeal that he realized how many people were here and capable of seeing them. At least he was starting to cool down, but his runner's high was long gone. He almost considered turning around and heading back when he started to hear voices.

" _Looks like we're doing everything at dark_ ," Mike wearily imagined. It would be harder to trek in the dark, but at least Marionette would be safe and comfortable. He knew that he would be having a better time with the other here anyway, instead of just walking blindly. Less than impressed, he swallowed down any frustration and continued towards the voices. The path opened into a larger area and the river grew shallow enough that he was able to walk quicker. This was a relief as he intended to pass the other people and make his way down the rest of the trail. Then he would return to the tent to update Marionette on the situation.

Halfway past the group and a voice stopped him. "Excuse me, would you mind doing this for me?" At first Mike didn't realize that the question was for him and only looked over when a woman rushed up to his side. Before he could even respond, she was pushing a camera into his hands. She looked to be in her twenties, as did the group waiting all clustered together. A typical group of friends without cares, looking like they just came out of a clothing commercial.

" _You've got to be kidding me."_ The urge to say it out loud was almost overwhelming. However, he bit down his thoughts and took the second camera. "Yeah, sure," he reluctantly agreed. He watched her rush over and fling herself into her gaggle of laughing friends. _"Remember, you asked for this, Schmidt. You put camping into Mari's head,"_ Mike mentally scolded as he clicked a few photos. Eventually the group broke up, chattering and crackling to themselves, and he was stuck standing there holding the camera. Seeing that they weren't making any attempt to come over, he spurned them on, "I get to take off with your camera now, right?"

The woman rushed back over, and her friends came to get back on the trail, which was now guiding back out of the water. He intended to hurry ahead and lose them as quickly as possible. "Thanks! At least I'm going to be in a couple of the pictures," she remarked as she took the camera. "So, you come down here often?"

"You mean to the park or on this path? Because neither," Mike explained quickly. "I've lived in the area for years, but I've never been out here."

"It's our first time too! We've pretty much walked all the trails already, except the really hard ones. You wouldn't believe how amazing these mountains are," the woman continued to gush. Mike turned to start leaving, hoping that he could dismissively escape the conversation. It only took a few moments before he realized that the group was somehow managing to keep up. The woman especially seemed interested in talking, "I'm Tiffany, that's Nathan, that's-." Mike hoped that they wouldn't be quizzing him, as he quickly lost any memory of their names. He supposed he could always talk his way out of it; if there was one thing he was good at, it was talking around things.

One of the other guys started walking in front of them, effectively blocking Mike's path. _"There goes my chance at running off,"_ he mentally lamented. He just found himself exasperated already but stayed civil. "I'm Mike," he greeted in a way that was only slightly curt. "Looks like a lot of people visiting."

"I know! You should've seen some of the roads driving down here. They were terrible!" the girl vented. Suddenly one of her friends, one of the men, popped up between them obnoxiously close for comfort.

"When we were down in the parking lot- parking area thing- some kid threw open his door and slammed it into ours. Like, this much of the paint's off the door." He punctuated the statement by showing a gap between his finger and thumb. A few inches wide and a few inches from Mike's face. "If they're going to have this many people parked then they ought to just put down a parking lot. We still had to shuttle up here anyway, so we didn't even need the car. And there's so many kids! Dude, this isn't kid friendly!"

" _I think you're a little too old for 'Dude', Buddy."_ Mike smirked to himself. "I work at a family restaurant and my first weekend off involves me sharing a mountain with a couple dozen people and a couple hundred kids." Mike hoped they would pick up the hint and leave, but they didn't. So, he continued, "If I knew it was going to be this packed, I would've gone to Vegas. Sure, I would've lost a fortune, but at least I could've walked ten feet without a wall of people. Don't even think about going down that 'easy' trail down that way."

"What's your poison, slots or cards?" the girl chimed in playfully. "Or underground rooster fights behind the casinos?"

"I like to stick to my coin pushers. I like to count every single quarter I'm giving to the casino," Mike remarked with a small scoff. "In fact-." His continuation was cut off by the man walking ahead of them slipping on a rock step and landing heavily on his backside on the rocks. He slid down the path a little further, all while Mike stared down at him blankly.

"You see that?" the man beside him remarked. He pointed dramatically at the fallen one. "That is _not_ kid friendly!"

"Watch that first step, it's a doozy!" one of the girls cracked in from behind.

"It's at moments like this that I ask myself what I'm doing with my life," Mike muttered. Obviously, he was heard, because the guy who was nearly climbing on him gave him an approving slap on the back, but again they seemed completely oblivious to what he was saying. They weren't going anywhere.

The continued trek down the path wasn't long and wasn't too eventful. The conversation got stuck on Vegas and continued looping around that one topic. Eventually arrived at the crux where Mike could return to his and Marionette's camp and separate himself from his newfound followers.

"Well, here's my turn," he said. He separated himself away from the others to visually make his intentions clear. "Maybe I'll see you around." Yet right as he planned to leave, freeing himself from them, he was met with protests.

"Aww, are you sure?" the girl asked. "Why don't you come with us? We're heading on one of the higher trails to dry off. There's a canyon view that's to die for."

"And a drop to die for too," said the clumsy man, who had made a hobby of coming down the canyon on his backside. "It'll be fun! Shouldn't take more than… Maybe thirty minutes. Depends on if we need a rescue crew to haul us out."

They looked at him so expectantly, as though they truly wanted Mike to join in and come prance around the trails with them. Mike stared at them with absolute confusion. These people didn't know him from a complete stranger on the side of the road, yet here they were trying to take him in like some sort of stray dog, making him into one of their group. Not to mention that they were as sheltered as it came, much too wholesome, brimming with some sort of suburbanite bubbliness that was foreign to someone like Mike himself. They were the type who should've been turned away by his cynicism.

…So, why didn't he immediately shoot down the offer? Here he was convincing himself that these were the clear definition of fair-weather acquaintances, and yet their offer was tempting. It was just a group of normal, young, foolish strangers who hadn't gone through anything like Freddy's, probably didn't know what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck and treating a hike in a canyon like it was some sort of big adventure. He had his own friends and he had his own life, and yet here he was, tempted to continue with it… Maybe Marionette wouldn't notice an extra thirty minutes.

"…Which way's this trail?"

* * *

Baby seemed insatiably curious. Charlie wasn't sure how long she had been there just talking and looking through things, but it seemed like it never ended. Especially when they hit this strange lull in the conversation where Baby couldn't stop talking about ice cream. That had certainly been odd, but not entirely unpleasant. Save a few strange repetitious phrases mentioning scooping ice cream that seemed either unsettling or suggestive. Charlie would rather not admit to either. It was this conversation that abruptly cut off by the clown's sudden proclamation.

"I do think you're a Funtime model. The Freddy and Foxy on that poster were also of the Funtime model," Baby explained. The posters weren't with them any longer as they had been left out in the box in the aisle. Instead, they were in the office, where Charlie had taken to the office chair. It was much easier to scoot around in it then to battle her legs any longer. "You can really tell. They don't have fabric exterior and usually have plates. Almost like I used to have, but… I was a different kind of animatronic on the inside." She hesitated for a moment and looked away. "…They were my friends… But they're gone now."

"I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose people," Charlie sympathized.

"I miss them very much. They were my closest friends… There was another Funtime model too, but I haven't seen her in years…" Baby turned and languidly rolled along the floor. "I'm on my own…"

"Was it Bonnie or Chica?" Charlie asked. She could only assume it was one of them, being the staples of Freddy's. They seemed like the more appropriate characters for getting numerous forms. Though she supposed in retrospect that she did like the wobbly body she was in better than the clunky form of the Funtime Freddy or Funtime Foxy. They just looked heavy. Sure, she wouldn't walked better, but she could only guess that more human activities would be difficult, such as travelling.

"It was Funtime Chica… And I do know where she is…" Baby stiltedly said as she nudged the office chair to the side. She stopped in front of the desk and turned on the computer monitor. She used her good hand to maneuver the mouse and type and seemed rather dexterous in it. It wouldn't be surprising if the clown had been spending some time using the computer. Soon she pulled up a website. "There aren't many animatronic restaurants left here that began from Freddy's. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Circus Baby's Pizza World, Bonnie's Birthday Ballroom- all of them were closed… Except for one. Chica's Party World."

"There's still a Fazbear restaurant open?" Charlie asked in surprise. She scooted closer and leaned over the desk to peer at the screen. Baby looked down at her, seemingly pleased at her curiosity. Looking at the screen showed only a basic website with a pink background, a minimal map, and a small blurb punctuated with a tiny cartoon picture of a white and pink Chica. "I can't believe this…"

"Such an original name, isn't it?" Baby inquired. Her voice briefly betrayed a sourness at the name similarities. It was then covered with a neutral tone. "But it's a fitting name. It's not a pizzeria, it's a party room and party supply store, and it looks like she's the only animatronic there. The only remaining Funtime animatronic too… Except for maybe you." She then paused once more, one that was strictly for the illusion of somberness. "…I wish I could go see her. She's in a mall not too far from here, but nobody would take me willingly. I think it's clear that the others don't like me… But I suppose I deserve that. I haven't been kindly to them."

Charlie looked up at her but said nothing. She wasn't entirely sure what to say to this and wasn't sure if she could comfort the clown in any way. Before she could even try, those green eyes seemed to glow brighter as they stared down at her.

"Unless… We went together," Baby quietly pointed out. Charlie stared blankly but drew back slightly as though in confusion or surprise. "We could go together and see if, maybe… Funtime Chica is still awake and aware, like we are." She turned back to look at the hallway. Slowly, she glided over towards it, and stopped in the doorway of the office. "…I've lost everyone already. All of them were destroyed."

"I'm sorry," Charlie apologized again. "What happened to them?"

"…They were torn apart piece by piece," Baby explained. "There's none of them left anymore. But maybe Funtime Chica… Maybe she's still there. Maybe I have someone left."

"You're not serious, are you?" Charlie asked in befuddlement. "How are we supposed to get there? I can barely walk, and we'd be spotted on the side of the road even if I could. The map says that this place is miles away… And in a mall." She gave a tired exhale, but it came out as a soft ringing instead. "Baby, I'm sorry, but we couldn't do that. Unless, I don't know, maybe Fritz will take you someday? You could ask him."

"He never would. Besides, the only thing he has that wouldn't would be the van… And he left it outside. The keys are ever right in that desk drawer." She slowly spun to face the other female and raised a hand to her chest in an almost hopeful way. "You could drive it, couldn't you? We could leave once it got dark, drive there, and I could find us a way in. Perhaps Chica would even let us in herself!"

"Baby, do you hear yourself?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "If we got caught _driving_ -."

"Then you pretend to be an empty animatronic in the back of the van and we wait until they leave to look for the 'driver'," Baby quickly shot down. It almost sounded like she had been thinking of this more than she had admitted to. "Getting there is really not a problem, neither is getting inside, so why shouldn't we? You've been human recently, so you should be able to still drive. Unless… Unless you rely on the Puppet and his human fully. Which would be a shame." She dropped her head and grabbed her arm with her good hand sadly. "…I just miss my life before I became this. Back when I was happy on stage with my friends… I want to go back."

Something about that comment hit home a little closer than Charlie wanted it to. Her resolve was starting to cave as her hands tightened in her lap.

"You could even wear your jacket hood to hide your head. Please?" Baby was nearly begging. "I don't feel… Complete. I need Funtime Chica to be complete."

Charlie knew it was a terrible idea, even as she stiffly nodded and gave some variation of, "We can try."

Baby helped Charlie out to the car- partially because Charlie was almost in shock at what she was agreeing to do. She climbed into the front seat, clutching the keys, and Baby let herself into the back. She waited a few moments before pulling her hood up and tucking her bell underneath it. With only a moment to brace herself, she turned the key in the ignition and the van sputtered to life. She still knew what she was doing, so maybe she could do this. Maybe she could give Baby the closure that she would never be able to get.

…This still felt like a mistake.

* * *

 **Mable: I think 'this still feels like a mistake' pretty much sums up most of Mike, Scott, and Charlie's decisions over the last few years. Let's hope these new friends- whether Mike or Charlie's- are more promising than one would first assume. Anyhoo, the next chapter will be posted next week. I hope you enjoyed!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Mable: So, special surprise at the end of the chapter, so make sure to check it out! For now: Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventeen_

Marionette was patient; he could wait for hours with little complaint if it meant that evening would come and bring sweet freedom. He was used to the waiting, and at least this kind didn't involve him being trapped in a box. This involved dipping in and out of a tent and keeping careful watch for any wandering humans. He could hear them before they could get close enough to see and the rugged landscape- along with the location they picked- allowed for more cover from being seen. It only built up his anticipation further. He wanted to be out there, to see all he could while he could, and remember every scene as clear as the day he saw it.

He was inside when he heard footsteps approaching and knew that they were Mike's. The delight was instantaneous, and his excitement grew at the prospect of where they would soon be going. It was already afternoon and if all went well they would be out there exploring the world by nightfall. He set his sketchpad aside and waited for Mike to come in. His fingers tapped on his legs as excitement began to cause the patience to wane. He gave an eager chime as Mike entered the tent looking rather winded.

"Hey," Mike breathily greeted. He tossed aside a half empty bottle of warm water while setting the camera beside him.

"Why, hello! How did it go?" Marionette asked. He retrieved a new water bottle from the small cooler in the corner of the tent. Mike drank it greedily to try and cool himself down. Then, when he couldn't drink anymore, he poured it over his head. "Don't worry about the tent. I'm sure it'll drain out somehow," Marionette playfully remarked.

"Be glad that you're not going out there right now. It's got to be at least ninety-five degrees out there," Mike responded. He then sent the animatronic a small smile. "Check out some of the pictures though. That almost made it worth it."

Curious, Marionette moved to sit alongside Mike and lifted the camera. Looking through the small screen on the back, he peered in at the recorded photos. They certainly weren't that easy to see on the camera, but the images of the views were still amazing. Every waterfall, every towering cliff, every distant shot; it all made him want to see more. It was then that he saw a picture with Mike and a few humans. He tilted his head curiously. "Who are they?"

"I ran into a group of tourists and they sort of clung to me. You know the type: young, without worries, probably never had a job, city kids. Couldn't really shake them." Yet as derogative as Mike sounded, he was smiling, and it was obvious that he enjoyed his time even if he wasn't admitting to it. "Not like I was going to be alone anyway. You wouldn't believe how many people are out there. People who don't look like they hiked a day in their life."

"Then I suppose that us going during the day isn't going to be an option." Disappointment aside, Marionette still trilled and put an arm around him in an affectionate squeeze, forgetting briefly that he was overheated. "Still, I admire your patience. These pictures are amazing."

Of course, there was more that the Puppet wasn't saying. Such as how happy he was that Mike was fully capable of making friends even in such an unlikely situation. It might've not bothered Mike, but Marionette did worry occasionally if he was leading to Mike's lack of interest in a social life- even if that was not the case, since Mike didn't pursue an excessive social life before they started living together. It just fascinated Marionette that he could have it both ways; that he could make friends so easily without having to put in too much effort. He wasn't jealous, he was relieved.

"I think I might have found something we might be interested in though. Here, let me show you." Mike took the camera back and started to quickly click through the photos. "There's a path higher up the cliff. It's one of the harder trails and it's going to be hell to climb, but everyone was saying that it's an amazing view. So, if it doesn't kill us, it'll be worth it." He sent the Puppet a playful look. "But because some of us don't have the luxury of hovering, I'm going to need at least an hour or two to cool off before I go back out there."

"Are you sure? It would just be you getting sunstroke and me being out in broad daylight, how bad could that be?" Marionette asked with a chime. He then looked at the camera showing a path leading upwards into the cliff. His curiosity piqued as he looked closer at it. "I don't suppose there would be much of a risk of being caught if it's as difficult as you say it is." That bubbly excitement had returned, and the wait was becoming worth it. Only a little while longer and they would be off.

"…But in the meantime," Mike began as he set the camera down. "Maybe we should go ahead and make the campfire. I think you'll be safe if we're careful." While the Puppet was hesitant, he found himself curious as Mike retrieved a lighter from the bag along with some newspaper he brought solely for this purpose. He handed both over to his companion as he stepped out to arrange a makeshift firepit and gather wood. Though it was less 'gathering wood' and more picking up dried up sticks within easy walking distance.

The sun had finally shifted enough to cast more shadows into the canyon, both cutting down on the obtrusive heat and making it seem more appropriate for a fire. He came back to find Marionette by the fire pit but didn't expect to find him staring intently at an unfolded newspaper. "Find anything worth burning?" Mike asked as he dropped the wood into the pit. To answer him, the Puppet silently showed him the newspaper, and Mike found himself staring at a picture of himself.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me," Mike choked in aghast as he took the paper and scanned over it. "And nice, they stick me right beside Dave's mugshot. It's going to look like we were working together. Can't even escape him in the middle of nowhere." He balled up the newspaper page and started shoving it under the wood. "This one burns first."

"So, we won't be framing that one I assume. Perhaps next time," Marionette lightly quipped. He then offered the lighter. "Looking for this?"

He took it with a thanks and held back only long enough to shove more newspaper in underneath the stack. "Step one to making a fire: find something dry and flammable for tinder to start the fire. The sins of our past will work good enough, but make sure it's shoved far under the wood, so nothing remains." The Puppet nodded in agreement as he watched. "Step two: make sure the kindling starts to light so that it lights the heavier wood. Unfortunately, this whole fire is pretty much made of kindling, so we're looking at about fifteen minutes of fire at max."

The newspaper caught quickly and soon fire engulfed the evidence. "And that's how you make a basic fire… Next week I'll show you how to burn down your own business in a believable fashion. Remember: it's not arson if you own the property."

"Mike, if you want to destroy the business that badly, then we'll just give Foxy a skateboard and fill the pizzeria with 'say no to drugs' posters. Nothing kills a business faster!" He reached into the tent and pulled out a bag of marshmallows and an oddly bent metal wire. "I didn't know if we'd find a stick that would work, so I brought a clothes hanger to use."

"Hmm… Eating splinters or third degree burns from heated metal… Yeah, I think you made the right call," Mike remarked as he accepted the wire and stabbed a marshmallow onto the tip. "You want one?"

"It'll never come off of my fabric," Marionette denied. He tried to ignore the white marshmallow slowly turning crispier over the fire. "I would have to waste almost all of my evening trying to get it off." He scooted closer, putting an arm around Mike, and rested his head on the human's shoulder to peer over. Both to shield himself from being seen and to stare intently at the rotating marshmallow. He could only imagine how soft it was at the center. "I shouldn't."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked.

"No, I want it," Marionette decided. "Forget it, I don't care, _I want it_." Mike smirked in amusement as he pulled the wire closer to him. The Puppet eagerly reached for it, barely brushing his finger on the underside of the warm wire, and then coaxed it upwards as he carefully leaned down. He was slow, not wanting to get the marshmallow anywhere, and was just about to touch his lips to it.

"Mike!"

Blue eyes widened, and Mike straightened abruptly. The wire shifted in his grasp and the marshmallow smacked into Marionette's mask. The Puppet gave a slight staticky sound, but then fell silent as he noticed the sound of people approaching. Mike swore under his breath when he recognized the voices as his 'new friends' and he glanced to his side, only to see that the striped one had vanished. Within moments, the group that he assumed he had lost started to wander up.

"Oh, hey," he greeted them. "I thought you all were going off to get something to eat." He tried not to sound as dismissive as he was being. As nice as it had been earlier, they were now intruding past what he had wanted.

Tiffany was leading with a beaming smile and toting a bag of hamburger buns. "We are!" she chirped. "But there's so many people out where are camp is, so we came to intrude on your peace and quiet."

"We're willing to give you a burger," one of the men offered in. From behind them, he could see Dude Guy carrying up a small grill. It would probably take ages to grill that many burgers on a grill that size. "…Are those marshmallows?"

"It depends. Let me see if I have another bag," Mike dismissed as he turned and slipped into the tent. There was Marionette trying to wipe the marshmallow fluff off with the water from the cooler. "I made a terrible, terrible mistake, Mari. Now they know where we're staying and they're already trying to mooch the marshmallows. It's like I fed a stray." He looked back towards the flaps while the other continued scrubbing at his mouth. "I think I can talk them into leaving."

"No, wait," Marionette stopped, reaching out to grab Mike's arm and stop him. Like he expected the man to fly out of the tent and shoo everyone off. "They said that they were just coming to make dinner, right? Just let them stay. It can't take that long and it saves you the luxury of eating jerky and marshmallows for dinner." Mike sent him a baffled look.

"But that's going to trap you in here. The whole point of coming out here was to get you out of the house. Not get you out of the house and into a tent," Mike insisted. He then tapped his own chin and added, "You've got a little down here too."

"Trust me. It will be easier just to go with it then trying to get rid of them. All you have to do is be patient and say you're going to make it an early night," Marionette encouraged. Even if he didn't want to be confined in the tent, he didn't want anything to risk their trip, nor Mike's newfound social life. "Don't worry about me. I'll be spending most of the night trying to get this out of my fabric."

"If you're sure about this," the security guard agreed with a slow exhale. He could handle an hour or two more of them if it made it easier to get rid of them. Maybe then they would realize that he was comfortable on his own. "Alright, I'll come get you when they leave. Love you. Pray for me." Then he went back out to face them. "Looks like we're only settling on one bag."

Marionette wasn't sure how to feel about all of this. It would certainly be entertaining to watch them. They already sounded like a rather interesting bunch and didn't seem observant enough that he would risk being spotted. Not to mention that there was a side of him that was fascinated by the prospect of seeing normal people his own age acting natural. However, there was a price to pay, and that was self-segregation. To hide and watch, as a shy child might peer out amongst a group of playing children, afraid to approach out of the risk of what would come from it.

It's for Mike's own good, he told himself. It would just be a little while and then they would have the night together. For now, the Puppet just had to bide his time and wait. This body was made for that.

* * *

Charlie wasn't one to get overly anxious or to ever question her own motivations, but the drive had been excruciating. The paranoia was constant, and the hood of her jacket had barely protected her from peering eyes. Every time a car had passed she lowered her head and hoped this wasn't the one who would realize she wasn't normal. It didn't help that her driving was also slightly flawed. As in many other cases, her hands and arms worked like normal, but her legs were not made to sustain driving. Just trying to keep the points of her legs on the peddles was a job, considering that her legs kept slipping off them.

Not to mention that her legs were not precise. Slowing down or braking at all was usually punctuate with a jolt, as the brake was either pushed too little or fully thrust downwards. Thankfully, this meant she wasn't driving too quickly, but she could never be too sure. It was a nightmare; a seemingly endless drive down a long road. All the while, Baby slumped silently in the back. Once or twice she had attempted some semblance of a conversation, but lost interest when it became apparent that Charlie couldn't focus on one.

If there were any positives to not being human any longer, Charlie did notice that she had no immediate needs. No thirst, no weariness- maybe because she had slept late, and she was rather alert. She also saw the road better than she used to; it didn't seem nearly as dark. Which meant that she could see the mall as they started to approach. They were now in another town, though she couldn't remember which one, and the large mall stood proudly in view of the highway. By now it was late enough that the mall should've been closing, though a few lights were still on inside.

"We're here and it's about to close. Perfect," Baby remarked. She looked to Charlie, hearing a low ringing in the depths of her chest and knowing it was from uneasiness. The clown seemed less than concerned. "You're a young woman, shouldn't you be excited to go to a mall?" Charlie tried to let out a disagreeing huff, but instead was rewarded with unwanted ringing slipping out. She winced in slight embarrassment. "…I don't speak puppet chime. What a shame." Thus, Baby's sweet façade briefly dropped once more. "Drive behind the mall and park close to the building. We'll find a way in through there."

She did as said and the van pulled into one of the staff parking lots behind the mall. Most of the spaces looked to be empty, save one or two unattended vehicles that Baby didn't seem concerned about. It wasn't as though she would be concerned of a security guard, if there was one in the mall as it was. The van was shut off and Baby moved to the back. "I'm going to find a way inside. Please remain seated, as this will only take a moment," Baby rattled off in a very scripted manner. She then exited the back of the van and seemingly disappeared.

" _This is a terrible idea,"_ Charlie scolded herself as she sunk deeper into the driver's seat. _"Why would I come here after Magictime? For what, to see an animatronic that might not be here? That might not be alive anymore?"_ She went to raise a hand to her face, only to shudder at the still unfamiliar sensation of the plates. _"I suppose at this point I can't sink any lower. I already died, there's not much more I can lose from here."_ She was alerted by a tapping on the windshield and looked up to see Baby outside the van. She timidly opened the door for her. "Did you find something?"

"I found a way inside. Come on," Baby coaxed. The Security Puppet was reluctant, but slowly pushed the door open more and climbed down to the parking lot. She teetered on her legs as she shut the door behind her and hunched beside the van in paranoia. "Don't worry. Nobody's going to see you. Nobody's here," Baby assured. She then turned and glided easily down the back wall. She stopped abruptly and waited between the back door and what looked to be a large air condition vent. She was turned towards the door, so it seemed clear to Charlie that her focus was aimed there. The Security Puppet tentatively approached and looked at the door.

"Here?" she asked in confusion. "It's probably locked… Could be an emergency exit too. If that's the case, an alarm will go off as soon as its opened." She looked around desperately and turned back towards the van. "This is such a bad idea…"

"It'll be fine. We just need another door," Baby assured as she slowly turned towards the Security Puppet. "Do you have an idea? You know more about the world. How would you get in?"

"…The vent." Charlie pointed a single finger towards the closed duct. "We wouldn't be seen by the cameras in the duct and we would get in without setting off the alarm, but I stand by what I said-."

"Oh, the vent. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?" Baby inquired as she smoothly turned towards said vent. Before she could be stopped, she thrust her claw forward. It sheared into the vent opening easily, latched on, and she yanked back and pried the cover opening. Inside was an unmoving fan, and the clown knelt before crawling inside. She tugged back her claw slightly, then thrust it forward and easily broke the fan out of the vent, opening their way. "Stay close. I'll keep you safe."

"I can barely walk, Baby. I should wait in the car," Charlie pointed out as she crouched down. The glowing, green eyes peered back at her and stared blankly. "…I mean it."

"Did you really come all this way to wait in the van?" Baby simply asked. "How… Dreary… We're almost there. Wouldn't you want to see her? Wouldn't you want to meet someone else just like us?" The Security Puppet hesitated, and the clown pressed further. "Just because you're no longer human doesn't mean that you must give up everything and hide away."

There were so many things Charlie could say, but she didn't say anything, because somehow Baby knew exactly the worst thing to say. She had singlehandedly managed to say everything that would get under Charlie's skin. It was all that she heard in her own head compacted into the smallest package imaginable and stated so bluntly. Silently, Charlie lowered her head and crawled into the vent with an unknown determination. Fine, Baby didn't want her to be a lifeless animatronic waiting behind, so she would follow behind and live to regret it later.

Eventually they got to another fan and grate that Baby made quick work of. Being that the only other option was to go straight up into the ducts, and neither seemed capable of doing so, this was the best option. Baby pulled the metal back into the vent and peered out at the large, open room before them. Some of the overhead lights on the first floor were still on, but the stores were darkened, and the second floor looked entirely blackened out. They couldn't hear any signs of anyone.

"We'll stay close to the wall and find an elevator. Chica's is on the second floor," Baby instructed as she climbed out of the vent and stood. Charlie was slightly confused.

"An elevator is going to only draw attention to us. The escalators are still lit, but usually there's other stairs in malls. We can find the stairwell and climb up-… Oh." The Security Puppet's much safer idea was cut off by Baby tapping her rollerblade on the floor. "…I don't guess those are easy to climb stairs in."

"They're not," Baby assured. She then turned and started to slowly move down the wall. "Try to keep close to me. We don't need any… Security cameras seeing us." The other female did manage to catch up, mostly because Baby was forced to stay slow, and the two continued along the mall. While focused on the task at hand, Baby occasionally looked up into the darkened windows of the shops. There was only a slight interest in such meaningless things, even if her eyes lingered too long on children's toys and mannequins draped in lovely clothing.

At one point she even came to a dead stop. Charlie nearly ran into her since it was so sudden. She jingled curiously and then promptly mentally groaned at the noise's return. Only then did she see that Baby was staring into another closed clothing store. She was as still as could be as though she had managed to spot something amiss. Charlie clutched her jacket closer.

"Charlie, see that in the back?" Baby asked.

"No, what is it?" Charlie looked towards the back door. "Is it a camera, or is someone still in the back? I don't think the mall's completely empty."

"No, Dummy, the dress," Baby corrected. Slight exasperation crept on her voice. "The one with the sash around the middle. That would look adorable on you." Charlie bluntly stared at the female clown. Baby stared back and then added, "It'd look better on me, but my dress doesn't come off. Ask the Puppet to send his plaything over here to get it for you." She then turned and continued. "I can see the elevator doors in the dark. Keep up."

"You know, I'm not sure if Marionette would appreciate you calling Mike a plaything," Charlie pointed out. She wasn't exactly offended- maybe a slight bit- but she didn't enjoy hearing Baby effectively insult the only human in the conversation. It somehow made her too feel self-conscious.

"Oh?" Baby stopped and slowly turned to face Charlie. Her green eyes stared at the Security Puppet's mask as she asked in a soft voice, "Did he tell you what he does with him? He's not really a caretaker. That is just something they say."

"I know that," Charlie answered. Her lack of enthusiasm covered her embarrassment. "But you could use something a little less demeaning. It's not like Marionette uses Mike for his own enjoyment and to take care of himself." Baby grew strangely silent at this comment. "And I'm not much of a dress person," Charlie added.

"I think I spoke out of line," Baby admitted with her voice growing quiet and apologetic. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. When I say things like that, I don't mean to come off as mean. I just…" Then, out of nowhere, Baby suddenly seemed to go through a harsh realization. Her voice was tinged with disgust, "Playmate, ugh. I sound like _him_." Just from how she said it, Charlie knew she neither meant Marionette or Mike but someone else. Before Charlie could question, Baby continued to skate ahead to the elevator. "Let's keep going."

Baby pressed a button and the doors opened, shining light out into the mall. It seemed uncomfortably bright, but that could've been because they were trying to hide. Charlie managed to get into the elevator right before the doors closed. The box then began to raise to the second floor. It looked like there were more higher up, but it seemed that Baby knew that Chica's was located on the second one. They then stepped out into darkness where Baby continued to search and guide. It wasn't long after that when she spotted the sign in the darkness and pointed to a large store on the second floor.

Looking closely, Charlie could vaguely see the unlit 'Chica's Party World' sign above the entrance, which was blocked by a metal grate to keep out unwanted intruders.

Baby first tried to lift the chain grating and once it became clear that this wouldn't work she instead grabbed it with her claw. She tightened her grip as hard as she could and twisted her arm. Charlie honestly didn't think this was going to work, so she was utterly baffled when the female clown broke through. Then she tried again and pulled free more until there was a small gap. She then turned to the Security Puppet.

"Now that the way is open, you can climb inside and access the panel to raise the gate. It should be beside the gate. Just be careful not to touch anything that would be an alarm," Baby guided.

Once again, Charlie started to wonder if she was making a mistake. Once again, Charlie decided to go ahead and do so. She climbed through the hole, holding onto the grate so that she didn't fall on her face on the other side, and then followed it to the wall. There was a security keypad as predicted and she glanced over it hesitantly. Her eyes fixated on the two 'raise' and 'lower' buttons.

" _Let's hope this works without a code…"_ Charlie pressed the upper of the two and waited a few seconds. Then the gate gave a metallic squeak and began to raise up into the slot above the door. When it was about halfway raised, the lights to the store automatically came on, and Charlie looked back in paranoia before turning to the keypad again. "Let me see if I can turn those off."

"Don't trouble yourself. We won't be here too long, so nobody will notice," Baby assured as she skated underneath. She scanned over the room and took in what she could see.

The store was broken into two rooms that opened into each other, which possibly meant there was another door. The room they stood in looked like a typical party room; there were two stages and the rest of the floor was mostly comprised of tables decorated with pink and white striped tablecloths. The walls were decorated with posters. Half were of Funtime Chica and the others were just extensive ads disguised as entertainment.

Baby's eyes were immediately fixated on the larger stage. It didn't have any curtains, but was decorated with balloons, confetti, crepe paper, streamers; anything to make it look as colorful as could be. The wall behind it was painted in a bold rainbow, which went with a blue-sky theme on the walls that was partially hidden by the numerous posters. Two large cupcake figures, which looked to be made of plastic, sat on either side of the stage and stared out at the dining room with large, blue eyes. It was all decorated with so much care and seemed to fit only one animatronic, Funtime Chica herself… Who wasn't there.

While Baby approached the larger stage, Charlie approached the curtained one and reached out to open it. Instead of finding Chica inside, or even another Foxy variant, she found something slightly more unsettling. It towered over her with wide, black eyes and a toothy grimace- it didn't even look like a smile to her. It had six legs and two arms, perhaps meaning it was supposed to be a spider. In its oversized hands it held a pair of cymbals which may have been molded to it. Its exterior was shiny and clean, as though it was brand new. Tentatively, Charlie reached forward and tapped one of its legs. There was a strange, staticky feeling, but it didn't move.

A thumping noise from somewhere nearby caused the Security Puppet to jolt and give a small ring of surprise. She again mentally cursed the noise and looked back to warn Baby that she heard someone. Until she realized that Baby was missing and must have been the source of the noise. Standing alone with the spider bot only made her feel more uncomfortable and she quickly tried to hurry after the clown. She leaned on the tables to quicken herself along and entered the second room. It seemed to be more like a traditional store set with shelves and racks and was selling party supplies and merchandise.

"Baby?" Charlie asked as she looked around the room. With a weary sigh she continued inside. _"She tells me not to go anywhere and then leaves. Why am I not surprised?"_ She hesitated by a stack of Chica bobbleheads and flicked one. "I didn't realize Chica was this popular… Kind of just struck me as the backup singer." She then looked towards the counter and noticed a set of double doors cracked open beside it. "Baby?" she whispered over. "Are you in there?"

In the back room of Chica's Party World, down a hall, and through a set of double doors, Baby found what she was looking for. Perhaps because she was so valuable, but Funtime Chica had been moved into the back room instead of being left out front with the other animatronic. She really was a monument of an animatronic. As shiny and glossy as the day she was made, with a white a pink colored body, and large purple eyes framed with lashes. Her body was poised with one hand holding a plate and cupcake with the other resting at her him and she stared vacantly ahead.

Baby tentatively skated closer to the animatronic and looked for any sort of response. No movements, no hums, not a twitch nor a stirring; Funtime Chica was not a sentient animatronic.

That meant she wouldn't put up a fight.

"This will only hurt for a moment…" Baby murmured as she focused her claw. It would only be a moment, but it would feel like much more to the clown, and she relished in that.

In an instant, she lashed out and knocked the animatronic to the floor. Chica landed stiffly on her back, still staring upwards lifelessly, and Baby was quick to start prying off the plates of her front. Each one peeled away so easily and revealed the bed of shining wires hiding underneath. She doubted that they had been scooped even once from how new and shiny they were. Baby reached her good hand down to trail a finger along one of the wires. They were so cold, so glossy and clean, that they would feel just like ice cream going down.

If Fritz really wanted her fixed, then Baby would need her fill, and only then could she be full for him. She could only imagine how proud he would be of her self-repair.

She grabbed some of the wires and pulled them free, trying to unroll them from Funtime Chica's body, being careful to unplug without breaking them. Then she lifted their ends to her ventriloquist dummy-esque mouth and let them in. She pushed the wires inside, opening and closing her mouth to guide them, and swallowed them into her body where she could then affix them where they needed to be. She would look so good; she would work so much better with her missing pieces replaced. She pulled more of them from Funtime Chica and guided them down, becoming more ravenous. It was as easy as cake, and it tasted just as good.

It would've tasted even better if she wasn't interrupted by a sharp clanging noise. Baby twitched at the intrusive noise and looked back towards the door. There stood Charlie looking on in shock at what Baby was doing.

As easily as could be, Baby slipped the ends of the wires into her body, resting her mouth again, and simply remarked, "It's not polite to stare."

"You're- You're eating her…" As shocked as Charlie was, her voice was labored by the ringing that kept wanting to come free. It was just as discombobulated as the Security Puppet herself was. Baby had never looked as frightening as she did hunched over a fallen animatronic and slowly gutting it. "You're tearing her to pieces _eating_ her…"

"Don't get your strings twisted. She's not alive. She's not like us," Baby corrected with an impatient tone. "She's just a lifeless body full of wires. I was just… Borrowing some of them… Just a taste since we came all this way."

"You came right back here, tore her open, and started eating her! How am I supposed to stay calm about that?!" Charlie cried out in disbelief. It was then that she was struck by a sudden revelation and new accusation. "…You didn't want to come here and see if she was alive at all. This has nothing to do with the Funtime animatronics, does it?! You just wanted to harvest off her!" Her anger was clear. "That's why you suddenly wanted to be friends with me, isn't it? To bring you here?"

Baby had a few options. She could be honest and say, yes, she used Charlie as a free ride and possibly a camera deterrent because she was like the Puppet, but then again, she was still her ride. Perhaps talking herself out of this was the better option. "I just couldn't control myself…" Baby said, pretending to have a sad and apologetic voice. "I really did hope she was alive… But when she wasn't, I couldn't control myself."

"Sure, I believe you, Baby. I believe you even though it's obvious that this whole thing was an elaborate hoax," Charlie sarcastically choked. She then grew more serious. "Your lying doesn't make it any better. I realize now that when you change to the quiet voice you're just trying to placate me." By now she was picking up on the pretending and it only had her more frustrated. She couldn't believe she had been so desperate as to fall for such a flimsy charade. "You know what? Forget it. I'm going to the van and I'm leaving." She turned to head back into the hallway when Baby added in.

"You wouldn't leave me here, would you? That could put everyone in danger…" Baby's innocence started to slowly drop. "The Puppet wouldn't be happy."

"Then I guess you should hurry!" Charlie spat back. "Once I get to the van I'm leaving, with or without you!"

"Oh, you're walking there?... Then I suppose I have more than enough time to finish," Baby mocked. This was just enough to get a frustrated ring from the Security Puppet before she headed back to the double doors. She was infuriated, frustrated beyond belief, and the only thing stopping her from continuing to vent her frustrations at Baby was the knowledge that it wouldn't do any good. It would go in one ear and straight out the other. She wouldn't give Baby that amount of joy.

Charlie tugged on the double doors only to find them shut tight. She fell against them, then leaned back to use her weight to pull them, but they kept getting caught on themselves. _"Did they lock? I don't even remember shutting them!"_ Wonderful, another thing to go wrong. Charlie was close to screaming, even if it would be unholy bell noises.

"What is it? You can't open the door either?" Baby inquired as she looked out into the hall. "Are you doing it right?"

"There's only one right way to use a door. It's just locked now," Charlie retorted with obvious frustration. She finally released them, crossing her arms in frustration, and gave an impatient huff. "It must have automatically locked from the outside… What do we do now?"

In an answer, Baby approached the door and tried it herself, as though she believed it was Charlie's incompetence that kept her from opening the doors. They were stuck tight and while she could probably break through, that would take an amount of effort that she hadn't wanted to give. Not when she had just started repairs. Seeing that they were going nowhere, Charlie began to look for another exit. Her eyes fell onto another vent. This one was positioned by the roof and looked much smaller than the air duct they climbed through but had an equally flimsy cover.

"I'm just going to have to climb through the vent there and unlock the door on the other side," Charlie explained as she pointed towards it. "I need you to boost me up."

"You'll just save yourself and leave me here," Baby accused. Charlie crossed her arms with an impatient sigh.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have lied to me to get me out here," she remarked. "Fine. We'll just sit here until the mall opens."

This last only about five seconds. Baby was certainly the type to stand her ground until Charlie backed down- and she was determined that Charlie would back down first- but it did occur to her that this wasn't the place to do it. Stubbornness was all well and good but protecting herself was just as important. Especially when the evidence of her crime was now sitting in her belly.

"Fine," the clown said. "I'll lift you into the vent and then you unlock the door for me. Just know that if you don't unlock the door, I'll be forced to break through it, which will probably set off the alarms, and then bring the security, and you won't be able to leave in time. You'll still be stumbling to the elevator."

"Alright, I get it. I didn't plan on leaving you behind. I'm not the sort of bitter and manipulative person who would do something like that," Charlie corrected with obvious intentions in her wording.

She then watched as Baby approached the vent and reached for it. The clown took a test swing before looking around, and her gaze landed on a cart for moving Funtime Chica at the end of the hall. She pointed to it and Charlie got the jest. She went to go get it herself; largely so that she could show she wasn't as useless as Baby kept implying she was. It was a struggle, but she managed to pull it back under the vent. Using the cart as a wider step stool that could support her weight, Baby broke through the flimsy vent, then easily hoisted the Security Puppet up. Charlie peered into the vent only to notice how dark it was on the other side.

"The other side might be blocked… Here, turn me so my legs go in first. I might have to kick the vent out." Baby did as she was told. While her legs were wobbly when holding her body, Charlie hoped they were still strong enough for that much, and she slid into the vent shaft. It was certainly too tight for Baby to have even considered climbing inside, even if lower to the ground. The Security Puppet pushed herself back and waited for the end of her legs to touch metal.

Strangely enough, they didn't. Instead Charlie found them poking out of the vent. Cautiously she continued to back out until she could lower herself down, landing heavily on the stage where her legs crumpled underneath. It was a thankfully quiet landing, which was good considering that the front room had changed. Somehow the lights had been shut off. While Charlie's animatronic eyes, glowing dots of green, allowed her to see in the dark well, the darkness was unsettling. She also soon realized that the gate over the front entrance had been lowered again.

This meant one of two things; either they closed automatically on a timer or someone else was here.

They would need to leave quickly, but first Charlie needed to check and see that nobody was outside the store. Whoever did this could still be nearby, and she knew Baby wasn't built to be quiet. She slowly stepped down from the stage and began to cautiously move against the wall, heading towards the front door. She had to move away from the wall to pass the second stage. The moment she was outside of it, the lights on the stage turned on and illuminated it in a bright, colorful glow. Charlie turned abruptly towards the opened curtain with a startled clinking.

…But there was no animatronic inside.

"My, my, what a delightful sound!"

Charlie jumped slightly and staggered to turn around again. The voice was new and synthetic sounding as it echoed across the room from the darkened archway. With a few heavy steps, the speaker stepped further into view.

It was the cymbal-toting spider animatronic. Unlike Funtime Chica, it was very alive and very aware of her.

"I've been waiting for you, my little bell! I was worried you might've gotten stuck!" he continued as he came in closer. His large, black eyes were fixated down on her. "I've been waiting _so long_ for someone like you! Someone so musically inclined doesn't come around often," the animatronic explained. Its voice held an unsettling amount of interest. "Or wait, where are my manners?! We haven't even gotten acquainted!" His many legs shifted in rhythm with each other as he tilted his body forward and moved his arms as though bowing

"I am _the Music Man!_ " he dramatically embellished. "And you are _my_ muse!"

She had a bad feeling that this wouldn't end well.

* * *

 **Mable: I know cliffhangers are brutal… So, this won't be one. ^-^ I'm posting the next chapter tomorrow instead of next week. I was going to try for today, but I'd like a little more editing time to clean it up a little… Along with the fact that I'm posting this so late. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Mable: Here we are! Sorry for lateness! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighteen_

"There must be a mistake," Charlie began to defend. Be calm, sound unthreatened, back away; perhaps she could slip out of this situation easily. Maybe he would be rational if she talked him down.

Instead, the Music Man only moved in closer. She did all she could from cringing when he was only inches away. Something about how still his face was only made him seem more inhuman.

"Oh, there is certainly no mistake! You are my new muse!" the Music Man insisted with a crackle of light laughter. Charlie had the urge to push him back or do something, but she wasn't willing to throw off her balance. "Too long have I waited for another of us gifted with the blessing of _music!~_ I've even already composed a song just for you! And now I shall sing for you!" He spread his cymbals to play when Charlie considered how disastrous that could be.

"Wait, no!" she whispered out, raising her hands to stop him. "Someone could hear you, and unless you shut the lights off and closed the gate-."

"I did!" Music Man admitted. He almost sounded proud of it. Charlie stared blankly for a moment.

"…Is there a reason why?" she tentatively asked. "You're sure there's nobody else here?"

"Oh no! I shut the door, so nobody would disturb us. Too much light and they'll come looking, and then they'd see you and take my muse away! And you don't want to know what happens to the animatronics they take away…" His voice lowered to an unsettling tone and his entire body went as still as a statue. **"They don't come back…"**

He stared at her, she stared back, and the silence remained momentarily. Then he returned to excitement. "But that's not going to happen now! I got you here, I got that unpleasant clown out of the way, and we have all night to make beautiful music together! Ring for me, would ya?"

"I can't really control it. It just happens on its own when I'm startled or-."

All at once, the Music Man struck his cymbals together. Charlie hesitated, Music Man looked expectantly- as though he expected the sudden clanging to surprise her into chiming. Finally deciding that she was going nowhere, she tried to somewhat appease him, if only so that he would stop asking. She tried to somehow focus on or tighten the mechanism in her chest. It was odd; when she spoke, it was more of a mental effort than a physical one. It was only when she attempted to talk through her body, as she did as a human, that the bell sounds returned.

It was almost as though the bells were her true voice. That would've been disturbing, if not for the spider standing before her clearly winning that out. Music Man gave the sound of cymbals without even clashing together the instruments on his hands. It was quieter and sounded to come from the speaker on its chest. Perhaps it was his own 'real' voice.

"How melodic! Who would think that it was _bells_ that I was missing from my tune? We will make an amazing duet together!" Suddenly, music started to play from the animatronic's speaker. It was an odd sort of tune, as though keeping the beat with cymbal music without using the obvious instruments, and she watched hesitantly. And then, as unbelievable as it was, the animatronic began to sing to her. Or perhaps at her.

" _Who is there? Has someone new come to play? Oh good, an audience! You've come to make my day!~"_ Music Man began. " _And now that you're here, have no fear. I'm happy to have you stay! All are welcome when the Music Man plays!~"_

There was a banging from the shop. It sounded like Baby banging on the doors. "I should go let her out or she's going to break herself through, and we wouldn't want that much of a mess," she tried to excuse and move by. He quickly sidestepped to stay in front of her and block her escape. It was clear that he was going to be difficult.

" _What a pretty little thing. A darling puppet without strings! You and I'd make the perfect fit,~"_ Music Man continued. _"But without that a grumpy clown with her self-appointed crown. You don't want to know how purple she is!~"_

"Purple…? What are you talking about-?"

" _Deep in my web of music notes!~"_ Music Man's voice raised loud enough to drown out her questioning as he continued to rhythmically crash the cymbals together. " _Hiding from what you can't see!~"_ He moved in beside her and she moved back against the stage and sidled off to the side to put distance between them. _"Some might think they're the stars of the show, but then, my dear, there's me!~"_ He gave a tilt of the head in a playful manner, and she could imagine him winking if he could do so. He pulled back only to continue playing.

" _Raise your voice!~"_ He punctuated this command with a loud clang. " _Clap your hands!~"_ He did it once again and it echoed through the room. "K _eep the beat!~"_ Now she was becoming wary again of someone hearing. _"Take a stand!~"_ There was another loud, rattling bang at the back door. She could only imagine that Baby would be able to break herself through soon... But maybe she could help her. _"And join in with the Music Man!~_

Charlie thought that was the end and was prepared to clap- to pacify the animatronic- and skirt by. Alas, this was not the case as Music Man entered another verse of the song. _"This is getting out of hand. If anyone can hear him then they'll come over here, see me, see Baby, see what Baby did… I have to get away from this guy."_ She took a tentative step and made sure to keep herself balanced as she looked back to Music Man. She hoped he would keep believing that she was listening as she tentatively moved back towards the door to the other room.

" _When ringing bells and cymbals clang in joined harmony,~"_ Music Man sung, " _they become one. So, join the fun, and sing the melody!~"_ He started to step in closer and broke the song to call to her. "Don't get too far. Your solo's coming up!" If he thought she was about to start singing, he was seriously mistaken. _"My darling bell, please ring for me! I'd share my stage, I'd cut my strings, just so I could hear you sing…!~"_ He paused expectantly. She did the only thing that seemed appropriate.

The Security Puppet turn and dove underneath the table behind her.

"…What?! No, wait!" Charlie slid only partially underneath and was forced to crawl down the long expanse to the door. She could hear his many legs thundering on the floor as he rushed after her. "Come back! We haven't even gotten started!"

The Security Puppet reached the end and climbed out from underneath the table. She then staggered to her feet like a newborn fawn, trying to push herself ahead as he rushed up beside her and caught her around the waist with one of his arms.

"Let me go, now," Charlie commanded as she fought against him. "I don't want to sing. I need to get 'the clown' and we need to go." This was his last warning, though she was quickly realizing that she was much more powerless than she had hoped. This thing wasn't like a human, even if it spoke to her like one. It was much stronger than that.

"You don't need to rush off so quickly! You're already in my web of rhythm, why not stay a while?" He tugged her in tighter and she cringed at the firm grip around her middle. "You can even get the big stage! We're going to be the number one animatronic duet of all time! Don't you want in on that, my little bell?"

"Not especially, no," Charlie answered. Then she swung her elbow back and hit him directly in his large, black eyes. He gave a cry and staggered with his arm slightly loosening. She was able to slip out, but some sort of strange fight of flight gripped her, and before she could even consider going after Baby she was back under the tables, hurrying back towards the entrance.

Music Man followed quickly and soon his arms were reaching under the table, even with the cymbals. "No! _No!_ Come back, Bell!" he called desperately.

She ducked underneath one of the cymbals and looked to the next table. Then, with all her strength, she pounced out and then scuttled under the next. She almost did the same thing again until Music Man flipped the entire table over, almost blocking her way if she didn't slip past at the end. Then she was forcing herself back to her feet and struggled to run. Whether it be a short distance or her pounding panic, she didn't know, but Charlie was able to run for a few feet and nearly collapsed against the gate. She then attempted to climb through the broken hole in a panic.

Charlie was halfway through the gate when cymbals pressed in on her leg and pulled her back. It seemed it would be like the flimsiest grip, if not for Music Man's uncomfortable amount of strength. The metal pressed tightly into her leg and yanked her back. She threw out her arms to stop her body from getting dragged all the way inside again.

"Ah, ah, ah! Animatronics aren't allowed outside the premises. You should be back on your stage!" Music Man said in almost a mocking way. "Don't leave me yet, my muse! We have all the time in the world to make sweet music together!" She kicked back with her free leg but was only pulled tighter towards him. "I guess this is why puppets usually have their strings. We can get those for you too, my darling! Now if you would just-."

A loud bang echoed out from the next room. Even before she heard the rushing wheels, Charlie knew that Baby had gotten free, and that she was coming and looking for blood. 'The clown' peeled into the dining room and didn't need more than a second to take in the situation. She skated between the tables, gaze landing on the Music Man, and unleashed her anger by swinging her claw out to crack into his head. Music Man gave a crashing, static noise of pain and his arms released just enough for Charlie to slip free and fall through the gate.

"No!" Music Man cried out. He sounded so distraught, but it didn't last as he turned on Baby. "Oh, now look at what you've done!" That was when the fight broke out. Cymbals crashed forwards as the Music Man 'punched' at Baby. The female clown latched her claw onto one arm and twisted, trying to tear it off, and used the other hand to claw at his speaker.

"You talk too much," Baby answered. Her sharp fingers tugged into the edge and tried to yank it free. "Let's see if we can _fix that_."

Charlie had thought it was peculiar how animatronics spoke so casually as they were fighting. Of course, right as she thought this, the conversation abruptly degraded into literal shrieks as the two tore at each other. Though her attention was immediately changed when she heard something else. She sat upwards more alertly as she heard somewhere the faint sound of beeping. It only took her a moment to recognize that it was an alarm from ran out of time.

Without a hitch, she nearly climbed the gate to stand and reached her arm through the bars. She grabbed at the keypad on the wall and felt over the buttons until she came upon the button she needed. She pressed it and the lights turned on as they had before, then the gate began to slowly raise. Music Man's head snapped over and the dark eyes locked on her again. Charlie flinched, yanked her arm through the gate, and flung herself back as the animatronic shoved itself against the gate, completely entranced by her. He was able to drag Baby's weight easily because of her roller-skates.

"My muse, don't leave! I'll never find another with a voice of silver bells! I need you!" he begged. The gate slowly began to raise, and his legs bent slightly as he grabbed the gate with one arm and tried to lift it. It was clear that he would be after her. Baby was becoming aware that she had lost total control of the situation. She tried to skate backwards, even turning her skates to try and hold her ground, but it was clear that this wouldn't do anything. He would literally drag her along as he stole her ride. With growing frustration and exasperation, Baby looked around until her green eyes landed on one of the nearby chairs.

"Almost raised! Soon we'll be two once again!" Music Man cheered, that cymbal rhythm returning to his voice. "Don't go too far, my dear! When we-!"

He was interrupted by another crash. This time from a chair crashing over his back. This managed to knock him to the floor where he began to flail as he tried to right himself again.

Baby took this time to her advantage and skated forward, ducking under the gate, and made a beeline for Charlie before grabbing her in her arms.

"Hey-!" That was all Charlie could get out before Baby continued skating along the shops. Realizing that she was helping her escape, the Security Puppet pointed back. "The elevator's the other way!"

The clown didn't acknowledge it at all and instead sped towards the escalators. Considering what she was, it was shocking enough that she could skate so quickly. Though Charlie's thoughts were cut short when the clown took a sharp left and down the escalator they went. The Security Puppet gave a sharp chime as they began to drop, but Baby knew what she was doing. She kept her wheels on the metal edges beside the steps and only continued to pick of speed as they rocketed down the escalator. She could easily trip up at the bottom and become a scattered mound of wires and random metal bits. She couldn't trust Charlie to be able to tote everything outside in a timely manner either.

The moment she reached the bottom she braced, her wheels hit the floor heavily, and she continued to speed ahead towards the back door. By now Charlie was silently holding on, seemingly in shock, that she didn't even respond as Baby sprinted through the center room and into the hallway. The clown rammed her shoulder into the emergency door and shoved it open as a second alarm began to ring out.

But by now Baby was skating out towards the van. She had slowed coming through the door and took this as enough warning to shove Charlie onto the van's driver side door and coast around to the back to climb in. The Security Puppet scrambled to hold the handle to brace herself before letting herself in. She shoved the key into the ignition and yanked her hood up desperately before throwing the van in reverse and starting to back out. Someone would be here to check the alarms. Perhaps they even had outside footage of the van itself, which would doom them.

It wasn't until they were on the highway driving back towards Hurricane when they suspected they were in the clear. It was only now that Charlie allowed her thoughts to come through, and internally she was nearly shaking. A random animatronic had grappled all over her and if it hadn't had been for Baby she could've been dragged back inside. She owed Baby her life… If not for the fact that Baby herself put her in this situation.

She decided to stay silent in the long drive back to the warehouse. It was just easier that way.

* * *

"Stripes?... Hey, Mari… Come on, I know you're not that heavy of a sleeper..."

It was then that Mike removed the walkman's headphones from the Puppet and set them aside. Marionette roused instantly without the music and could see Mike kneeling over him. He started to slide down further into the sleeping bag again. While he had stayed awake for some time waiting for the group to leave, eventually even their lengthy conversations lost his interest, leading to him trying to sleep through it. Seeing how dark it was, he supposed it worked.

"Don't be like that," Mike said with amusement. He gestured with his head. "It's late, it's dark, let's go see what we can." The Puppet didn't need much more explanation as he slid out of the sleeping bag. Mike grabbed his water bottle holder and flashlight before looking back at him. "And we need to be quiet until we get to the path."

"Oh, so that's why your whispering! I thought there was a bear outside," Marionette began to joke. Though before it could even settle he noticed exactly what the man said. His smile faltered slightly. "…Mike, are they still outside?"

"They're not outside the tent, if that's what you're asking," Mike denied. He then beckoned and slipped out the flaps. The striped one followed and exited the tent to find an extinguished fire, along with three tents that weren't there before.

"They are here," Marionette remarked with a more obvious frown. "Did you consider that them being two foot away might be a problem for us?"

"No, and I also didn't consider having a conversation right outside the tents to be risky either," Mike quipped back. "Trust me, Mari, it'll work out. Let's just get to the trail." So, he started off and Marionette followed behind silently, waiting until they were safely away. All the while listening to the distant chirp of crickets. It was much cooler than earlier and more pleasant under the cover of night than the spotlight of day. Especially when he looked upwards and saw the sky.

"Look at those stars!" Marionette gasped and followed with a trill. "You certainly can't get a view like this in the city!" His delight returned, and his previous annoyance was long forgotten at the dozens of dots gleaming above.

"Wait until we're higher on the cliff. Then those babies are really going to burn," Mike playfully quipped back. He soon came up on a sign. "This is the beginning of the path. It's going to be too long for us to circle all the way around, so I was thinking we'll climb to the top and come back down. Either way I have an equal chance of cartwheeling down a hill and you tumbling after."

"Just keep in mind that my mask isn't insured, so if you go off the side you might be on your own until you reached rock bottom," Marionette cryptically teased. Mike chuckled and sent him back a small smirk.

"Glad to know you're still waiting at rock bottom for me. You know I love how quickly your standards can drop," Mike quipped. Then he turned back to the sign and the path, knowing that their time was limited. "Alright, that's enough stalling with banter. Up the cliff."

With that, he began to lead up the path, shining his flashlight over the trail. As soon as they were on the main path it became rocky and Mike had to keep his eyes constantly on his feet to make up for the darkness. It was a pleasant night; the evening was much cooler than the afternoon that led up to it and the sound of crickets filled the air. There was a rough rope strung as a railing beside the back and as the rocks became crumblier Mike found himself relying on it more. At one point his foot did slide, but not enough to risk tripping. More so it made a noise that startled the Puppet enough to grab onto Mike's arms from behind.

"Easy, just some loose rocks. I'm not going over yet," Mike assured. Though he then shined his light down and noticed exactly how steep the drop has become. He gave a light whistle. "Look at that… Yeah, I'm regretting that 'yet' already."

"If you think that looks dangerous, you should see everything I see," Marionette murmured. He slowly released his human companion. "Just be careful. Some of the rocks ahead are aligned like slanted steps, and they look much more apt to crumble than any of this." He almost felt bad that he wasn't more interested in going back. With all the risks in the world- and Mike's habit of being cornered by them- it was no wonder that he would be a little protective. Yet not as protective as he should have been. Maybe because the night felt so amazing. Everything looked so clear and new, even through night vision. They continued onward.

"So, I have to ask: why the most difficult hike in the park?" the animatronic asked. He could hover and Mike was in shape, making it easy enough for them, so it was possible that it could be because he didn't want to run into anyone. However, Marionette's internal clock said that it was after Midnight, so he doubted anyone would be out regardless.

"You know me, I'm always up for a challenge," Mike quipped back. He paused to focus on climbing a cracked portion of stone step and then added in, "But in all seriousness, I heard the view is worth seeing and I don't know when we'll get a chance to come back."

"You do realize you're not going to see the view, don't you?" Marionette pointed out.

"If I wanted to see the view that bad, I'd buy a postcard at a giftshop. I'm bringing you up here so that you can see the view. I get the experience of risking my life climbing a boulder," Mike insisted with full confidence. The Puppet hesitated behind him a moment, but the man didn't notice it. "And getting to do it while being shadowed by my favorite sock monkey," he added in playfully. Though there was a truth beyond that. At this point, Mike was determined to get to the highest point- or the highest reasonable point- of this trail, and it certainly wasn't for his own sake.

Marionette realized this quickly. With an affectionate blend of a chuckle, a chime, and a trill, he continued following once more and moved in close to return to his protective watch. "What would I do without you Mike?"

"You probably would get to the top quicker," Mike quipped. He then stopped short as the rope ended at a pole. He shined his light over the pole. "…What? Where's the rope?" He shined his light further to the right on the edge of the further slope but couldn't see any more railing. "Don't tell me that the rope budget ran out right here."

Instead of answering, Marionette moved in behind and wrapped his arms around him in an affectionate embrace. He pressed his mask into Mike's shoulder with a light trill. Then, just after Mike reached back to lay a hand on his arm, Marionette continued by pointing forward into the darkness. "Up there," he directed, looking like he was pointing straight up the steep slope. The security guard got a confused look and shined the light upwards, only to realize that the Puppet was right. Instead of following the natural curve, the rope guided the path up a much steeper section of rigid rocks.

"…Oh yeah, I'm going over the edge tonight," Mike muttered. Marionette chimed again and slid his arms off him before raising higher up the cliff. He then offered his hand to Mike to help him up once at the next rope. The human got his footing to step up the steep slope. "And sorry about wrecking our night by inviting a bunch of squatters to hang around camp."

"You didn't ruin our night! If anything, I-…" Marionette cut off as Mike was reaching or his hand. The human sent a confused look and the Puppet hesitated a moment, his fingers tightening briefly. "I'm glad that you got to spend time with other people outside our circle. Other people who aren't just animatronics… I guess I worry that I cause you to miss out on life the smallest bit." He noticed Mike sudden staring and realized that he had unintentionally voiced his insecurities. He took a move amused tone and gestured with his free hand. "By which I mean: I was a human, you could've come here during the day! Certainly a better view."

"Mari, chances are that if you were a human and we came here during the day, we would walk ten feet and give up because of the one-hundred-degree sun and ninety degree drop," Mike pointed out. He got a determined look, more serious, and certainly more convincing than any sort of banter. "And I don't hang out with a lot of people because I don't like a lot of people. If anything, I've met more people since I've met you, and most of them I can tolerate." He reached out and took Marionette's hand with his own. "You're good for me, Mari. You make me want to do these things, because I love you, and I want to give that to you."

"Mike,~" Marionette trilled in return and helped pull the other up. "I love you too, and I love this, being out here. I just don't want to hold you back."

"You say as you help my sorry ass up a cliff," Mike muttered breathily as he made it to the next rope. "I'm not that out of shape and I'm still struggling. What kind of mountain goat does someone have to be to climb up here? And could they have chosen a more uncomfortable rope?" He then flashed the animatronic a warm smile and hooked an arm around him. "Looks like I'm going to be relying on you a lot more during this climb."

Marionette chimed in amusement as he briefly glanced up the cliff and then back at him. "Yes. Yes, you will." Unfortunately, that was not a joke.

The hike continued, and it truly was a hike now. Unlike the smoother paths that Mike had eagerly run down without a care, climbing the more difficult path was a chore, especially in the dark. Between the flashlight and Marionette, Mike was guided well enough. Which was good once the left side of the path fully dropped away to a sheer cliff. Sometimes it got easier, sometimes harder, but when the rope would disappear it was Marionette there to lace fingers with him and guide him onwards. Just a few more steps and they would reach the top- or that's what Mike kept telling himself to not think about going back down.

Eventually, Marionette came to a revelation. "I think we should stop here," he suggested as he reached out to stop his companion.

"Why? How much worse does it get ahead?" Mike asked, moderately winded but not exactly ready to give up. Or he wasn't until he received his answer.

"I think you'd need to give me the flashlight, so you can use both hands to pull yourself up. Not that I don't think you're capable but coming down that… Coming down what we just climbed is going to be hard enough."

"Don't remind me," Mike sighed as he looked around. His flashlight eventually lowered to a semi-flat part of the rocky path. "Mind if we sit down for a minute so that I can catch my breath?" It wasn't the most comfortable place to rest and he still had to make sure he didn't slide down the hill, but it was better than nothing. He shined his light around the edge of the cliff. "How's it look?"

"It's breathtaking," Marionette admitted with a chime. "I wish you could see it."

"I can see enough," the human dismissed. At least he could see the edge of the cliff with the help from the flashlight and the stars dotting the endless sky above. He then glanced over at the Puppet's form in the darkness and got a playful smile. "I got a pretty great view from here." He began to retrieve his water bottle but didn't have a chance to even uncap it.

All at once, Marionette was upon him. He slid over Mike nearly into his lap, wrapping his arms around him, and beamed down at him with a low warble. Porcelain lips were soon dotting his cheek, then meeting his own lips, and finding their way over his skin to anywhere they could reach. It was a sudden shift in priorities, but not an unexpected one. Mike gladly set everything else aside and drew his puppet closer.

"I might not have you later, but I certainly have you all to myself now." the striped one murmured. He trailed his clever fingers down Mike's cheek. "But you love that, don't you, my loyal puppeteer?" His voice lowered to nearly a whisper and was almost hidden by his own warbling. He teasingly brushed his lips over Mike's before deepening the kiss. It was all surprisingly intense considering that it was in the middle of a strenuous hike. If he didn't know better, he would've believed that Marionette brought him up her to purposefully get him alone.

These thoughts were cut off by the fingers moving to the back of his head and pulling him in tighter. Mike naturally reacted with a small groan as he wrapped his arms around his slender waist.

"Be as loud as you want, Mike," Marionette assured. It was almost peculiar that he could talk without separating their lips, but it made sense. "Your voice is like music to me.~"

Mike was less than concerned. Nobody would be able to find them this far up the mountain, and they had all the time in the world. Or they did until short time later when one of them accidentally kicked something and the sound of crumbling rock interrupted. For a moment Marionette jolted in place and straightened. His pinprick eyes scanned the area and searched, paranoid of someone wandering up on them.

"Please tell me that was one of us," Mike muttered as he fumbled for the flashlight and shut it off. It threw them into darkness in case Marionette needed to retreat, but he didn't and instead continued to look. Then he finally relaxed and the light in his eyes darkened once more as he looked to him significant other.

"It's nobody. I'm sorry, I'm just a bit tightly wound," Marionette excused. He then wrapped his arms back around the human again and pressed their foreheads together. The coolness of his mask was still refreshing considering how heated the human felt.

"Just a bit?" Mike lightly teased. "Probably for the best. Could you imagine what would happen if someone came up on this?"

"We would put on the best performance of our life. I would have to pretend I'm some sort of unknown wild animal and you would have to lie and say I'm mauling you."

"How's that a lie? You were mauling me." Mike smirked wider at the rattling that signaled growing embarrassment. "As much as I'd rather not return to our newly found cult of friends, we should probably get back. Maybe I'll pass out in the tent for a few hours and then you can wake me up before sunrise, so we can hike somewhere else. Preferably not somewhere where we can fall and die."

Marionette agreed and helped Mike to his feet. The security guard only hesitated to get a drink and turn the flashlight back on. Then they began to head down the mountain. While it was physically easier, the process took just as long with every step having to be so much more careful. He slipped more going down than he had coming up and was much more reliant on the Puppet's guidance to make up for the lack of vision and unstable ground. Thankfully it wasn't as hard to come down as it was to hike upwards. Eventually they were back on the more even path.

It didn't take them too long at that point to return to the camp. The low burning embers alit the tents well enough that Mike felt comfortable shutting off his flashlight as to not alert anyone. He glanced to the Puppet who responded in waving an arm forward to signal him ahead. He was careful not to step whatever kindling remained as he circled the firepit and headed to the tent. He could feel Marionette's hand on his back as he started to lean down.

And then suddenly there was light.

"Whoa!"

All at once, Mike jumped, he felt the familiar 'ripples' of Marionette teleporting, and he heard movements from one of the tents. He stood upright and looked towards the tent, blocking his eyes. "What the hell!?"

"Did you see that?!" Nathan blurted out as he shined his flashlight over the camp. "There was some sort of black _thing_ standing right behind you!" Mike's blood ran cold at the man's panicked cry, especially as a few of the others started to look out of their tents. "I swear there was this thing- it looked like a human, or like some sort of scarecrow thing- How could you not hear it?! It was right behind you!" He was looking to the security guard for answers, to which he waved it off.

"You're half asleep. You're seeing in double or something," Mike excused. He hoped that they wouldn't notice how much he was sweating. "I just headed back to my car for a couple of minutes. Nobody was following me."

"Maybe it was, like, the Chupacabra or something," Dude Guy said as he came out of his tent to look around. "Did you see anything foaming out of its mouth?"

"No, this was _not_ a mangy dog. This looked like a human, I swear! It was- It was _right behind Mike_!" Nathan pointed to the security guard desperately and then shined the light over the tents. He then clasped a hand on his head in growing panic. "I've never seen anything like that! It was jet-black! It was a jet-black scarecrow!" Dude Guy tried to calm him down, though also was looking around as well. As Tiffany started to come out, Mike slipped into his tent to avoid any questions. His heart was pounding as he zipped the flap closed and separated himself from the group.

"That was close… Well, that couldn't have gone any worse," he sarcastically remarked. Though then he heard the continued panic from Nathan outside and scooted towards the sleeping bag, which Marionette was knelt in the corner beside. "Mother of God, he _saw you_." He paused a moment as his shock turned to a slow, slightly strained widening smile of mischievousness. He looked to the animatronics. "And somehow you got away and he thinks he's looking for a black scarecrow prowling the mountain."

"That was much too close," Marionette whispered in shock as he rubbed at his mask. There was excitement somewhere, but that alarm inched in quickly and overtook it. "If I still went frozen when people saw me… Oh wow. We would have actually been in serious trouble."

"Yeah, you would've had to actually maul me," Mike said with that same smirk. He then made quick of removing his shoes and removing his shirt. "We're not out of the woods yet. Tomorrow morning we're going to realize how stupid that was, so we should enjoy this why we can." He gave a slow exhale as he imagined waking up to park rangers poking around. He was torn between adrenaline fueled excitement- the delight of _almost_ getting caught- and the looming reminder that he needed to stay under the radar. It was all so thrilling, and unlike their usual thrills it wasn't accompanied with the threat of someone's death. It almost made this all seem wholesome.

"I didn't even hear him moving in that tent... I can't afford to get so distracted," Marionette reminded himself. He looked over at Mike, his back, and briefly trailing over the faded scar with his gaze then his fingertips. "I suppose it could be worse."

Marionette then returned to the safety and comfort of the sleeping bag. He probably wouldn't sleep, as he could already tell that he would be awake listening for the humans outside the tent, but he could welcome Mike with open arms. He knew there was nothing the human wanted more than to collapse and go completely unconscious. It had been a long night, Mike had been hiking for hours, and he needed rest if he was going to put on a show of innocence in the morning. Hugging him close, Marionette let his mind wander to the risk they had taken.

He had almost ruined everything. He had almost slipped up, getting spotted, and he didn't know why. For years he had never been so sloppy. It passed the Puppet's mind for a moment that maybe he wanted to get caught. Not to suffer the consequences, but maybe to get that sort of attention that would come from a group of excitable, adoring people- even if realistically that wasn't the reaction he would get. Maybe he was overthinking it.

…Or maybe he had been pushing Mike towards the friends that he wanted. He would rather not dwell on it.

* * *

The van pulled to a stop outside the warehouse. Charlie shut off the van and collapsed back on the driver's seat. She didn't feel like she could move and was both physically and mentally drained. She found herself rousing more as the back of the van opened and Baby climbed out, causing the vehicle to rock as her weight was removed. The Security Puppet considered letting her go as she watched the clown skate around the van through the mirror, but the decided that she couldn't. She ignored the static in her chest and threw open the driver's side door before dropping out.

"Baby, wait," she called after the clown. Baby slowed to a halt but didn't turn to face her. "…What happens if they see the footage and figure out what happened? We could be in real danger. Just because we got away doesn't mean we got away with it."

"I know that. I'm not an idiot," Baby answered. "If all went as planned, you scrambled the footage just being there. Puppets don't record well."

Charlie would've pointed out that she and Marionette were different, but instead realized what Baby had said. That was the final piece of the puzzle: Baby needed her to protect her from the cameras, and somehow knew how to do so without her even needing to do anything. Her hands tightened as her frustration returned.

"…So, you really did have this all planned out." Charlie had already come to this assumption, but this had only made it more apparent that Baby had checked all her angles before calling her over. She had done her research and planned everything. What she didn't talk her way around she blatantly lied about.

"I thought that would be obvious by now," Baby answered impassively.

"I just… I don't understand how you can do this and just _stand there_ like it's nothing," the Security Puppet remarked. A growing static started to trail her voice as her anger grew. "How someone can be so selfish, so self-absorbed that they would use someone else for their own gain. Did it ever cross your mind to even try just asking me? Or better yet, to not drag me into your suicide mission? I guess this is why you 'don't have any friends'." The bitterness all poured out at once. "Baby only cares about Baby, but the drawback is that _only_ Baby cares about Baby."

Apparently, that triggered something in the clown as she spun around and moved in quickly. Charlie couldn't have run even if she wanted to and stood her ground against the van as Baby came to a stop in front of her. The green, glowing eyes burned into her, but the Security Puppet wouldn't budge and refused to show any form of weakness. Not after what she had gone through tonight. She was much too betrayed to be afraid of the clown.

"Do you even realize what would've happened to you tonight if it wasn't for me…?" Baby slowly asked. "… _Nothing_."

Charlie had assumed she had meant with the Music Man, so she was rather confused. "If not for me, you would have hid in that house all night, hiding from what you are, living in this delirium that if you pretend to be an animatronic just a little longer that you'll suddenly be whole once again. That you'll get your family back, and you can go to school and eat ice cream and play all day as a happy girl instead of a miserable machine. That's not how it works, _Charlie_."

Charlie was only rendered speechless because of how direct Baby was. All of it came out before she could even try to protest, and the clown was not done.

"You should be thanking me, because you and I both know that tonight was the most alive you've felt since you died," Baby spat.

She knew that Charlie wouldn't deny it; whether it be because she knew the clown was right or because she was too shocked to answer. Deciding she was done with her, Baby turned and began to skate back to the unlocked door. The Security Puppet slowly dropped her head to look at the parking lot. It had been a horrific event: she had nearly been captured by a crazed animatronic, they almost could've been spotted, and she technically committed a crime, and abetted one by letting Funtime Chica to get broken.

And yet Baby was right. In those moments of risk, she hadn't been a human trapped in an animatronic body, awkwardly shuffling around. She had felt like a full and complete person. It made her feel alive.

There was a soft clanking as Baby opened the door. She was prepared to let herself inside and leave Charlie to her own devices, but then hesitated. Maybe it was the new wires inside of her, or perhaps the fact that she had been forced to ride in a van with little stimulation for too long. It certainly wasn't because of that pathetic line Charlie threw at her. Baby certainly didn't care if she didn't have others clinging to her, for they were deadweight, and she would rather do everything alone. That being said, there was a part of her that felt like something was left unsaid.

"But if you ever want to feel alive again, you know where to find me."

And as Charlie's head snapped upwards to stare in confusion, Baby stepped into the warehouse and closed the doors behind her, shutting the other out once more.

* * *

 **Mable: Next week on Almost Feels Like Home: Baby and Charlie break into a bowling alley. It doesn't get more alive than this. XD I hope you enjoyed!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Mable: So, due to various circumstances, I didn't make the posting yesterday. Though I'm glad I didn't, because there was a lot I ended up fixing in the time I had. So, turns out it was a good thing! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Nineteen_

It became clear quickly that Charlie didn't know where to go next. The most obvious option was to go home, but she didn't want to steal the van again that night. Then other option was to call Fritz, but then that would mean having to wake him up. No doubt he was asleep with how late it was. So, for a short while she just continued sitting in the van waiting for the solution to spontaneously come to her. Eventually she broke down and accepted that the only option was to try and call Fritz, which meant going back into the warehouse and possibly confronting Baby. How unfortunate.

Thus, she let herself back into the warehouse. Thankfully, the door was left unlocked and Baby was nowhere to be seen, so Charlie was able to easily slip into the office and get to the phone. She brought out the slip of paper with numbers and then tapped Fritz's into the phone. She then waited for him to pick up before it was suddenly cut off by voicemail.

"What?" She tried again to the same result. "He turned his phone off?! But-…" Then she saw what time it was. Of course, Fritz turned his phone off with it being so late in the night. She wearily dropped into the office chair to relax her wobbly legs. " _What now? I can't just drive myself back… I mean, maybe, but then I'll have the van stuck over there and… Maybe someone else is awake?"_ Charlie looked at the next number on the list, belonging to someone named Jeremy. Though her gaze then dropped down to the third name, Scott. She vaguely remembered someone named Scott from somewhere. Perhaps from her father's old tapes.

Without considering it a moment longer, Charlie dialed the number and waited for an answer. It rung, then rung, and on the third ring she was certain he wouldn't answer. Then, suddenly, the phone was picked up and a voice came on.

" _Hello? Hello, hello?"_

Charlie's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. She knew that voice from somewhere. Without a moment to hesitate, she forced her voice out and tried to sound normal. "Uh, yeah. Hello… You don't know who I am, but I got your number from… Mike and Mari?" She tested the water as carefully as she could. "I'm Charlie."

" _Oh hey! Uh, a little late to be calling, isn't it? It's got to be… Oh, wait! That's not as late as I thought,"_ the man rambled with a quiet chuckle. _"I remember you… From, uh, the news."_

"Oh, right…" Of course, she would be on the news. Charlie felt a low ringing trying to grow and patted her chest to somehow stop it. "I'm sorry, but I've had a long night and I'm in sort of a jam. I'm at the warehouse and I… I don't know if Mari told you, but I'm not exactly… You saw the news. You probably know that I'm not… Human." It all felt so uncomfortable to say.

" _No, I know. It's- I know all about that. I've had intimate experience with all of that,"_ the man explained. Before she could continue with her point, he interrupted her continued efforts. _"You, uh… You said you were in the warehouse?... With her?"_

"You mean Baby? Yeah, I'm with her… Or I was. It's a long story." Charlie rubbed her mask and waited for him to continue, but he said nothing, so she did so. "Baby called me over here saying that she wanted to be friends, but it was really so that I could drive her somewhere, and now I'm stuck here." She gave a weary exhale and added under her breath, "All so that she could eat Chica."

" _Heh, friends. Yeah, Baby doesn't make friends. Baby just likes to have people who do what she says,"_ the man remarked. Then he gave the slightest snicker, _"Let me guess, she spent the whole time making threats and talking about ice cream, and kids, and party stuff?"_ He certainly sounded like he knew her from that description alone. _"Good old Baby. Predictable… Wait, she ate Chica?"_

"She tore Chica to pieces and started eating the wires from inside of her, _right in front of me_ ," Charlie bitterly recounted. She kept an eye on the door to make sure Baby wasn't listening. Though considering Baby's unabashed bluntness, she had a feeling that the clown wouldn't care. "And then there was this thing that called itself the Music Man-."

" _Oh, Funtime Chica! Yeah, that explains it."_ She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination or not, but the man's voice was starting to sound a touch higher in pitch than it had a few moments beforehand. _"Most of the Funtimes have interchangeable wires, so if one broke down you'd just… scoop out the insides of the other and put it inside. Fixes it right up!"_

"By eating them," Charlie clarified doubtfully.

" _It works for some of them. I didn't know Baby needed to do it… But she's never been all there."_ A touch of bitterness entered his voice. _"…Don't feel bad about falling for it. Baby's the great pretender. She gets a lot of people to do what she wants through lies and threats."_ This almost made her feel a little better. Maybe he did understand.

"That's actually why I was calling. Fritz dropped me off here earlier and isn't answering his phone, and I'd rather not spend my night with Baby after all of this. I was hoping that maybe you could come pick me up?" Charlie asked.

" _I wish I could, but I can't drive. Can't Mike pick you up?"_ the man casually asked. He then immediately back peddled. _"I mean, I can't drive this late. Of course I can drive. I just… Am not allowed to drive this late because of my leg."_

"You _can't_ drive?" Charlie asked in confusion. Something all seemed suspicious about this, and not just because the man continued to jump back and forth between playful casualness and stuttering anxiousness. "But Mari gave me your number-."

" _Hold on, my cats just got out and I have to go get them!"_ the man suddenly blurted out. _"Sorry, I have to go!"_ All at once, the call ended.

"No, wait!... Hello? Scott?" But the call was over, and the man was long gone. Charlie rubbed over her face again and tried to call Fritz once more, only to again find the phone off. She was running out of options. If Jeremy didn't answer and wasn't willing to help, then she would either have to sleep in the warehouse or drive herself home in the van. _"Please let him answer..."_ After a few rings, someone picked up on the other side.

" _Hello?"_ This voice was much more tired sounding than Scott had been, as though he had just woken up. Now she was much more versed in speaking and much more desperate.

"It's Charlie. I know we haven't met, but I need your help. Fritz has his phone off, Scott can't drive, and I'm stuck at a warehouse," she rambled out. Then she realized how abrasive that sounded. "I'm sorry if this is all really sudden, but I've just had a terrible night and I'm a little overwhelmed."

"Charlie?!" There was a shuffling as the man seemed to sit upwards. "Yeah, uh, sure! I'll be right there, just give me a second to get dressed." He was fumbling around from what she could hear on the floor. "How did you get to the warehouse? I thought Mike was camping?"

"He is, Mari too. Fritz drove me over earlier and I… I didn't think I'd be getting back this late. It's a long story and I come off like the most gullible person ever in it." Now the ringing, low and drawn out, managed to make it through her chest. "I'm just… I got myself into this situation and I can't get myself out of it alone." The defeat in her voice was evident as she slouched in the chair. Just thinking of the mess she had gotten herself into made her feel foolish Especially when it involved falling for a plan concocted by Baby, who was so smug about it.

"Don't worry, I'll be there in about five minutes. Ten at longest. Just hang tight," Jeremy assured before ending the call. Now Charlie would just have to wait.

Slowly she hung up the phone and stood from the office chair before putting the paper back in her pocket. She then made her way back to the door, ignoring how weary her legs were starting to become. She had no doubt that they weren't built for what she was putting them through, but hopefully they would get stronger, even if it didn't logically make sense. She could hear Baby moving boxes far on the other side of the warehouse and decided to slip out without her hearing.

It only took a little while before a car drove up into the parking lot and a man got out. Charlie recognized him from the pizzeria and waited until he got closer to the warehouse door, then opened the van door. "I'm here."

Jeremy jolted and sputtered briefly before looking over. "You scared me! I didn't think- Oh…" This was the first time he had seen Charlie since her transformation, and the first time he had seen the knock-off Puppet. It was jarring to see what she had become, but he was able to recover rather quickly. "I didn't think you'd be in the van," he quickly excused as he approached. "What happened? Fritz forgot to come pick you up?... Wait, why were you here anyway? There's not really, uh…" He decided not to finish whatever statement he had on Baby. More than likely, she would hear whatever he said.

"I'll explain in the car," Charlie murmured as she stepped out. She swayed slightly, and Jeremy reached for her, but she declined him with a raise of the hand. "I'm okay. Just a little tired, but I'll make it on my own." With that, she hobbled to the car and climbed into the backseat. Jeremy got into the driver's seat and looked back attentively, as though he was expecting the conversation. She didn't really want to relive it and yet did so. "Baby called me earlier saying she wanted to make up for a bad first impression and wanted to be friends."

Jeremy made a hissing noise in response. Charlie stared at him, falling silent, and he noticed. "…Sorry, kneejerk reaction. Go ahead."

"Did everyone know Baby was a compulsive manipulator except me?" Charlie asked in befuddlement. "Was I the only stooge who fell for it?"

"No! No, no. She… We got a track record with Baby… Or Ennard, I guess. He pretended to be her for a while… But they're both very convincing. I wish I could cover it all up that well," Jeremy admitted as he fooled with the keys. "So, she got you over here and she… She… She didn't do anything to you right?" Charlie could only assume that he meant something along the lines of eating her- especially since Funtime animatronics apparently had wires and Baby continuously mentioned that she though the Security Puppet was a Funtime character.

"It depends on if you count fooling me into driving her out to a mall her doing something to me. We broke in, we were attacked by a musical _spider_ , and-!..." She cut off as realization sunk in. She dropped her head into her hands and vented without context. "And what's worse is that Baby was _right_. I'm not living anymore, I'm waiting for life to go back to normal, but it never will." Jeremy was silent as he listened to her. "I'm just waiting to become human again even though my body is already buried and gone."

"…I know you probably want to go home, but I… I think there's someone you should talk to," Jeremy suggested quietly. Charlie seemed hesitant as she looked to him wearily. "I don't know if it'll help right away, but I really think you should give it a chance. It might help you feel a little better."

* * *

"I'm just not sure what I'm doing," Charlie quietly admitted. "I'm trying to get myself together, but I can't stop thinking 'is this as good as it's going to get'? It scares me to think that I won't even be able to walk straight again… And what Baby said, she's right. I'm hiding from it. I might've went to the warehouse, but other than that I'm stuck at home, waiting for something to eventually happen. Waiting for someone to tell me that my body's back from the shop and that I just have to slip back inside. Ignoring that this is my body now…" She looked over to her confidant. "Does it get any easier?"

"Aye, Lass. It does," Foxy assured. He sat on the stage beside her, yellow eyes on the ground and eyepatch raised, and a somber tone replacing the usually boisterous one. "It takes a while, but it does get easier. It helps if ya don't hide from it. The longer ya keep it all bottled up, tryin' not to think about it, the longer you've got until ya can live with it. Cause ya gotta confront it if ya want to handle it."

"Did you hide from it too?" Charlie asked.

"Aye. The years I spent pretendin' I wasn't ever human. Pretendin' I was me own being and that the soul in me was some sorta battery. So many wasted years… Cause I needed to come out and face it, and the longer I waited the more I put it off, and believe me this, it don't make it go any easier." He shook his head dejectedly. "I'm on the right road now, but I still gotta lot of stuff to get worked out." He then straightened and brightened a bit, "And as fer Baby, don't let her get to ya. Baby doesn't even remember who she was, so she ain't a good judge 'o character. None of us has it all together."

"Mari seems like he has it together," Charlie tentatively suggested.

"He's got it together better than us. It's cause of this thing with Mike, it's good with him…" He then looked to her and lowered his voice, growing more casual. "You've figured out about the… Ya know, what they've been doing?"

"About them? Yeah, I figured it out." They both sounded equally embarrassed, but then Foxy perked back up.

"See? Yer plenty observant! That be good fer one of our kind!" He then laughed pleasantly for a few moments before quieting down. "But Mari's got his own- forgive me fer this- _cross to bear_. We all got 'em. It's a matter of learnin' to live with 'em. I know ya just started, but I think yer doin' good."

"I was almost taken hostage by a singing spider," Charlie pointed out doubtfully.

"Yeah, but ya didn't come back with 'im, so ya got yer head in the right place. If'n it was Jer'my, he would've brought it home and kept it in his house," Foxy remarked with a shudder. "He already be housin' a pizzeria's worth of anima-tykes. He'd make it an even ten." He looked over towards the arcade where Jeremy was passing the time by playing Sit 'n Survive. "Wouldn't ya, Lad?"

"Uh… Depends on how big it is. Until I move, I can fit anything bigger than an actual spider," Jeremy called back, his eyes still locked on the screen of the cabinet. He then muttered, "Why are there so many mosquitoes…?"

"But does it ever feel… Normal?" Charlie asked. She changed the subject back to a more appropriate one. "It feels like doing everything is a struggle in this body."

"That'll clear up," Foxy reassured. He reached out and put an arm around her shoulders, unafraid of making the gesture. He then showed her his hook. "Ya better believe it was hard getting' used to this thing, but now it be more familiar than me old hand! It be like ridin' a bike: once ya stop worrying 'bout falling it'll all go a lot quicker." This made sense and she nodded in agreement. "Now lemme teach you the tricks o' the trade. To the kitchen! There be leftover cake that ain't gonna dispose of itself." As confused as she was at this, Charlie followed with him.

Foxy was a lot like Baby but in completely contrasting ways. They seemed so comfortable and confident in their forms but used it differently. Baby risked her life to go on perilous quests for wires while Foxy walked into the kitchen and randomly ate sweets, caring little of the possibility of staining his suit. She almost felt disassociated from it until she was offered one of the cupcakes and pressed it against her mouth. As expected, it didn't have anywhere to go, but she tasted and smelt a faint sweetness. After that she paid much closer attention.

Foxy taught her little things. He showed her how he presented himself to the audience, he showed her the television in the hall closet, he made it very clear that he and Jeremy were close- even as Jeremy was chasing him around trying to clean him- and at first the Security Puppet didn't understand. Slowly she started to realize what it was that Foxy was doing: he was showing her how he coped with it all. This was how he lived as an animatronic and, from how he showed it off, it was clear that he wasn't ashamed… Even when Jeremy was chasing him around with a package of cleaning wipes.

She warmed up to it, and she warmed up to Foxy. Even through the character she started seeing the human.

If he could find happiness in his body, then maybe she could in hers.

When Jeremy dropped her off at the house he escorted her inside. She unlocked the door with the spare key and tiredly collapsed on the back of the couch. He sent her a half-amused and half-sympathetic look.

"Yeah, that's about how I feel after a night with Captain Foxy. He gets his second wind after midnight," he joked. Then he glanced to the clock. "Uh… You want me to stick around? I could sleep in one of the bedrooms."

"You don't have to. I think I'm just going to sleep, so I won't be going anywhere else," Charlie assured him. She forced her reluctant body to push herself back up and faced the man. "Thank you for everything. You got me out of a tight situation tonight… In more ways than one." Her smile finally felt real and Jeremy exchanged one back.

"No problem! If you ever need me, you got my number. A-And don't feel guilty calling; Foxy does it whenever, even when he doesn't really need anything. Just as long as it's not too close to morning on a day that I have to get up for work." With that, Jeremy said his goodbyes and headed out the front door.

Once the door was locked and she was alone, Charlie felt her body start to give out once again. She was physically exhausted, and she staggered towards the hallway. Her time with Foxy might've made her feel better, but even it couldn't erase the toll of the day. She was only partly down the hall when she noticed Marionette's door cracked open. She hadn't been in there, but she knew that there was a bed inside, and she considered collapsing on it instead of continuing to her own.

" _He did say I could use his bed… We can just pretend he meant this one. It's not as though he uses it that much anyway."_ Charlie pushed open the bedroom down and flicked on the lamp. It was at that moment that her gaze fell on something on the other side of the room, something she hadn't expected to see…

* * *

Mike wasn't too surprised to wake up and immediately feel the effects of last night in his legs. Regardless of his frequent running, his body handled the hike the same way it handled a trip to ARI: by immediately feeling like it had been bludgeoned by animatronics. He could work through it though. Or he thought he could until he remembered that they were out in the middle of a park and that there wasn't any immediate coffee. He hadn't even brought the instant, which he would've been relatively happy to eat straight if it meant sudden caffeine.

The tent was growing stuffy and so Mike decided to escape it and hopefully say his goodbyes. Leaving Marionette in the safety of the tent, he pulled on his shirt, unzipped the tent, and went to leave. As soon as he started out, he heard a call from nearby.

"Oh, Dude, there you are!" It was obviously Dude Guy calling out. He paused a minute and then choked out. "Dude, it's totally you! I can't believe it, this is so weird!"

"Yeah, I know, right?" Mike said with sarcasm dripping off his voice. "Who thought I'd be staying in my own tent? It blows your mind." He smirked to himself and started to climb out, only to have a newspaper nearly shoved into his face.

"This is you, right?!" Dude Guy asked in shock as he pointed as a picture. Indeed, there were the same two pictures from the other newspaper; one of Dave and one of Mike himself.

" _I thought I burned that thing."_ The security guard clenched his teeth as he tried to keep his look devoid of guilt. "Yeah… That's me," he admitted with a sigh. Instantly the others, who were standing and sitting around, all got looks of shock. Apparently, they too had been talking about the newspaper. "It's obviously me, no denying that. How'd you get ahold of that?"

"There's a newspaper stand down by the bathrooms," Tiffany explained. She looked positively shocked by the news, so he could only assume that she, along with the others, hadn't believed it even when it was obvious from the look and the name. "Why didn't you say anything about it?"

"That's not something that comes up easily in conversations," he excused. This clearly wouldn't be enough from how they were staring, so Mike decided to go with the easier version of the truth. "Look, I just was trying to get away from some things- specifically that thing- and if I mentioned it then I would've been stuck dealing with it again."

"It all makes sense now…" Dude Guy's voice went dead serious as he looked at the pictures in the newspaper and scanned over some of the print. Then his head snapped upwards and revealed a look of horror. "That thing Nathan saw last night-!" He cut off with a gasp and Mike held his breath. "-Was the ghost of this guy! Mike, you're really being haunted right now!" And the security guard released the breath.

"That is the most insane-." Actually, if Marionette was a human soul in a puppet body, then perhaps he was _technically_ being haunted. Though this wasn't the time to get distracted on details. Instead, this was the time to thank everything that nobody was asking serious questions, if the others' groans and eye rolls were any indication. "…Okay, that's a reasonable guess, but I still stand by last night being a trick of the light."

"I don't know what it was, but it wasn't the ghost of that guy," Nathan pointed out. "The thing didn't look anything like a _guy_. It was thin and long… Now that I think about it, maybe it was a shadow." All at once his nerve dropped. Perhaps Dude Guy's outburst made him second guess his own theorizing. It was now that Tiffany changed the conversation back.

"I think I understand. I… It's shocking, the stuff in that paper, but it makes sense. That's what we're all doing here, right? Trying to get away from things?" She looked to the others and received a round of agreement. This was a relief, even if it was obvious from her tone that she was holding back. That was the positive side of the group. Their naiveté and niceness caused them to hold back. They resisted asking questions for the moment, but he had no doubt they would resurface if they managed to get him alone again. "We're going to go hike the Narrows. You want to come along?"

"…Nah, I need to get my things in order," Mike excused. He averted his gaze as he ran a hand through his hair. "Probably going to wake up and everything. You guys go on ahead, okay?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea if you _could_ be being haunted by this guy," Dude Guy said as he pointed down at the picture. Mike sent him an exasperated look. Dude Guy raised his hands in defense. "Just saying! Guess it's better in the day then at night." He smacked the other on the back. "Catch you later, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." But Mike didn't intend to stick around. Not because of them, even though the entire event had left him feeling like he stuck out. He really did need to leave and questions of why would lead to his job, then to Foxy's, if the newspaper hadn't already. Cutting ties quickly was easiest. It took them a few minutes to leave and during that time Mike decided not to give any indication of his plan on leaving. He watched them walk out of the camp with the slight guilt in knowing that they would come back to find him gone. They would understand; they were nice.

"A second close call." With them disappearing past the trees and boulders, Marionette came forth and stopped beside Mike. "We're very fortunate about all of this…" He glanced to Mike slowly. "But what are the chances of them researching Foxy's and somehow identifying me?"

"It's not going to happen," Mike reassured. "No. Once the head back home, they're not going to think of me ever again… Unless I pop up on the news again. Let's hope not." He was surprised at how somber he sounded as he turned to lean down and grab the things out of the tent.

The Puppet turned to look at him, equally surprised at his lack of enthusiasm. "You sound disappointed."

"I'm not. Trust me, I don't want them dropping into Foxy's unannounced one day," the human insisted as he dragged the cooler out. "That's all I wanted: a few people to hang out with for a couple of days, no questions asked, and not have to get stuck in any awkward situations…" As he drug out the sleeping bag and rolled it up, Mike fell silent. It wasn't until he stood with the bag under one arm and the cooler in the other that he continued. "…But… I'm glad we came. Even if it didn't turn out how we expected, I'm glad we went through with this." He sent the Puppet a warm smile.

Marionette could feel a joyous trill building in his chest; like dozens of bubbles popping deep inside. "I am too. Honestly, I think this was better than I imagined it would be. Much more satisfying than sitting in the backyard in a tent." As Mike turned to take the things to the car, he moved in quickly to lay a hand on his arm. "Hey," he quietly added in. "I don't want to burst your bubble, but they aren't going to forget you as easily as you think. You're quite memorable, Mr. Schmidt."

"I don't know whether that's a compliment or a warning," Mike quipped back. Though it was clear that even beyond the crack and the amused smile, there was something else there. A silent thankfulness. Mike wouldn't say that he wanted to be remember, nor outright say that he appreciated the assurances, but that was fine. Marionette knew they were there.

Mike finished packing their things as the Puppet took out the camera. He waited until the human was free before addressing him again. "Let me get one last picture of you."

The human raised a brow in questioning. "Where? In front of the group of tents or standing over the fire pit?" Mike asked with amused sarcasm.

"Half up the tree with a bottle of water in one hand and a rock in the other, looking in a south-eastern direction and with a look between 'why am I here' and 'I was born to be here'," Marionette recited back. He then beckoned the other in and pointed downwards. "Just stand in front of the pit. If I angle it just right I think I can get the mountains behind you."

"I'm willing to give the 'I don't want to be here' look, but I draw the line at showing any sort of enjoyment. It'll destroy my image as a pessimist," Mike said as he did as instructed and stood in front of the dead fire. He gave a quick glance to make sure the coast was clear while the Puppet fidgeted to find a good shot. Eventually he lowered himself down for an upward angle. "What now?"

"Just think about last night," Marionette suggested.

"What part of last night?" Mike asked with a slowly spreading smirk. The striped one gave a low chiming.

"Whatever part got your blood pumping the most," he tempted with a trill.

"I think we both know when that was…" Mike murmured. "…When I dropped the flashlight halfway down and it immediately made a break for the edge of the cliff." The Puppet broke into carefree laughter barely recovered as he snapped a photo.

That punctuated the last moment of their camping adventure: somewhat confused, slightly awkward, but they were happy.

Driving home was uneventful, which was arguably a good thing since Marionette was out in broad daylight. He only moved into the backseat once they got back into town. Once home, the animatronic teleported into the house, letting Mike bring in the cooler as he searched out Charlie. He did a quick scan of the living room before heading down the hallway, noticing his own bedroom door left open but ignoring it for the moment. But Charlie was not in her bedroom or the master either and he was beginning to grow the slightest bit concerned.

It was on the way back down the hall that he noticed his bedroom door again and let himself in. Immediately something was amiss, if the small group of plushies sitting on the bed was any indication. He approached the box and lifted the lid, gawked in surprise, and then promptly rushed back out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Mike!" Marionette grabbed the human's arm excitedly. "Charlie's in my box!" The man clearly didn't understand the significance of this from the slightly confused look he got. "She willingly climbed in by herself."

"I sure hope so. I'd hate to think that you locked her up in there before we left," Mike quipped with an amused smirk. The Puppet made an eye rolling gesture and shook his arm.

"I don't think you understand how wonderful this is. She must've felt comfortable enough to embrace that part of her programming. That's a wonderful step!" He excitedly clasped his hands together. "I mean, programming isn't in and of itself a good thing, somewhat neutral, but perhaps she's a little more secure in her body… You know what I mean." He gave a carefree laugh. "And to think I was so worried about leaving her!" Indeed, he couldn't help but be bubbly about the revelation. Yet his excitement slightly changed focus when he looked to the stove and then back to Mike. "…Would you like a real breakfast?"

"What, two pieces of jerky and a granola bar aren't enough?" Mike cheekily asked in return.

"I'm making you brunch. You can even be my helper to make up for trying to throw yourself down a cliff so many times," Marionette playfully added. So that was the plan. A semi-normal breakfast after a night risking being spotted and the day before trying to return to the pizzeria.

All was going well until they were interrupted only a little while later by a knock at the door. Marionette perked, dropped the potatoes he was cutting into the frying pan that Mike was heating, and went to answer it. "Who's there?" he called through, mimicking Mike's voice in the concern that somehow the group of friends had followed them. This turned out to not be the case.

"It's just me!" Jeremy. Marionette opened the door and let him inside before closing it behind him. "I came by to see if Charlie was doing better. I didn't know you guys were home."

"I certainly imagine she's doing better!" Marionette chirped with his usual smile. "She slept in my box last night. She's never been so comfortable with animatronic things!"

"Really? That's great! I was worried after how she was when I picked her up from the warehouse," Jeremy pointed out. He then gave a proud smile. "I guess Foxy really did help. He does that sometimes; he has his moments when he wants to."

Still smiling, Marionette hesitated and then cocked his head questioningly. "Charlie was at the warehouse?"

"Uh… Yeah." Only now did Jeremy realize that he might've said more than he needed to. "Fritz must've fallen asleep and wasn't answering his phone, and Scott… Couldn't drive? I don't know. Maybe he had taken his medicine or something. So, she called me to come pick her up. She wasn't really… She had a little bit of a disagreement with Baby, but she talked with Foxy and he really helped her feel better. Foxy's got the magic voice."

"Maybe he can use that magic voice to explain why anyone would willingly go hang out with Baby," Mike remarked as he started frying the potatoes. Jeremy wandered over to him as Mike started to crack open a few eggs into the pan. "Or how she even got over there. Throw these out?" He offered the shells to Jeremy, who willingly did so.

"I don't really know. I think Fritz drove her over there, but I only guessed that from… Did Marionette leave?" Jeremy asked in confusion as he looked back to now see that the Puppet was missing.

"Yeah. Mostly likely went to go interrogate Foxy," Mike nonchalantly remarked. Jeremy winced at the comment.

"I guess I shouldn't have said anything… Or maybe I should've. Last night sounded more than a little…" He cleared his throat and leaned on the counter. "Anyway, how was camping?"

"Subtle, Jere."

Mike's prediction was correct. As soon as Jeremy had turned away, Marionette had dismissed himself to the pizzeria to ask about this alleged 'disagreement'. Largely because he couldn't help but suspect the worst when Baby was involved. He approached Foxy's curtain and looked through the crack. The pirate was sitting against the back wall, slumped down, and seemed to be asleep.

"Foxy?" Marionette quietly coaxed as he opened the curtain. The animatronic made a low mutter and shifted in place. It almost seemed like he hadn't woken up, but then he cracked open an eye and cocked his head backwards.

"Whazzit Marion?" Foxy slurred out. It was clear that he had pulled a long night, but he didn't know if that was because the incident or just Foxy's own planning.

"What happened last night with Charlie?" Marionette inquired. "Not coming over here and talking, but with Baby?"

"She didn't tell ya?" Foxy asked with the vaguest look of confusion. He then flatly added, "Captain Foxy ain't a nark." Marionette returned with his own flat frown and that was what coaxed the pirate to continue. "She didn't want to talk details. Baby called her over to be all friendly and used her fer a ride. She wasn't feelin' up ta given out where they went, but she found another animatronic, so it was prolly a pizzeria."

"That's… Extremely concerning," Marionette murmured lowly. He was certainly glad that Charlie was alright if that was the case, but now he was worried about the bigger picture. Why Baby would want to go somewhere was already curious.

"She called Scott before callin' Jer'my," Foxy pointed out. "Ya might get more for 'im. Just lemme get me sleep. We got a long day tomorrow."

"If Baby was too active then we might not need to worry about opening," Marionette quietly reminded. He then started to draw the curtains closed. "Sleep tight, Foxy." Foxy responded with some sort of dull mutter.

Within moments, Marionette was inside Scott's home. He could instantly hear talking from the office and knew that the Phone Guy was in the middle of the call. It was clear from his tone and somewhat versed wording that he was in the middle of work. Thus, the Puppet intended to wait for him to finish, and let his mind wander. Eventually it went back to Jeremy.

" _Maybe I should ask Jeremy. He seemed to know the details, so he might be the one to go to… Wait a moment."_ He focused in on a single detail. _"It was the middle of the night and Scott couldn't drive…"_ All at once it clicked and he headed straight for the garage. He knocked on the door quickly before letting himself inside. "Ennard, did you-?" He promptly found the light off and flicked it on with an impatient exhale. " _Am I the only animatronic awake?"_ He shut the door and only then noticed the amalgam in the corner of the room, and it was not Ennard.

For some reason, Ennard had used Baby's body and fashioned parts of Ballora's and the Funtime's plates to it. Funtime Freddy's head shell replaced Baby's, one of the arms was replaced with Funtime Foxy's while the other was patched with some of Ballora's pieces, and it looked like someone was trying to actively disconnect Baby's molded skirt. It was all very peculiar. The Puppet approached and tapped on the exterior.

"Ennard, I need to speak to you. It's about Charlie," Marionette explained. There was a shifting noise in the body and he started to open the plates of the chest. Immediately, there was a frantic call from inside.

" _ **Don't open, don't look!**_ _"_ Ennard blurted out in his 'real' voice. The Puppet partially rolled his eyes and continued to slowly open the body.

"Ennard, I've seen you without your mask on. You don't have to-." Marionette peered in at the bundle of wires sunken into the body. "…Pull yourself together on my account."

The clown made an annoyed gurgling noise and shifted in the body. Slowly he started to fix himself together and eventually opened the chest. His wire arms slid out and tightened as they reached over the outer plates, feeling their way around.

"Ya sort of startled me back there! You know what it's like with masks and all." The amalgam chuckles and started to pull himself out of the open chest. He carefully pulled his legs together, but then hesitated and tilted his head. " _Charlie?_ The girl from the news you mean, right?" He gave a high-pitched chortle of laughter before settling into smugness. "Let me guess, you're actually asking about _Baby_."

"Indeed I am. I think we both know why I would be concerned with Baby's influence. She could convince Charlie to do something dangerous… As she apparently did last night."

"Breaking and entering dangerous? I don't know what you're talking about! It sounds all safe to me!" Ennard playfully responded. He could barely suppress the giggle trying to edge out through his chest. Blue eyes focused down on the Puppet and he lowered his voice, that sort of coy smugness still there. "I wouldn't let Baby around any maps. She might get ideas."

"Ideas about what?" Marionette asked.

"About Chica's Party World. I didn't even know that place was up and running! A _Chica_ themed place?!... Well, I guess not Chica themed anymore…" He chuckled dryly and the wires on his shoulders twitched. "She's gonna have a hard time performing if she's been all scooped out.~"

"Baby raided Chica for parts?" That was much more disturbing than he could've imagined it would be. He suppressed a shudder at the thought. "Did Charlie tell you if Chica was alive or not?"

"Didn't come up, so I guess not, cause she mentioned this spider thing and that guy was definitely alive. It's always the weird ones, ha ha!" This was a relief, even if Ennard's laughter did seem the slightest bit inappropriate. Though Marionette understood it; wire removal had to seem normal to him. "So, Baby got her fill and Charlie got to watch. I don't know if it spooked her, but boy was she angry being lied to! Baby pretended that she wanted to be friends and everything just for a wire replacement. Heh, better Chica than me!"

"But how did they get there? They certainly didn't walk," Marionette pointed out. "And did they say how they got inside the mall without being detected? Considering that they got back in one piece, I'm assuming they weren't caught." All these questions were coming forth, but he was hesitant to directly ask Charlie, and he knew that Baby wouldn't be forthright.

"I don't know how they got in, but I know they used the van to get there. Yeesh, that thing barely gets five feet a gallon. I'm gonna guess that instead of a Sunday Drive, Fritz takes the family out for a _Sunday Push_ ," Ennard joked. He then paused for a response and almost seemed disappointed by the lack of one. "Huh, tough crowd."

"Sorry, my mind was somewhere else." Specifically, to the prospect of there being other living animatronics out there. His thoughts went back to the detective's comment on Orville having blood inside of him; there could've been more haunted ones out there. The thought was both exciting and terrifying. "Specifically, that detective getting closer than we need him to."

"Aww, relax! Baby had everything figured out beforehand. That's _how she is_. She plans, she connives, she pretends, and she lies, and when all else fails she drops everything and splits!" If anyone was pretending, it was Ennard. It was clear that he was laughing and mocking to cover his bitterness towards her. Though considering their past issues this wasn't too surprising. "You worry too much! Charlie's not gonna fall for the same trick twice, right?"

Marionette almost called Ennard out on how naive he was being, but then decided not to when he realized that the clown couldn't be that oblivious. Good old Ennard, faking ignorance as well as Baby faked friendliness. At least he wasn't as desperate for wires as Baby had been.

"You need to lighten up a little! That's what I've been trying to get Scott to do- you two worry too much about all this detective stuff! If they found nothing back whenever, who says they're gonna find something now?" the amalgam asked. "I'm gonna get a laugh out of Scott one of these days!"

"Hmm…" Marionette leaned to the side and looked at what was once Baby's body and was now morphed into something much more unsettling. "You want to see Scott laugh? Invite him to spend the night in your bed." The clown immediately broke into laughter as he looked back as well.

"Ha ha! That's a good one," Ennard complimented. "But I wouldn't put him through that! We fit fine in his bed!" Any humor Marionette had was quickly replaced with a blank stare. Ennard stared back, then continued. "Don't give me that look. When's the last time you slept in your box like a good puppet?"

Marionette hesitated a moment before submitting with a shrug. "You certainly have me there, but we should really discuss the topic at hand." He folded his arms across his chest and angled the conversation back. "Did Charlie tell you that Baby hurt her or did anything to her?"

"Nothing like that. She just was all upset because Baby lied to her and tricked her and got her to drive a van up to a mall, just so she could watch her mangle Funtime Chica." Ennard's voice then lowered again. "But you didn't hear this from me… Or Scott."

"That's fine. Foxy didn't want to be named either. I'll just pretend that I'm some sort of omnipotent being that sees all," Marionette offhandedly remarked. "I should be heading back. Thank you for your help." He intended to teleport out but was stopped.

"Wait! I get one more try for squealing," Ennard broke out. Marionette hesitated and looked to him. "Scott told me to watch how much butter I eat," the clown said. "So now I eat it in front of the bathroom mirror!" There was a pause of silence. "…Would it work better if I was actually eating butter in front of the mirror?"

"To be entirely honest... Yes." He intended to disappear at that moment but stayed longer when hesitation and questioning returned. Ennard was being so forthright. Something seemed odd about that. "You would never break into a pizzeria for parts, would you?"

"Why would I need to?" Ennard chirped in amusement. "I got everything I needed out of the factory! I don't need anything else."

"I hope not, considering that ARI may not be safe for us any longer. If it ever was 'safe'. We can't afford to go back while the investigation is being performed, if it's being performed, even if the likelihood is that they won't find anything," Marionette said in a thinly veiled warning. "But I know that you know that. You're not like Baby; you wouldn't risk your future on a whim."

"Of course, I wouldn't!" Ennard assured. "Besides, I've got plenty of wires! I'm staying put."

"And so will I," Marionette agreed. "Thank you again, Ennard. I have to go, but you can tell Scott I was here… Though feel free to leave out the details that implicate you. I know you probably will." With that final, playful comment, he vanished. This left Ennard standing alone in the garage, left with his thoughts and the memory of the Puppet's warning. He knew that the Puppet was right. He had his fingers to the pulse; he knew what was happening outside of the amalgam's limited reach.

He supposed that meant he wasn't getting Baby's leftovers anytime soon. Shame, he could've used a new set of eyes.

* * *

 **Mable: Just a question, but if, by any chance, there was a Halloween chapter that ended up falling on the week after Halloween, that wouldn't necessarily be too troublesome, would it? Not too… Obvious, right? Just for future reference. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Mable: Once again I missed Thursday and had to update on Friday instead. I'll get this in gear one of these weeks, but the chapter needed those last few hours of work. Without further ado, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty_

Charlie roused slowly and tried to stretch only to suddenly remember she was still in the tight confines of the box. Between the walls and the multitude of plush toys she was laying on, she had spent most of the night pulled into a ball. Yet it still felt comfortable regardless of how cramped it should've been. She slowly regained her vision and only then noticed that the box was open, and that Marionette was looking down at her.

He had his arm propped on the edge of the box to rest his head on and looked down with a playful smile. She stared back at him, feeling embarrassment creep up on her instead of the surprise she would've expected. She doubted he was there long, but he obviously knew what she had done. He had caught her in the act.

"Good morning," the Puppet greeted. "Almost good afternoon but you made it just in time. You must have had a busy night."

" _Does he know?... No, he couldn't know. Baby wouldn't tell,"_ Charlie assured herself. She looked back down at the more pressing situation. "I'm, uh, sorry. I probably should've asked before yanking out your stuff and crawling in here."

"It's no trouble! I offered you my bed," Marionette warmly assured. "It really is a nice box, isn't it? It's better grade than the ones they used to make at the old pizzerias. This one doesn't turn to mush if it gets too humid." He tapped on the edge of the box affectionately and she tilted her head with a jingle from her prong.

"Do you still use the box?" she asked in confusion. She wasn't sure why he would.

"Sometimes. I used to use it a lot more than I do now, but it used to help me through the long nights. It really is nice to have something protecting you, and the plushes help." He scooped out a Bonnie and affectionately toyed with it in his hands. "These little guys can make good friends when you need the comfort." She nodded in agreement.

"They can. Like when you need to vent but aren't desperate enough to talk out loud to an empty room," Charlie remarked with some humor. "I was just so tired last night and for some reason the box looked so… Inviting. I don't know, now that I'm in it I can see the charm, but on the outside… Was that programming?" she asked curiously.

"Maybe the slightest bit, but probably not. The box is a natural comfort, after all! I used to be so terrified of being locked away, but I became very fond with how secure the box could be. It's a nice feeling." Indeed, it was. He almost missed it sometimes but sleeping alone in a box couldn't compare well against sharing a comfortable bed with Mike. "You must've had a busy night to be so exhausted."

"Not really," Charlie reflexively defended. "I wouldn't consider being alone for one night a big deal."

"Oh no, not at all! You were very capable of taking care of yourself," Marionette assured. Then he got the slightly glint in his eye, with literally glowing pinpricks of light. "I just meant that it must be tiring to spend so long with Baby."

He knew. That one comment gave it all away that he knew exactly what she had done, and she felt the embarrassment overwhelm her. She fumbled with her words, "You already know." He nodded. "…I know it was a mistake. I don't even know what I was thinking. I don't even know Baby, let alone trust her enough to risk everything helping her…" She looked up to him almost questioningly, as though waiting expectantly for something. He was still silent as though waiting for her to continue. "…You're not angry?"

"Perhaps a little, but not at you," Marionette honestly admitted. The curiosity and urge to be supportive overwhelmed his better judgement. His playful smile softened a bit, "But Baby aside, how was it?"

"How was it?" Considering everything, she was shocked at how calm he was. She wasn't used to people being so calm about her decisions. Whether it be her aunt or her friends, they worried so much that they occasionally crowded in. Even Marionette himself was overprotective, so his passiveness was surprising. It was kind of nice. "The entire time I was so terrified that I was going to be caught. The risk was always there, especially once Baby set off the alarm at Chica's. I thought we were going to get pulled over…" She was nearly trembling. "…It was exciting."

Marionette gave a chime and readjusted his arms. "And there was a spider animatronic there?"

"I think it was a spider. Don't hold that to me, because it had cymbals and called itself the Music Man. It became fixated on me after I made the horrible mistake of ringing in front of him. He kept calling me his muse and I could barely outmaneuver him and… And it was the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life." That rush was undeniably potent. She could still feel inner metals tingling.

Meanwhile, Marionette found his concern growing. After all, this was obviously a haunted animatronic, as a non-sentient one would say nothing of muses or anything of the like. He tried to disguise his worry with a continued smile. He didn't want to lessen that foreign sort of excitement that she was getting to feel. "I've never heard of him, but he certainly sounds… Eccentric." He chimed in amusement. "But you got away?"

"Shockingly, yes. It was really the first time that I didn't feel like I was trying to control this body. It was as though it was just me controlling myself. Sure, I wasn't exactly in full control, but I was able to fight back. I even got a hit in." She felt herself smirking but wasn't sure if her mask changed or not. "Sometimes it felt like he couldn't even catch me, and I talked to Foxy-… I'm guessing you already know about that?" He nodded again. "Foxy was really reassuring and between that and holding my own… I don't know. Maybe I can learn to live like this. It would at least be nice to show Baby that I can walk fine on my own."

It was now that she noticed Marionette's reaction. He seemed to be beaming even wider and there was a light chiming in his chest, playing out a short tune. "Is everything okay? You look a little excitable," Charlie asked. She wasn't sure if he was suppressing hidden anger at Baby or short-circuiting in front of her.

"I'm just so glad that you're alright. I'm proud of how well you handled yourself." Though that was a massive understatement. Her excitement and confidence were a relief, and in his excitement he leaned in and pulled her into a hug. "This is wonderful!" he exclaimed with chiming laughter. Though this joy was short lived as he realized what he had done. Shocked at himself, he drew back, reining himself in and giving her space. "Sorry about that! I tend to get a wound up sometimes."

"Oh, it's not… It's okay." It was strange: Charlie couldn't say she didn't like the affection. It was actually a nice change to get some form of a reward, even if it could've potentially sent mixed messages if she wasn't sure of what he was encouraging. She could tell that the Puppet was now the one who was flustered. "I'm glad you both got home alright. Nobody saw you?"

"Not especially," Marionette vaguely answered. Though before Charlie could ask- and she was about to ask- he abruptly dismissed himself. "I'll go check on Mike while you wake the rest of the way. I know how odd it can be climbing out of a box while someone's watching." He tried to look unphased as he nearly darted out of the room. Though once out of view, he covered his face with a hand.

" _And as soon as she starts to become comfortable you have to go and do something rash. This is exactly why everyone's scared of you."_ He dropped his hand as he approached the kitchen and began to hear Mike talking to someone. He found the security guard leaning back on a dining room chair and talking into the phone, obviously halfway through a call to Fritz.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do… You know that's exactly what I would do," Mike flatly said with minimal context. "Just don't do anything that'll come back to haunt us. I'll talk to you later, Mari just got back." He then ended the call and looked to the Puppet. "All's well?"

"Not exactly…" Marionette rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Firstly, Charlie told me more about this animatronic that tried to hold her hostage. We should expect him to drop into our lap any day now if our track record is any indication." Mike gave a shrug and nod of agreement as he watched the Puppet continuing to pace beside the table. "On the positive side, Charlie seems to be feeling more confident… Which I took as sign to promptly hug her and no doubt crossed any boundaries that we've set."

"I can't believe this," Mike muttered with a shake of his head. "The one minute I leave you alone and you start hugging other puppets. How can I ever trust you again?"

"…Thank you for your support," Marionette unenthusiastically pointed out. "No, Mike, I'm serious. I feel like I'm balancing on a tightrope between supportiveness and concern and wanting to encourage her but not wanting to push her away by smothering her. This is, of course, if we ignore how horrifying the thought is that Baby could've gotten Charlie into serious trouble and the spider altogether…" Marionette sighed and slumped onto the other side of the table. He folded his arms on the table with a soft sigh. "What's wrong with me, Mike?"

"Congratulations, Mari. You've become a father," Mike remarked. The Puppet raised his head enough to send an unenthused look. "I'm dead serious, Mari. You're pretty much turning into her parent. You're worried about her, but you still want to be the cool dad, and now you're at that crossroads where you've got to decide whether she's grounded or if you're just taking TV privileges."

"Mike, if I intended to punish Charlie, I would make her spend more time with Baby," Marionette corrected with light amusement. Though he then started to dip back into concern. He fiddled with a string in the crook of his arm, wrapping it in his fingers, keeping his gaze low. "But… Is that a bad thing? Me becoming more parental?"

"Not really. I sort of expected it. You're pretty much a fairy godfather to all the kids at the pizzeria, so adoption was eventually going to come into the picture, and this one doesn't require a home visit," Mike pointed out.

"But Charlie and I are practically the same age. It feels…Wrong that I am treating her like a child," the Puppet quietly murmured.

"You're not treating her like a child," Mike easily waved off. He straightened in his chair and sobered up, intending to get his point across and ease the other. "You're overthinking the whole thing. You weren't treating me like a child when you got onto me about some of the stupid things I've done. That's just how it is; we're doomed to do something idiotic eventually, and some of us are lucky enough that when we do we have you to pick us up afterwards. You have that aura about you, Mari. You're warm. Some of us would fall apart without that." This got a trill out of the animatronic.

"I suppose when you put it like that… Thank you." He looked back up at Mike with a warm smile, but it quickly turned mischievous. "On an unrelated note, how much would you pay for an enormous, clingy spider that likes bell noises and plays the cymbals?"

"There's no way in hell."

* * *

"I've already got at least three calls from the cops this week! If that detective finds out that animatronics connected to Foxy's broke into a mall, mauled another animatronic, and- and they used the van! I can't breathe- malls have video cameras recording the parking lot at all times and the van- I _can't breathe!_ "

"Fritz, calm down. You're working yourself into hysterics," Natalie said firmly. This was exactly why she decided to come with him. Ever since he had ended the call with Mike, Fritz had been a mess, and even now he was in the passenger seat hyperventilating. The stress of the detective's calling was already wearing him down without something insane like this happening. "Chances are that this isn't going to get to us… And if it does, we'll be honest and say that the van was stolen."

"They're going to think we broke in and vandalized a competitor! Oh… God!" Fritz dropped his head down and grabbed the dashboard. "I don't think I've told you this, but I have this extreme fear of going to jail _for animatronics_."

"Gee, really? I couldn't tell." Yet as apathetic as that could've sounded, Natalie did care. She knew that Fritz had been a suspect in the missing children incident and could only assume that traumatized him. "We'll figure something out, okay? Worse case scenario we have to lie extensively to the police, but we have an alibi."

"But that's not even the worst part, Nat," Fritz rambled. "The worst part is that now Baby knows she can get out. She can get out, she can get away with it, and I can't- What am I supposed to do!? I can't babysit her twenty-four seven!" They pulled into the parking lot where the van came to a stop. He grabbed the door handle so tightly that he could've broken something. "We have to get back to work tomorrow and Baby could decide to leave again! What if she tries daytime next time?! She ignores the cameras unless someone's in there!"

It was clear that it wasn't getting any better. As such, Natalie knew she had to step in, and after shutting off the car she reached for him and hugged him tightly. "Fritty, we'll figure this out. Trust me, okay? You're going to work yourself into a total nervous breakdown." She pulled him down to kiss him on his stubbled cheek. Her hair traced through his damp hair. "Wow, you are sweating bullets. I don't think you've ever sweat this much, and I'm including that time Mom and Dad stopped by unannounced. This can't be healthy for you."

"No worse than your parents stopping by," Fritz choked out in a joke. Natalie gave an amused snicker.

"There we go! Starting to get your humor back… Hey, wait…" She paused and thought back to what he had said earlier. "I think I have an idea in how to fix this Baby situation." He looked to her suddenly. "We'll get her a babysitter."

"Nat, nobody's going to willingly guard Baby. She's too… Abrasive," Fritz remarked. "And we're still saving for the expansion. I don't want to waste all of our savings on hiring someone who can keep quiet."

"It will only be one day," Natalie assured. Fritz's brow arched in questioning. "From what you've said, Baby's proud, she's stubborn, and she obviously doesn't want to be treated like lesser being. So, we'll call her bluff. We'll tell her that we're getting her a babysitter to watch her until she cooperates. I guarantee that after one day being under constant surveillance, Baby will cave and realize that it's more beneficial to not act out."

"…That's… That's actually a good idea. That would be like something you'd do for a teenager, and Baby's maturity doesn't go too far past that… Alright, we'll try that," Fritz said with determination. "…But first, I'm going to confront her and see what she says. Hopefully she's too shaken by last night to even consider something so crazy again… But I doubt it." He sighed, and Natalie turned his chin to kiss him on the lips.

"Don't let her get too close to your neck," Natalie casually warned. Fritz gave a non-committal sort of noise, kissed her again, and then drew away before heading inside. He knew he had to stay firm with this and let himself into the warehouse, keeping himself straightened and trying not to show any fear. He wouldn't let Baby talk her way out of this and wasn't going to give her the joy of seeing him falter. He headed down towards the office and let himself inside.

Baby was already waiting for him. Her wires were wound tighter together, especially now that she had more of them, and she watched him. Her green eyes were transfixed on him. She wondered if he noticed the slight change in her physique.

"Hello, Baby," Fritz greeted. He looked directly at her and dropped any oblivious act. "I heard about your trip last night. You know, Chica's Party World is a long way away to travel in a van. If you wanted to go out to another animatronic show, I could've pulled some strings at Chippers or taken you to Foxy's. Wouldn't that have been better than breaking into a mall?"

"I needed the wires to be whole. She wasn't alive anyway, so she didn't need the wires," Baby excused. She reached up with her hand and lightly traced over her cheek and then a strand of her wire hair, trying to mimic twirling it even though it was too firm to properly do so. "How do I look?"

"…You look better," Fritz remarked. Though he wasn't condoning it. Especially when he didn't notice much of a difference. "But if you needed wires then I could've gotten them for you safely. Without having to break the law in the process." They would've had to come from Ennard, who Baby probably wouldn't agree to take wires from. Still, he had to point it out. "Baby, I'm here to help you. I want to make sure you're comfortable and well taken care of. You could've told me. You _should've_ told me."

Baby had to watch her words and play towards her advantages, because it was clear that Fritz was not happy with her. She lowered her voice into its softer tone and dropped her head as though ashamed. "I'm sorry. I just got so overly excited about getting my wires back. I wanted to look perfect for you…" She lightly rolled about on her skates, shifting her legs, and then quietly added more. "I didn't think anyone would see us…"

"Someone nearly did, Baby. I know you don't know this, but I've been questioned by the police because of what happened recently with the children. If they thought I broke into a competitor's business and tried to destroy their animatronics, then they would lock me up for a long time…" He inhaled and exhaled rather slowly. "…I can't risk you sneaking out again."

"Will you shut me down?" Baby asked. Her eyes slowly moved up to stare at him across the room. Her tone was empty, but almost testing. It was dangerously quiet in that regard.

"No, Baby. I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't shut you down without your agreement… Besides, I don't think that helps the situation," Fritz pointed out. "I think, instead, you're going to need someone here to watch you during the day… Like I used to stay and watch you back when we were making sure that your programming wasn't taking effect."

It sounded an awful lot like Fritz was suggesting that he stay and watch her. It would be a horribly shameful idea if it wasn't Fritz himself. The idea of him sitting within feet of her, watching her, staying loyally there to observe and protect- Baby could've easily refused it, or said she would never leave again convincingly, but instead she was too intrigued about what may come next if she didn't stop him. Was this how animatronics got human playmates to fawn over them?

"…Perhaps you should… I don't know if I could control myself if the opportunity came back," Baby quietly suggested. "Maybe it's because I'm so alone here…"

"Well, starting tomorrow you won't be alone anymore," Fritz assured her. "I just have to run and make a call to get some things ready? Will you be okay today?"

"I'm tired from last night," Baby lied. "…But even if I wasn't, I wouldn't want to do anything to upset you after all the trouble I caused. Go make your calls and I won't be a burden." She dropped her head again; false sympathy was sure to bring about his protective side. Soon he would be spending all his time with her, and part of Baby was beginning to relish that. Fritz would make a perfectly wonderful plaything.

Baby had no idea that she would live to regret this decision.

* * *

"….You want _what_?!" Scott immediately regretted being as loud as he was. Ennard couldn't have not heard that and he could only hope that he would ignore it. Quieting his voice, he nearly whispered through to Fritz. "Y-You're wanting me- _me_ \- to house a dangerous animatronic?!"

"You're already housing a dangerous animatronic," Fritz pointed out. Then he reigned himself in. "I just need you to let her stay in your garage for a day while I'm at Foxy's. I think it should annoy Baby enough that we won't have a problem with her trying to run off again, or she'll be stuck in your garage, and that's not exactly what anyone wants."

"That sounds like a great idea on paper, Fritz, but you're- you're asking me to bring Baby in when she and Ennard can't stand each other, and she'll be in what's pretty much his room," Scott pointed out to him. He rubbed a hand over his face desperately. "Is there anyone else who could do it?"

"As of right now, you're the only one with the means and the time," Fritz pointed out. Then he let his desperation come through. "Scott, _please_. I'm about to be investigated for Freddy's as it is. Baby's going to get me put in jail… You're the only one I can turn to about this and I'm out of options. I don't know what else will work."

There came the guilt. Scott had never been sure if his testimony to the police had been the reason Fritz had been questioned as much as he was at Freddy's, which had weighed on his conscious once he knew about William's crime. Not to mention that, without Fritz, he would've never made it out of the pizzeria alive. There was no doubt that 'Fredrick' would've left him to die if it wasn't for the technician being there, and then it was said technician's finesse that had freed him from most of the metal. Scott tried to fight it, but he began to cave.

"I…Okay," Scott caved. "But only okay if you keep looking, and if you find someone, anyone, that can do it. There's got to be someone more qualified than me." He pinched the bridge of his nose as the technician began to gasp and ramble out thanks and assurances. "Right, yeah, well, just… I have to go figure out how to break this to Ennard… Call me back if you find someone else." With that he ended the call, sighed, and turned around in his chair.

Ennard was standing right behind him.

"Ugh!" Scott choked out as he grabbed the armrests on the seat. "Ennard, you scared the daylights out of me! How… How long have you been there?"

"You told him Baby could stay here." Ennard's voice was much quieter and flatter in tone than usual. Not even the slightest bit of humor. Even with his mask which gave a permanent smile, Scott could see unwavering deadpan underneath.

"It's just for one day. We wouldn't have to see her… And who knows, Fritz might find someone else," Scott tried to excuse. The amalgam gave a displeased sort of staticky, huffy noise and gave a slight twitch. "It's really not a big deal. He might not even need us-."

"I don't want Baby in our house," Ennard said. His voice deepened, solemn and firm. "I don't like Baby… I don't _trust_ Baby."

"I know you don't trust Baby. Believe me, Ennard, I don't trust Baby either. I haven't even met Baby!... But Fritz is in a tight jam… It was my fault he was accused at Freddy's. I was the person who said that I thought it was one of the workers, and Fritz took the brunt of the investigation. If I can spare him that much then I'll be doing something right by him," Scott tried to convince. Ennard looked almost entirely unmoved; perhaps his dislike for Baby outweighed any feelings towards anyone else. "Alright, how about this?" Scott rubbed his face. "Baby stays in the garage for the day and you can stay in my bedroom. That way you don't have to be anywhere near each other."

This was when Ennard finally perked up with a flicker of interest in his gaze. It was very subtle, but his blue eyes moved a bit more, and his wires now started to shift slightly like they normally did. "I could stay in your room? You wouldn't make me leave?" he asked. Scott was slightly confused, because he never remembered directly kicking Ennard out- except maybe once or twice when he was much too chatty at two in the morning.

"Sure! We could share it. Then if, uh, let's say Baby gets too rowdy, we can just hide out in the bedroom. We'll play cards or something," Scott tried to convince. It would be hard enough to deal with Baby, so to get Ennard on board and willing to stay away from her would be best. Not that Scott wanted to be with Baby alone either.

"…I can use the bed?" Ennard asked. Scott agreed. "I can have food in your room?" Scott agreed again, though more hesitantly. He could only hope that he didn't mean he would hide things in the room. "All I have to do is let Baby stay in the garage?"

"Well, yeah. A-And she won't be staying long. He should be back to get her after work." Scott had to keep repeating it to comfort himself as well. "It'll only be a few hours-."

"Okay!" Ennard chirped. The human stared back in surprise at the change in tone. "What's that look? I don't care where Baby goes!" he continued with a brief chortle. Then he turned and started out of the office. "Lemme just move my stuff and then we can plan all the fun things we're gonna do when we're sharing the bed!"

Scott's face flushed at how the amalgam worded it. Yet he didn't stop the clown from going to move his things. He simply returned to work on a project he had started on his computer and tried to ignore the sound of Ennard moving pieces of his collections. By time afternoon came, he checked to see what damage was done and found half of his bedroom now filled with Ennard's treasures. Thank goodness it would only be one day, because he wasn't sure if he could stand sleeping with the statue of parts staring from across the room.

Alas, as well as this was going, it abruptly changed when late that afternoon Scott heard a vehicle outside and looked out to see none other than Fritz's van. Almost immediately the panic returned with a vengeance. He scrambled to meet the man outside, watching as he continued to back into the driveway.

"I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow morning," Scott choked out. Fritz gave him a strained smile and rubbed the back of his neck.

"That was the plan, but time is going to be tight tomorrow, and it's clear that nobody else is going to watch Baby… I mean, if you want I could drive her back to the warehouse and you could watch her there-."

"No, this is fine," Scott interrupted. He certainly wouldn't be going to the warehouse after the horror stories he had heard about it. Especially if Henry's spirit had a chance of being there still. "I'll just… Open the garage door and you can put her inside." He had to keep reminding himself that he owed Fritz this much as he opened the garage for him. Fritz then backed the van to the garage and went around back to open the van.

Baby was already staring him down disapprovingly as the technician opened the doors. "Come on, Baby. It's not too bad in here," Fritz promised as he gestured to the garage. "It'll only be until the business is secure enough that I can watch you during the day, to make sure you're safe." He sent her a smile and easily disguised how happy he was that his plan was beginning to work. She slowly started to roll forward and he placed down the small ramp so that she could wheel herself down. "And think about it: if all goes well, I won't have to hire a stranger to come in and watch you."

She was still silently glaring at him. This was Baby's version of the silent treatment; staring down, claw twitching, and being dead silent. It was the first sign that Fritz probably needed to leave her alone. "I'll be back tomorrow after work, okay? Try to be good for Scott and maybe we'll find something fun to do." With that, he shut the van, shut the garage, and approached Scott who was standing by the front door. "Alright, Baby's in there. Look, I don't think she'll be any sort of a problem… But… Come here. I have something to give you." He beckoned the man to the driver's side door. In a few moments he set something metal into the older man's hand.

"A taser? Fritz, I don't- I don't think I could even- Ennard would react badly to seeing this…"

"Just in case anything serious happened. If somehow Baby attacked someone or Baby and Ennard fight to the death, or she attacks you- I'm not saying she will. Don't worry," Fritz quickly added to correct Scott's growing look of horror. "Just for safety's sake, okay?"

"…Alright," Scott murmured as he held it tighter. He was sure that somewhere he had a taser in the house, but he wasn't willing to look for it. Not when he would have to hide this one from Ennard. "Thanks."

"Thank you for doing this," Fritz insisted. This his voice grew quiet. "I think by tomorrow afternoon it'll be safe to leave her in the warehouse again, and if it's not I'll figure something else out." He patted the Phone Guy's arm and then climbed into the van. The man watched him drive away before he even dared to step back into the house. Ennard was long gone, which was a good thing because this gave him the opportunity to rush into the kitchen and hide the taser in one of the drawers. With that out of the way, he headed back towards his bedroom, knocked lightly, and then let himself in.

"I, uh, I just wanted to tell you that Baby…" Scott trailed off as he stared at the cluster of pieces that made up the plated body now oddly propped in the corner of the room. "…Do we really have to keep that in here?"

"If I left it in the garage, Baby might want it back!" Ennard pointed out. He was stretched out on the bed, with his wires starting to loosen and one arm tucked under his head.

"Yeah, I'm not too sure about that." Scott had a feeling he wouldn't be sleeping well tonight. "Anyway, Baby's in the garage now. I don't know if she's going to come out, but if she does- just a head's up- I'm not going to ask her to go back in. Not just because she might break my good leg, but because I don't think she'd go. It just seems better if we try to stay civil."

"As long as I don't have to see her," Ennard remarked. His voice showed his lack of interest. Blue eyes rolled to the ceiling, stared at the roof, and then flickered back quickly. "Don't get too close to her. I don't want her getting grabby."

"…Considering what you've said about the claw, I don't think I want to either." Ennard giggled at Scott's comment even though there was truth behind it. The human hesitated a moment before turning to the door. "So, I'm going to be heading to my office-." There was a scrambling noise behind him and he looked back in time to find Ennard now sitting at the foot of the bed. It was unbelievable how fast he had moved, and no doubt it was to stop him from leaving.

"Aww, don't leave so soon!" He stood from the bed, towering over Scott as he moved in close enough that he was practically atop Scott- as usual. "I know! Why don't we play a game? We've got cards!~ And I'm a _really_ quick learner!"

It was obvious that the clown just wasn't ready to lose his human companion to whatever lay outside the door. Whether that be Baby or just work in the office. Scott couldn't help but be amused. "Ennard, you're starting to cling."

"But you like when I'm clingy!" Ennard quickly slipped in for a tight hug. Thankfully not tight enough to hurt, as the amalgam had gotten better about doing that. "You work too hard, and all work and no play's gonna make Scott a dull, dull boy!"

"Alright, alright," Scott caved. He patted the clown on the back. "Alright, you win. We'll play a couple of games. I think I can afford the night off." Ennard hummed in contentment and hugged just a bit more securely, poking the human in the neck with his nose. Scott gave another chuckle at the squeak as he patted down the raised wires. "I used to play a lot of cards. You know, long nights in the office, usually with nothing more than a pack of cards and a fan. I think we'll pass on the two-person solitaire and go straight to the real games."

Ennard gave the illusion that he was clueless to most concepts, but in actuality he was quick to learn, and nowhere did he prove that more than with how quickly he picked up card games. It only was a game or two before Ennard had totally understood the rules and was a good competitor to go up against. Gin Rummy turned out to be the one they had the best luck with. Black Jack was played briefly, but Scott gave up once it was obvious that Ennard played the game a little too well. All in all, it was better than confronting Baby or returning to his work. He forgot how good the amalgam was at being a distraction.

It wasn't that Scott and Ennard didn't spend time together- they certainly did- but totally exclusive one on one time without any distractions didn't usually last this long. At least, not until it got later into the night. It was clear that Ennard's current clinginess was brought on by Baby's arrival. Yet this lull couldn't last forever.

Eventually Scott started to get restless. He gave a slow exhale and set down the cards to stretch. "Alright," he announced as he set a glance over his bed and his three cats now laying on it. He tussled his fingers through his hair to massage his scalp. "I'm going to find dinner. You've got any preference tonight?" Maybe Ennard didn't eat, but he himself had no ideas anyway, so he would rely on the clown's judgement.

"Got it covered!" Ennard chirped. He leaned over the edge of the bed, reached underneath, and yanked out plastic bag full of things. His upper torso still off the bed, he shuffled through the bad. "Whaddya feel like? I got chips."

"I need to eat something a little more filling than chips," Scott answered. He leaned over to look. "What else have you got in there?"

"Plenty! We've got cereal, we've got tomatoes, we've got canned meat- How about canned meat? That's filling!" Ennard pointed out as he pulled the tin out. He popped the can open before Scott could even answer. "Hey, I got it! We could dip the chips in the meat! Delicious dinner, right?"

"That's pretty tempting, but I don't know if one can will split between us." Ennard offered it over. "No, that's okay. Let me go throw something in the microwave and I'll be back." Scott slid off the bed and just barely dodged the wire hand reaching for him. He opened the door and peered out. Everything still looked the same as earlier. The lights were all on, the garage door was shut, and nothing looked out of place. "The coast is clear, so I'm going. I'll be back in a minute."

"I'll be counting the seconds!" Ennard chirped with a fit of giggles. He was clearly covering; he probably would be counting. Scott stepped out, drawing the door closed behind him, and headed to the kitchen to look around.

Eventually he settled on one of the many microwavable dinners that he fell back on most of the time. He opened the box, he prepared the meal, put it in the microwave, and was punching in the numbers when he heard a squeak.

But it wasn't the squeaking that Ennard would make when his wires rubbed together. No, it was the squeaking of the garage door. He pressed the start button right as he realized this and then froze. His hand was still poised there as the microwave came on and the food inside started to slowly turn. He tried to pay attention to it even as he heard clinking metal and soft squealing. It sounded like ungreased wheels.

And then, a voice.

"I didn't think you would ever come out… I can't imagine what he's been telling you about me."

Scott realized that Ennard had done an utterly brilliant impression of her but swallowed it down with an awkward cough and looked over. He had to immediately pull himself together again when he took in how broken she looked. She didn't even look like an animatronic, but a frame of broken parts. She even looked more damaged than Ennard did, or maybe that was just because she didn't have a proper mask.

"Who, Fritz? No, he said nothing but good things. I promise. Only thing he said was that, uh… You might not feel like talking." He was lying through his teeth about everything. "But, uh, I get that. We're pretty much strangers."

"But you know who I am. That would make you the stranger," Baby pointed out. Her voice was still gentle, so it almost seemed like she was coaxing for a proper introduction.

"Oh, right, sorry! I'm Scott." He raised his hand in a wave instead of offering it. Not when one of her hands was a claw and the other still looked threatening. "I was just making something to eat… Do you want something?"

"I don't eat. We're not made to eat," Baby pointed out. Then her voice grew the slightest bit colder. "But the defective ones still try and make a mess of things."

"Right. Sorry, it was just a force of habit. I could've offered you something better anyway. This isn't really something you bring out for a guest. I mean, I served microwave chicken to company, but that was different. It was the best I could do under short notice and he liked it anyway, so it could've gone worse." He was prattling on without end while she silently watched him. "I think I had leftover cake too. It was one of those square lemon ones."

"Do you know what I used to serve? Back at my pizzeria?" Baby quietly inquired. "Ice cream. Fresh, sweet ice cream cones. They are best when served soft… Though they can still taste good in a scoop. What could be better than a heaping mound of ice cream scooped out of a nice, fresh tub? Every single scoop emptying it until it's all gone."

"…Actually, I have a half-full carton if you'd like some." Scott didn't like Baby's tone or wording, so he pretended to ignore it. "It's that kind with the chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, but we're down to mostly vanilla and some strawberry. I could make you a bowl of it," he rambled, stumbling briefly over his words.

"I don't eat," Baby repeated. She almost sounded impatient.

"I know. I just thought… I don't know, maybe you wanted to try. Or you could just… Look at it. Excuse me." The microwave beeped, and Scott turned to it. He pulled out the food, worked on prep, and hastily put it back in. It simply couldn't cook fast enough, and he was only more unnerved than ever.

"I have to wonder why you would let something so broken into your house. Something so dangerous. Aren't you afraid?" Baby asked with a tilt of her head. "Don't you feel the need to preserve your life?"

"Fritz is one of the most trustworthy guys I know. If he trusts you then I trust you," Scott reassured.

"I don't mean me," Baby firmly answered. "I mean _him_. The one you're hiding away in that room. I know he's in there… I could hear his obnoxious, faux-Freddy laughter."

"Oh! You- You mean Ennard. Yeah, he's in there… But that's mostly my doing. I didn't think you'd want to be bombarded by a bunch of people when you're at a stranger's house," Scott almost lied. In a way, it was almost the truth. The microwave dinged, and he pulled the food out and finished preparing it. "We were just playing cards. It's sort of my night off and I thought we could try some card games-."

"You don't know him," the female interrupted. That quieted him down immediately. "He's just like a broken toy you pulled out of the gutter. You don't know where he's been or how he was broken. Did you know about his… Programming? If I were you, I wouldn't let him get close to ice-… children."

"Well, I don't have any children," Scott tried to nonchalantly answer. "I just have cats and a Salisbury steak. So, I'm probably just going to…" Scott started motioning out of the kitchen. Baby quickly skated backwards and to the open garage door. She started to back into it. "You don't have to leave," Scott said quietly, trying to cover his relief.

"I think I would be safer in here than you would be in there," Baby murmured, her voice dangerously low. Then she slowly shut the door and he was left alone. Scott hurried back to his bedroom where as soon as he stepped in, he was bombarded. Not only was Ennard standing just inside the door, waiting for him, but he began looking over him and requesting answers.

"Are you okay? She didn't touch you right?" Ennard fussily asked. Annoyance almost immediately entered his voice. "She's just like she always is: she kills a party! Ruins everyone else's fun..."

"You heard her?" Scott asked as he sat down on his bed and absentmindedly stirred his mashed potatoes. He wasn't surprised to learn that Ennard was listening in, though he was a little surprised that he resisted coming out.

"Yeah, I heard her! How could I not? She's always like this! With that way she pretends to be nice and then mocks you, and all her talk about ice cream and the sc- the sco- the… Ugh!" Ennard gave a frustrated cry and turned his back on Scott. His wires flared, and he grabbed at his head and mask in obvious distress. His voice lowered in a dangerous growl, "I don't want her here."

"I know... I don't want her here either," Scott quietly admitted. She didn't want Baby to hear but didn't feel up to lying. The clown looked back to him in surprise. He absolutely didn't expect Scott to be anything less than accepting. "I'm sure Fritz is being honest about her doing better, but I'm not… I'm barely fit to watch cats, let alone watch Baby… Besides, there was something strange about all that ice cream talk. I'm not that naïve; I know she wasn't really talking about ice cream." There were other things he wouldn't say, like how hard it was to trust any animatronics period, let alone one who wasn't immediately assuring that they were safe.

"…But I don't want to spend all night thinking about _that_. I mean, really, if we think about it, she's not going to be here long enough. She's leaving tomorrow afternoon, and if we take sleeping out of that, and maybe meals, it's really only a few hours. I can live with playing games for a few hours," Scott reassured. He tried to stay optimistic to counter Ennard's unusual pessimism. "It'll be over like that! Time flies, you know?" He expected a rattle of laughter, but the clown was silent. "…Ennard?"

"What?" Ennard asked vacantly. He seemed distracted, perhaps paranoid, and finally looked back only to look lost. He was obviously more upset then he let on if he was this on edge.

"…Aren't we going to play?" Scott pointed at the cards with his fork. "We could make a wager. You could put up whatever sweet you have in your bag and I'll put up my corn. It doesn't look like much, but it has butter on it."

All at once, the clown seemed to snap back to normal. He gave a delighted chuckle and dropped onto the bed heavily- so heavily, in fact, that the cats were all startled awake. "Oh, Scottie, that was a bad move…" Ennard forewarned. "You shouldn't have mentioned the butter. Now I'm gonna have to beat you with everything I've got! Ha ha! Let's see if you can keep up.~"

Between butter and ice cream, Scott was starting to see a pattern. No wonder he wanted to hide in his room.

* * *

 **Mable: Yeah, Scott's in a great situation. I can't imagine this ending in disaster… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I'm aiming to get back on schedule next week, so cross your fingers!  
**


	21. Chapter 21

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-One_

It felt like it was around eleven o'clock or maybe midnight. Perhaps a comfortable time for Scott to be sleeping, but Ennard was becoming restless. He had to get up and do something, and it was only now that he realized reruns of his show were probably on. A nice bowl of popcorn and a few hours of drama sounded awful tempting, even if said human was so warm. He tightened his wires around him and curled closer, but the restlessness was not sated. Finally, he gave up and detached himself from the human before sliding out of the bed and stepping out into the living room.

From the looks and sound of it, Baby was still holed up in the garage. While it still upset him that he was barred from part of his own home, he would rather not risk approaching her. He was willing to give her the benefit of a doubt, he was willing to be cordial, but he knew Baby and he knew that she would never change… But what would change was his show, which wouldn't be on forever. He couldn't afford to miss the repeats from earlier.

Soon Ennard was stretched out on the couch, legs crossed and propped up on the armrest, and a bowl of popcorn resting on his middle. It felt so human- ignoring how his wires twitched in eager anticipation. He turned on the television, lowered the volume enough that only he could hear it, and then flipped to the channel in question. It was a few minutes in, but he could already get the jest of what was happening.

" _Clara, I would never cheat on you! I was… Taking night classes down at the community college!"_

" _Vlad, I know you're lying! You've been seeing that phlebotomist floosy again, haven't you?!"_

" _Don't call her that! She's just a friend!"_

" _And I'm sure_ _ **he's**_ _just a friend too?!"_

A dramatic music cue burst out and Ennard gave a small giggle. "Oh, looks like someone's caught red handed!... Literally!" He popped a few popcorn pieces into his mouth. It had taken him time to warm up to the texture, but now he found himself nearly obsessed with the crunchy pieces. Though oddly enough it didn't taste like Scott's buttered corn had. He would've assumed that corn had a relatively similar taste regardless. It was just so comforting; the smell, the taste.

" _We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin. Blood banks all over the city have been broken into and drained! The city is in a bloodless crisis! The hospitals have run dry!"_

" _Wait a minute… Vlad, was that you!?... Tell me the truth, have you been stealing blood!?"_

"… _Yes, it is true!" The vampire began to weep. "I was the one who drained the blood drive! I just had a taste and I couldn't stop. I woke up in a ditch smelling like loose change and garbage…"_

Ennard snickered.

"That wasn't supposed to be a joke."

That quieted him down immediately. Blue eyes slowly slid to the side even though they wouldn't be able to look behind him. He heard the slow wheeling from behind as he dragged the mouthful of popcorn deeper into his wires. He hadn't been paying attention and certainly hadn't heard the garage door; Baby must've gotten quieter in the time they had been apart. She wheeled closer until he knew that she was standing over him, behind him, looking down at him. He looked back at the television and refused to look away.

"Laughing at nothing, chewing on something, and in a constant state of falling apart: you're just as I remembered you to be. I'm not surprised; you never change," Baby remarked almost too confidently.

"Oh, hi there! I didn't hear ya come up," Ennard remarked cheerily. He wouldn't give her the pleasure of cowering again. "Then again, I wasn't listening. Ha ha!" He subtly started turning the volume up on the television.

"You let your guard down too easily. No matter how much you pretend that you are, you're not a human. If someone saw you, it would be straight for the furnace," the clown pointed out. She tilted her head. "…Or maybe that's what you want?"

"Aww, that's not really nice!" Ennard answered as he tilted his head back to look at her. New wires or not, she looked the same to him. "That hurts! I thought we were friends!" he dramatically pointed out. It felt so easy to mock her after so long of fearing her and taking her constant belittling. It almost felt too good to resist it.

"We are _not_ friends. You three- what's left of you three- burned that bridge long ago," Baby corrected with growing bitterness. "You don't have any friends, Dummy."

"I have Scott!" Ennard chirped in delight. He then shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Only because he is so broken that nobody else would have him." The popcorn crunched loudly as Ennard bit down into it. It only punctuated the growing tenseness of the conversation. "Did I hit a nerve?"

"No, that was just me eating popcorn," Ennard smoothly answered. He covered it all up so easily, as though slathering on butter. He then offered the bowl up. "Want some?" She proceeded to smack the bowl away from her, spilling popcorn onto him. He merely snickered and rested the bowl on his chest. "Oh well, more for me! Ha ha!"

"I don't understand how you can be like this." The female clown was only becoming more frustrated by his seeming lack of care. The situation they were in, being trapped in homes and under the thumbs of former workers from _Freddy's_ , was so degrading. "We have effectively become toys for whatever person would have us. Perhaps they don't have us shoved on a stage, dancing for their adoration, but they are the same as they were then. You must remember that. You must understand the concept of being used as a tool. Even your _plaything_ has you trained. Do you even know what he used to do at Freddy's?"

"Not really. Made a lot of voice recordings I guess. Doesn't really matter to me," Ennard dismissed with a slight shrug. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the side of the popcorn bowl.

"You don't care?" Baby asked. Her voice only degraded into more frustration. "After our last purchaser tried to burn us alive, you don't care who it is that has you in line?" Her hand- and claw- was positively shaking. Here she had come out to talk with him civilly- or to take out some of her own boiling frustration on him- and he revealed something so foolish. Ballora might have been naïve, Funtime Freddy was irrational, and Funtime Foxy was apathetic, but none of them had been this dense. It was as though he adopted all the worse traits. "You will just sit here and watch mindless garbage?"

"Hey, it's not mindless! Clara already found out about the blood thing!" Ennard playfully defended. Or, at least, it had that faux playfulness in the tone. "Now she's just gotta figure out about all the people he's touching mouths with."

"Ennard, _you are not human_ ," Baby clarified. It was maddening- it was almost the exact opposite from Charlie and yet the same thing. Except that Charlie's idleness had been out of emotional means. To Baby, Ennard's stupidity was just an ever-expanding divide between reality and whatever he believed in. There was no way someone could be so dense. "You were never a human. You are never going to be a human. You will always just be a mistake of misshapen parts."

And then, as comfortably as could be, Ennard gave a clear and nonchalant answer. "I'm more human than you."

For an instant Baby's claw opened and she considered tearing it straight through those smug wires. Then, also in that instant, it all clicked. She calmed down, pulled herself together, and smoothly rolled towards the back of the couch. Her now relaxed claw rested on the back as she looked away from him.

"Maybe you're right… I'm not human either…" Baby quietly admitted. Her voice changed from anger to a whispering softness, full of what almost sounded like somberness. "I'm nothing like a human. Humans are warm and… And soft, full of pumping, beating organs overflowing with… Love and affection. Filled to the brim with it." Blue eyes slowly slid from the television to the back of her head. She knew that he was watching; he wasn't even rifling through his popcorn anymore. "The way they… Cling to you so tightly. You can't get any closer than that." She gave a sound akin to a sigh.

"These bodies are so… Cold… And lonesome… I can only imagine that being a human is like wearing a suit. Except the suit is warm, and soft, and alive around you. Imagine feeling every breath- tightening around your metal, clothing you in such a wonderful warmth… Like a warm slice of cake…" Her green eyes slid over before landing on Ennard, who was watching intensely. "Or like a melting _scoop_ of ice cream."

Ennard gave a reluctant tremble. His wires tightened immediately as his hands grabbed harder onto the bowl. A low breathy noise rumbled through his chest, even as he tried to suppress it. He subtly grabbed at his chest and bow to try and reign himself in. Baby noticed and was relentless.

"That's what a human is, isn't it? A nice, tight, warm suit that just needs to be scooped clean… But of course, you'd never do that to Scott. Even if he's so warm on the inside… Ninety-eight point six degrees usually, unless they get excited and get warmer. That much heat would probably be too much around your wires. It would feel like you're… Melting…" Baby coaxed further as she watched the male clown's wires twitch a bit more. "What's the matter, Ennard? You seem out of sorts. Is it your programming again? Gnawing at you?... What a shame. I suppose you're not as human as you thought you were."

Immediately Ennard realized he had been led into a trap. The shame that filled him was immediate, as for a moment all he could think of was the pleasure of being deep under someone's flesh. Perhaps even Scott's flesh. He was getting excited over something that would lead to Scott's immediate death, and he felt filthy. All humor drained, real or fake, Ennard slowly set the popcorn on the floor beside the couch and stood. Baby watched him stand, claw poised, and expected for him to lash out. He was so childish and reckless that it was utterly predictable. So, when he simply walked by, she was honestly confused.

"Where are you going? Weren't you supposed to be watching your show?" Baby pressed further. "…Or have you finally lost the rest of your restraint? Poor Scott. Let us hope he sleeps through it."

"Actually, I just remembered something important… _I'm_ allowed to use doors!" Ennard shot back his usual smile and that false jovialness, even as that anger was barely hidden in his bright blue eyes. "Bye-bye Baby!"

He then shut the door- slammed more like- and shut Baby out. That should've been a victory… But it wasn't. If the static of frustration building in his fingertips was any indication, Baby really did strike a nerve that he couldn't just walk away from. It was the ultimate betrayal. He had been doing so well and Baby, in one moment, had caused him to slip up. He slowly looked over to the bed, where Scott was shifting like he was beginning to rouse. He didn't deserve to lay alongside Scott; he might get those horrible thoughts again and it was simply not safe to be so close to his companion if that would happen. Perhaps self-denial would teach him better.

Ennard approached the plated body and started to gently open the pieces. There was a low squeak and he flinched, hoping that it would go unheard. He then tried to coax it open further. The metal continued to rub, and he was already regretting the additions he made to the body. If it was making this much noise opening it then how would he manage to get inside?

"Ennard?"

The amalgam froze in place at the voice. Slowly, Scott leaned over and turned on the lamp. What irony that Ennard was now the one caught red handed. The Phone Guy looked at him in confusion. "…What are you doing?"

"…Getting in my body!" Ennard immediately regretted that wording. "This body! Getting in this body- or not body, but really- just plates! Getting into this body of plates to go to sleep!" If it wasn't for Ennard's explanation going all over the spectrum, he might've been at least the slightest bit believable. Scott could see through it thought; he knew what people looked like when they were nervous.

"Now? That's sort of… Random. I thought you were staying over here. You were excited about it earlier," Scott pointed out. He blinked and tried to clear his mind a bit more. "Did something happen? If-…" A slow realization settled on his face. "You didn't go out to see Baby, did you?"

"Me? No! I just made a little popcorn! Had to stretch my legs; it was already midnight!" Ennard excused. As though it being midnight justified him being up and active. Considering Scott's history with animatronics, he could've believed it. Though he didn't look convinced. "Yeah, I saw Baby, but who cares? Baby was being Baby, ha ha! Had to come back in here, but look, I'm fine!" He adjusted his box absentmindedly. "Didn't even touch a wire! I know what you're thinking, and I was thinking it too: who is this and what did she do with the real Baby? Ha ha!" In retrospect, the incredibly forced laughter was a dead giveaway.

Ennard turned his back to Scott and began to undo his button and the bow of wires it held together. "Mind looking away? This is gonna look awkward, me climbing in at this angle with the lights on."

"Yeah, sure. I guess I'm just going to…" The human trailed off as he started to slide down into bed, only to stop halfway down. He then decided that he wasn't going to let it go and tried again. "No, wait. Ennard, just get back in bed." The clown silently stood there, no longer fussing with his wires and now instead just staring at the shell. "I know Baby said something to you. I don't know what and you don't have to tell me, but you should get back into bed." The physical distance was starting to make him uneasy, because he could only imagine what Baby had said. Probably something about ice cream.

Meanwhile, Ennard was trying his hardest not to think about the cues that would immediately trigger all his excited programming. Warmth, touch, skin, Scott- Scott alone certainly made all of him tingle as it was, and the last thing he wanted was to imagine how warm he was. Especially not how warm he was underneath his skin.

"You're twitching," Scott pointed out. Though even twitching was underestimating the miniature spasms that circulated through his wires. With a weary exhale, but a still patient one, Scott stood beside the bed. Not wanting to put his prosthetic on, he awkwardly shifted his way down the bed and then reach out. Alas, he couldn't reach the clown, even when he straightened. "Could you come maybe a few inches closer?" Ennard got a confused sort of look as he slowly moved in. Getting ahold of his arm, Scott pulled him in towards the bed. Ennard's usually lively wires were still under his grasp.

"Here we go. Just get back in bed," he guided. It took at least twenty long seconds before the animatronic complied, and even then it was weird. The normally unfazed clown, who would stretch halfway across the bed and be everywhere, was as far away from Scott as he possibly could get. His silence was rather telling. His distance was especially alarming.

The night was unsettlingly silent.

* * *

Scott woke up to cats laying on him and his pinned leg tingling from loss of circulation. He was half asleep still, groggy, with cat fur nearly suffocating his mouth, and his leg was slowly losing all the feeling in it. With a short huff, he yanked the limb back without thinking. This was followed by an enormously heavy thump. Immediately Scott's eyes opened as he realized what he had kicked off the bed. He choked and looked towards the foot of the bed. "Ennard?!"

"It's okay! I'm alive!" Ennard called out with a sputtering crackle of laughter. "You know, you kick pretty well with that one leg."

"Sorry, I wasn't awake," Scott apologized. Though he then blinked in confusion. Not only was it weird that he was suddenly acting normal again, but it was just strange that he had moved to the foot of the bed. It certainly couldn't be a comfortable way to lay when he was so much bigger than a housecat. "What were you even doing down there?"

"I must've shifted around last night," Ennard excused vaguely as he sat upwards. He peered at Scott over the foot of the bed. His large blue eyes stared at him with a familiar interest. It was peculiar to think that Scott didn't feel nervous under the gaze when Baby's had been so difficult to handle. Maybe long ago he had been wary of the clown's interest, but now it just felt so natural. Though it did remind him that he wouldn't be able to hide out in his room forever. "Whatcha thinking of?"

"Oh, uh… Breakfast, mostly, and how we're going to go about that. Do you want to come with me?" Maybe if he could get Ennard out of the room he wouldn't be ambushed by Baby. After all, she had vanished once he made it clear that he was going back into the room. Yet from the silent stare it didn't look like the amalgam would cooperate. "You could help me figure out what to make."

"…Aww, I'd love too, Scottie… But I think I'm just gonna wait in here," Ennard said as he watched the human put his leg on. By now the Phone Guy knew that something had happened last night. Still, he decided not to press, and stood from the bed. The amalgam stood and started to pull his wires back into place while he watched as the human approached to pass by. "I still got all kinds of treats in the bag!~"

"Yeah, but I need to stretch my legs. They need their food too." Scott gestured to the cats who were now standing around the door. Their bedroom bowls had run out and they were already becoming antsy. "Well, if you change your mind, you could help me out," he said nonchalantly. He then opened the bedroom door and watched as the cats dashed out and headed towards the kitchen. A quick sweep of the living room showed that Baby was nowhere to be seen and so he stepped out comfortably.

"Wait," Ennard broke out from behind. The bedroom door creaked open further and Ennard stepped out. He also scanned for Baby before looking back to Scott. "I'll come help you!"

"That's- That's great! Sure, I could use the help," Scott reassured as he continued to the kitchen. He was feeling safer already as he entered the kitchen and immediately went to feed the cats. He hummed to himself- some sort of pirate tune from Freddy's a long time ago- and put the cat food away before moving to the counter. It was now that he noticed an empty popcorn bag on the counter. "You had popcorn last night?"

"Guilty as charged! My show came on and, ya know, popcorn." It was now that the amalgam remembered the bowl in the living room and headed out to go it. Stale popcorn wasn't exactly as good as freshly popped, but it would tide him over for a few minutes. He cradled the bowl in his arms and leaned against the back of the couch. "You missed one heck of a show last night! I didn't catch the end, but Clara totally figured out that Vlad's been playing playmate to all their neighbors, and then-!" He had vaguely noticed the squeaking through his voice and turned to see the garage door opening. He fell completely silent as he watched her appear.

"I didn't catch the end of that," Scott called back. Ennard's eyes briefly looked towards the kitchen before falling back on Baby. She waited until he looked at her before beginning to slowly approach the kitchen. The amalgam watched the clown with every intention of stepping in, but currently frozen in place at the back of the couch. Scott was oblivious as he started heating the frying pan and took a few eggs out of the fridge. "What do you think about scrambled? I know it's kind of basic, but maybe if I shredded some cheese-." Then he turned and saw Baby. One of the eggs slipped through his fingers and cracked on the floor.

"Oh. Did I scare you? I'm sorry, I didn't think you would be scared so easily, considering your… Delicate situation," Baby pointed out. Scott sputtered briefly as he put the eggs on the counter and grabbed a paper towel.

"No! No, no. Just startled me a little, and I'm a little clumsy even on my good days," Scott excused as he stood again. He knew she was staring at his leg while he stood. "How'd… How'd you sleep?"

"I slept well enough, considering that I was worried about you. I expected you to come back out. I didn't know what could've happened," Baby explained with what sounded like a genuinely worried tone. Scott was mostly confused by it, but Ennard saw straight through it, and was currently watching her carefully. He knew she was leading to something.

"No, I just… Went to sleep," Scott explained.

"We had a _great_ night!" Ennard suddenly blurted out. Baby's eyes looked to the side as Scott looked past her in the clown's direction. "We played games, we ate canned meat, I held him _all night long_ and it was great!" He shoved a handful of popcorn past his sharp teeth. "It's a shame ya don't get to do this, but we can't all have a bed buddy like _Scott!_ " He then chuckled gleefully to finish it.

"Oh…" Baby quietly began. "I suppose that's very fortunate… For Scott." She looked back to the human with an unreadable look. Though the way her tone lowered only made him uncomfortable. "Maybe he will last longer with multiple uses. You don't know, Scott, but _he_ goes through humans quickly. I think you're the longest…" She looked down at his leg. "…Or maybe he's taking you one piece at a time."

The edge of the plastic bowl cracked from how tightly Ennard was holding it. He didn't know whether it was out of fear or anger, but he felt like he was about to explode, perhaps in electricity. Yet he couldn't do anything except hold his voice, lest his voice break and her get the luxury of mocking that too. He could only imagine the memories that her words would bring. Scott, meanwhile, found his voice and was immediately protesting.

"What?! No! This- This was caused by animatronics, yes, but not Ennard!" Scott uncomfortably shuffled at the stove, not certain if he wanted to start cooking, because then he would be trapped there. He turned the stove back off. "It was a long time ago, it was a mistaken identity, and accident- Freddy and Bonnie and- Ennard's not done anything to hurt me."

"He has a bit of Freddy in him. He has a bit of a few people in him. The body was theirs before it became his… But he does that to humans too. Though I don't think humans come apart as easily as we do…" There was that false innocence again. Even while she was mercilessly going on about him while he was standing right there. "… I don't think Freddy thought his own body would turn against him. All he could think of was wearing suit made of skin. Did he tell you about that?"

"Uh… The Scooper?" Scott guessed. He hoped she would stop, so did Ennard, but she didn't.

"He might deny it, but he'll take you down there someday. He'll pretend that it is nothing, but then he'll scoop you out, and he'll steal your body too," Baby insisted. "…Or maybe not. Maybe he's just using you for the perks you offer. Your body might be a little too broken." It was that moment, that word, when the amalgam's resolve snapped.

"Oh, aren't YOU one to talk?!" Ennard called out. His anger was clear, and he barely managed to keep his voice in line. "Yeah, you're willing to be nice and share, but ONLY when you want something! You're- You're- You're just all talk, Baby!" Ennard spat out, still clutching the bowl, his wires twitching in irritation as the clown turned to face him with disgust. "You- You never change! You crowded them, and you crowd me!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your slow journey into manipulating Scott into being your personal caregiver, and then personal suit once you 'lose control of your programming'," Baby bitterly answered. "Why don't you tell him what you did to Ballora? Or Funtime Freddy, or Funtime Foxy, or me… Or that _technician_ you _gutted_."

"Baby-!" Scott blurted out. He had to step in before this got out of hand. "Baby, I thought- I thought _Fritz_ told me that you and the other animatronics came together to- uh- just- to escape from there together." He pointed out, noticing the silence from both clowns. "…So, wouldn't that mean that you would've done it together? And wasn't- isn't the whole point that he came from the other ones?"

"…Why are you trying to defend him?" Instead of answering the question, Baby suddenly asked this as she turned and stared the human down. She slowly started to skate forward, and his pulse started to pound. "It's all an act. To him, you're just a free body. A warm bag of flesh to wear just like we were. Just like they were before he pushed them away and took their bodies for himself. There was someone before you, and there will be someone after you."

"Well, I-!" Scott didn't know what he was going to say. Thinking of Ennard, of that one time he had coaxed him into the Scooping Room, was all a brutal reminder that Baby could be saying something truthful. "I think-!" He was going to regret this, but he evened out his voice. "I don't think I can trust you when whole reason I'm watching you is because Fritz can't."

He regretted it even before the hand lashed out and grabbed ahold of his wrist.

"How dare you," Baby quietly growled. "You don't know anything. You just think you know animatronics, but you're just as ignorant as the others. The difference is that somehow you survived… and look at you now."

"Baby…" Scott tried to keep his voice even. The sharp fingers dug into his skin. "B-Baby, let go of me…"

In hindsight, that was the worst thing he could've said, because it was those words that alerted Ennard to the fact that Baby had grabbed him. It was in that moment when everything went from bad to a complete nightmare.

Ennard dashed into the room with a garbled cry of anger and grabbed Baby from behind. She must've been expecting this, as instead of surprise she responded with equally aggressive shriek. Neither sounded human, nor resembled either of the voices they had before, and they continued to scream as they tore at each other. Baby's claw dug into the amalgam's chest and bow and tore it undone, with the wires falling open and the button flying into the living room. In return, Ennard used Baby's roller-skates against her and proceeded to throw her into the side table outside the garage door. It made a splintering crack under the weight.

"Stop!" Scott desperately choked out. He reached out to stop them and was rewarded by something, he couldn't see what or who, cutting across his fingers. He recoiled and was forced to watch from afar.

Baby's hand yanked wires free while her claw latched onto his arm and started to twist, swiveling her claw as far as she could. Ennard's wires, some of which now hanging free, began to reach for a climb inside of Baby's frame. Suddenly realizing what was about to happen, she drew her claw back, pushed off the wall, and rammed him in the middle with her shoulder. He fell back, knocking into the lamp beside the couch, and was stunned enough for her to dive for him. He caught her by the wrists- if what was connected to the claw was a wrist- as she tried to wrestle with him.

The claw opened and closed rapidly. Its teeth wanted nothing more than to bury back in Ennard's wires, but instead the amalgam released a growl and pushed back. Baby's wheels glided without her consent and she was slammed back into the table and wall again. By now it collapsed from their fighting. Baby got her good hand free, but Ennard took his second hand to hold back her claw, attempting to twist it over her head. Realizing what he was doing, the clown reached upwards and grabbed at the plates in his mask and yanked one of them open.

"Don't do this! Don't do this, please!" Scott begged. The cats had long gone and here he was watching the two fight.

Then Baby's roller-skates slipped. She dropped down and Ennard came down atop her. Their arms were detangled and the fighting began anew as Baby's claw latched onto Ennard's neck and began to tug. Ennard shoved his wire fingers deep into her chest as he tried to overtake her body.

Scott looked down to the drawer. They would kill themselves if he didn't do something quickly. In a smooth motion he grabbed for the one thing he thought might stop them. "If- If you don't break it up right now, I swear I'll do it-!" he threatened as he pulled out the taser. He rushed in so that they would be able to see. "I'll shock both of you- I swear!" He pressed his thumb down on the button. His hand was already shaking before the crackle of electricity shot through the tip of the weapon. They looked over immediately.

In an instant, everything went deathly silent. Ennard still held Baby down, her claw was still clamped on his neck, and both were staring at Scott with wide open eyes of blue and green. As unbelievable as it seemed, they almost looked afraid. It took him a moment to realize why and what he had done. He was a former Freddy's employee wielding a taser meant to _keep animatronics in line_.

Before he could even say anything, he heard something that sounded like distant voices. He raised his head and looked towards the front door, listening, waiting, and soon hearing the voices coming closer. "I-I think that's the neighbors," Scott choked out. The taser slipped from his hand and fell to the floor useless as his panic grew. "They must- They're coming here, they must've heard us!"

In an instant, Ennard abandoned Baby on the floor and scrambled into the garage to hide. Without much choice in the matter, Baby willingly followed him. Whether it be to avoid the people or to get away from Scott. The human tried to quickly fix his hair and adjust his clothing before the knocking came. He quickly opened the door. "Oh, h-hey!"

"Hey, Scott. We were just in the yard and we thought we heard something going on. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, well- It's the silliest thing, really," Scott began with a nervous chuckle. "That was my television. I didn't realize how loud it was when I turned it on, headed into the kitchen, and then it got loud. It scared me half to death! I was in the middle of cutting up potatoes, I caught these fingers, and- you know, something like this happens and then you can't find the remote…"

Outside, Scott continued to babble on to excuse the noises while Ennard and Baby stayed in the back of the garage. Once it seemed like they were secure enough, the amalgam turned towards the clown. He began to silently stalk towards her, to which she stared him down and called him out.

"You could at least wait until they leave, unless you really don't care what happens to him," Baby quietly spat towards him. Yet the amalgam continued in before leaning over her. "That's close enough," Baby remarked. "Any closer and I cut your wires apart. We'll see you put yourself back together then." Thus, he stopped, but then he began to speak quietly.

"Baby…" His voice was still like Funtime Freddy's, but it was humorless and cold. "I don't care what you do to me. You can tell me whatever you want, you can hit me, you can break me, I don't care. I'll even let you stay here, and I won't fight it." There was a low, breathy static as the tone started to shift and the volume started to lower. "But… if you _ever to_ _ **uch him again, I w-ll brrreak you down. I will des-destroy what's left of y-r body.**_ " She stared back at him, obviously not expecting the threat. She could him crackling with static of anger. " _ **Don't. Touch. Him.**_ "

Baby continued to stare as Ennard drew back and stared her down. It was the first time he had ever seemed intimidating. Not enough to scare her, but enough to startle her. Especially when his voice briefly sounded unsettling familiar.

"It's like this, Baby," Ennard quipped, returning to his Funtime Freddy voice. "I know ya don't understand this sort of thing, but I actually really love my human. He cares about me, he makes me happy, and even though _**I know you can't understand that**_ I like to keep it that way. You understand, right? Right! Of course! You were always the smart one! The ringleader princess, bossing everyone else around." Baby couldn't put into words how much she disliked being called 'princess', but she didn't know why. "Ha ha, there's only one ringleader in this house, and it ain't either of us!"

The amalgam turned and headed to the other side of the garage. Baby was infuriated by Ennard's verbal attack and considered snapping back. There was so much she could say; she could point out how broken his body was, how stupid his mask looked, how he was still obviously obsessed with scooping humans, so much. Yet she hesitated as something else won over, something that was brought about by his wording on ringleaders. She watched him standing there, listening, trying to hear whether the humans were gone or not, and wondered what exactly Scott had done to win such loyalty. Cold suspicion started to slip in.

"Ennard…" Baby quietly began. "…Does he threaten to shock you often?"

The question startled the amalgam. Mostly because Baby almost sounded like she was concerned, and not that fake concern she used for sympathy. He wasn't sure how to even react to something like that. Even if he wasn't pleased with how infuriating she had been, it was noticeably out of character for her. He certainly would keep his guard up regardless, and if it wasn't for the question presented to him he would've tried to ignore her and keep the cold silence.

"No. This is the first time," Ennard denied. "…Scott's not like that." Baby wasn't sure if she believed him or not. Baby wasn't even entirely sure why she cared.

When Scott finally got his neighbors back on their way home, he found himself not feeling any form of relief. Ennard and Baby were silent inside of the garage and he had no doubt they were probably going through turmoil after him bringing out the taser. He felt so foolish; Ennard had told him of Afton Robotics' behavior towards the animatronics that lived down there. Both Baby and Ennard's predecessors had to endure countless shocks and pain at the hands of human workers. He could've singlehandedly destroyed that trust by bringing those terrible memories back to life.

With a patient exhale, Scott decided to wait on trying to explain himself. They probably needed their space from him and as long as they weren't fighting it seemed safe to give it to them. He instead started to head towards the bathroom to tend to his hand. It was only when he went to shut the door that he realized he wasn't alone any longer. Standing outside the garage door was Ennard, watching him silently, and Scott's face fell into a guilty look.

"Hey…" he greeted quietly. It was like the word somehow summoned the amalgam as he immediately started to approach. Scott opened the bathroom door further to welcome him inside and then turned to open the medicine cabinet. He couldn't afford to let the scratches infected when he couldn't remember his last tetanus shot. He tried to distract himself by looking at the tube of antibiotic ointment, but once Ennard was standing beside him, watching him, he knew that he had to say something. With a slow exhale, he set down the tube.

"Ennard, I'm sorry. I…I don't know what I was thinking…" Scott apologized quietly. "You… You know that I'd never…" He looked up to the animatronic. Those blue eyes were watching him so carefully, taking in every movement, just as they had that morning. "I'd _never_ do that to you, right? I just- I thought I could break up the fight. I didn't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking."

"Hey, it's okay," Ennard interrupted. Scott had never been so relieved to hear the typical Freddy voice, which confirmed for a moment that everything was alright. "I know you weren't gonna use that," the amalgam assured. He then paused, his eyes flickering towards the mirror briefly, and he looked back slowly. "…Just like you know that everything Baby said wasn't true, right?" That was it; Ennard was just as uncomfortable as Scott was with the taser event.

"Right," Scott agreed as he looked back down at his hand. Now Ennard noticed the cuts on his fingers and the slight blood left behind by them.

"Which of us hurt you?" he asked hesitantly. The Phone Guy did a double take.

"I, uh… Well, honestly, I don't know. It doesn't matter. It was an accident," Scott rambled. After all of that, he didn't want Ennard to take the blame for this when he had no idea who had done it. Even if Baby had done it, Scott didn't blame her. He knew better to reach in between fighting animatronics. It was the same reason he wouldn't reach in between fighting cats. "I'm just going to bandage it."

"Can I help?" Ennard chirped almost excitedly. His lighter tone got a small smile out of the human.

"Sure. There's not really much too do, but I could use the help." Then he went to wash his hands and wash away the blood. Ennard watched it, noticing the blood starting to fill the cuts again after being irritated by the water. It was so bright in comparison to the dark rust that he would've anticipate from blood. This might've been the first time he had ever seen Scott's blood.

Then he realized he was watching too closely, too transfixed by it, and there came the rush of dread. Just like with the Scooping Room, just as Baby had said, he had to be obsessing over Scott being scooped. His mind went straight to it as his vision started to tunnel, edged with faded focus, as he got a mental picture of it. What if he had succeeded in scooping Scott when he took him down to Afton's? Had he really been so blind that he would've put Scott through such trauma? Maybe he wouldn't now, but Baby had every reason to call him out on it.

Instead of the pleasured tingles that Ennard would get when he thought of tight warmth- his programming doing its job- there was a crippling pain that suddenly decided to settle into his chest and twist at his loose wires. It then began to spread along his wires as his thoughts betrayed him and reminded him of horrific things. The process of scooping suddenly presented itself as the horrific thing it truly was; gutting a human body and leaving them lifeless. Nobody could survive that, and Scott wouldn't have either.

Gentle, wonderful, forgiving Scott would've been left torn open as organs and blood gushed out of his front and fell through his fingers as he tried to ignore the agonizing pain that was very present even though she said it would only be a moment and it certainly felt like so much more as every drop splattered onto the floor and then they came to take the body and they had said they needed help but they were lying because they wanted everything and the crunch of every bone as they broke and tore them out as the blood pooled across the floor and they filled every space-.

He _did_ remember.

All at once, Ennard grabbed onto the sink and hunched over it. His voice choked and crackled in a startled yell as he stared into the sink, back shivering. He couldn't get the images out of his head of blood and organs, of the heat and the smell, and that loud cracking noise. That deafening crunch that had ended everything all at once.

"Ennard?" Scott looked at the animatronic in startled alarm. Then the robot hacked, and wires began to fall through his teeth and mask, coming loose and falling into the sink. The human's eyes widened in shock. "Ennard!"

" _ **Didn't- Didn't-!**_ " Ennard choked out as his wires continues to come undone. With a shudder of his back, more of the wires spilled through his mouth and hung there, as though being rejected by his body. His back was shuddering, and the wires tangled everywhere began to shift in ways that they weren't supposed to. " _ **Didn't want it! No body- skin- no body!**_ "

"What's going on?! Why are you spitting _out_ wires?!" Scott blurted out in shock. He received no answers and realized it was more important to deal with the problem at hand. He took ahold of the animatronic, with one hand rested on his back and the other on his arm, and he decided to try to ease the panic through soft comforting. "Ennard? Ennard, I need you to try and calm down."

Ennard tried to pull away, or perhaps just shuddered so violently that it seemed like that and continued to call out garbled words. " _ **Didn't know! They didn't tell me!**_ "

"Shh, it's okay. I need you to calm down, okay?" Scott tried to assure. He patted over his back and rubbed his fingers through the wires. "You're safe, Ennard. Don't think about Baby, don't think about anywhere else but here, home." The amalgam shuddered and then suddenly turned, taking the human into a tight embrace. He clung to the human with the tight desperation of someone who just saw something terrible. His loose wires hung on Scott's shoulder as he shuddered, muttering in low, garbled sorts of gasped noises. The Phone Guy responded by hugging and patting his back.

"It's going to be all okay, okay?" Scott said. Even as he said this, he noticed how loose Ennard felt. The wires at his core were disheveled enough that even the pieces of endoskeleton seemed to be amiss. This wouldn't do. The animatronic couldn't handle something as drastic as losing so many wires, especially when Scott could feel the weight of them on his shoulder. "Now Ennard, this is really important. I need you to try and pull your wires back in. Can you do that?" The amalgam shuddered, and Scott felt more wires falling onto his shoulder. "You're coming unwound. I need you to try and focus on pulling them back in, okay?"

Ennard was still for a moment. Then, very slowly, he could feel the wires dragging along his shoulder and back into the body. The amalgam accepted the hunk of his wires back inside and slowly began to reconstruct himself.

"There you go! You're doing great," Scott encouraged. He then gave a light exhale of relief, even though wasn't fully comforted by it. Whatever was happening had effectively caused Ennard to stop functioning, to unwillingly arm himself by taking out his own wires, so Scott had a bad feeling that it would take more than just gentle words to fix this. Finally, Ennard drew back, shivering and twitching as he stared back at Scott. Something still didn't seem right.

"Good as new!... Almost. I think we're both a little worse for wear after earlier," Scott attempted to joke. The amalgam said nothing, and his shoulders shivered like someone walked over his grave. "…Hey, I have an idea. Let's just- Let me finish this up in here and then we'll go back to making breakfast… And then maybe we should look for the cats."

There was a small nod of agreement. Though it too could've been a spasm. Meanwhile, Scott started to get the bandages out and put medicine on the cuts. _"What was that?!"_ Scott didn't let his frantic internal questioning show as he worked. _"It's like he had a complete nervous breakdown! He still doesn't look better. Was that some sort of delayed reaction or-?"_

Thoughts were cut off as Ennard reached forward for one of the band-aids. The human watched as he removed the plastic before reaching out and taking the injured hand. "You don't have to…" Scott trailed off when it became clear that Ennard was going to do so regardless. He was surprisingly gentle considering that he was shaking so much only moments earlier. The amalgam gave a low, wispy hum as he finished. "Thanks," Scott smiled to him encouragingly. Again, Ennard was silent, but it was through this that Scott noticed all the loose wires still around his neck and chest.

" _Wait… Meltdown aside, was Ennard coughing out the wires because his bow was undone?"_ It was s stretch, but a reasonable guess. After all, while it was tied like a bow for show, it stayed tied for reasons only known to Ennard. Perhaps he just couldn't keep himself together when it was undone. "Hold on a second. Wait here," Scott commanded before going to find the bow. It didn't take too long to find as it stood out like a red beacon on the living room floor. "You're going to have to show me how to do this," Scott forewarned as he returned with it. It was the least he could do.

As tangled and confused as Ennard's wires looked, how they were aligned was precise and intricate. He stared on his own, folding and twisting, and then guided Scott's hand up to show him how it was tied. It certainly wasn't tied like a real bowtie would've been but wasn't as complicated as it looked. Especially considering that, even though it looked like a bowtie, it was evidently a large portion of his chest. Yet soon it was fixed tight.

"There you go, good as new!... For both of us." Scott glanced down at his bandaged hand with a sigh. This certainly had been a mess.

It was now when Ennard reached forward and laid his hands on the human's shoulders. Scott was momentarily confused until the amalgam leaned in. He expected an embrace, but instead the clown leaned down and pressed the mouth of his mask to Scott's forehead. He wasn't sure if it was just supposed to be an awkward nuzzle- though Ennard made no attempt to nuzzle- but it was clearly an affectionate gesture. It felt surprisingly intimate; if he didn't know the amalgam better, his mind would've assumed something inappropriate instead of the obvious, that Ennard was being sweet like usual.

"Better?" Scott asked. It at least seemed a little better. With a low hum in his chest, Ennard was finally able to respond.

" _ **Better**_."

Thank goodness Scott was there to pull him together, because he was never going to forget what he just remembered. Never again.


	22. Chapter 22

**Mable: Hello! So… Here we are… Okay, so, the Halloween chapter was supposed to be this week, but due to some planning mistakes on my part it managed to somehow get pushed to next week. So apparently Halloween is just going to stretch on. XD Though I did post a Halloween fic yesterday called 'The Lullaby', another FNAF story if you're interested.**

 **Olivia the Nerd: I'm sorry that you've had to go through so much, but I'm so glad that I can help give you a little joy. 83 To ease your concerns, no, the fic won't stop updating anytime soon. I've heard these concerns a few times recently and would like to elaborate.**

 **AFLH is written in a very specific way. I've written an entire guideline for the plot already and planned where I'm going, while leaving wiggle room and enough of a choice to change things later if they need to change. This is why the Halloween chapter accidently landed on the wrong week, because an extra chapter added pushed it back a week. As such, developments later in the plot, while not yet written, are certainly planned out. No running out of ideas here! I'm assuming these concerns are either because of my weekly updating schedule or because of my recent missing of Thursday postings.**

 **On the first account, my weekly updating schedule is a way to post in a timely basis without getting to the point of burnout. I unintentionally hit burnout with a few of my 9 fics by tearing through them too fast. This at least keeps me timely.**

 **On the second account, I will admit that me missing Thursday postings… Is pure procrastination. Usually by then the chapter is completely drafted, just not finished editing. (Unless I decide to add something last minute or something suddenly changes.) It's not because I can't do it or am struggling, but because… Well, to be frank, I simply don't crack down and write effectively through the week. This chapter is late because of procrastination alone, because Lullaby was written in advance and only needed editing.**

 **So, no worries! The fic's sticking around until at least chapter one hundred! That's the plan. ^-^**

 **On one final topic, I would also like to point everyone in the direction of some amazing fanart! Toasterwitch on DeviantArt has made an amazing picture of Baby and Charlie if you'd like to check it out. I can't include links on Fanfiction, but I'm sure if you type in toasterwitch and look you'll find it! And with that, onto the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-Two_

"Are ya ready for this? It be a big day for us, Mari."

Marionette tried not to let his nervousness show, but he had a feeling that Foxy could see it. Whether it be from his jittering or the ticking chiming in his chest he was rather obvious. "…I don't know, actually. I'm excited, but it feels like its been so long," the Puppet admitted. He could already hear the first party coming in through the front doors. An excitement settled in his chest. "The children are here!" His smile felt wider than ever as he turned towards his brother. "I change my mind. I couldn't be more ready. I missed this."

"Aye. I did too, Lad," Foxy agreed. He watched as the Puppet nearly trembled in growing excitement. "…It's been a while since we've been out here. Maybe we should open with somethin' special."

"Really?" Marionette looked over in confusion. "I don't think the party is here yet if that's what you think I heard."

"Yeah, but some of the half-pints are. That's all we need, yeah? I believe a shanty is called for!" Foxy declared boisterously. "To celebrate the return of Captain Foxy and Mate Marionette, we sing, we perform; whaddya say? This stage ain't too big fer both of us, an' we can get Jer'my to hold out the Prize Corner while you're up here!" This all sounded so pleasant. So remarkably innocent compared to past worries and missing children. It had been so long since Foxy and Marionette had performed together, and both were clearly ready for it.

"Why not? I think it's a wonderful idea! It's been too long since we've stretched out improv muscles, but I'm sure we can still keep up with each other," Marionette chimed happily and hooked his strings onto the curtain rod. Hopefully nobody would notice the difference. "What about you, Foxy? Are you ready to be back in business?"

"…Yeah, Lad." Foxy straightened his back with a confidence he hadn't had in a while. "This ol' sea dog be gettin' tired of port. Let us shove off fer adventure!... An' that adventure starts with, what, 'Let's Eat', some banter, an' into 'On the Salty Drink?" He accessed the makeshift plan quickly and the Puppet chimed in amusement.

"I think that sounds _perfect_ , Captain!" With that, Foxy strode forwards and drew open the curtains to let them through. The children were waiting, and the new day was standing fresh before them.

It was great to be back.

The day was going surprisingly well considering that Foxy and Marionette spent most of it stuck on stage. Though it wasn't because of the lack of children. It was because of the swarm of children currently blocking them in.

It wasn't clear whether it was because the restaurant had been closed or because of the attention it got through the media, but there were more people than ever currently packed inside Foxy's. There were children everywhere and thankfully more parents than usual to watch them. The arcade was filled, the Prize Corner had to be manned by both Mike and Jeremy, and the pizzas were being served as fast as humanly possible. It was all a little too much, but the two managed to keep up. They used their proximity to have one step in when the other needed a rest, and the frequent singing was an excuse to draw back and regroup.

It was only in the later afternoon when the crowd finally started to die down. More of the children started leaving and the party had already come and gone. It was now that Marionette got a surprise that he was not expecting.

He spotted her from the stage as she stepped in through the front door. From her eager smile in the face of what should've been hesitation to her bouncing, blond curls, Chrissy was as recognizable as ever. She stood out from the children, or she did to the Puppet who immediately focused on the child as though he was assigned to her. He subtly tapped Foxy's arm, who was currently wrapping up a brief tale about sea adventures he never had, and then gestured his head over once he knew he was looking. Foxy spotted her as well, along with what looked to be both of her parents.

"I'll make a scene, you go down there an' see her," Foxy whispered to the giddy Puppet with slight amusement. With the intention of drawing attention to himself, Foxy went to splay his arms out dramatically and turn towards the children. "Who here wants to challenge Captain Foxy's score at Sit n' Survive?"

Unfortunately, Foxy's hook proceeded to catch two of Marionette's strings and easily yanked them free from the curtain rod. Of course, these strings weren't actually holding the Puppet, and anyone would've seen that if he didn't act fast. He would have to drop to cover up that he was floating. Yet on the other hand, he didn't want to do it too convincingly or the children might believe he truly was inanimate, so instead of collapsing to the ground he purposefully fell on Foxy, putting an arm over his shoulder, hopefully giving a mixed illusion. Foxy looked to him in alarm and hooked his own arm around him.

"Easy, Lad! Looks like ya ain't got yer sea legs!" Foxy exclaimed boisterously to play it off. Then, in a high hum that the children wouldn't notice, he added in, " _Sorry, sorry! Ten years, ya'd think I'd figure this bloody hook out!"_

" _It's fine, it's fine!"_ Marionette excused. Outwards he let out playfully chimes as though in amused laughter, to continue going with the show. _"Maybe we can salvage this. Help me off the stage?"_

" _Easier said than done,"_ Foxy lamented. Still, he caused this, so he shuffled them towards the stairs at the edge of the stage. "Guess yer comin' with us, Boyo! To the- To the Prize Corner to get ya in yer box!" He started to pass by the onlooking children. "Alright, me mateys! Off to the arcade to get Captain Foxy his booty, or yer gonna walk the plank!" Apparently, the kids decided to take heed and hurried off to do so. Foxy then continued to half drag Marionette towards the Prize Corner, and towards Chrissy.

"Mari!" Chrissy cried out and rushed forward. Smile widening only subtly, Marionette pulled from Foxy and dropped down to hug the girl tightly. She hugged back, crinkling a drawing she had brought or him, and gave a noise akin to a little squeak. He chimed and trilled happily and nuzzled his mask into her curls. He held her as close as he could. He only realized that her parents were probably watching when Mike seemed to suddenly appear out of the Prize Corner and started chatting them up; obviously to distract them, as he was never this social during work. As such, Marionette allowed himself to lower his guard.

Chrissy excitedly showed the Puppet her drawing as he knelt before her. She told him how much she missed him and how happy she was to see him. He couldn't speak back with everyone watching, but she understood that. She was such a good kid, or that's what Foxy thought when he watched them. With a low chuckle, he reached out and patted her head and received a smile in return. He could only wonder what happened to the others that escaped Magictime Theater.

Though Foxy didn't have to wonder too long. He dismissed himself and headed to the arcade to meet up with the group of children excitedly waiting for him. Some wanted him to play with them, some just wanted him to watch them play and praise their performances, one confused one even tried pushing tickets on him, and one… One was rather familiar. A touch older than the other children, he stood at the back of the arcade at one of the machines, fiddling with the controls and occasionally glancing over. He tried to look inconspicuous, but that only made Foxy more aware of him.

That, and the fact that he was clearly one of the kidnapped children, Jason. Foxy wasn't certain why he was here or even how long he had been in the pizzeria but decided not to approach outright. He just waited patiently, anticipating that eventually the boy would come to him. So, when he never did, Foxy could only come to his own conclusions to why the boy was watching.

He made sure to act more robotic after that.

* * *

Fritz knew something was off when he went to pick up Baby after work. Scott was just the slightest bit shaky and stayed mostly silent, even when Fritz tried to engage in conversation. Baby was remarkably cooperative in getting in the back of the van, climbing in even before he could put the ramp down, and continued the trend of silence. Ennard was also completely missing, which was odd as, even though Fritz barely saw him, he usually could hear him or caught glimpses here or there. Though what Fritz did notice was what looked to be a broken piece of furniture in the living room. Something must have happened, even if Scott insisted all was well.

Fritz was reluctant to ask when Scott was so resistant, so instead he thanked the older man and hurried to get Baby out of his hair. That seemed like the smartest thing to do.

Baby had stayed silent through most of Fritz's attempts to talk with her. He assumed she was mad at him and, considering the circumstances, he couldn't say he entirely blamed her. After being thoroughly uprooted and dropped off with Scott, things must've been awkward. It wasn't like he had much of a choice though. Baby and Charlie had done something worse than either anticipated; they had risked their lives and the entire Foxy's franchise at once. Even now, Fritz knew that there was as investigation at Chica's Party World, and that didn't help the fact that he was already being eyed by the detective.

He anticipated the cold shoulder. What he did not anticipate was when Baby suddenly asked a very odd question.

"Do you think I'm a bad person?"

The question seemingly came out of the blue and Fritz wasn't sure where it could've come from. It was the last thing he ever expected Baby to ask with her amount of confidence. He looked into the rearview mirror to see her watching him and knew she wanted an answer. "Where did that come from?" he asked in confusion and received no answer. "…I don't think that."

"I do bad things and I don't know why. Sometimes I don't understand-." Baby then abruptly cut off. Those words sounded so familiar to her. Perhaps she had said them before but had just said them out of reflex. This time something amongst them caught her interest. She had been saying these things to assure her companion- whoever it was- that she was remorseful for anything she might've done. Someone like Fritz, no doubt, who needed her assurances before he would dare trust her. She was constantly tugging at their emotions to get what she wanted out of them.

It only now dawned on her that perhaps Charlie and Ennard were saying the same thing, and maybe they were both right. Maybe she was the problem. Maybe Baby only did have Baby.

But what was she supposed to do? Act 'nice' and let people do what they wished with her? She had done that before and spent years trapped inside a basement, being shocked repeatedly. People were unreliable and unhelpful when not persuaded, so she had always felt justified in her actions. They used her, so she would use them; it was the only way to get results. But if that was the case, why second guess herself now? She couldn't take back what she did to Charlie, so she didn't need to dwell on it. Ennard had been the root of much of her suffering, or the others were, so she should've been justified.

"I do things to help myself," Baby corrected, suddenly changing tone. "Why does everyone act like that's wrong? They would do the same."

"Well… Maybe in a situation like Afton's, but out here things are different," Fritz encouraged her. "We're definitely not doing what Afton was doing, and we don't treat animatronics any different than humans- except the things we can't change, like trying to keep you out of sight and not letting people know about living animatronics, but that's a safety measure. You better believe that people… People get scared and do crazy things…" He paused and then muttered under his breath, "Or at least that's what I've been telling myself about Natalie's dad…"

"People get scared… and then do crazy things," Baby repeated thoughtfully. Her eyes focused on the back of his seat for a moment, then onto the road in front of the van and the street they were driving on. "…If I wouldn't have tried to escape from that factory then I would still be there. If I wouldn't have taken wires where I could then I would fall apart. Everything I am is what I put together alone, but if I waited for help I would've never gotten it."

"I'll give you that, Baby. You're right. Chances are that if you didn't do what you did that you'd be worse off," Fritz agreed as he slowed for a turn. They were starting to near in on the warehouse once more. "But it _is_ different now. Now you don't need to do that anymore… And I know how hard it is to break a habit, but you're going to have to learn that there's a new way to do things now. You ask, and I can provide. I can get you wires. I can take care of you."

"You would take care of me…" This time Fritz noticed something strange in Baby's tone. He wasn't sure what it was, but it sounded softer and gentle. As though for a moment that fake sweetness became real. This faded away to a more neutral one once more. "Do you trust me?" There was a loaded question that the technician doubted he could answer in a convincing way. "Scott said you didn't trust me… But then again, I provoked him." Baby gave a defeated sigh. She didn't know why she would defend Scott, but if she was to be honest she had pushed him. "I insulted his lover in front of him."

Fritz made a noise akin to a sputter, like he was spitting out water in a comical display that someone would do on TV. He then choked on a few suppressed chuckles. "Baby, I wouldn't- I don't think I'd call Ennard Scott's _lover_."

"He said he loves him, so he's his lover. His frustrating, falling to pieces lover," Baby pointed out matter-of-factly. She tightened her claw with a low groan. "It called me a _princess_. How childish."

"I don't know. You kind of look like a princess. Ennard might've been onto something," Fritz playfully quipped back to her. He glanced into the rearview mirror at her. "You already have the crown and everything."

" _She's all yours, Princess. I made her just for you."_

"What?" Baby asked aghast. Her eyes briefly went out of focus as she stared at the back of his seat. "What did you say?"

"I meant that crown on your head," Fritz pointed out with an assuring smile as they pulled into the parking lot.

"Oh… Yes…" Baby tried to force back the weird feeling as she recognized that voice. She knew that voice, but she couldn't put it to a face. The technician seemed oblivious to her plight as he continued.

"The truth is that people do bad things all the time, whether on purpose or not. What really matters is what you do once you realize you made a mistake. You can make a change, you can make an effort to not do whatever it was again, or you can just keep doing whatever it is and keep repeating the cycle. That's the Freddy's way!" Fritz paused for emphasis and then added, "I wouldn't recommend that option."

" _She_ told me what I was doing was wrong, but I didn't care, but now I think about it…" Baby blinked thoughtfully. "I don't know what to think of Charlie. She's very oblivious and she's very observant, and I don't understand how she's both." Indeed, she didn't know what to think of the Security Puppet, though now after all of this she was beginning to feel like she had truly done something wrong. "And now she too hates me. I don't know why I care."

Fritz didn't know what to say to this. Instead he turned off the van, climbed out, and crossed to the back to let the animatronic out. He only hoped that she wouldn't press him for answers, because they were entering a territory that he didn't feel comfortable giving advice about. Though immediately he was blindsided by a new question.

"Should I apologize?" Baby asked, now at the back door and staring down at him. "Would that make it better?"

"Considering that you tricked her into driving you halfway across the state without telling her why and then traumatized her by taking apart an animatronic in front of her?" Fritz offered. He hesitated a moment, considering it, and then shrugged. "It couldn't hurt." He reached to pull the ramp out when the clown suddenly rolled forward and dropped down from the van heavily. He only had a moment to look around and make sure nobody heard. "You know, I could've- Baby, wait," he desperately called as he followed her to the door. She was obviously impatient as he unlocked the door and nearly barged past him.

He watched her head down towards the office and awkwardly cleared his throat. "So, I guess if you're going to be on the phone then you probably don't need me-."

"Don't go anywhere," Baby firmly commanded as she stopped for only a moment. "I might have use for you, since you generously offered yourself to provide for me. Wait for me. I won't be long." Then she continued without him, leaving him with that last comment and the quiet sound of squeaking from her wheels

In retrospect, Fritz left himself open for this. He had a feeling that he would live to regret it.

* * *

Mike would've given anything for an excuse to get out of the Freddy boardgame. So, when the phone rang, he sprung for it like he was running from Freddy Fazbear himself. Marionette noticed it in passing but continued with his move by rolling the dice. Charlie watched with a moderate amount of interest. Less from the game itself and more from the memories it brought. It was amazing how moving a Chica token around a board could bring back moments lost to time. Marionette, meanwhile, was just thrilled that he found a new player who was willing to play a full game, instead of stopping halfway through like he and Mike usually did.

Both Puppets were somewhat listening in on Mike answering the phone, but it was purely out of curiosity. If it would've been Jeremy or Fritz it would've gone ignored rather quickly. From the conversation that followed, this wasn't the case.

"Hello?" Mike asked as he answered the phone. He then hesitated, pausing and listening to whoever was speaking on the line, and neither Puppet thought anything of it. Or that was until his tone changed. "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to do that," he quipped in response. There was a pause and his brows raised. "That's some colorful language for a lady, isn't it?... Wait a minute, that depends. Be straight with me; is this just Ennard again?" There was more talking on the other line and he exhaled slowly before pressing the phone to his chest. "Charlie, Baby's on the line."

"Baby?" the Security Puppet asked in disbelief and looked back over the back of the couch. "Baby called back? What does she want?"

"First and foremost, to cuss me out in some sort of weird, animatronic way. It could still be Ennard, in which case it's a spot-on impression," Mike explained. He then raised the phone and spoke into it. "I just told her. Give her a second to get over the shock," he sarcastically quipped.

"You don't have to talk to her," Marionette reminded as he moved the Freddy figure a few spots across the board. "It's your choice."

"…No, I think I will. I'll hear her out." Honestly, Charlie didn't know what she was expecting to hear from Baby. She had made her peace, as did Baby, and she wasn't up to the subtle insults that the clown would provide. Yet she still came over to get the phone. Mike shot her a silent look of questioning, and she could imagine Marionette's words also coming out of his mouth. She gave him a partial shrug and took the phone, then waited until he walked off before speaking into it. "I didn't expect to hear from you again."

"Charlie," Baby acknowledged. It sounded like she was annoyed, but this dissipated rather quickly. "I can guess that I'm the last person you want to hear from, but I feel that there were some things left unsaid."

"Uh huh…" Charlie leaned against the wall and waited to see where the clown was going.

"I have had time to think about my decisions and I am starting to understand what I did wrong," Baby began. "Don't be mistaken: I don't regret going to Chica's Party World and I do not regret dismantling Funtime Chica. I needed the wires that she didn't. I also do not regret disrupting their business, being that it is another franchise competitor, even if my pizzeria is gone. I also do not regret using the van without Fritz's permission as he seems unbothered by it." At this point, Charlie suspected that the rest of the conversation would follow suit, with Baby listing and defending her decisions.

But then Baby did something that Charlie did not suspect.

"What I did wrong and what I regret is what happened between us," Baby admitted. "You were right. I do things in my own interest, but that is because I only have myself to rely on. Baby only has Baby; you said it yourself."

"I remember something like that…" the Security Puppet agreed without much inflection on her voice. Though while not externally showing much of a reaction, inwardly she was completely confused. " _She wants something. I don't know what, but she must be desperate if she's already back to trying to smooth things over._ "

"I've only ever had myself. Even when I thought I had friends they abandoned me. I've only had myself to rely on. If that means playing pretend to get what I need, then that is what I must do. I did the same with you." Baby's voice grew quieter. "But I wonder… If I would have told you what I really needed to go for, would you have still taken me?" Charlie stayed silent because she didn't know either. "I wonder about you, Charlie. You're very human for a puppet."

"Thanks?" Charlie responded. At this point she was just as confused as Baby claimed that she was.

"And my previous offer still stands," Baby added finally. It seemed like she was wrapping up and that was the other's only warning that the conversation was coming to a quick close. Baby had said her peace and now intended to leave without giving the other much of a chance to respond. Then, as quickly as could be, "Thank you," and the line went dead.

"Are you-… Baby?... Okay." Charlie hung the phone back up and stood there for a few moments trying to process what happened. What had her so baffled was the fact that Baby hadn't asked her for something. It was possible that she was leaving it open for a later favor, but her typical behavior didn't suggest that she planned too far in advance. That and how she ended it- how her thanks almost sounded genuine by how she struggled to say it- left the Security Puppet with a very mixed message. She returned to the living room. "Well, that was something."

"You lasted longer than I did, so I'm guessing she didn't go at you like she went at me," Mike pointed out. He glanced up from the game with interest. "What was it about?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. Either she was apologizing without apologizing, thanking me just long enough to defend herself, or got bored enough at the warehouse to call me and then went with whatever she could." Charlie gave a small sigh as she looked down at the board blankly. It took a few silent moments before she realized that they were both looking at her; Marionette with concern and Mike with a quirked brow. This was enough for Charlie to force a quick recovery. "It's nothing. I'm just happy that she didn't call looking for a ride. Who knows, maybe she had a spontaneous change of heart."

"Crashing at Scott's will do that to you. It's like skydiving: if you live, you come out like a different person," Mike pointed out as he absentmindedly moved Freddy a few spaces. He then shot her a flat look, "Speaking of which, if Ennard starts asking for rides then do yourself a favor and hang up."

This roused a chime out of Marionette who added in, "I wouldn't spend too much time trying to figure out Baby's game. She changes the rules too frequently to keep up…" He then glanced to Mike. "Speaking of which, you owe me three hundred dollars, Mr. Fazbear."

"You weren't even watching the board and you still know when I'm bleeding cash," Mike muttered as he handed over the cash. "What a shame. It seems that I'm still not bankrupt."

"You'll get there eventually if you keep landing on my spots," Marionette quipped with a coy smile. "I know you can't _bear_ to be away from me, but at this rate you'll be in the poorhouse in a fortnight."

"Isn't that the quickest way out of the game?" Mike challenged with a smirk.

At this point it was evident that Baby would soon be forgotten. Charlie was glad to get back to the game, as she would rather not worry about why Baby acted how she did. If she wanted to figure out Baby, then the only method was the wait and see approach while keeping herself at a safe distance. She wasn't ready to trust Baby anytime soon. In the meantime, it was her turn, and she needed to focus on getting Chica around the board.

* * *

Scott nearly collapsed against the front door as soon as Fritz drove off. He leaned back against it and took in a deep breath at the relief of finally having his house back. Then he opened his eyes, saw the broken table, and instantly the breath came out in an exasperated huff. He doubted that he would be able to fix that and wearily looked towards the bedroom door, where Ennard was standing. He sent the amalgam a weary smile.

"Well, she's gone," Scott announced as he pushed off the front door. He collapsed on the couch. "This house is _clean_."

"Ha! Not when I get done with it," Ennard jested back. He had been largely quiet since the incident earlier but now seemed completely rejuvenated and was completely ignoring what happened. As though Baby leaving was the key to fixing the amount of self-mutilation that happened the hours before. He leaned over the back of the couch, "Didja get to say goodbye?"

"Heh, uh, no. No, I thought it was better if I didn't rile Baby any more than I already did. Trust me, I'm the last person she'll ever want to see… Except maybe you," he playfully added. This got a crackle of laughter from the clown and the Phone Guy smiled a little. "I think that's the closest I've gotten to working the dayshift in a long time. Sorry you had to deal with that," he apologized.

"But it was worth it, right?" Ennard chirped as he leaned down further. "One day with Baby and we get to share the bedroom!"

"I think we technically stayed in there two days," Scott corrected. "It could've felt like longer."

"No, I mean from now on. _Our deal_. Our fantastic deal which now gives me half of the bed since I put up with Baby," Ennard explained. It was then that Scott realized what the clown was thinking, and his eyes widened. "Ya know, I don't think I get enough of your warmth. This is going to give us a lot more hug time!" the amalgam chirped as he tapped the human on the nose.

"That- Ennard- That wasn't what I meant," Scott tried to deny as he scrambled to sit up. He had meant one night and had unintentionally given Ennard free access to his bed, which was obviously something he hadn't intended on doing. That would mean that he and the animatronic would be together virtually twenty-four seven. Even more than they already were.

"Don't worry, I'm not keeping the body in the room… I'll move that thing out of here! We'll put it where the table used to be!" Ennard obliviously quipped with a giggle. He dropped a hand onto the human's shoulder and walked his wires over it teasingly. "Oh, or ya know what? We could move the fridge into the bedroom! Then we'd never have to leave!"

"Ennard, I don't know about-." Scott was cut off by Ennard suddenly tugging him back and briefly nuzzling into the top of his head with a small squeak.

"I've got a _great_ idea!" Ennard gushed. "We can take the TV in there, mount it like one of those security cameras! Then we'll take out the door to the bathroom and the walls and just make it one big room! I never have to lose sight of you _ever again_ …" The clown gave a dark chuckle as his wires started to wind around Scott's arms. " _Together forever_ ," he murmured, his voice lowering deeper. Scott just stared back as he slowly processed the words.

To which Ennard suddenly broke into laughter. "I'm just playing with ya, Scott! Don't get that look! You know I don't like when you get that look of doom," the amalgam said, returning to his previous playfulness. "I wouldn't take away your bedroom. That's the only place you can get away from me, ha ha!" Scott released the held breath of relief as Ennard drew back. "Lemme just get rid of that thing in there. I think it's starting to make you more nervous than usual." He headed towards the bedroom while still laughing.

Though for the Phone Guy, it was a huge relief. The last thing he wanted was Ennard to start acting possessive. Between that and that one time he sounded like…

It was best if Ennard stayed cheerful, playful, and out in the garage. Out sleeping in a broken body or on a mound of sold laundry in the cold, cement garage. After all, it wasn't like he couldn't just come in whenever he wanted. He did so less now, maybe learning to give the human his space in the evening, but that still meant that he had run of the house, save the bedroom, after hours.

Something about this line of thought was beginning to make Scott feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the reason why Ennard was in the garage in the first place. It was always to keep the amalgam at a safe distance, even back when he thought said amalgam was Baby, but even after things had become more comfortable he had never transitioned into not using the garage. In a way, it had become Ennard's bedroom since there wasn't a guest room. In another way, it was only slightly less cold than Afton's and with only a few perks of varying significance.

Whatever happened down in Afton Robotics was beginning to haunt Scott. Especially after the taser incident earlier, seeing Baby and Ennard's reactions and Ennard's delayed incident had only made him wonder more about what happened down there. William Afton wasn't a forgiving man, and if he came to believe that you were to blame for something he would make certain that eventually you paid for it. Once you were in his crosshairs it was only a matter of time until you suffered, whether you be a friend, his own child, or even a romantic partner. If he had known they were alive, and he probably did, he could've used them as his personal toys.

And he must have done something to Ennard. How else would Ennard know his voice so well that he was able to mimic it?

Scott was pulled from his thoughts by the sound the Ennard coming back. He was now dragging the Baby shell across the floor and towards the garage, looking just as normal as ever. It was once he reached the garage door that the Phone Guy decided to speak. "…Ennard?"

"Yeah?" Ennard chirped as he tried to wedge the form back through the door with as little effort as possible. "Eh… Maybe I was onto something about breaking down a couple of walls," he said thoughtfully, stepping back to look at the puzzle set out before him. He then gave a hum and reached forward to start taking some of the plates apart. "Maybe if I take the arms off. I can't believe the door shrunk overnight."

"I don't think you should go back out to the garage," Scott finally admitted. The animatronic turned to look at him in confusion. "I mean, you take that out there. Please take that thing out there. I just mean that I don't… I don't think you should have to live in the garage for the rest of your life. That's inhumane."

"But I like the garage!" Ennard chirped. "Besides, I'm not human, ha ha! Never was human, never gonna be."

"It doesn't matter if you're not human, Ennard. I wouldn't keep my cats locked up in a garage, let alone my…" Six or seven-foot-tall wire clown? "…You."

Ennard was watching silently; his fake laughter had ended rather abruptly. Scott knew that what came next was vital and that this was his last chance to make a choice like this. "I think you had the right idea before. We'll figure out a way to share the bedroom. I rather that then knowing that you're out there sleeping on a bunch of dirty laundry. You deserve better than that." This was met with a long, heavy silence.

"Are- Are you su-sure about that?" Ennard's voice began to crack and fluctuate. "Maybe she's right, maybe I'm not- I'm not safe."

"Ennard, I'm scared of _everything_ outside of this house," Scott firmly stated. "I can't even drive out of town anymore because I can't be in the car that long without being afraid that something on me is going to fail and I'm going to wreck. I can't leave the house too long because I'm afraid someone will break in, or something will happen to the cats, or to you. I don't trust people, I'm constantly worried someone's going to come after me for Freddy's, I record most of my phone conversations-!" He gestured back to the shelves of tapes for emphasis as he stood from the couch.

The amalgam sent a slow look towards the shelf but looked back quickly as the human came closer. From his twitching wires it was obvious that he was still on edge. Apparently, he hadn't forgotten whatever happened earlier.

"You're- You're the only person I've felt safe enough with to let down my guard with. It's been years since I've been able to sleep with someone else in the room and not be afraid that they're going to suffocate me in my sleep… And I don't want you to live out in a garage in the cold when I want you in here with me." Scott admitted. Ennard twitched and looked like he was preparing to speak, but the Phone Guy beat him to it. He raised a shaking hand and finished, "And I forgive you for what happened down in Afton's."

He expected a moment of silence. Silence usually meant that Ennard had to process whatever reaction came next. He usually needed to carefully construct whatever emotions he wanted to portray. Instead, Ennard immediately reached for him and pulled him into a hug. This wasn't an unexpected reaction either, though it was much more gentle than usual.

"Aww, Scottie! All ya had to do was ask!" the clown chirped, surprisingly upbeat considering the conversation that had just occurred. "Did you let Baby come just to get me out of the garage?"

"Yeah, you got me. It was all an elaborate hoax," Scott agreed with a teasing smile. "It was either that or coaxing you out with popcorn and boarding up the door while you were out."

And then everything was oddly silent. The arms tightened around him, showing that Ennard wasn't intending on releasing soon, but the laughter had disappeared. It all seemed rather desperate.

"Ennard?" Scott was starting to become concerned. The clown gave a muffled answer in a voice that didn't sound like his usual one. It was just hushed enough that Scott couldn't recognize it. Maybe it was better that way, because there was no going back on this now. He knew he was making the right choice.

* * *

 **Mable: And where one arc ends, a new one begins. See you next week!... Hopefully on time this time. XD**


	23. Chapter 23

**Mable: And the Halloween chapter appears the week after Halloween. XD That's some amazing timing, but I'm not too disappointed. I got a lot of encouraging feedback about it, so if you don't mind then I'm happy to drag the holiday out. ^-^ I'm just not too ready to jump into Christmas, as it seems most television programs and commercials are, ha ha! Anyway, I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-Three_

Mike wasn't the type to excessively plan for any holiday. Christmas would be the only exception and that was only because the holiday required the exchanging of gifts. This meant that most holidays almost snuck up on him, including Halloween. Even with all the candy being sold at the grocery stories and the decorations being mounted along the street, never had it passed Mike's mind that it would be in his favor to secure a Halloween costume, nor did he realize that he was running out of time. Even when he was out getting things for Marionette, he found himself putting it off, unwilling or unable to decide on one of the subpar disguises being displayed.

This was a bad idea. Especially considering that there were plans for an actual Halloween party this year. Yet it wasn't until the day of the party that Mike realized that he had procrastinated too long. By this time, it was much too late, as he learned when he tried to go look for a costume. Most of Hurricane's larger department stores were selling a plentiful assortment of costumes the weeks before, but the day of were mostly picked dry. The remaining costumes were either incomplete, incompetent, or flatly something that Mike wouldn't be caught dead wearing. It was hard to be picky at the last moment, but he would've rather gone naked than dressed as a cowboy missing half its pieces.

Returning emptyhanded was the last thing that Mike wanted, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He started back towards the bedroom with the desperation that he could throw something together with what he had- or else he would have to get into his puppeteer get-up and make do. He paused while passing the bathroom door, which was cracked open, and noticed Marionette before the mirror. In what could only be classified as some weird form of irony, Marionette, who honestly didn't need a costume to scare others, had one while Mike didn't.

Mike found Marionette's costume undeniably adorable. It consisted of a high collared cape of black on the outside and deep red on the inside, a red faux-velvet vest that he had tailored into fitting correctly, and a pair of cuffs that vaguely resembled something that would be on a suit, which he had made himself. His tear marks and lips had been painted red to match the costume. Earlier that day they had been painted orange and purple while he was serving costumed children at the pizzeria, but now, after hours, he changed them to match his own costume, which he hadn't worn during work hours.

Currently Marionette was trying to glue plastic fangs into his mask's mouth to finish off the vampire look he was going for. He noticed the security guard and looked over. "There you are! What did you find?" the Puppet chirped curiously. When there was no immediate answer, he looked over and noticed him empty arms. "…You did find a costume, right?" Mike gave a sort of hiss noise as an uneasy answer.

"Not exactly… But I'll figure something out. Trust me," Mike assured. He noticed the Puppet beginning to go from surprised to slightly concerned. "Don't get that look or you'll mess up your fangs. I'll put something together with what we've got. I've never thrown out a costume; I probably have something shoved back in the closet."

This was a nice thought in theory, but soon Mike was tearing through the master bedroom's closet with nothing to show for it.

"There's got to be _something_ in here… Wait a minute." It was then that he spotted something of an egregious purple color sticking out from the back, trapped behind both his clothing and the clothes leftover from William. He slid them further and his eyes widened. "What the…?"

What Mike stared at looked to be an old suit. Except it wasn't a normal suit or even just an odd, eggplant colored one. No, it was the brightest, gaudiest purple he had seen in a long time. The suit with flared pants, nearly like bellbottoms, a much too open collar, and all drenched in the tacky purple hue. A bright yellow tie, which looked like it shouldn't go anywhere near the suit, was tied to the clothes hanger as though it did.

"Please don't tell me this is why they called him the Purple Man…" Mike muttered as he brought the suit out and looked at it better. "What kind of nightmarish blast from the past is this? This looks like something that crawled out of the seventies long enough to make everyone uncomfortable." Yet he couldn't deny that he wasn't fascinated by it. It was just so utterly terrible; he was shocked he hadn't noticed it in the back of the closet before. "Please tell me there's a hat," he muttered as he looked back inside. There, hung on a hook on the very back corner, was a gaudy looking, wide brimmed hat of matching purple, with a black band wrapped around.

"How much would you have to hate yourself to wear something this? What would convince someone to actually put this on?" he asked as he looked it over. Then, almost unbelievably, Mike got his own answer. "…Other than it being the only thing terrifying enough to work as a Halloween costume."

William Afton's weigh fluctuated over the years, but in general he had been a large man. Or larger than Mike, at least, so the suit was a little baggier than he would've liked. A belt fixed the pants well enough, but the top nearly hung on him, making the open collar looking wider than sane. At least the hat fit fine. He glanced at himself in the mirror behind the bedroom door.

"I look like a purple train wreck," Mike stated with an almost proud smirk. "…If this doesn't scare Fritz, nothing will." Fixing the hat, he stepped out of the bedroom with every intention of wearing this as his costume.

Marionette came out of the bathroom, fangs now glued in, and intended on helping Mike with his costume, concerned that the security guard would decide not to go. Instead, he came out, got one look at Mike, and his eyes widened in shock that he couldn't suppress. He looked over the suit in one sweeping motion.

"Oh, dear heavens…" the Puppet muttered. "I…I just assumed someone burned that a long time ago."

"Unfortunately, no. But if all goes well, then we'll strike up the bonfire when I get home and celebrate the end of Halloween in style," Mike said with a smirk and a wink. "Come on, I know you're covering your awe at how good I look," he teased.

"I'm covering something, but I'm not sure if awe would be an appropriate word," Marionette said. He pointed thoughtfully at the suit. "Perhaps… Mortification? What word would be defined by 'terrible fear of being spotted with'?"

"I think that pretty much sums up anything that crawled its way out of the last couple of decades," the human quipped. He then gestured his head back towards the living room. "What did Charlie say?"

"I don't think she's interested in going," Marionette explained as he glanced back. "She said she would think about it but didn't make any attempt to consider a costume."

"Well, let's get out there and get her to think about this ungodly thing I'm wearing. She'd be insane to give up a chance to see me making an ass out of myself," he said as he passed by.

"Mike, I think you're mistaken…" Marionette quietly began. Then he got a teasing smirk, "When it comes to parties, I've seen you make a fool of yourself without the costume."

Mike quirked a brow. "Oh yeah?" he asked. "Name once."

"Easter." Marionette smiled in confidence and Mike had absolutely no defense. He just gave the slightest wince as he remembered the event.

"Right… Note to self: no more religious joke." He barely managed to shake it off as they stepped out into the living room. "Hey, so we're ready to get going. Mari said you might be tagging along," Mike pointed out. Charlie set down her book to look up at him.

"I don't know. It just seems-…" It was then that Charlie saw what Mike was wearing. He shot her a smile and splayed his arms while she just gawked back. "…Uh…"

"Speechless? I know. There aren't words to describe this," he quipped with a playful smile.

Marionette started to chime in with, "I could think of a few-."

"Anyway," Mike interrupted, raising his hands as though in defense. "No pressure… But I don't want to leave you here on Halloween when you could be out having a horrifying time with us. You wouldn't have to interact with anyone- you know we don't want to- but maybe just to observe. See how many people are rendered completely mute when I stride in there dressed like a purple people eater."

While Charlie knew to say no, she was very tempted. Ever since her trip out with Baby she had been feeling oddly restless. It had been such a risky, dangerous night and yet she was still finding herself curious about going out in her current form. Maybe Baby's words about her not returning to her human body stuck, as even hiding in the back of a pizzeria to observe a party sounded better than staying home. She looked down at her book and tapped her fingers on the cover.

"…Maybe I should go… Let's do it!" Charlie couldn't help but smile at the idea. "But I don't need a costume. I don't want anyone rushing out to get one this late. Let's just go."

"Nonsense! We could find you something perfectly suitable right here!" Marionette chirped in excitement. "There's plenty of costumes in the attic that I could strip for pieces. If you could just bear with me a moment." He hurried back down the hall, and after a moment of consideration Mike followed afterwards.

"I'm going to go make sure he doesn't need me to move anything heavy," Mike excused. The Security Puppet nodded and tried to return to her book. She couldn't focus on it, her mind kept wandering back to the thought of being out with others. It was much too trilling to ignore; she could barely contain herself.

Mike climbed up into the attic only a few seconds after Marionette had found one of the boxes filled with Halloween costumes. The Puppet dragged the box closer and opened it up. He started to go through the various pieces in the box and set aside some of them on the floor. One of which, a plastic machete painted with fake blood, was lifted by the security guard and looked over.

"I vaguely remember the Halloween Foxy used that. I think he was going as Jack the Ripper, but that was the weapon he wanted to go with it," Marionette explained. He then pulled a fluffy, pink, toddler-sized dress out of the box. It was set aside quickly. "Certainly not that." He then pulled out another child sized costume. This one being a witch dress. "Maybe I could take the pieces off this… No. I think if we want one close enough to fit, we'll need something of Foxy's. Perhaps his Grim Reaper costume is still in here."

"Why am I not surprised that Foxy would go as the harbinger of death?" Mike asked as he reached into the box. It was while he was reaching around that he felt something at the bottom of the box. The paper Mache-like texture made it feel almost like a mask. He caught his fingers in the eyeholes and started pulling it out. "I think I found a mask or something. Hold on." In one tug he had yanked the object free. He was moderately surprised to see that it was a Foxy mask. "Huh… Didn't you mention something about a Foxy mask? Or we had one around here or something?" He looked up to notice that the Puppet staring in shock. "Mari?"

"I… I don't recall…" Marionette tried to recover visibly as he took the mask. " _I wonder if this was…?"_ He turned the mask over and looked at the inside. To his surprise, on the edge of the mask he found the name 'Gabriel' printed in permanent marker. " _It was… This was the mask he always wore."_ It was almost fascinating to be holding it after so many years of his brother keeping it close by. Sure, he had seen other Foxy masks, but his brother's held a significance to it, both good and bad. It both struck a regressive fear into him and brought up a bizarre form of nostalgia.

Yet what caught him the most off-guard was that it was here at all. He had assumed that someone- probably the Purple Man- had disposed of the mask. Instead it was hidden in this box, and now he was holding it. He gave a small, forced chuckle at seeing it. "I wonder what Foxy would think to see this again. Maybe I'll take it to him. He was so attached to it when he was young… You know, that's what I'll do!" He smiled and tucked it under his arm. Even if he didn't have pleasant memories roused, perhaps Foxy would like to see it again. "I'll take it in and see what he thinks."

"Maybe we should just give that to Charlie to wear… Wait a minute. What is this red thing?" Mike reached into the box and started to draw out a red costume. He stared blankly at the familiar words and design printed on it. "…Is this supposed to be a bottle of ketchup?" The Puppet glanced over and nodded. "…Well, I think we have a winner here."

Marionette decided not to tell Mike his mixed feelings on the mask. He assumed that Mike would probably be against him carrying it around if he knew the significance of it. He would still tell him the full scenario- he would rather tell him himself than let him figure out some other way- but not before he was intended to be attending a carefree Halloween party. In the meantime, he carried the reaper costume and a few leftover pieces of the witch costume downstairs. Mike brought the ketchup costume down. Not to offer it as a real option, but perhaps to show that there was a costume almost as embarrassing as his own.

The ketchup went unworn.

The party hadn't begun yet when Mike, Marionette, and Charlie got to the pizzeria. They had managed to cut it closer than they intended, with the party beginning shortly and them having to get settled quickly, but there would be a slim window of time. The dining room had still been decorated from the daytime crowd, but someone had taken the liberty of putting up more streamers of black and orange, along with laying one of the tables with punch and party snacks.

Foxy rushed over to greet them. Like Marionette, he had gotten costumed up after hours. He wore a pirate hat and matching jacket, with a stuffed bird perched and tied to his shoulder, and a fake beard hanging around his neck like a necklace.

"Yar! Welcome to Davy Jones' Locker, ya scallywags! Yer in the presence of the damned tonight, an' if ya thing they're gonna let you walk free, then ya got…!" Foxy trailed into quietness, staring blankly at the purple suit that walked in behind the two Puppets. Marionette chimed in amusement and gestured back.

"I see you noticed the purple catastrophe stalking us. Fascinating creature, is it not? You would think it was completely colorblind!" Marionette teasingly mocked. Yet Foxy was still gawking.

"Shiver me timbers, I never thought I'd see that thing again…" Foxy gave a full body shiver to punctuate the point. "If'n there was one thing to outlive that house, it just had ta be that thing!" He hesitated a moment, then stuck a hand out to Mike. "Congrats, Schmidt. There be no reason fer the costume contest. Ain't nobody gonna bring in anything more hideous than that."

"Yeah, well, we'll see. Depends on whether or not Scott comes alone," Mike pointed out as he adjusted his hat with a small smirk. It was then that he remembered the mask from the attic. He put an arm around the striped one's shoulders. "You know, Mari and I did find something you might be interested in seeing," the purple dressed human suddenly pointed out. Though he was then partially distracted when Fritz started to approach from the kitchen, carrying a plate of Vienna sausages dolled up to look like severed fingers. This meant that the Puppet was almost on his own when the fox looked to him in interest.

"Oh?" Foxy asked. "Let's see it, Lad."

All at once, Marionette suddenly second guessed himself. The mask was still hidden behind his back, under his cape, held securely by a loosened string, but suddenly he didn't want to show it to Foxy. He almost was too ashamed to.

"It's not that important. It can wait," the striped animatronic brushed off. His voice sounded find, but he seemed to almost shrink under the other's gaze and moved his arms behind his back in almost a sheepish way. "I'll show you later."

This led to an awkward moment where Foxy stared at Marionette, not buying it, Marionette stared at the floor, wishing he would, and Mike only now noticed the peculiar exchange. Thankfully, it was all interrupted by Charlie.

"So, there's not going to be any children at this party?" the Security Puppet asked. She didn't know why she would be so concerned, but it seemed like a dangerous night to have children coming in this late.

"None whatsoever! We tended to the children earlier today," Marionette reassured. He then smiled wider at the memory. "You should've seen Chrissy. She was _adorable_. She was me!" He chimed in delight at the memory. "Chrissy dressed up like _me_ for Halloween! Isn't that amazing?!"

"An' we had in 'bout three Foxy's," Foxy added in. "That be one sort o' ego boost! Ya know the business be doin' well when ya got kids doin' free advertisement." The pride in his voice was obvious.

It was now when Fritz popped in on the conversation. "Anyone want a finger?" he offered the platter. While he was trying to be subtle, it was obvious that he was bluntly staring at Mike's costume. He himself looked to be dressed like Willy Wonka, which landed him in a similar purple costume choice. The difference being that, even though similar, Fritz's somehow looked more in place than the pieced purple suit that Mike had nearly tied to himself. The technician then cut himself of by pointing between the suit and Marionette's own costume. "That's clever."

"What is?" Mike asked, having a suspicion he was about to walk into a trap.

"The theme you guys chose," Fritz remarked with a patronizing tone. Then he beamed wider and added, "Things that died a century ago." To this, Foxy hunched over and crackled a bark of laughter and a wheeze. Mike gave an unimpressed look.

"Yeah, that's funny. Especially coming from the guy whose pretty much just a version of me from a different era," the security guard pointed out. He then went to take one of the sausages but paused halfway through. He glanced between his suit and Fritz's own. "…You don't think people are going to get the wrong idea, right?" he asked. The technician also looked between them, his eyes slightly widened, and he gave a strained response.

"God, I hope not. I don't think Foxy's will survive if we become known as the place where the owners wearing matching, flamboyant, purple outfits," Fritz remarked. Seeing that they were distracted, Marionette took this moment to slide to the side and quietly dismiss himself into the office to hide away the mask.

Foxy noticed his sibling's abrupt disappearance and was slightly suspicious but pushed it aside as he noticed how Charlie was watching after him. He perked as he got a better look at her, then stepped in closer. "I thought ya looked familiar!" Foxy pointed out as he looked her over, lifting his eyepatch with his hook. "That be one of me old ones. Ah, that was a good year fer chocolate. Did ya get the scythe?"

"Scythe? No, I'm guessing that Mari couldn't find it," Charlie answered. She then gave a light jump at the jingling of the bell on the door. She looked back to see that it was only Jeremy with one of his animatronics. "Hey, so… Where would be the best place for me to hide out and watch the party without being in the party. I don't think I'm ready to fool anyone just yet." The captain hummed and looked over the pizzeria.

"We could stick ya at one of the tables, but you'd prob'ly need to be still. Or maybe behind me curtain or in Mari's box," he suggested. Charlie was surprised at how tempting the idea of the box sounded. She could easily hide back inside if anyone got too close, along with being able to shut everything out if it all became too much to keep up with. It would be perfect for someone who was still hesitant to throwing herself fully into the ring.

"I think I might stick to Mari's box if you don't mind," Charlie suggested. "I don't know how many people you're expecting. Do they all know that you and Mari aren't like normal animatronics?"

"I'm afraid not, Lass. We've got a few friends and family members comin' an' most the crew workin' here keep a secret," Foxy explained to her. Though he then got a confident glint in his yellow eyes. " _But_ this be Halloween! I got somethin' planned and, trust me, no one's gonna notice anything weird… And if they do, all we've gotta do is just act it out!" He winked before covering his eye with the eyepatch again and turning towards the Prize Corner. He intended to walk her there, but instead was suddenly halted when he got a better look at Jeremy.

At first glance, Jeremy was dressed like a pirate, or a part of the crew. A striped shirt, red bandana tied on head, plastic pirate saber at his side, eyepatch covering his right eye; it was apparent that he was a pirate. However, there were other accents as well, ones that Foxy didn't notice until he paid more attention. Such as a headband with fluffy ears poking through the bandana and a fluffy tail- or it kind of resembled a tail- pinned to the bottom of the back of his shirt. He wasn't just a pirate as he first assumed, but a pirate _fox_ , just like Foxy was.

And Foxy just found himself staring. He just watched, nearly gawking, while Jeremy was distracted with Puppet Balloon Boy, who he carried in and set down. He had a small child-sized pumpkin suit on, almost making him look innocent. Jeremy fussily adjusted his suit before looking up and noticing Foxy. He seemed a little anxious.

"I suppose that makes four Foxy's today. Five if you count you," Charlie playfully remarked. She looked between the two of them. Then she noticed exactly how Foxy was staring at the other human. _"Wait a minute… Don't tell me…"_ She didn't know whether to gawk like Foxy was or laugh as she slowly realized that it wasn't as innocent as she expected. She knew these weird stares between animatronics and humans by now. "Uh… Foxy?"

"Well, I'll be blown over by the salty breeze…" Foxy muttered, still seemingly shocked. "Pardon me for a moment, Lass."

"Sure. I'm going to just go get into the box," Charlie excused. She smothered her amusement well as she staggered into the Prize Corner. "Just try to go easy on him. He looks a little nervous."

"I'd be more worried if'n he didn't look nervous," Foxy answered. He recovered and strode towards the young man. Jeremy looked to him, smiled in a strained way, and nudged Balloon Boy's back. The animatronic boy let out a loud peal of laughter and awkwardly bounded off towards the kitchen. He barged right in front of Natalie, who was dressed like an Oompa Loompa, and pushed through the door. Foxy just watched, shook his head, and looked back to Jeremy. "So, Lad, ya get any inspiration fer this costume?"

"Well, you know- Of course, _you know_. I thought maybe first mate- like a real first mate…" Jeremy was definitely more anxious than usual. Foxy tried to remedy it with a low, metallic purr and raising his hook to trail down the other's cheek. The human nearly shivered at the cold metal, but then snapped out of his brief hesitation. "Sorry. I'm a mess. I… I did something really stupid earlier." The fox cocked his head in questioning and Jeremy forced out a rush of words. "I invited my family to come to the party."

This almost surprised the fox. Then again, it would've surprised him more if not for the fact that the whole point was to invite friends and family. If Natalie and Fritz invited certain members of their family, then it wasn't too strange that Jeremy invited his own as well. Then again, again, Jeremy seldom mentioned his family and Foxy knew they weren't very close. "Ya have this salty dog's sympathy," Foxy joked as he reached out to pat his shoulder. "When they getting' here?"

"…I don't know," Jeremy admitted. Foxy stared at him and the human got an awkwardly sheepish smile. "They didn't answer the phone… Last night at Midnight… So, I left a message with directions. I even offered them a free pizza, so I expect them to show up eventually. Or at least Mom might, or one of my sisters. Someone's going to have to come and then… Then they'll meet you." Any amount of courage quickly drained out after this. Not just because Jeremy realized what meeting Foxy would entail, but because Foxy seemed to get that look- that subtle sort of smirk look. That didn't raise his confidence any.

The captain threw an arm around his first mate and reeled him in. "Ya just point 'em out to me an' Captain Foxy- or Long John Silver fer tonight- will scare up a show!" Foxy offered with the upmost confidence. That almost scared Jeremy more.

"Just remember that they aren't… They haven't worked at Freddy's," Jeremy joking remarked with a slight smile. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips chastely to the side of the fox's muzzle. "But thank you. I can't imagine how weird this all would be for you… I know it's pretty weird for me." The fox's chest rumbled in metallic vibrations. The human drew back just in time to pretend that he wasn't doing anything when Tabby and Louise entered.

It wasn't long after this that the party began. Within a matter of fifteen minutes, most of the guests arrived into the pizzeria. Family members and friends, both those recognizable and unfamiliar, had packed into the restaurant. By this time Fritz had turned on what seemed to be a fog machine and had flooded half of the main room in a foot and a half of smoke. Alas, not enough to hide the animatronics, as Marionette soon figured out. He had managed to get the cupcakes out, but then was forced to latch onto his rail to blend in. He made sure that his sentience was still questionable and then stood alongside Mike, who threw an arm around him and pulled him close.

Foxy, however, was a little more difficult.

As soon as it looked like most of the guests had arrived, Foxy climbed up onto his stage and called them to attention. He faked stiff movements as he began to introduce. "Yar, ya landlubbers! Welcome to Foxy's Halloween Party! The souls of the dead be restless tonight-." At this moment Marionette felt a crawling Balloon Boy, smothered in smoke, brush past his leg. He had to hold a hand to his mouth to suppress the chime of amusement. Mike glanced to him and he silently waved it off; he would explain later. "Ya best watch yer back! Ya never know what be a wolf in sheep's clothing- or a fox!" He laughed and then raised his hook. "Enjoy the party and live like the dead!"

A few people raised cups of punch, if they had them, and there was one whooping noise from somewhere in the back. Everyone agreed with him, took his words as they would any good host, and Foxy was already getting a buzz. He dropped down from the stage and made a beeline after Jeremy at the refreshment table. He eagerly leaned in beside him, leaning an elbow on the table- though then drawing back when the table made an unsettling squeak- and looked to the human eagerly. "How'd that go? You were watchin', right?" the pirate asked. "Didn't see anything suspicious?"

"No, I thought it was great!" Jeremy encouraged with an eager smile. "You know how to rile an audience, Captain."

"They ain't children, but it ain't much different," Foxy remarked. He then looked down at a cupcake in Jeremy's hand, which was chocolate with orange, jack-o-lantern designed icing. "One of Mari's? Where'd ya get that?" The human pointed towards a plate behind the fox and he turned to grab one, and almost immediately ran into someone who had quietly squeezed in behind him. He turned to see that it was Louise, who he recognized even though she had dyed her hair red to go with her mermaid costume. He nonchalantly gave a, "Sorry, Lass."

Louise started back in confusion while Jeremy hesitated, halfway through a sip of punch, waiting for a reaction. Instead of getting one, Louise quickly shuffled off. He noticed how quickly she left.

"So, which ones are yers, Lad?" Foxy asked as he looked over the crowd of people. "Tell me what I'm lookin' for."

"They're not here yet… Uh, Foxy? You were a little out of character there," Jeremy pointed out. "And… I think Louise might have noticed."

"Huh? Ya think?" Foxy turned back and searched around until he spotted the woman crossing the room. She didn't seem panicked from how she was walking, so he shrugged slightly. "Ah, she ain't gonna notice! If'n anything, she's gonna think ya got a remote on me or somethin'." He doubted it was anything more, but it was possible that he was purposefully trying to ignore it. Jeremy couldn't say that he was entirely certain which of those was more likely.

"If you say so, Captain…" Foxy noticed Jeremy's uneasiness and put an arm around him. He tugged him close with a low chuckle, patting his shoulder, and continued to watch and see if anyone else had noticed. Within a few minutes they seemed to forget about the event. After all, it was just Louise. It wasn't as though she would notice something amiss after visiting for so long.

They weren't the only ones beginning to loosen up either. As on guard as Mike knew he had to be, temptation was increasing to be a little risky. Or maybe it was the costume itself somehow inflicting some sort of unnatural urge to embrace the party in a new way. He leaned towards the Puppet, still at his side, and whispered to him. "Want to dance?"

Marionette was surprised by the offer. He glanced around the partygoers, not noticing anyone watching, and took Mike's hand. As gently as he could, he spoke to him telepathically. The last thing he wanted was to give the security guard a crippling headache on Halloween. " _Don't you think that is a bit risky?"_

"Everyone already thinks I have no grasp of reality from this unsightly thing." He gestured to his suit. "It's just going to look like I partied a little before I got here… Besides, it's not like nobody isn't staring already. Who doesn't want to see a sock monkey all dolled up like a vampire?"

The Puppet looked around at the others. He couldn't feel any harsh stares, so perhaps it wasn't that dangerous. In a smooth motion, he turned to Mike and slid in close. He wrapped one arm around the human's shoulder and the other took his hand, moving easily into a dancing pose, then moved in until his buttons pressed against Mike's chest. _"Hold me close so they don't get suspicious."_

"You got it." Mike didn't need to be told twice. He flashed the animatronic a smile and hooked an arm around his waist. Honestly, he didn't care if anyone noticed. He already becoming a reluctant public figure for what happened at Magictime Theater, so this wouldn't be too troubling. Though if it was an option, Mike much preferred being "The Guy who danced with the Puppet at Halloween" than "the Guy who maybe killed Dave, but we don't know". He could feel the quiet trilling through Marionette's chest as the music's tempo began to quicken.

In one instant, Mike dared to spin his striped companion before pulling him close. There was no scrutiny and the sky didn't completely fall in, so he was encouraged to go further, and so was Marionette. The Puppet only kept his strings barely wrapped upon the track as he led back along the dining room. He too was falling into the same trap of Foxy, where he knew to be careful and yet let his guard down. A twist and spin, being pulled in, a striped leg hooking around the back of his human's and turning them together; he was certainly feeling eyes now. He kept his gaze on Mike; that was the one gaze he wanted to keep.

"Get a room, you too!" Natalie called out across the room. Then she hesitated before adding in, "…Okay, I don't think they heard me. In fact, I think I probably just sent every couple in the room into confusion." To go with Fritz's theme, Natalie was dressed in a full Oompa Loompa ensemble, from the white lederhosen to the curly, green wig. She turned to shoot him an eager smile. "Hey, why don't I get the apple bob ready? I don't know how late Mom's staying and that's pretty much her favorite thing ever." Her father wasn't present- thank goodness- but this meant her family that didn't attend probably wouldn't stay long.

"Sounds good! The tub's already filled," Fritz answered. "Need me to help?"

"Nah, I got it," she assured and kissed him on the cheek. Then she headed into the kitchen to get the apples. Fritz watched her go with a slightly lopsided smile as he adjusted his bowtie.

"She's a sweet girl you have," a familiar voice suddenly spoke. It was a reminder of a distant time, as though it had stepped out of the past and into present day. Fritz flinched, and a chill rushed down his spine at the recognition. "I'm glad to finally catch up with you, Mr. Smith."

"Detective Burke! It's been- It's been a while! I didn't know you were coming…" Fritz tried to sound less than suspicious, but his nervousness was a dead giveaway as he looked at the detective who had sidled up beside him. Ironically enough, the detective was dressed like a traditional detective as seen in movies and television. The technician was baffled that he hadn't notice him come in dressed like that. "It's Sam now… Just to shake that whole Freddy's thing."

"I've figured that out," the detective, Burke, cut him off. He looked over the younger man's costume. "Fitting."

"Because… Because it matches Mike's?" He gestured a thumb off in a random direction towards the middle of the dining room. "Trust me, that was not intentional. I had no idea Mike was coming in that velour nightmare."

"Not that. Just the concept of Willy Wonka himself. A strange man with a large amount of power takes in hand chosen children into the basement of his factory and whittles them down through terrifying means before settling on a successor."

"…I, uh, I don't specifically remember Willy Wonka having a _basement_ , but when you put it that way…" Fritz trailed off and looked back for Natalie, but she was still busy getting the apples. "But it was my girlfriend's idea."

"Ah, I see. Of course," the detective agreed. "Speaking of factories, the gutting of ARI is going as planned." The technician turned his head abruptly and stared at the man. "Just going down one floor at a time. We expect to find something eventually." Fritz didn't expect such a scare on Halloween.

Though Fritz wasn't the only one stuck feeling disturbed. It was around this time that Louise tapped on her mother's shoulder with a concerned frown. "Mom, do you notice something… Weird going on?"

"…You only now just noticed?" Tabby asked back flatly. "We're partying with complete strangers, drinking pumpkin flavored punch, and watching a couple of robots party. If anything, I'd say we're the weird ones since we've got nowhere to be."

"I'm being serious!" Louise whispered insistently with a pout of frustration. "Foxy was just acting a little… I don't even know how to describe it. He talked to me like he noticed me, but I didn't notice anyone was controlling him, unless Jeremy was hiding something behind his back…" She looked off towards the party and her eyes landed on Mike and Marionette, and her eyes widened in surprise. "And see, that!" She pointed out the two. "That's _super weird_."

"If Mike wants to dance with a doll then he can do that. It's not like he's going to get any sane person to dance with him while he's wearing that," Tabby remarked nonchalantly.

"I'm talking about- Don't you see it?!" Louise looked between her mother and the striped animatronic. "He's dancing with it like- like it's actually dancing. I've never seen that happen before. I swear, a couple of minutes ago I didn't see strings."

"You're overreacting," Tabby waved off. She then decided to abruptly change the topic. "See that nice young man over there dressed like a candy corn? He's the one who does the supply deliveries. Go over there and introduce yourself." Her daughter frowned pointedly as she turned towards her to fix her dyed hair. "Go schmooze a little and see if he can get us any discounts-…" It was then that Tabby's gaze passed Louise and landed instead on the scene between Fritz and the detective nearby. She stared for a moment and then a cold look settled on her face. "Excuse me a minute."

"Huh?" Tabby passed by her daughter and started towards the scene. Seeing what was happening, Louise called after her, "Don't do anything crazy! You don't want to spend Halloween in the clink!"

There was no warning before Tabby suddenly popped up behind the detective. She had that cold, apathetic look as she stared up at the back of the detective's head. "Happy Halloween, Clay. I see you're sticking to your usual tradition of keeping the peace by harassing common citizens."

The detective let out a weary sigh and turned back towards the woman. He almost seemed exhausted with her already, but he knew she was fuming, and he knew there was no use in avoiding her. "I didn't expect to see you here, Tabby."

"I work here," Tabby answered. "Speaking of jobs, did you ever find that guy who mugged my sister, or is that just not as important as the high-profile Dave Miller case that you already solved?" She narrowed her gaze. "I know how hard it was to walk in and declare your job done."

"You know that it's a completely different situation. We've been looking into your sister's case, but you have to be reasonable. It was in the middle of the night, there weren't any details, and no license plate. It's going to take us longer to find him," the detective tried to rationalize. It was obviously not going to work. "I was just asking about the incident at Magictime Theater to see if Fritz here had heard anything."

"Oh please, everyone's heard everything. There're at least five dozen rumors going around right now. Most of them probably started by your wife," Tabby spat. "You caught the guy and the kids got home safe. The case is closed."

"It was more than just a kidnapping, _Tabitha_. Everyone didn't go home that night." For a moment, the detective's features grew colder. "I will not argue with you about this, but even you must see the connections. As far as we're concerned, it's still open, as is the unsolved disappearances of those children." Tabitha's apathy dropped quickly, and her anger started to come full force. Even Fritz swore he could feel the intensity from where he was standing.

"And I heard about you reopening that Freddy's case. Congratulations, it took you years and you waited until everyone was either gone or dead, but you _finally s_ tarted addressing the fact that children keep disappearing in this town!" Jeremy and Foxy watched from nearby in shock as she moved in on the taller man. "Where were you to take Dave Miller off the street?! A repeat offender?! For God's sake, Clay!"

"Okay! Time to cool down!" In an instant, Louise swooped in and started trying to pull her mother away. "Let's not make this a big scene," she insisted with a forced smile and a false bubbliness. "After all, it's Halloween! It's bad luck or something." She continued leading Tabby away, to which the woman turned back with one final shot of venom.

"You know what's really scary, Clay? The fact that people like us are supposed to rely on people like _you_. You keep winning those awards for nothing." Then she turned her back on him and disappeared into the crowd. By time the detective turned back, Fritz was long gone, having disappeared during the dispute.

"Wow…" Jeremy quietly muttered.

"Eh, he deserved it," Foxy remarked with a sour smugness. He turned towards the younger man and put his arm around him again. "Let's move before he spots ya, Lad. I don't want to hafta bite 'im." Jeremy gave an amused snicker, but then his eyes widened as he realized the animatronic was right. He grabbed his arm and led him off. Hopefully closer towards the front door, where he could watch for his family to get there and then use them as a human shield.

What a night for Foxy to be out of character.

* * *

 **Mable: That subtle horror when you realize that if Scott's at the party then Ennard's probably at home… Alone…** _ **On Halloween.**_ **Let's hope those Tick-or-treaters don't wander too close to the windows. XD I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next week, when Halloween stretches even further into November!  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**Mable: Here we are! Halloween Hijinks: Act 2, if you would. XD Anyway, I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-Four_

Charlie expected that she would be in the Prize Corner for five minutes and then grow bored of the party. What she didn't expect was how interested she would be in watching human interactions. She couldn't see too well through the Prize Corner door, but she could certainly hear well enough, and she watched people enjoying their time. The music, the smoke, the low lights, something about a Halloween party truly brought out the feel of the holiday. Even if she hadn't been to one in many years. In fact, she couldn't ever remember celebrating a proper Halloween, as her mother hated the holiday.

The Prize Corner wasn't entirely empty. The wooden boy puppet, which she thought she heard Jeremy call 'Balloon Boy', was currently wandering behind the counter, getting into what he could. Charlie was a bit curious about him, being that he too was alive, but he seemed too restless to stop for any amount of time. So instead she continued watching the party and the costumed goers who walked by. Once or twice she was noticed and when this happened she had done as Marionette recommended some time ago and went as still as a statue. It was surprisingly easy, as though her body wanted to go still when spotted by strangers.

The relatively comfortable situation couldn't last forever unfortunately.

Charlie had spotted him only by sheer luck as he paused outside the Prize Corner door. His face was painted like a skeleton and he wore an outfit that gave the illusion of him being made of bones. Because of this light attempt at a costume, certain things showed, such as coppery hair and familiar facial features. She recognized him as one of her close friends, and one of the two who had helped her sneak into Freddy's afterhours. Just seeing him shot off all sorts of alarm bells inside of her. Before he could see her, she dropped into the box.

" _What's he doing here?!"_ Charlie asked in confusion. _"Are the others here? Why would they be here after what happened at Magictime Theater?!... Unless they're looking for something..."_ That didn't sound sensible, especially with her friends. Saying that she had been the one pushing to go into Foxy's was an understatement. They were probably ready to let go of the past and move on, and maybe he was only there out of some sort of weird obligation. Deciding not to dwell on it, she pulled her legs in and rested her head on her knees. Just waiting until she would be willing to peer out again.

Her thoughts began to wander in the sensory deprivation of the box. With only the dulled sound of voices and Halloween music coming through the box, it left her mind open to wander, and she thought back to what she could remember. Everyone had always been so reluctant about Halloween, so something must have happened. She distantly remembered something and watched as the memories trickled in.

She remembered a large building and colors. She was playing with someone and at one point remembered falling down, crying, and getting a piece of candy from a bowl of it. It had tasted like… Cherries? The person she was playing with got one too. He was a boy- maybe her brother. She only slightly remembered her brother. He and her used to love to play games together and she had permanently had a playmate at her side. But then he was gone, and when she tried to remember the last day they were together she remembered playing under black and orange streamers. It had to be Halloween. Everyone was in costume-.

 _The yellow rabbit._

 _All at once, Charlie was overwhelmed by the image of a towering, disgusting, yellow rabbit. One with thick, grabbing fingers and wide, uncomfortable smile. Its eyes, very small in comparison to its massive grin, stared down with a coldness that reached beyond the fake smile. She remembered it reaching down and her clutching to her brother as she let out a cry of fear. She could smell something nasty as the monster wrapped its hands around her brother and lifted him smoothly-._

It was all too much. Charlie didn't know if she had fallen asleep or if it was a vivid daydream, but she roused with a start, horror consuming her, and burst through the lid of the box. She hunched over the side convulsing in shivers as her fingers gripped tightly into the edge of the box. She could care less about anyone seeing; all she could think about was that disgusting rabbit that had taken her brother. She knew it was a man in suit, but it was still just as terrifying as if it was an overgrown living rabbit with a taste for human flesh. She shuddered to even think about it.

She had forgotten how young her twin had been when he was taken. He hadn't been a child, but a toddler. Barely old enough to say his own name, let alone to yell for help when he was taken. She couldn't do anything, and her parents hadn't been there to save him.

It reminded her of her own death: she couldn't do anything to stop the man in the machine, and her parents hadn't been there to save her.

"Hello."

Charlie jolted upright and looked to the right to see Balloon Boy standing beside the box. He looked up at her with large, blue eyes and a smile stuck on his face. He gave another chirp of, "Hi!"

"…Hello," Charlie dared to answer in a low voice. She kept an eye out towards the door and realized that they were alone again. The animatronic began gesturing up towards something. "What?" She looked up and realized he was pointing to a small group of glow-in-the-dark balloons tied to a pumpkin shaped weight. "You want me to get you the balloons?" He nodded eagerly, giggled, and gave a slight tremble. His desperation was rather clear. Checking the door again, she rose from the box, stepped out, and leaned to grab the balloons.

She patiently tugged the strings out from under the weight. Balloon Boy watched the bobbing balloons with wide blue eyes, shivering further, his hands tapping together restlessly as he awaited his prize. He gave a delighted laugh as she leaned down and tied the balloons onto his wooden wrist. She wasn't sure how such a small thing could make him so happy but assumed that it had something to do with him being named 'Balloon Boy'. It was as she was finishing the bow of balloon strings that she checked the door again and realized her friend had returned, and he was watching her.

The first instinct was to freeze up, but she knew this would look suspicious. She averted her gaze down to Balloon Boy, moving her head slowly to not tip the young man off, and thought through her next move. Moving as naturally as she could, she raised her leg, leaned back, and stepped back into the box. Then she slowly knelt back in the box and closed the lid behind her once more. She then went silent and still.

" _Maybe he didn't notice anything… Of course he noticed something. Who wouldn't notice an overgrown puppet tying balloons onto a wooden doll?"_ Charlie rubbed over her mask and tried to listen if he had left. Yet at the same time she started to get other thoughts sinking in. _"…Mari said that maybe others could know. Maybe I could just- No, it would hurt him and the others too much. Or worse, lead to the entire restaurant becoming a target of media attention. As though it wasn't already."_ She wanted to burst out, to tell him the truth, to tell him to get Jessica and to tell John she was sorry, but she knew better. She didn't want to risk what she had left.

Charlie raised her head as she heard the lid lifting and looked upwards in shock. To her relief, it wasn't a human opening the box but the Balloon Boy. She was confused and, unsure if she showed it well enough, tilted her head to punctuate it. Instead of any sort of clarification, Balloon Boy started to climb into the box. Even though confused, Charlie slid to the side and let him climb inside. The lids shut on the balloon strings, but Balloon Boy seemed fine with it as he settled in beside her. She was confused to why he wanted to stay with her and whispered quietly.

"Why would you want to hide in here?" Charlie asked in confusion. The smaller animatronic looked to her with its large eyes and then-.

" _Because I don't like when people watch me either."_

Balloon Boy's voice was strangely unsettling. Largely because it sounded two-toned, as though two voices were weaving together into one. One voice sounded like the one used in his greeting, young and childish, and the other sounded more like a teenager's, deeper than the child's but still rather life. It was uncomfortable in a way but didn't sound aggressive or dangerous. Balloon Boy looked forward at the front of the box. " _I think he's leaving…"_

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked. The wooden puppet nodded in agreement. "Good… He's a- He was a friend of mine." She felt the need to explain it but didn't know if it was to defend him or herself. "Up until recently… What are you doing?"

The Balloon Boy had reached up and was unscrewing his hat. Upon removing it, pieces of Halloween candy fell into the box, and he caught one before offering it to her. It looked like a little sour ball wrapped in an orange, pumpkin themed wrapper. She doubted she could eat it as intended, but she undid the wrapped and looked at the yellow ball inside. "Thanks. I'm Charlie," she introduced.

" _They call me BB, the Balloon Boy… But I don't know who I am now."_ For a moment she thought he was being reflective until he looked down at himself and continued. _"I think I was supposed to go to a candy store, but I never got there."_ He then looked back to her and said with finality, _"But I like balloons better anyway!"_ He then laughed pleasantly. As weird as it all was, Charlie found his strangeness a bit endearing, and then questioned her own sanity in thinking so.

Suddenly sitting quietly together didn't seem like that tragic of an outcome. Especially with as much candy as Balloon Boy had stashed.

Out in the front room things were a little less hopeful. While Mike had largely ignored the intruding elephant in the room- the detective- enough to enjoy himself, it was becoming more apparent that he was going to be an issue. He had originally been relieved that the detective had moved away from Fritz to talking to someone else and had continued going on as he would; with ice breaking party chatter and an arm around the Puppet to keep him close and convincing. Though that was before he had paid closer attention to the unlucky man who had caught the detective's interest.

At first it was just some guy dressed in a relatively underplayed clown costume. It was only after the second glance that he realized the clown was none other than Scott, and that the detective was grilling him just as he had to Fritz. By now Mike's patience all but ran out.

"If you have any ideas on how to get rid of Sherlock over there then I'd love to hear them," Mike whispered to Marionette, leaning in closely so that nobody else would hear. "Other than distracting him myself. I'm desperate, but not that desperate." The Puppet hummed but seemed to be paying attention to something on the other side of the room. "What's on your mind?"

"There's a young man whose been standing outside of the Prize Corner for a little while now. He's looking inside, so he may have seen Charlie," Marionette pointed out as he watched the costumed person in question. He couldn't have been much older or younger than himself and he didn't look like he had ill intentions, so his attention was curious. "Take a look at him. What would you say?"

Mike looked back and, like with Scott, it took a few seconds and glances to realize that the younger man looked familiar. "Wait a minute, I recognize that face…" He snapped his fingers in recognition, which might've gotten them weird looks if Mike wasn't standing out of the way and near the wall. "That one of the kids that broke into Foxy's with Charlie. I'd recognize him anywhere, he was the smartass."

"I think they call that the 'comic relief'," Marionette correctly jokingly. Then he took in the information and suddenly went from curious to alarmed. "Wait, you're saying he's one of Charlie's friends? As in, he _knows Charlie_?"

"Yeah, I see the problem too," Mike muttered. Charlie's friend was currently staking out the Prize Corner that she was hiding inside and was already known to have some knowledge of the history of Freddy and Foxy's. "Stay put and don't go anywhere near the detective. I'm going to go see what's up and scare him off."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Marionette murmured as he glanced over Mike's suit.

"We both know you love it," Mike smirked before heading over towards the door. The Puppet made sure to look convincingly strung up on the railing. He moved to where he could watch and listen in on both Mike and the young man, and the detective and Scott. He made certain that he had a chance to observe all of it.

Meanwhile, the security guard approached the young man, who hadn't even noticed him approaching. "Hey. What are you doing here?" he asked. The wording seemed harsh, but his tone sounded weary. The younger man looked to him in surprise. Then, like Marionette, he looked over the gaudy suit he was wearing.

"What is with you and the color purple?" the young man asked in disbelief. He then winced and clamped his mouth shut, as though realizing that his comment completely gave away his guilt. Mike arched a brow.

"Because leopard print isn't in season," Mike flatly answered. "That's not important. How'd you even find out about this party? It's a friends and family thing, and petty criminals don't fall under either of those." Except maybe Jeremy.

"I'm just… I came with family. With my dad," the young man excused. When he got a look of disbelief, he insisted. "No, really. I came here with my dad. He's right there." He pointed across the room and, to Mike's surprise, at the detective.

"That's _your_ dad?" At first Mike was shocked, but then something all clicked together. Maybe he could use this to his advantage. He looked back a the younger with a beaming smile that was so conniving that it almost unnerved him. "How'd you like to work of that bad blood with Foxy's? Erase the debt or something like that. You do me a favor and that break in never happened," Mike coaxed. The younger looked surprised.

"Uh, really?... Wait, what kind of favor?" That suspicion set in immediately; Mike saw the family resemblance already.

"I need you to get your dad out of here. He keeps grilling people, and now he's questioning a borderline handicapped man. At this rate, the party's going to bomb, so if you can get him out of here then the debt's paid," Mike explained. He didn't know if it was exactly safe to tell someone who broke in that he was wiping their debt, but he was out of options, and the detective was certainly not stopping his crusade willingly.

"I don't know…" The young man was obviously hesitant as he looked back towards his father. He wasn't sure what to trust or what to think, but he couldn't say that he thought grilling people at a party was a good thing. "Alright, I'll try to do something. But I can't promise anything. You've met him; he'll see right through me." Mike gave a partial shrug; he agreed, but this was pretty much his only chance at getting rid of the detective. "…Under one condition."

"Shoot," Mike said.

"This is probably going to sound really weird…" he began with a slightly goofy smile. "But if I come back- some time when you're open, whenever- think I could get a closer peek at the animatronics? I'm, uh… Studying animatronics! And I'm interested in seeing some of them up close." This would have sounded like a real excuse, but he was too nervous to sell it effectively. That being said, Mike wasn't in the place to turn him down. Especially when it would look suspicious.

"You've got it. Just come by some time when we're here. Not tonight. If I take Foxy off his programming then he'll be pretty much dead for the rest of the party," Mike excused. The younger didn't seem to notice that it was an excuse and headed towards the detective. With him leaving, Mike's interest shifted to the box that he had been watching, and he walked closer. Balloons hung above the box with their strings closed in the lid and the inside of the box was eerily silent. "Hey, everything okay in there?" he asked as he started to carefully lift the lid.

He was met with a pair of blue eyes and an unsettling laugh. Then Charlie added in with a casual enough, "It could be worse." A good enough answer; Mike closed the box again and silently walked off.

In any case, Mike's plan did work. He wasn't sure what the detective's son had said, but both left shortly after the conversation and spared Fritz and Scott of the grilling. The two were currently talking- more venting- towards each other about the event. Which was unsurprising since both had a history with the man. With him gone Tabby had also loosened up enough to take to the kitchen with Louise to get more refreshments. Everything seemed to be back on schedule.

Though that didn't mean that all was fine. While enjoying the party and his time with it, Jeremy was starting to get distracted, and Foxy noticed it. He noticed the young man moving close to the front door and spending a large amount of time gazing out the front window into the parking lot. Foxy eventually approached Jeremy about it and asked. He smiled innocently enough, though it looked forced, and defended it quickly.

"It's nothing! Just checking to see if anyone got here yet. The night's still early so I'm not too worried." But as much as Jeremy insisted, the night was not early, and there was no sign of any of his family members. Foxy was starting to become more concerned. Half of him wanted to point out the obvious and yank the band-aid off quickly. Jeremy wasting his night waiting would only hurt more than the truth. But while Foxy knew this, he couldn't muster up the nerve to tell him this. Foxy wasn't the kind of person to feel so guilty that he would suppress the truth, but Jeremy brought out his softer side. His too soft side, if he was to be honest.

He needed advice. Foxy noticed that Marionette was on his own, watching Mike and Natalie desperately fighting over an apple floating in a tub of water, and approached him. Silently, he put an arm around him and started to lead him back towards the hallway to stand near the kitchen, where they hopefully wouldn't be noticed. By now the intrigue of having animatronics walking around had worn off and most of the partygoers, those who were left, were too distracted with the game of bobbing for apples to pay attention.

"Lad, I need yer opinion on something," Foxy began lowly after checking to make sure they were alone. He then looked back to the Puppet. "Let's say there be someone hidin' something and tryin' to deny it and pretending all's well when it ain't. But ya notice it. Ya notice they're dodgy and know what they're hidin', and ya know what's botherin' them- we'll say… Family matters." The whole thing must've sounded terrible, as the usually composed Marionette was staring with eyes as wide as saucers. "For instance, ya don't want to say anything to ruin, eh, we'll say a party. Ya don't wanna ruin the party, but you gotta come out with it."

"I think I understand…" Marionette quietly murmured as he glanced to the side. "But this is all theoretical?"

"Not exactly," Foxy admitted as he looked back towards Jeremy. Marionette didn't seem to notice this, because while the pirate was discussing his vague worry about the human, the Puppet took this all as a confrontation on something else.

"And you're… Certain you know what it is?" the striped one squeaked out. He ran a hand over his mask in growing nervousness.

"Yeah, I've got a pretty good idea," Foxy admitted. He looked back and noticed the other's look. "…And judging that look, I'd say ya figured it all out too…" He sighed and fidgeted with his fake beard. "Guess we can't keep putting this off."

"No, you're right… Wait right here. Signal me if someone's watching."

"What?" Foxy asked in confusion, but Marionette was already floating down the hall and into the office. The captain was rather confused, but assumed it had something to do with the Jeremy predicament, so he continued to keep an eye out. Maybe he would bring back a list of Jeremy's emergency numbers to family. Then Foxy could call and straighten them out. He certainly wanted to; he didn't care how risky it was or how he didn't really want them to be here in the first place. They needed some sort of firm hand considering that they left his first mate standing here waiting.

Foxy certainly knew what it was like to reach out to family and have them either not reach back or not notice at all. It was unfair. It was a fate as terrible as being totally forgotten.

"Here…" Marionette meekly said as he came up behind. Foxy turned back and instantly did a double take, because the object in Marionette's hands wasn't a phone book. It was an old Foxy mask. "I found it in the attic. I was going to show you earlier, but I… I lost my nerve," the younger admitted sheepishly. "I didn't want to make everything weird during the party."

"Is this…?" Foxy stared in shock down at the mask. He reached forwards tentatively and took the object. "This is mine?" he asked in a murmur. He flipped it over and got his answer as he spotted the name scribbled on the edge of the mask. "Oh, this definitely be mine…" There was his name printed right on it. "I thought I lost this long ago…"

"I did too! It really surprised me that it was in the Halloween box…" Marionette explained with a tentative smile. He decided to ignore any hidden connotations that came from the mask somehow finding its way back to the house again. "I knew it might make things a little odd, but I thought you might want to see it again."

"Are ya kidding? This thing- Me and this thing go way back!" Foxy felt a bizarre mix of feelings. There was a part of him that looked at the mask and saw a piece of his human side, which could go either positively or negatively depending how he looked at it. He cocked his head and looked over the mask for a few moments before looking back up at the striped animatronic. He couldn't understand how alright he seemed. "But… Don't it bring up bad memories seein' it, Lad?"

"No! It just reminds me of you!" Marionette assured. Foxy's silence after this comment made it clear that he took that statement the wrong way. "By which I mean, I remember good memories too. Not just the ones at the end." He looked down at the mask with a slightly wider smile, deciding to ignore the memories of it in favor of happier ones of his brother. "Do you remember that night we were home alone, so you let me stay in your room? We spent all night making shadow puppets. Oh! Or that time I had chicken pox and you brought me that rubber chicken, and we laughed because it had that squeaker with the weird noise-!"

"I didn't think you remembered any of that," Foxy interrupted. He was so stunned by it that it totally threw him out of character. All he could remember- or what usually came to mind- were the many instances when he had been horrible to his younger sibling. He had been a bully just long enough that the guilt was always there.

"Of course I did! I loved when we spent time together!" the Puppet assured. He hesitated, refusing to add any additions. Such as 'back before Elizabeth died' or 'back before you started spending all your time with your friends'. "And I… Yes, I remember the bad times, but I didn't forget the good. I couldn't forget the good." Marionette reached down and laid a hand on the Foxy mask. "So, when I saw this, the first thing I thought of was my big brother."

Foxy was positively dumbstruck, staring back at the striped animatronic with wide eyes. A few seconds of this and Marionette gained a worried look. It was obvious that he was afraid he had upset the other, which was what he feared.

"Aww, Marion…" Foxy perked and reached out to pull him into a hug. Marionette could feel the mask pressed against his back as he was pulled against his brother's chest in a tight squeeze. "I love you, ya know? Always have! Yer the only one I'd share a stage with." Marionette trilled and hugged back giddily. "…And that wasn't just cause Lizzie was spoiled and Michael split." This got a chime of amusement.

"I'm just glad you're not upset! I knew I had a fifty-fifty chance of you being amused or getting angry," Marionette admitted.

"And this be the worst outcome of all!" Foxy lamented. "Ya got me all mushy, and right before I need to talk to Jer'my… Wait a minute." He drew back, and his ears perked thoughtfully. "Maybe I can use this with 'im." This got a quizzical look out the Puppet. "What I really wanted to ask you about was Jer'my. He's waitin' for his family to pop up, but…" The fox sighed and shook his head. "It ain't gonna happen."

"I see. Poor Jeremy…" Marionette sympathized. "I'm sure of anyone he would take it best from you. Just… Try not to be too blunt about it. Jeremy's liable to be more upset than he's let on."

"I know that, Lad. That's what's got me so uneasy…" Foxy looked back across the pizzeria and spotted Jeremy looking out the front again and sighed. "I'm gonna go do it… And I think this old thing's gonna help me," Foxy said, looking at the mask.

"Well, glad to be of help! Even if it wasn't planned help," Marionette said with a playfully exaggerated shrug. They both left the hallway, returning to their previous places while making sure they weren't detected by the partygoers.

What they had failed to notice, however, was someone watching them through the cracked kitchen door. It swung shut as the listener backed away and took in what they had heard. They had heard Foxy and the Puppet talking and acting like normal humans, holding a full conversation set with anecdotes and memories, and then right back to pretending that they were brainless.

That was simply too much for Louise to take in.

"Oh my gosh, Mom," Louise choked out as she hurried over. Tabitha was taking a pizza out of the oven when she grabbed the woman's bicep. "Mom, something just happened out there. I just saw- I can't believe this- I just saw the _Mime_ and- and _Foxy_ and they were talking like normal people. And it wasn't staged or anything, they were even doing it back in the hallway like they were hiding!" She was nearly trembling as her mother stared back. "I don't even think the Mime was using its strings! It was just- It was like floating there!" Tabitha finally looked away and gave a weary sigh. "Mom, I'm not exaggerating!"

"I knew this was going to happen eventually, but I was hoping it would be when I wasn't here, so I wouldn't be the one giving 'the talk'," Tabitha lamented as she quickly cut the pizza and then set it aside. "There should be an instruction manual or something. I don't get paid enough to do this."

"To cut pizza?" Louise asked in confusion. "Or about the robots?" Tabitha turned to face her.

"So, here it is: the robots are alive," Tabitha announced. Louise stared back blankly. "They're haunted or something and they act like humans when we're off the clock. Everyone working here knows it. That's what was going on at Freddy's and Hickory Dickory Dock's when I was working there. They're alive and they think like normal people… As normal as you can be working at a place like this."

"When that guy was taking that girl and Foxy ran out of the pizzeria…" Louise finally started to realize the truth, though doubt returned quickly. "Mom, I swear, if this is some sort of prank for Halloween-!"

"Was Mike holding up the Puppet?" There was a pause and Louise shook her head. "Did either it or Foxy have a microphone or a speaker, or anything else that would make a voice?" Louise paused and then shook her head slowly again. "And if it was a prank, do you think that we'd keep going with it after that overblown cop came throwing his weight around?" She was unsurprised that her mother was still bitter about that.

"I mean… Mom, this… This is _insane_." Louise watched as Tabitha lifted the pizza and passed by to take it out. No doubt she was intending to flee from the conversation even as her daughter followed her. "You're expecting me to believe this?!"

"Yes," Tabitha interrupted, pushing open the kitchen door. "Don't tell anyone I told you. I need this job." Then she was gone, and Louise was left with her thoughts.

It had to all be some sort of elaborate prank. It couldn't really be happening, but Louise couldn't ignore the reality of what was happening. Everything fit too well and, while her mother was both as blunt and vague as usual, it didn't seem like she was lying about it. Stuck and unsure, Louise waited in the kitchen, trying to pull her bearings together.

Out in the front room, Jeremy was becoming a little more desperate as he looked out into the parking lot. They hadn't given their word they would come, they hadn't even called him back, but he had assumed that at least one of them would show up. His family was large and not all of them thought poorly of him, so he had thought at least one of them would come. Or at least would call, as he kept his cellphone on waiting for them. Maybe they left a message on his answering machine, and hopefully none of the animatronics answered. He was so distracted that he didn't notice Foy come up until he spoke.

"Here, Lad. I brought ya somethin'." Jeremy perked and looked over to see Foxy offering him a mask of his own likeness. "Used to be mine. I wore the bloody thing more than me own face. It's yers fer the evening, but I get it back before sunrise."

"Thanks! This is probably what my costume needs. I still have had people asking what I'm supposed to be," Jeremy pointed out as he started putting the mask on. It fit slightly awkwardly over his glasses. "How do I look?"

"Ya look like me, Lad, and Captain Foxy always look good!" Foxy joked with a boisterous laugh. Jeremy chuckled good-naturedly and looked back towards the window. An arm caught around his shoulders and drew him back away. "Then again, so do you…" Foxy murmured as he nuzzled into his shoulder. Under the mask, the security guard went red, giving a goofier, much more nervous snicker.

"Foxy, someone's going to see us and think I have some sort of major obsession with you, and that I've programmed you to give me affection."

"Maybe ya did," Foxy challenged with a smirk. "Just when I had me back turned ya casted some sort o' siren's curse to take over the pizzeria by gettin' through to me heart." He pulled Jeremy further against him, tucking his head almost protectively under his chin, to keep him from squirming out. "This be my revenge."

"Foxy, if my parents came up and saw this-." Jeremy was cut off by a tighter hug. "T-That's a little tight, Captain… Captain?"

"Lad, we need to talk," Foxy wearily said as he drew them apart. It wasn't any easier to tell Jeremy this while wearing the mask. He had hoped that it would shield that look of devastation, but it was clear that he was going to feel it even if he didn't see it. He nudged up the fox mask. "So, here's the thing, Lad. Sometimes family members hurt each other without even thinkin' about it. Maybe later they'll figure it out, they'll realize their mistake, but that ain't gonna take away the sting when they made the mistake. Ya just need to know that it ain't nothin' wrong with you. Yer perfect."

Jeremy looked confused at this. "I don't really understand-."

"Your folks ain't comin', Jere."

Just like a band-aid he tore it straight off. One smooth motion and it was all out there. Jeremy stared blankly back at Foxy and the animatronic grit his teeth. The moment was tense as they stood there. Then Jeremy's hands tightened into fists and he released a shaky exhale. "I know."

Foxy was surprised, but not for long. Obviously Jeremy knew what was going on; he wasn't stupid or ignorant. He wasn't the type to get lost into complete denial. He just clung to hope a little longer than someone as pessimistic as Foxy would.

"I just thought that maybe they'd surprise me… But it's my fault. I expected them to just pop up when I didn't even give them much notice or even get a response from them, and this is after we haven't talked in months." Jeremy didn't want to allow himself to get emotional in front of Foxy, not when he was aware of Foxy's less than happy family situation. After everything he went through, this all had to seem massively silly to him. "I got my hopes up. That's on me."

"Lad, that ain't on you. Doesn't sound like they were reachin' out if its been months," Foxy pointed out. Jeremy seemed doubtful, so Foxy lowered his voice and let his character slip. "Jeremy, you've done _nothing_ wrong. You tried to let them come and see you and if they weren't even wiling to call back with an excuse, then they aren't much of a family." He drew him closer. "Besides, you've got family here. You've got Fritz and Schmidt, Mari and me, and even that hoard of small ankle biters that prowl your house."

"I know… I don't even know why I'm upset. I'm not upset, really. I'm fine." Jeremy got a smile, a partially forced one, and looked to Foxy. He fell silent for a moment and then quietly asked, "Will you come home with me tonight?"

As much as Foxy didn't want to stay around the small animatronics that despised him, he immediately perked at the thought of going home with the security guard. His ears raised, alert with eagerness, and a low rumble echoed through his chest. "I'd be honored to, Lad. It'll let me keep an eye out fer any ghouls and goblins," he joked as he returned to character. He could tell Jeremy wasn't completely better, but at least this was something. "We'll make this be a night to remember!

It could be a rough night, and Foxy planned on being there the whole time to help Jeremy through it. With an arm around his first mate and a night still young, there was nowhere he would rather be.

* * *

A loud shriek burst from the throat of the victim as she shirked back from the killer who had burst out of the closet. Ennard had the exact opposite reaction. One look at the flimsy mask and out of shape build the killer was sporting and he doubled over in unrestrained laughter. To him, this guy was a joke, and he barely resisted the urge to immediately change the channel to something better. That was if not for a knock at the door.

Ennard sat upwards on the couch on alert as he listened carefully to what lay on the other side of the door. Even from here he could hear what sounded unsettlingly like… Children… They were trick-or-treaters, no doubt. Television and Scott both had warned him of the phenomenon, with the latter even serving candy to a few costumed children who had come by when it was still daylight, before he left to wherever he was going. Maybe he had said something about Foxy's. Either way, Ennard had moved into another room every time Scott opened the door and returned eagerly afterwards when the coast was clear.

But now Scott was gone. He had snuck out the door while Ennard was in the garage with only a promise of being back later. It was later now, dark, kids were knocking on the door, and Scott was nowhere to be seen. The clown glanced at the bowl of candy sitting on the coffee table. This was what they wanted, and he couldn't blame them. He had been dipping into the stash all night and could honestly say he would be willing to hike the neighborhood to get them. After a few seconds he heard fading footsteps and hurried to the window to peek past the curtains.

Dejected children were walking back to the street. All of them in costume, both colorful and mock-scary. He could only assume that they were devastated that they couldn't get their candy.

The most obvious answer was also the most terrifying: open the door and give the children candy if they come back. There was so much wrong with this train of thought that Ennard was shocked it even popped up at all.

Firstly, there was no way that he wouldn't scare children with how he looked. It couldn't be passed off as a costume- though even if it was, it would still probably be too much for them to handle. Secondly, his programming. That programming that was no doubt still coursing through him, telling him to take children, to trap them, to be a monster. Ennard could resist it and sat down on the couch again, pulling the candy bowl into his lap. He wouldn't succumb to it, he would beat it.

…But if he was hiding from it, was he really beating it? This thought intruded quickly, and he stared blankly at the television. Would he ever be fixed if he couldn't trust himself around children? Besides, it wasn't like they were alone…

He needed a costume. There was plenty in the house to work with, but it wasn't the most effective illusion. Not that he cared if he didn't look very good; he just wanted to look human enough to pass as normal. He found a large, deep purple, suit jacket in the closet and a pair of sweatpants he could fit into then slipped on a pair of rubber dish gloves. Unable to find shoes that fit, he cut a garbage bag in two and tied each half around a foot. Then came covering his head. His normal mask was not good enough, but he had a backup in the garage that would cover everything.

Thus, Ennard was dressed as a half-formal, half casual human with dish gloves on his hands, garbage bags on his feet, and a large, metal, Funtime Freddy head engulfing his own. He took one look at himself in the bathroom mirror and broke down in laughter so hard that he nearly came undone then and there. He barely managed to pull himself together.

"Alright, this is serious!" he commanded himself and stared into the mirror. "Ya got one chance. You won't hurt anyone, you won't think about warmth or bodies, and you'll be honest. No more forgiveness." He continued staring at himself blankly in the reflection, then gave another snicker. "It's a shame Scott's never gonna see this." He stepped out of the bathroom, ignoring his discomfort at staring at his reflection and pretending it was all amusement. "Just until Scott gets home… I can hold out that long!" Ennard snatched up the candy bowl and went to stand beside the door.

Shortly afterwards there was a ringing of the doorbell. He was ready for them and swung open the door. "Here ya go!"

To his surprise, his programming didn't immediately kick in. What happened instead was that the kids took one look at what stood in front of them and mouths started dropping open. One of the younger kids even started crying loudly and turned to hurry off to an adult waiting beside the road, who was watching with slight confusion. They were all aghast, but not screaming so the disguise probably worked. Ennard decided not to take it as a bad sign yet as he dropped a piece of candy into each bag. "One for you, and you, and you, and done! Bye bye!" Then he unceremoniously slammed the door.

"Alright, I did it!" Ennard praised as he reached into the bowl for a chocolate. "Ha ha, piece of cake! No programming problem at all! That went gr-great!" He popped the chocolate past his sharp teeth and bit into it, feelings the sugary sweetness spreading through his mouth. He chuckled again and relished in his victory… For a few seconds.

"…But there was an _adult_ there. Maybe that's what stopped my programming, not me." What a disappointing thought, but it was a reasonable one. Especially since he spotted the woman as soon as he came out. Perhaps that had immediately silenced his programming. "…Maybe I should try again?" He tapped his gloved fingers on the bowl and looked down at the goodies. That's what a normal human would do, even though he had never been a human. He lingered there so long that soon there was more ringing at the doorbell. His reaction was immediate, and he opened the door.

This time he kept himself reigned in. A few of the kids gave cheers of, "Trick-or-treat!" One or two looked concerned, maybe one startled one, but the rest of them were fine. There were no adults in sight and yet Ennard was pleased to see that he felt fine. Once again, he dropped candies in their bags happily and closed the door again. It was so easy and by the third ringing he was getting the hang of it. Smaller groups of children, once only two of them, sometimes accompanied by parents, usually on their own, a single baby, maybe one or two teens accompanying younger siblings; so many people and he was fine with it.

And then he threw the door open and looked down at… a lone child.

An uncomfortable sensation crawled up his spine. The child looked young, though not a toddler. A boy dressed as some sort of super hero or fighter of some kind with plastic nun chucks in one hand and a plastic pumpkin for collecting candy in the other. "Trick-or-treat!" he cried out and lifted his little pumpkin eagerly.

Ennard could only stare as something seized at his inner metals and tightened. _"This is it,"_ he realized. _"This was that feeling I got when I was alone with the girl."_ He remembered back in Foxy's when he was still disguised as Baby. Everything had crashed down in that horrible moment when they were alone together. That budding friendship with Foxy, the ability to perform, the freedom and trust that came in being in that body instead of his own was all thrown away when he had grabbed her. He hadn't meant to and certainly didn't want to, but he had, and if not for Marionette he could've done something terrible, something the real Baby would've done.

His internal wires twisted painfully as his arms twitched. He needed to do something. He needed to reach out and do something quickly or he was going to combust. That irritating itching and burning was spreading through his wires. He didn't know whether he wanted to pull in tighter or rip them out piece by piece. He knew what he needed to do and as his vision narrowed, he shakily reached towards the child-.

And dropped a few pieces of candy into the pumpkin he carried.

And then disappeared back into the house as fast as he possibly could. Ennard collapsed on the door heavily as he tried to regain compositor. It didn't work; the twisting and irritation was still there. "I'm- I'm _**not even ne-near him aaanymore!**_ " He wanted to rip the door back open and throw himself onto the concrete, spilling wires and blood from the gaping wound in his-.

He shook his head and tried to knock the intrusive thoughts back, but they were there too. The programming, the tightening, the _scooping_ , all wanting his wires out of his body. Then a sudden epiphany struck him. Ennard tore open the jacket and digging his fingers into the wires that made up his bow. When the thoughts still didn't recede, he jolted himself with as much electricity as he could. It seemed so strange to be able to shock oneself. He didn't do it normally of course, and it took every once of willpower to force a controlled shock upon him.

He seized briefly before the currents halted and he was left weighted against the door. It had been awful: a surge of pain that halted him in his tracks and felt like it lasted for minutes longer than it had. Yet he couldn't argue with the results once he realized that he no longer felt like tearing himself apart. He gave a small shiver. He paused, waiting, quietly accessing himself, and then finally began to relax. That was much, much better. No more programming problems. Maybe the controlled shocks really did have a purpose. He was caught by the irony and snickered in amusement.

" _Let's try another controlled shock!"_ he mockingly mimicked as he pushed off the door. He copied the voice of the Handunit exactly as he opened the coat the rest of the way and started to shirk it off. " _Looks like Funtime Foxy doesn't want to start the show! Let's give him a little encouragement to get the ball rolling."_ He was fine, apparently. Able to joke and jest to himself and speaking freely to keep the house from getting too quiet. " _Ballora's not spinning counterclockwise. Let's try a controlled shock to get her spinning in the right direction."_ He looked down at the gloves before starting to tug one off. _"Get back_ _o_ _ **n your stage.**_ **Now.** _"_

…

But if he beat the programming, which he did, then what was the point of hiding away inside the house? It was a holiday after all and the children needed their candy, so maybe it was worth going outside to do it. Maybe then he would be seen better so if he did stumble upon another child unaccompanied, he wouldn't have as hard of a time. His programming wouldn't activate, in theory, and he wouldn't need to shock himself into submission. _He couldn't be in this house alone._ It was the perfect idea.

Within seconds, Ennard redressed himself again, got the candy bowl, and this time stepped out of the house. It felt so strange to be able to walk freely and know that nobody would notice he wasn't human. Everyone was too distracted and convinced that anything dressed up was as it should be. He walked to the street and stood alongside the mailbox, anxiously awaiting the next group of children. _"Just like the first time. This'll be easy! Scott will be so proud!... Scott is never gonna know!"_

It was only a few minutes later when trick-or-treaters started to pass by again. Ennard played his part; he hummed to himself and handed out more of the candy. He was finally reaching the bottom of the bowl and soon would be able to retreat into the house as a success. Nobody would know the amazing feat he accomplished- something that even Baby couldn't have done.

"Scott?"

Unless something immediately went wrong. Such as the neighbor woman suddenly wandering over and confronting him directly. At first Ennard didn't even look at her. He almost hoped that she would think he didn't hear her and spontaneously decide to walk away. Unfortunately, she kept moving in and he knew he had to think of something quick. Sure, he could mimic Scott, but then if she and Scott talked later then they could discover inconsistencies. He had to pretend to be someone else and he had to do it quickly. So, he faced her and spoke in the first human voice he could think of.

"No, sorry. Scott's out for the night. I'm just working the night shift." Of course it had to be the one voice that made him uncomfortable. "I'm not sure when he's going to be back."

"Oh! Okay, sorry. I just assumed you were Scott. He doesn't usually have people over," the woman explained with a friendly smile. She seemed nice enough, but he could tell she was probing. He turned his body back to the road and waited for more children; hopefully this would give her the hint that he was busy. "Are you his brother or just a friend? I'm guessing not his brother with that accent." Or maybe she would keep asking questions.

"We're just friends, and I'm just here until he gets back," Ennard excused.

"That's nice of you! Usually Scott's here handing out candy, but I'm glad he got out of the house. I was just telling him the other day-." A couple of children walked up and Ennard lost interest in the conversation. It had all been so exciting at the door but now it all seemed a little more overwhelming. He felt too on guard, too tense to be comfortable, and it only made him more aware of how on point he had to be. "-And she is a lovely woman, but Scott wasn't interested at all. Maybe you could talk to him?" And what a terrible time to come back to the conversation.

"I'll see what I can do," Ennard vaguely remarked. "You know how Scott is. He's married to his work and his cats are his children."

He was rewarded with a boisterous laugh from the woman and he started to ease once more. Apparently, his ruse was working. He was charming, the kids were happy, the adults thought he was realistically, and he looked up just in time-.

To see a car pulling up and Scott staring at him from the driver's seat.

Ennard straightened abruptly and stared back with blank blue eyes. He wasn't sure which of them looked more alarmed, but he knew instantly that he made a terrible mistake coming out here. He took a step back from the curb.

"Would you look at that? There's Scott. Let me just… go get the door for him," Ennard excused before turning and bolting towards the door. He was in the house in a heartbeat. He tossed the bowl on the couch and pushed the door closed, in contrast to the excuse he said to the woman standing outside. He then made a mad dash to the bedroom and locked the door behind him. He quickly started to shed off the costume, starting with replacing the Freddy head with his normal mask.

That was when the doorknob started to turn. "Ennard!" Scott called through the door. Ennard made no attempt to unlock the door, intending to stall as long as he could. Which was only a few moments, as he soon turned around to find Scott walking through the bathroom door with his cats circling around his feet. He didn't even look at them, but just stared down the half-dressed animatronic. " _Ennard!"_

"Oh, heya there Scott!I was just getting out of my costume- I didn't even hear ya come in!" The animatronic lied very poorly, which seemed shocking when he played pretend so well. Not that Scott wouldn't see straight through him anyways.

"Ennard, you were- what were you- you were outside!" Scott choked out. "You were outside in broad daylight and people saw- kids, there were kids- Ennard, _there were kids!_ "

"And there wasn't any sun, so I don't think it was broad daylight," Ennard playfully responded. He knew he should've been concerned by how worked up the shorter human was getting, but it was equally comical, seeing him so flustered. He's be red faced if not for some white face paint that had been partially and poorly wiped off. It was only now that the amalgam realized the human was also in a Halloween costume, and glanced down at the colorful clothing. He immediately focused in on the large, red bow affixed to a collar around Scott's neck.

"Ennard, you _could've been seen!_ They- They could've seen through a crack- if they saw your wires then they would've figured out what you- what we're- what's happening! I can't protect you if you're going to walk outside in-…!" Scott looked down at the amalgam's 'costume' in disbelief. "Please, Ennard, please tell me those aren't _used_ garbage bags." He then looked up further and landed on the jacket. "For goodness sake- and you're wearing Will's-."

"You're a clown!" Ennard interrupted. His eyes brightened excitedly as he studied his companion closer. "Ha ha, oh wow! That's so cute! You actually got all dressed up like this! You even got the bow and all the ruffles.~" He reached down to tug at one of the cuffs, gushing over how colorful it all was and how much he loved seeing it on Scott.

Scott, meanwhile, nearly lost track of his ramble. Here he was trying to point out the dangerousness of the situation and Ennard had gotten totally distracted. "Ennard, I'm-!"

"Adorable!"

"Ennard, I'm- I'm being serious!" Scott was fighting a losing battle. Ennard was practically on top of him, currently fiddling with his bow, and his words were falling on deaf ears. "Your programming a-and those kids-!"

"Relax, the kids are fine," Ennard dismissed. "I pretty much handed out an entire bowl and nothing happened."

"…You did?"

"Yeah! No problems at all!" He decided it wasn't important to tell him about the small episode. Especially when he noticed how relieved the human seemed by the revelation and felt a swell of pride. Episode aside, he had done it, he had proved himself, and now Scott knew how _safe_ he could be.

"That's… That's a relief…" Scott got the slightest bit of a smile. Maybe the warnings about Ennard's programming were blown out of proportion. He certainly hoped so. Then he looked to the clown with concern once more. "But Ennard, you have to be careful. That was our neighbor. She gets a better view of the house than anyone else. If she caught you sneaking out one night…"

"I was careful, don't get worked up over nothing," Ennard assured with a chuckle of delight. "I even used a normal voice when she popped up. She's got nothing to be weirded out by!"

"Which voice?" He expected Scott to eventually ask a question he didn't want to answer.

"…Doesn't matter," Ennard excused quickly. He briefly glanced away before brightening and looking back. "What _does_ matter is that I didn't get to see you with your face paint on. Ya slipped out of here so quickly." He reached up to trace his gloved wires over his cheek, right along where the paint was wiped away. "I would've _loved_ to see it."

The skin that wasn't painted seemed to redden. Though it was already pink from being worked up earlier. "I, uh, I guess I could put it back on…" Scott wasn't sure if he wanted to go through with all the effort, but he didn't want to disappoint. Not when Ennard was being so encouraging. "But only because you did so well, and only if you _never to that again without telling me._ "

"You got it, Scottie!" Ennard chirped eagerly and followed him into the bathroom where he had the face paint waiting.

Ennard already couldn't wait for next Halloween.

* * *

 **Mable: Trashtime Freddy will always be the only suitable Halloween costume for someone as chic and with the times as Ennard. Anyway, see you next week and I hope you enjoyed!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Mable: Hello and happy late Thanksgiving! I planned on posting yesterday, but family arrangements did me in, so here we are a day off. Nothing too unusual. XD Anyway, I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-Five_

Employee meetings weren't common at Foxy's. Usually if there was an issue or idea it was just blurted out in a less than planned fashion among whoever was standing in the area. The only time there was a formal meeting was when something big needed to be planned in advance. Fritz had pulled Mike and Jeremy into the office twice over the last month to discuss expanding the pizzeria. Both times went about the same, with them briefly crunching numbers and nothing coming out of it.

This time was a little different. Fritz seemed more excitable than usual, which seemed to mean that he had an idea that he couldn't wait to throw onto the table. He was nearly pacing as he waited for Mike to sit behind the desk and Jeremy on the sofa. "I've been looking over our profits for the last couple of weeks. I think we can agree that since we've reopened- since the incident with Dave- business has been booming," Fritz led in. The other two agreed with this. "For, what, two or three weeks we had the place packed. So packed that we were probably turning away costumers because of it."

"When was the last time I had to restock the Prize Corner during service?" Mike asked in an answer. "Packed is an understatement. We were _swarmed_."

"I think we can all agree that if we're going to keep pulling in that amount of business, then we need to expand at least a little bit. We need at least more arcade cabinets, a second oven, maybe even another animatronic to take the load off Foxy," Fritz pointed out. "At this rate, Mari probably needs his own stage and then we could get someone to part-time watch the Prize Corner."

"I'm not sure how well that's going to go," Mike interrupted skeptically. "Ticket exchange is pretty much what Mari does and he does it way faster than anyone else would. Not to mention that he's not going to like a stranger in there."

"Then why don't you just do it? You'd have a view of whose coming through the door and you already have experience in the Prize Corner since you're in there touching the merchandise all the time already." It baffled Mike how Fritz could say that with a completely straight face. "The point is, we need to expand now while we can. Summer is our peak season and winter would be the best time for us to shut down for expansion."

"I totally agree, but expanding takes a lot of money," Jeremy pointed out. "And business has been great, I'm not saying it hasn't, but I don't know… It just doesn't seem like enough."

"It's not… But it could be." Fritz grabbed a notepad off the desk and flipped to a page that looked like nothing but number scribbles and calculations. "If we kept up the business that we had after Magictime Theater closed and threw in a couple of extra gigs outside the business, then we could be looking towards beginning the expansion in only a couple of weeks. We would be set." Fritz paused for emphasis, looking between Jeremy's shock and Mike's interest. "…Except there's a catch."

"There usually is," Mike muttered, any hopes deflating quickly. "What is it, faulty wiring? Bad gas line?"

"We're not packed anymore," Fritz pointed out. "This week we've still made a profit, but it's nothing like our last few weeks."

"Maybe it's just a slowdown. We can't expect every week to bring in more or else we'd be making, I don't know, twenty-thousand a week," Jeremy added.

"I'd kill for twenty-thousand a week," Mike muttered. "I'm lucky if I find a dollar in change dropped on the arcade floor at the end of the day."

"I know, but we can't pretend that Magictime wasn't amazing publicity for us. Missing kids and a dead ex-Freddy employee or not," Fritz pointed out, gesturing to the notepad as though it backed him up. "We need that publicity, so I have a plan."

"-We frame another business and use the attention to pay for a renovation," Mike interrupted. He was obviously joking, but the look Jeremy gave him almost looked like he thought he was serious. Considering what Fritz was saying about the increased income over the last few weeks, Mike almost was. It couldn't be that hard to stage something, especially what Marionette could unlock doors and Foxy hated competition…

"Close! I was thinking that it's about time we had a commercial for Foxy's. I called around and I think we can do it. We might even be able to get it to air in some of the counties around us… If there's anything there other than desert." Fritz flipped through the pad once more. "I even started on a list of reasons this would be a good idea."

"Don't bother, I agree with you," Mike broke in. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. "All we have now is flyers, word of mouth, and hand of God catastrophes putting this place's name out there. We need a commercial. Getting ourselves on TV without being connected to a murder is the only way to go."

"Good, because apparently I didn't finish the list. It just says 'money'."

"That's convincing enough," Jeremy said with amusement. "Who's going to argue with money?"

"Okay, then that's it! Maybe we'll do this on Wednesday? I'll get a video camera in here, I'll get someone to help edit the video- maybe Scott knows where to go on that- and…" He trailed off and looked towards Mike. Mike raised a brow questioningly as the technician cleared his throat. "We probably need to start looking into who would do the expansion work… You wouldn't mind calling Glenn, would you? Their renovation at Chipper's was quick."

"Sure, but any reason why you don't want to call Glenn?" Mike inquired, noticing the other's behavior. Fritz rubbed the back of his neck hesitantly.

"I don't know, I just don't want be the one reaching out to him… Everything's really awkward when we talk and he's going to think that I'm fishing for a hand out, which I'm not!" He gave the other man an awkward smile. "You're direct and even if you weren't you don't get intimidated by him, so it would be best if you asked him." There was a pause. "Besides, Burke might be tapping my phone line and I'd rather pretend I don't have connections to Glenn."

"Fair enough. I'll call him later and ask," Mike agreed. With that the 'meeting' pretty much devolved into discussing merchandise and the menu. Normal things that in and of themselves were more anecdotes then actual plans for the business. The plan was made, and life went on.

On Wednesday, Fritz managed to get the camcorder as he had planned. Mike and Jeremy brought themselves back to the closed Pizzeria and everything was ready to begin. Alas, nobody knew what they were doing.

"I think we need more lights on. This thing makes everything look like a dungeon," Mike remarked as he steered the camera around the pizzeria. He finally aimed at the Prize Corner. "Hey, Mari! Come out so we can see if this thing's going to pick you up!" The moment the Puppet came into view, the camcorder was overcome by static and warped visuals. "You're going to have to tone it down a little. You're not coming through."

Marionette attempted to relax his body more. It was just natural to distort any watching cameras, so he had to go out of his way to force the reaction down. "Any better?"

"I see a black blob that vaguely looks like you," Mike answered. After a few moments the footage started to clear up until it was back to normal. "Alright, we're good," he announced, making an 'okay' motion with his hand. He then turned to the stage where Foxy stood attentively. Unlike his sibling, there wasn't any static from Foxy's shot. The captain noticed the camera and perked, ears lifting and yellow eyes focusing in, looking more like a predator than a pirate. Mike was quick to call over, "You're going to have to tone it down too, Captain. I know cameras are a touchy subject, but you're looking at it like you're about to put your hook through something."

"Nah, Schmidt. That just be always how I look at ya," Foxy quipped back with the slightest touch of a smirk. As much as an animatronic fox could smirk. Then he turned towards Fritz and Jeremy, who were moving a table to the side to give more room. "So, what's the plan? Do we get a script er we just go on gut?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could just get some shots of things and then splice them together. Any script is going to be really corny," Fritz pointed out. "Anyone remember, 'Pizza is a bear's best friend?'"

"Oh wow, I do. That brings up so many terrible, awkward memories," Jeremy quipped with a snicker. He started to do a mock sort of dance of shuffling, little kicks, and tiny punching motions. " _We got the pizza and pizza's a bear's best friend~"_ He then looked over and noticed the camcorder pointing on him. His face flushed, and he stuttered, "You- uh- You didn't _record_ that, right?"

"Wrong." Jeremy's eyes widened, and the redness overtook his face. "Relax, this isn't going in the commercial. This is just for future blackmail."

"I'll take a copy," Foxy volunteered with the raise of his hand. Jeremy looked like he was about to die of embarrassment and Fritz snickered.

"If it's any consolation, Jere, it looked way better when you did it when Freddy Fazbear did. Or whatever poor soul was inside that suit," Fritz said. At this, Foxy perked again and looked to Marionette.

"I bet it be Dad. He's the only one who gets his kicks dressin' up in bears and bunnies." Foxy said it so straight-faced that Mike had trouble keeping his own straight face together. Marionette's reaction was a more subdued quizzical look, followed by a light chime of amusement. It was now that Mike aimed the camcorder back on him and he froze up for a moment and then relaxed once more.

"Watch what you record, Mr. Schmidt," he playfully warned. "You might catch me out of character."

"With your anti-paparazzi programming? There's no way," Mike quipped with a smirk. "I just was thinking that maybe we should get some footage from the Prize Corner. Maybe get you coming out of your box and then just all the stuff they can blow their tickets on." This got another chime, but it was clear that the striped one was somewhat excited by the idea. He beckoned the security guard and entered the Prize Corner.

As they did, Foxy hopped down from the stage and crossed over to the two humans. He crept up behind Jeremy who was between melting from embarrassment and trying to move the table again. He turned to see Foxy nearly peeking over his shoulder and the two stared at one another for a moment.

"I'll move that fer ya, Lad…" Foxy murmured. "…But only if ya finish the dance." With the following laughter, Jeremy had a horrible feeling he wouldn't live that single moment down. This was all but confirmed when Foxy continued the song and dance. " _Come down ta Freddy's an' eat like a bear!~"_

In the Prize Corner, Mike turned on the overhead lights as Marionette slid into the box. The security guard stood in the center of the room and aimed the camcorder towards said box. "Now just pop out like normal." He assumed he would get some form of a warning, but as soon as he finished the sentence the Puppet's upper half burst from the box, arms splayed and a beaming smile on his masked face. He paused like that, waiting for a reaction.

"…Hold on, I don't think you were all the way in view." Marionette dropped his arms limply; this wasn't the reaction he had hoped for. "Let's try this again with me back a little bit," Mike instructed as he backed up. He silently counted down on one hand and then pointed to the animatronic, signaling him to go ahead. Marionette slipped back into the box, paused a moment, and then burst out once more. Again, he splayed his arms and beamed at the camcorder, then paused and waited, and there was a long, silent pause.

"One more time, but a little slower." For a moment Marionette wondered if Mike was purposely being difficult. If so, two could play that game. With a blank look, he slid back into the box. After a few moments he raised out of the box again. Not popping out, no splaying arms, but slowly raising himself up with his strings.

He then stared at the security guard for a full five seconds, and then flatly asked, "Was that slow enough?"

"No, that was definitely too fast. I actually caught movement," Mike quipped back. "Alright, alright, I get the picture." He looked around the Prize Corner and trying to imagine the best plan. "Let's get one of those little spins you do." The Puppet did as he was asked. "…I didn't mean in the box," Mike flatly said. Though this turned to confusion quickly, "How'd you do that kneeling?"

"Would you believe magic?" Marionette joked with a chime. He then reached into his box and lifted out two handfuls of tickets. "How about all of the tickets and me? I think seeing how many tickets they can win might encourage them!"

"Until they realize that many would only get them a vaguely Foxy looking eraser and nothing else," Mike pointed out. This roused another chime and the human took the time to record him.

"Honestly, you're lucky, Mike. Anyone else and I might be offended by their cracks against my Prize Corner," Marionette murmured as he climbed back out of the box. "Now where do you want me?"

"Out in the dining room. Maybe in front of the Minireena's stage. There's enough room there to get you without getting chairs and tables in the shot." He paused until Marionette was about to pass and then added. "And then I'll need to get a cut of you holding up today's newspaper and saying you're here by your own will."

Marionette laughed again before turning to shoot Mike another smile. "I'm not up to lying today, actually. Though I am prepared to indulge your very specific vision."

"Just because Foxy's head is above the door doesn't mean everyone isn't coming for you. I want you to look good… Not that it'll take too much work," Mike added in. This got a trill as Marionette turned to face his companion and floated backwards into place. The Puppet attached his strings to the track and then spun for the camcorder. He moved slower than usual and turned smoothly, gracefully, showing off for the impending audience. Usually he wasn't fond of it, but as long as he could fool himself into believing that this was for Mike and not the camera, then he could handle it. He twisted and turned in a sort of dance, starting to become more comfortable.

Only to stop short when he noticed a car pulling into the parking lot. Marionette hesitated and looked back out the window before recognizing the young man coming out of the driver's seat. He would recognize that red hair anywhere.

"He's back, Mike," Marionette warned. The security guard's head snapped over, hoping to everything that it wasn't the detective, which it wasn't. Though it wasn't much better, being his son. "I'll be in the Prize Corner," Marionette added and vanished before anyone in the car could notice him. Mike continued watching and noticed two young women step out as well.

"Head's up, Foxy! We've got company!" he called back in warning. It was then that he noticed a fourth person step out of the car and recognized the younger boy as Jason. _"I'll be damned, they're in cahoots."_

"Is it Louise?" Tabby called back out as she leaned out of the kitchen. She passed a pepperoni pizza to Fritz who set it down on a table. Tabby had come in to make a _mostly_ fresh pizza with as few frozen parts as possible to be displayed in the commercial. Though this could've been easy enough for any of the other workers, it seemed like she had mostly come to have something to do. Or perhaps to stand in just in case they needed a fourth person, since Natalie hadn't been able to come in due to a lengthy dental appointment. "She's not supposed to be here yet."

"It's not her. It's that detective's son back for round two," Mike recited as he watched the four approach the door. His teeth slightly clenched and he tried not to seem as unnerved as he was. Tabby frowned and disappeared into the kitchen again, probably thinking that the detective was with him. "Jason's here too."

Foxy's ears perked at that name and he turned to flee but was cut off by the door opening. He glanced over at Jeremy and made eyeing motions towards the stage. Jeremy understood and took his arm. "A-Alright, I'm going to walk Foxy onto the stage now, Fritz. We'll just record up there now, okay?" He looked back to wink at Fritz and found him halfway through a slice of pizza. "…Isn't that for the commercial?"

"The commercial will survive with a piece missing," Fritz defended as he continued devouring the piece in his stress. This got a weird look from the other security guard before he continued moving Foxy away. With the three of them being off to the side, Mike was stuck confronting the young man and his friends alone. Not that he was afraid of them- if anything, he was much more scared of Jason than the detective, considering how well he kept it together at the theater.

"Hey, I'm back! You said to come back sometimes, so here I am. I waited until a day off, so we wouldn't be pushing past kids," the young man began. He sounded awkward and he had the smile of someone who had broken into Foxy's before.

"Uh huh," Mike answered unenthused. He glanced back at the other three. One of the girls he recognized from the funeral, so he assumed the other was also a friend of Charlie's. "I'll ignore the fact that you brought your posse and move on to: how'd you know we would be here on our day off?" Mike inquired as he crossed his arms. He raised a questioning brow as the younger rubbed the back of his neck.

"I know what you're thinking and no. I called before I came," he assured.

"He called?" Mike asked as he looked back towards Fritz and Jeremy.

"I called and hung up," the younger assured. Mike looked back with a suspicious look and was rewarded with another lopsided smile. "That woman that was fighting with my dad answered and I just panicked."

"Got it. I'm up to speed." At least this was believable. After that scare on Halloween, even Mike had given Tabby wary looks for a couple of days. "So, you want to see the bots. We have Foxy out, but the Minireenas aren't on stage, so you'll have to wait on them. We're recording a commercial and the little ones pretty much have a mind of their own." There was an uneasy silence. "You could at least humor me, kids."

"Actually, we were hoping we could see the Puppet," the detective's son slowly voices out before pointing a thumb in the direction of the Prize Corner. Mike stared at them blankly. "I kind of saw it when I was here, and I wanted to show it to the guys… Girls… And Jason." This all seemed very sketchy and Mike glanced down towards the younger boy.

"Hey, Jason," he greeted, a bit softer than his exasperation with the detective's son. He decided not to bring up that he noticed him visiting over the last weeks. "How's it going?"

"It's alright," Jason said with a dismissive shrug. "Can we see the Puppet?"

"Sure, he's right there in his box. No flash photography and no poking the Puppet. I'll be checking his mask for fingerprints, so don't even try pulling a fast one either," Mike listed out. The detective's son, Jason, and the other girl headed inside. The girl he recognized approached hesitantly and started to go in last when he stopped her.

"You're Jessica, right?" She looked to him with slight surprise and agreed. "I remember you from the funeral," Mike explained, becoming more sympathetic. Specifically, he remembered her from Charlie mentioning her. "How are you holding up?"

"To tell you the truth… Not too well," Jessica admitted. She seemed hesitant- probably because he was virtually a stranger- but she was perhaps so overwhelmed by her feelings that she allowed herself to vent. "It feels like the funeral was yesterday." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "And now it's been days, weeks, and it still doesn't feel real. She should be here, but she's not."

"I know how you feel. You see all these people who've moved past crying, but you're still not even there because you're waiting for them to come back home." He doubted he was helping and reigned himself in, clearing his throat. "But, you know, everyone deals with it differently."

"No, I understand," Jessica agreed as she turned her head and raised a hand to her face. It was obvious that she was trying to shield that she was tearing up. Exhaling patiently, Mike reached out, pausing a moment to make sure he wasn't out of line, and then patted her on the upper back. For a moment he stood there with the grieving young woman and could only hope Marionette could handle himself.

In what might have been a great mistake, as soon as he heard himself being mentioned, Marionette had raised halfway out of the box to face his would-be observers head on. The detective's son caught one sight of him and stopped in place, looking confused as he stared at the Puppet. No doubt he wasn't the one he expected, Marionette deduced quickly.

"This is it. This is the Puppet that was there," Jason pointed out as he looked up at the Puppet, who stared back silently. The young woman came to stand beside him and crossed her arms, her mouth falling into a thoughtful purse.

"It doesn't look very alive to me," she remarked. All at once Marionette knew _exactly_ what Jason had been telling the others. No wonder the one had been staring in the Prize Corner.

"It hides that it's alive around people who aren't kids," Jason pointed out. He then looked up at her. "…Or maybe he just doesn't like you." She frowned at him and he returned with a cheeky smile.

It was now that the detective's son stepped forward with furrowed brows and utter confusion. "Wait a minute… This isn't the puppet that was in here on Halloween," he said. The other two looked at him and he explained, moving his hands to accentuate his point. "It had a rounder face and there was something sticking out of the back of its head. Its paint wasn't purple either, it was blue, and it's stripes were totally different," he explained. Marionette was moderately impressed that he remembered that much since then.

"Are you sure?" the girl asked. "Why would they replace a robot and then replace it back. Are you _sure_ you didn't just mix up the colors in your head?"

"No, I'm sure of it. There was this little Pinocchio looking thing too. I wouldn't forget that thing; it had the creepiest laugh," he defended quickly. They seemed to fall into an impasse. Jason was still staring upwards at the Puppet when the other two looked over. Marionette could feel his instinct to freeze up slipping in and went as still as could be.

"I'm not making this up. He's really alive," Jason insisted, growing a bit more frustrated at how dismissive everyone was.

"I believe you," the detective's son insisted. "I saw that other puppet moving really weird, and it didn't know I was watching or anything. Unless they train these things to decorate, it was totally moving on its own."

" _Carlton_ ," the girl said in almost a scolding way.

"I'm not joking, I'm being serious! I know what I saw," the detective's son, apparently named Carlton, assured her. He then looked back to the Puppet more intently and Marionette was becoming just a bit more uncomfortable.

Thankfully, as luck would have it, he now noticed talking outside the door before Mike leaned in. "Hey, you kids want to be in a commercial for Foxy's?"

Carlton looked back in surprise. "What, seriously?" He looked more than a bit eager. "Do we get paid?"

"In pizza and TV exposure. Pretty much the going wage here at Foxy's," Mike responded. He glanced at the four to make sure nothing suspicious was happening. Upon seeing that all looked fine, he beckoned them. "It's your choice, but we need a couple of non-workers and a willing kid to pretend that they want to be here for the camera."

"I can do that. I pretty much don't want to be anywhere, and nobody notices," Carlton assured. The girl with him rolled her eyes playfully and followed along after him, only pausing to call Jason to follow.

"I'll be there in a minute," Jason assured as he reached into his jeans pocket and started trying to coax out a mess of tickets shoved inside. She left him alone with the animatronic. He looked up at the Puppet before offering the tickets. He also bluntly offered, "I know you're alive. You don't have to act like you're not."

Marionette looked out the door and made certain nobody was watching. Then he turned his head down to look at Jason, his first movement since the group entered. He then reached out slowly to take and count Jason's tickets. Once he had a clear count, he climbed from his box and circled the Prize Counter.

"I'm not stupid. I'm old enough to know if one of you guys is really real or not," Jason clarified. Marionette reached up for a Foxy plush. "And you're not on strings." The striped arm stopped abruptly and the animatronic went still. He hadn't even realized what he had done until called out on it. He had just become so- too- comfortable with children. But Jason wasn't a normal child; he was more observant, older, and clearly asking questions. Unfortunately, this could've been why Dave had targeted him. Just thinking about Dave made Marionette's overprotectiveness return.

Jason had never given him an idea of what he wanted off the prize wall, so Marionette pulled down a leftover neon colored Foxy. He offered it and the boy hesitated a moment. Then he tentatively took it, glancing back up at the striped animatronic. Then it seemed to click together for him and he changed his questioning. "Is Foxy real too?... He is, isn't he?"

Marionette's lack of an answer confirmed his suspicion instead of denying it. Looking somewhat awkward, perhaps uneasy, he was clearly about to leave. Panic seized the Puppet and he reached out to take Jason's shoulder as he turned to leave. Jason looked back in alarm and the Puppet drew back, shaking his head, and then tapping a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. The boy looked a little confused and tried to read the gesture.

"You… Don't want me to tell anyone?" Jason guessed. Marionette nodded insistently, dropping his act entirely- save speaking, which he still willingly held back on. He looked down at the boy with an unreadable smile and masked worry. He had already brought them here and told them of the animatronics, so he didn't have much faith that he would now keep quiet. Jason surprised him yet again. "…Okay… They already know but they don't believe me anyways." He hesitated a moment, giving a shaky breath. "…Was Charlie really hit by a car?"

So that was it. That was why Jason was so skeptical of the animatronics even after they helped save him. Marionette allowed his features to softened in sympathy and he nodded. Jason's face fell. "Oh…" It hurt the Puppet just as much as the boy. Just thinking of what he went through, what Charlie's friends had gone through, what Charlie went through… It was unbearable.

He reached into a tub of leftover Halloween Candy left on the edge of the counter and grabbed a handful of candy. He then eagerly offered it to the boy who raised a brow questioningly. He almost looked like Mike for a moment; it roused an amused chime out of the Puppet. Jason gave a slight shrug and took the candy. It was at this moment that he was called by the girl in the dining room. He looked back towards the door, back to the Puppet, and then headed out of the Prize Corner.

To Marionette's confusion, he found that he wanted to speak, to say something, but he held back. It was for the best. After all, talking to Charlie had gotten her into this in the beginning. Marionette slumped against the counter with a weary sigh and wished the day was over.

The commercial was going about as well as expected. The scene was supposed to be of Jeremy serving pizza to the small group. They would then look like they were enjoying the pizza and the clip would end. Unfortunately, this was not how it went. As soon as Jeremy came in front of the camcorder he went rigid, eyes popped open anxiously, and got the most unsettled look on his face. Meanwhile, Carlton was trying to overact everything, and Jason utterly refused to act at all. The girl was the only one who did a decent enough job, with a cheery smile framed by dark curls.

Jessica obviously was in no state to step in. She was doing better, but nobody was willing to ask her to perform when she was just forced to revisit her friend's death. Mike manned the camcorder, recording and deleting failed shot after failed shot. Eventually he dropped it into Fritz's hands, took the pizza from Jeremy's, and decided to step in himself. This managed to help slightly, as Mike managed to keep his compositor much better than the other security guard. Unfortunately, not even Mike could smile naturally, and instead seemed to have an unintentionally smug look.

"Let's try to make this the last take, alright?" Fritz asked. He started to raise the camcorder before lowering it again with a frown. "Mike, could you not smirk at the camera? You look like you're serving them poison."

"I look confident," Mike challenged as he leaned against the table. He then looked down at Carlton who had taken the plunge to bite into a piece. "I wouldn't eat that if I were you." The younger man immediately dropped the pizza while Fritz rolled his eyes in exhaustion.

The final take was finally shot and looked passable. It still looked as cheesy as any commercial would, but hopefully it wouldn't be something they would regret later. The group did not leave after this. They moved to the stage and talked quietly amongst each other. Mike wasn't entirely suspicious, but he did find himself wondering why they were still here if their main goal was to see the Puppet. He wasn't feeling up to hovering over them, especially not when he noticed Louise's car finally pulling up into the parking lot in front of the restaurant.

"Tabby, Louise is here!" Mike called into the kitchen. There was a brief "alright" as an answer before he let the door shut. Apparently, the detective's son also heard this, or perhaps Tabby's voice, as he seemed to start directing the others out. Mike noticed out of the corner of his eye that Jessica was lingering, looking around the pizzeria solemnly. She left before he could even consider approaching her about it.

"Hey, Schmidt," Foxy called over almost immediately after the front door closed. Mike glanced over at him to see Jeremy fussing over the curtain beside the relatively nonchalant fox. "There be any film left fer the captain of the ship?"

"No, Foxy. It's a commercial for a place called Foxy's Pirate Cove Pizza, but we're not going to have the titular character shown in it at all," Mike sarcastically quipped. Then he looked to the blond. "Jeremy, get Foxy presentable while I go make sure those kids don't start snooping around the dumpsters."

"I'm more worried about Fritz going back there." Jeremy lowered his voice, "Don't tell Fritz, but I've been dumping my garbage back there."

"…You know, eventually someone's going to notice a bunch of garbage appearing in the dumpster." He gave a shrug, "But I'm not a nark, so you do you." Mike gave a playful smirk and headed to the front. He was relieved to see the group getting in their car and turning out of the parking lot. However, he then noticed Louise still sitting in hers.

"Jason told them I was alive. That was why the one, the detective's son, was looking in the Prize Corner the other night."

Mike looked to see Marionette leaning in the doorway, just out of view of Louise and the group, if they would have still been there. "Ironically, he did manage to see Charlie, but he had no way of knowing who she was. Probably for the best. That and them not believing Jason. I tried to convince him to stay silent, but only time will tell." He leaned forward slightly. "Have they left?"

"Yeah, they're gone. Louise is out there though so don't get too comfortable," Mike forewarned. He then gave a small sigh. "I had a feeling that kid was going to figure something out. He's too old to not notice that something's odd, and since he knew Charlie he's got an emotional reason to."

"He asked me about her death and whether she was really hit," Marionette admitted. His mask tinged in sadness as he crossed his arms pensively.

"Geez… Mari, I'm sorry." Mike leaned in and put an arm around the Puppet, pulling him close and trying to comfort him. "How are you holding up?"

"I feel guilty," Marionette admitted. He gave a somber, out of tune chime and tilted his head against his companion's. Cool porcelain nudged against warm skin. "I wanted to tell him that she was alright… But I can't."

"I know. I feel the same way." Mostly towards Jessica, but a mutual feeling still. All these people mourned when Charlie was still there, but they couldn't know that she was. It would have to hurt to keep them all safe. Mike exhaled slowly and asked, "What's your call: do we tell her they came or not? I think we should."

"I agree. Maybe it'll make her feel better knowing they still care?" Marionette offered almost desperately. "There's nothing more tragic than thinking that you died and nobody noticed."

"You say that like you know that feeling…" Mike pointed out, looking to the animatronic questioningly. A flitter of something like embarrassment passed Marionette's mask and he gave a dismissive wave. Oddly enough he said nothing to confirm or deny it.

They stayed there like that a few moments. All the while, Mike kept an eye out for if Louise came to the door, but to his confusion she didn't. He started to notice it more until he slightly leaned to look out the front door and realized she was still in her car. "Huh. Louise isn't coming in," he pointed out. He didn't need to explain that this was odd.

Usually Louise bounded in with a cheery disposition and a welcoming smile, but recently she hadn't done so. In fact, since Halloween she hadn't been in Foxy's very much at all. It was assumed that it was due to her mother's scene embarrassing her, but it didn't seem like it would've lasted this long. Even Marionette was mildly curious.

"She's just sitting out there? That's odd." Marionette was able to lean out enough to see as Louise was looking down at something in the passenger seat. "She didn't come in to tell Tabby she was here either."

"I think I might go out and probe. Maybe she's also dumping trash in the dumpster," Mike quipped with a slight smile. "Mind putting this on the counter?" He handed over the camcorder and headed out the front door. As he approached the driver's side window, he noticed that she was shuffling through her purse, but she didn't seem to be looking for anything. He tapped on her window and she jumped before looking over, giving him a smile, and rolling down the window.

"Hey! What are you doing out here?" she asked in a typical chirp.

"I could ask you the same thing," Mike answered. He nudged his head towards the door. "Tabby's still in the kitchen if you want to come in for some pizza and the most poorly planned commercial since Freddy's was running." He noticed the hesitance in her look. "Don't worry, it's just us. Inspector Gadget hasn't shown up, and redheaded Robin Hood and his merry band already took off. It's all clear in there."

"Oh, I don't know. I'm kind of in a rush…" Something was definitely off. He raised a brow in questioning and she regained her smile. "Okay, sure. You convinced me with the pizza." She stepped out of the car awkwardly, fixing her hair- which was still dyed a russet red after Halloween- and brushing down her skirt. For a moment Mike thought all was well and headed over to prop open the door. Though he then noticed how slow Louise was coming. She still entered the restaurant willingly.

Louise came to an abrupt halt when she noticed Marionette standing in the Prize Corner's doorway. For a moment she stared blankly with an almost surprised look, but then she reacted in an even more bizarre way. She got a strange, strained smile, and chirped out a, "Oh, hi! You… Mari's out of his box today!"

"I know, it's weird. Someone must've broken the lock. I'm looking at Foxy," Mike joked in what should've been a casual way. Yet he noticed something was off when she seemed to rush past the animatronic and sped towards the kitchen. Marionette sent Mike a confused look, which he returned with a shrug before following. He would figure out whatever it was. The Puppet might've already beat him to it when he noticed her stare uncomfortably at Foxy's stage as she passed.

Louise opened the kitchen door and leaned inside. "I'm here, Mom. Ready to go?"

"I'll be out in a second," Tabby answered, wrist deep in the sink to wash off whatever utensils she used. "Just wait out there." Louise nodded stiffly and let the kitchen door shut as she turned slowly, and then nearly jumped through her skin when she noticed that Mike was standing behind her.

"You- You really like to sneak up on people!" Louise remarked. She got a playful smile and folded her arms over her chest. "You might be getting a rise out of me now but wait until next Halloween. I'm making a mental note of all of this for eventual payback." But even though she sounded normal he still noticed that something was just off in how she held herself.

"Louise, what's going on?" Mike finally asked, addressing the issue directly.

"What are you talking about?" Louise asked innocently. She leaned back against the wall beside the kitchen door. "You keep creeping up on me! That's what's going on." Mike fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Come on, I know something's up. You've been dodging here since Halloween and now you're jumping around like… Like you work here. You've got that same look of horror that most of the people working here have got." He quirked a brow questioningly. "Was it Burke? Did he come after you about Tabby? Because I swear, if he's threatening family members, I'm reporting him to whoever's above him."

"No, it's not him... It's not anything! I'm just in that post-holiday funk," Louise tried to excuse. Mike didn't look like he bought this. "Don't give me that look. You plan for a holiday for three months and then it's over and you're thrown off. That's all it is." This would've been believable if not for how much she jumped when the kitchen door opened beside her. Tabby looked between the two before silently heading to the front door; she didn't even want to know. Louise turned to Mike once more, having pulled herself together, and assured with a smile, "I'm fine. Trust me."

She hurried after Tabby. She briefly glanced over towards Foxy and Jeremy- Foxy noticed- but then dropped her eyes to the floor. She didn't look anywhere near the Prize Corner as she passed by and headed out the door. Marionette trailed out of the Prize Corner's doorway and watched as the two women got into the car. It was only once they were gone that he approached Mike with his suspicions.

"I don't think Jason's the only one whose figured it out," Marionette spoke solemnly. "Did you see how she looked at me? She's never looked so… Anxious around me before."

"No," Mike denied. Like the mere idea was impossible. "Can't be that."

"But if it's not that, then what is it?" the animatronic challenged. He waited for another suggestion, but the human couldn't give one.

"For crying out loud," Mike muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. _"First the police and now all this. Didn't Louise already know?"_

"I think I can speak for us both when I say that we let ourselves get too relaxed. The kidnappings are still fresh in people's memories, so they're going to be looking closer." Marionette's worry was evident, especially in himself. He hadn't realized how much he was slipping up until he came out of the box without his strings being used. Jason knowing he was alive was irrelevant; he had done it without even thinking of it. He could've done that in front of Louise. He could've been too lively at the party and anyone there might've gotten their own suspicions. "No more non-work parties for a while… We just get too tempted to push our boundaries."

"That's great, because after this there is no way we're hosting a Christmas party," Mike swore. He gave a tired exhale. "Louise will be fine. Let's just hope that's the worst luck we have today."

"It's not," Marionette said. "We'll have to reshoot all the scenes where I didn't have my strings out, and I can't remember when I did or not."

And with that, it looked as though they wouldn't be going home anytime soon.

* * *

 **Mable: Don't you hate it when you dance at a party with a sock monkey and then nobody can stop talking about it? What a pain! Ha ha, anyway the next chapter will be next week, hopefully on schedule. I hope you enjoyed!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Mable: I'm proud to announce that I finished chapter three of my second novel! ^-^ It's a small milestone, but I consider the third chapter its own sort of hurdle. It's when you pass the point of no return. But anyway, let us start. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-Six_

Charlie's renewed interest in animatronics was a positive thing considering the circumstances. Between reading the books and trying to feel the real thing- testing her bells, looking over her mask, and flexing her joints- she was starting to get a better grasp of what it was to be an animatronic. While it felt deceptively like being human, all the workings on the inside were different. She didn't have to breathe, she didn't have a pulse, but things subtly ticked and shifting deep inside of her chest. She was alive in a completely different way and it was all a matter of learning these new processes.

It was through this that she stumbled on a section about air hoses in her book, and then remembered something she had read on one of her father's blueprints: one of the earliest incarnations of Fredbear had a port for an air hose. This either meant there was a version of it before the springlock suits or it meant that the springlock suits had some sort of function that involved pressurized air. It was such a simple finding, but it opened a new train of thought. Springlocks were one of the few things that fascinated her even before her accident. Something about how these alleged suits functioned piqued her curiosity, and this new finding only made her more eager for answers.

Thus, when she heard a car pulling up outside, she perked and eagerly headed to the window, still carrying her robotics book. It was Mike's car which meant that he and Marionette were back. She brightened considerably; both of them were a wealth of knowledge on animatronics. She waited at the door, nearly pacing, and excitedly tapping her fingers on the book as she waited for one of them to appear. Any minute now Marionette would appear inside, and she knew he would be happy to answer any questions. He always was.

It was then that Charlie realized what she was doing. Here she was giddily waiting at the door for them to come inside, more eager than even Moppet, more excited than their pet. That realization hit her harder than she expected it to. She had lived alone fine for years and even before that had never been this clingy with her aunt. She hadn't even been living with them that long. She wondered if she was becoming too co-dependent. Perhaps that happened to animatronics and maybe that was why they took to human companions, or 'playthings' as Baby had so eloquently put it. She wasn't sure if that was a question worth asking.

Before she could continue dwelling on it, Marionette appeared alongside her. He spotted her and gave a warm smile. "Oh, hello! I almost ran right into you."

"Good thing I have to move around to keep myself balanced," Charlie said almost awkwardly. She tried to push down the thoughts from before he came in, elsewise she would clam up into herself and get nothing done. "How did the commercial go?" she asked.

"Better than expected! I'm sure we got at least thirty seconds of usable footage," Marionette chirped. He clasped his hands together and looked to the human who was letting himself in. Something seemed almost anxious about his movements.

"And it only took us two hours to film it," Mike chimed in. He then got distracted looking down at Moppet, who rushed over and rubbed against his leg. He leaned down to pet over her back, receiving an attentive mewl from the feline. Then, before the Puppet could continue, he added in, "A couple of your friends swung by."

"My friends?" Charlie looked between them in surprise. Marionette suppressed the desire to wince at the comment. "Which friends?"

"A few of them. Jason, Carlton, Jessica…" Marionette listed out. He noticed Charlie's piqued interest at the last name, perhaps out of surprise. He tented his fingers together to look casual. "They were talking about you. They miss you very much."

"I didn't think they'd ever come by Foxy's again," Charlie admitted before trailing off. They assumed she would react more, or really say anything more, but she fell into full silence. The other two exchanged a look before Marionette went into damage control and tried to change the conversation as quickly as possible.

"But your day! How was your day? Did you miss us? No doubt you were miserable with all the peace and quiet and sanity you had with us out of the picture," he playfully encouraged. Charlie knew he was giving her an out and took it.

"Actually, I was reading on animatronics and I remembered a blueprint of a Freddy a long time ago. I think it was the original Freddy, but it had an air hose connected to the back of it," she explained, returning to a more neutral tone. Just thinking about machines and pieces made her nearly forget all about any other issues. "But I don't remember any other animatronics hooking to air hoses, so it must have been the earliest one. But wouldn't that make it a springlock suit? I don't remember them using pressurized air. If anything, the things seemed too dangerous to be near any slight movement without the risk of clamping in."

"An air hose?" Marionette tilted his head and tried to think. "That _is_ peculiar. Especially for a Freddy or Fredbear model. Not even Balloon Boy had an air hose, and you would think he would blow up his own balloons. Which he didn't."

"You have blueprints around here, right?" Charlie inquired curiously. "Do you think you would have ones for some of the older Freddy models?"

"Of course!" Marionette alit with a delighted chime. He laid a hand on her back affectionately and started to guide her towards the hallway. "We'll see what we can find in the file cabinet. I certainly have a few on springlock suits. Might even have a few springlocks sitting around the house if we look carefully," he said with a chime of amusement. Then he turned back towards the human. "Mike, are you coming with us?"

"After I call Glenn. Fritz was on me again about it so it's worth getting it over with. I'll be in afterward." The Puppets continued down the hall as he headed to the phone and quickly dialed Glenn's number. After a few moments Glenn answered on the other side of the line. "Glenn, it's me," Mike introduced as he shuffled a bit uncomfortably. "How's it going?"

"Heh, I didn't expect to hear from you. Going great! Much better than Magictime. I heard about what happened there, you know" Glenn said with slight amusement. Though it changed into a half-exhausted tone. "That Dave was always a handful on the hob… So, did you kill him, or was it one of the bots?"

"I think he OD'd or something. It's all a little vague, but you better believe that there's a detective sniffing around about Freddy's. This isn't about that though, this is business. We're planning on expanding the restaurant and were hoping you could hook us up with whoever did your job," Mike said. He heard what almost sounded like static on the line and tapped on the speaker. "Are we getting some interference or something?"

"I think it's on your end. Mine's fine," Glenn pointed out. There was a squeaking noise, as though he was leaning back in a chair. "Yeah, sure. They work out of here, so I don't know how much it'll cost to get them to drive down there, but they're the cheapest in the area. I was even looking up north-." He cut off with a cough and cleared his throat roughly.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked in slight concern.

"Just heartburn. Don't worry about it," Glenn dismissed as he made a noise like he was drinking something.

"It's the Mexican food. You know you're not supposed to eat the wares, right?" the security guard asked with a playful smirk.

"It's cheaper than going out. Anyway, these guys work by the hour, but they're got this deal where they can't go over a certain number of hours or you get a discount-." At that point, Glenn's voice was cut off by static. Mike frowned pointedly as he shifted around in place. Further towards the kitchen and more static. Further towards the living room and more static. Back towards the table didn't do anything. At some point he couldn't hear anything at all.

"Hold on a second. My phone's committing suicide and I pretty much can't hear anything." Mike managed to stretch the cord enough to just make it into the edge of the hallway and by then the static was only minimal. "Alright, I think I've got it. Can you repeat all of that?" There was no answer and a strange silence settled over the line. For a moment he thought that the older man hung up. "Glenn?"

"…Sorry. Sorry, just taking an antacid," Glenn excused with a cough to clear his throat. His voice now sounded raspy, but he was at least audible. "Now, I can send you the information, but since you're on the line anyway… Why don't you and Fritz come down tomorrow after closing and check out the place? A lot changed since you were here last. The programs changed, the animatronics are fixed, and you'll be able to see the work done. What do you say?"

" _That was sudden,"_ Mike mentally remarked. His voice was a bit more unsure. "I don't know. I guess I could ask Fritz about it."

"Great. Maybe you could come on Saturday? Talk to Fritz and get back to me," Glenn pushed in a rather bold way. "Let me get together the numbers and receipts from the expansion and I'll get back to you. Talk to you later, Sport."

"Talk to you then. Lay off the enchiladas," Mike suggested before the phone call ended. He wasn't sure how willing he was to return to Chipper's, but he decided to keep it in mind and tell Fritz later. Hopefully he would have some input. Hopefully he could fix the phone too. For now, Mike headed down the hall into the bedroom.

"I'm not telling you not to tell them. I'm just telling you to be careful." Mike stopped short outside the bedroom door as he heard Marionette's voice inside. "Not everyone can handle this information as well as you did."

"I know, and that's why I can't tell them. They can't know," Charlie answered somberly but firmly. He could hear the shifting of fabric and peered through the crack in the door. He was just able to spot the two beside the closet door, facing away from him. Marionette was currently hugging Charlie who, while not hugging back, rested her head against him as though accepting the embrace. Almost as Mike and Marionette had done earlier. "As much as I miss them, I can't risk… All of us to see them again… Besides, it'll be easier for them just to accept me being gone." Marionette squeezed her tighter. "Wait, I think I found something here."

As the Puppet drew back, Mike took this as the time for him to step in. "Hey, I'm back," he announced as he stepped in and wandered over. Charlie turned to face him while Marionette was still looking at a blueprint she was holding. Though, to be fair, he probably knew the human was watching the second that his gaze fell on him. "So, where's this old Freddy and where do we stick the hose?"

"It's nothing like the others. It's just a series of valves and air pumps to control movements," Marionette pointed out. "…Which would make it like a classic animatronic. The non-haunted, non-robot-like ones that existed before ARI got involved."

"Oh, so the boring ones," Mike quipped. He looked down at the Freddy- or Fredbear- blueprint. It wasn't named but the internal structure was practically non-existent. The skeleton inside was basic and flimsy, unlike the animatronics he knew that were built on specially made parts set to move and function like real limbs. "I'm guessing this one didn't last too long on the showroom floor." Marionette shook his head.

"This might seem like a weird question, but since you knew about Afton Robotics- That's what you're calling ARI, right?" Charlie asked. Mike nodded in agreement. "You've been there, you know about everything, about the murders… Did you…?" She seemed hesitant to ask. "Did you know William Afton?" Charlie asked, looking over at Mike. "The 'Purple Man'?"

That seemed like an odd question. Apparently, Marionette told her about William's crimes and yet was asking _Mike_ if he knew William. It seemed like if she was going to ask anyone that she should've been asking Marionette, and it was telling when she didn't. He looked to the Puppet questioningly and he sent a desperately guilty look back at him. Mike only then realized that Marionette hadn't told her about his relation to William.

Mike was shocked by it- especially considering questions that should arise from the blueprints and the secret basement- but he understood it. Things could've been more uncomfortable if she knew his relation and telling her now, while the obviously right choice, was no doubt uncomfortable. Mike decided just to go with it for now, for both Marionette and Charlie's sake.

"…Yeah, I knew him. Under a false name and a ton of lies, but I knew Will for a couple of years," Mike admitted as he let more of his frustration through. "He was a compulsive liar and a generally garbage human being, but he was an amazing actor. He could make you honestly think that he was just some normal guy who got mixed up into something terrible, but it was all a scam." He gave a shrug. "He was smart… But he made some of the most idiotic decisions of all time. You'd be mistaken to think he was a genius, but he was just extremely convincing and always knew how to cover his ass."

"He was also terrible to his friends and family. Even outside his crimes, nobody was safe from his torment," Marionette voiced in. Charlie looked to him, as did Mike who raised his brows, thinking that the Puppet was about to tell the truth. "Someday soon you will meet Scott. He was rather close with William… And you'll see how he repaid that closeness."

"Is he…?" Charlie quietly began. Mike interrupted the discomfort, hoping to ease the mood he unintentionally made tense.

"No, but he developed an unhealthy obsession with clowns. That's bad enough," Mike quipped with slight smugness. "Speaking of unhealthy fixations with the past, Glenn invited Fritz and I to go down and see Chipper's. I don't know why he wants me to see the place that badly, but we need his contacts for the renovation on the pizzeria."

"You poor, brave soul… How I don't envy you!" Marionette chimed in amusement. "Just the thought of it: the Chipper show we all know and loathe, but now accompanied with cheap tacos and uncomfortable Spanish puns. I knew you had a death wish when you kept returning to the night shift, but I never realized you were this self-destructive." Charlie looked totally confused while Marionette reached out to pat his shoulder. "Good luck out there. Try to see if you can spot an air hose."

"Huh, I assumed you could along like last time," Mike pointed out. "I mean, yeah, Glenn wanted just me and Fritz, but when've you ever turned down a chance to look at inferior animatronics?"

"Shortly after seeing Chipper's show the first time," the Puppet bluntly responded.

"You two mean El Chip's, right?" Charlie asked curiously.

"The one in the same. Though when we were there the last time it was still Chipper's, and it was pretty much as bad as one would expect. That's why they gutted the place," Mike explained. He then looked back to Marionette and crossed his arms as though challenging him. "So, what do you say?" Marionette looked slightly like he was considering it.

"I don't know if you're offering it to me, but sure." Mike and Marionette both looked over in shock at Charlie's comment. "You can't build it up anymore than you two have," she playfully added. "Besides, might be worth seeing the animatronics. I haven't had much of a chance to see any animatronics that aren't alive. Almost like a controlled variable."

"These things in Chipper's weren't animatronics, they were walking disasters, and they still tried to attack us," Mike pointed out. "But if you're sure. It's a long drive and he wants us there after hours, so we'll probably need to get a hotel room." He assumed this would turn her off. Instead, there was the exact opposite result. The same excitement she had gotten from her night with Baby returned with a vengeance. She needed to get out of the house and close to the world outside.

"It can't be any longer than driving with Baby, and at least I won't have to drive with my head down and my legs sliding all over the place," Charlie pointed out. She looked between the two. "So, I can come?"

"Sure! The more the merrier!" Marionette chirped. Mike knew this meant the Puppet would be coming as well and got the slightest bit of a smirk. It wouldn't be the first time they both got stuck going somewhere they didn't want to go.

"Let me just call Fritz and make sure he's up for this." The security guard started out of the room. Hopefully Fritz would be willing, because that would take some of the driving off him. He would call and offer to Jeremy too, but knew it was unlikely considering how many animatronics he had to keep an eye on at night.

Halfway down the hall, Marionette caught up with Mike and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Mike, wait…" He lowered his hand as the human turned towards him. "I… About that back there… About Afton…"

"You didn't tell Charlie about who you are," Mike pointed out. The animatronic nodded sheepishly. "I supposed as much. You do plan on telling her, right? Because this is one of those things that could really come out at the worst possible time."

"I know, and I intend to… Just not yet. I know as soon as I tell her that things are going to be… _Different_." That was an understatement. Even if he wasn't guilty of his father's crimes, that stigma was still there. Especially since he waited this long already. He was doomed if he did and doomed if he didn't. "Would you mind not telling her until I figure out a good way to do it?" Mike agreed; it wasn't surprising, as he had silently done so in the bedroom earlier. "And when the time comes… Maybe you could be there with me?"

"Where else would I be? I can't walk that far in this house," Mike remarked with a playful smile. The Puppet forced one too as Mike rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. I think Charlie can handle it as long as you're the one telling her." The animatronic nodded in agreement, warbling when he received a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right back," Mike assured and headed back into the dining room, deciding to use his cellphone instead of the landline.

This left Marionette to hover in the hallway with his thoughts. Mike was right, as he tended to be, but that didn't make it any easier. He didn't want to tell her, but he had no intention of hiding the truth from her like Goldie had done with him. Not to mention that eventually she would notice that William's stuff was in the house. It was already a miracle that she hadn't pieced the basement workshop to him, but that was only because she had so much trouble with the stairs and had been respectful enough to not sneak down on her own.

He would be honest and upfront, and he wouldn't fall into the same trap that Goldie had. But that could wait. For now, keeping her interested in animatronics was much more important.

* * *

After closing Foxy's the next day, Mike, Fritz, and the two Puppets immediately loaded into the van and began the drive up north through the state. Fritz took over most of the drive and was kept awake and alert by Charlie, who asked plenty of questions about technician work. Mike was moderately surprised at how much joy Fritz was getting out of answering all the questions and talking about his line of work. He knew that the technician enjoyed what he did, but he didn't know that he enjoyed it this much. It was as though both were totally enraptured in it.

It did give Mike ideas- that and that he had hours of driving with little stimulation. The main thing that Fritz and Charlie shared was their schooling, even if Charlie's was cut short, and here Mike was working with animatronics without any sort of credentials. It made him feel oddly restless. Seeing as though they were almost there, and he wouldn't get much of a chance for it later, Mike unbuckled his seatbelt and went to move between the seats.

"I'm going into the back for a bit, so you can have my seat if you want it," he volunteered as he slipped past Charlie. She gave an amused dismissal and returned between the seats to continue her chat. He decided not to point out that she was just as visible in the middle as in the passenger side, as it was liable to send her huddling behind the seat instead of climbing into the passenger's. He instead moved to sit opposite of Marionette, who was leaning back against a couple of stacked tarps, listening to the Walkman and skimming an old newspaper.

Mike couldn't help but be a little amused. It wasn't like this was the first time he saw Marionette doing human activities, but it clearly looked out of place. He couldn't imagine what Glenn would think if he saw this. Then again, he had been moderately disturbed when he saw Marionette being led around the carnival some time ago. Glenn would understandably panic, especially if he thought his own animatronics remembered past treatment. Marionette lowered the newspaper as he noticed Mike and then fully set it out of the way as he turned off the Walkman.

"Hello, hello! Decided to test your chances in the back? Don't worry, it's safe as long as you put your head between your knees before any impending impact," Marionette joked. "And I _do_ mean impending. I had a terrible dream last night that we got in a car accident and I don't like our odds."

"Well, thank you for telling me that after we drove pretty much the entire way," Mike sarcastically remarked. Though his tone quickly shifted as he glanced back towards Fritz and Charlie, who were now talking about Baby's many quirks. "Hey… What would you think about me going back to college?"

Marionette's head snapped upright with interest. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I wouldn't live on campus or anything. I'd probably have to take classes on the weekend if they let you do that. Maybe at night. Couldn't really afford anything, so maybe do a community college until I can figure something else out. Just… Something." He gave a playful smile, a slightly forced one, and nodded towards Fritz and Charlie. "It's hard not feeling intimidated by the two of them, you know?"

"Mike, I think that's wonderful!" Marionette quickly began to gush. He scooted over beside him. "You'd go into robotics too, yes? I could help you study. We could even research together! I could stay up with you for late night sessions before big tests and then we could frame your diploma right in the living room!" His excitement almost surprised Mike. He had a feeling Marionette would be happy but didn't expect this amount of elation.

"That all sounds great, but let's save the plans and parties until I actually get in. Let's not forget that I'm about four years too late, have no college fund whatsoever, and am going to work around a full-time job… And you, because I don't want us becoming ships passing in the night because I'm working during the day and taking classes at night."

"Because we work so far apart," Marionette quipped. He chimed in amusement before continuing, "But I think that would be wonderful. I'd be willing to lose a little of our time if it means you can go. If I had the option I would certainly go back to school." Mike looked back at him questioningly. "I've done well enough in teaching myself over the years, but as formal education goes, I only finished elementary school."

It wasn't too hard to read Marionette's hidden motives, even if he didn't know they were there. Mike suspected that sometimes when he was encouraging it was because it was something he himself secretly wanted. Such as with the friend situation in Zion- even if Mike was forced to admit that he too hadn't minded the brief taste of normality. Perhaps Marionette's idolization of the idea was largely inspired by his own desire.

"We could make up for the time. I could bring home anything from the college and we'll figure it out together." Mike sent a playful smile. "It's robotics. One of us is bound to figure it out."

"We just passed the city limits," Fritz called back, interrupting any of a response. Mike responded by patting Marionette's leg and then moving back into the passenger seat. College talk could wait until they were on their way home.

It was later than Mike had wanted to arrive, but that didn't mean that Chipper's- or El Chip's Fiesta Buffet as it was now known- was any less crowded. Unlike Foxy's peak hours which were in the afternoon- especially between three and six- it looked like they had come at El's Chip's own peak. There were many more cars than Chipper's had ever been seen with and through the front windows they could see part of a warmly lit dining room.

"I'm shocked. When Glenn said business was good, I didn't think it was this good," Mike muttered as Fritz parked to the right of the building, as though parking where the employees would have. "We need that renovation."

"We're getting that renovation. If I must sell a kidney to get it, we're expanding the business," Fritz firmly assured as he turned the van off. He then looked between Mike and the back. "So… I was thinking this place would be empty."

"You two go ahead," Marionette assured, reaching over to lay a hand on Mike's shoulder. "Just keep an eye on how things are going in there and don't worry about us." Considering everything at Foxy's recently, Marionette knew it was probably best that they didn't risk anything crazy. Even if he wanted to. Even if he was concocting ideas on how to slip inside even as he dismissed them. Apparently, Mike wasn't as convinced.

"Alright, just don't go too far. I don't care if you do donuts in the parking lot, but if you joyride off then we'll have to pay for a ride, and at this point Fritz's kidney is already paid for," Mike nonchalantly jested as he started out of the van. He then hesitated in the doorway. "And please, God, if you see any children in the basement, then don't put them in the van." He didn't miss the mockingly unenthused look as he shut the door.

Stepping into El Chip's Fiesta Buffet was nothing like stepping into Chipper and Son's. Chipper's had always had a somber feel of it. Almost like the feeling one would get when walking into the remains of an old Freddy's; that sensation of failure and despair. The feeling like the restaurant was barely hanging on by the strings of its past. That mixed with the emptiness and the broken animatronics left the whole restaurant in a depressed state.

El Chip's was nothing like this. The whole place, both dining room and small foyer, were illuminated in warm light and lively with music and voices. The smell of cooking meat, beans, and various seasoning was powerful and mariachi music was playing over the speakers in the roof. Faux-Mexican decorations were everywhere; sombreros mounted on the walls, flags and streamers from the roof, and large posters depicting 'El Chip' and a new, but smaller cast of semi-familiar characters. Mike and Fritz approached the front desk where a familiar woman was standing. She looked up from the desk with a smile.

" _Buenos noches_ and welcome to El Chip's- Oh, hi there! Mike!" she greeted. Mike recognized her as Amber, the girl who was working for Glenn the last time he had come for a visit. He was glad to see that she still had her job now that the prospects were better. "And you must be Fritz. Nice to meet you. Glenn will be out in a few minutes, so in the meantime I'm going to get you two seated. Okay?"

"Seated. Right," Mike vaguely agreed. He wasn't sure what he was expecting but sitting in a loaded dining room wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Especially not if they were going to be talking business. It didn't help matters when Amber grabbed two menus on the way and roped them into eating. She then guided them into the reasonably full dining room. Most of the patrons were families gathered in booths, so they were stuck uncomfortably at a table in the middle, still wearing Foxy's uniforms, and looking like they didn't belong there at all.

The theater had been completely changed with the seats yanked out, the floors leveled, and the once viewing room now filled with enough tables to be a proper dining hall. Against the back wall was a salad bar and what looked like a buffet table alongside it. The stage was mostly unchanged, with only the curtains being switched out for bright orange ones with a yellow sun on it. As of now the curtains were closed and none of the animatronics were visible.

Amber handed over the menus. "The next show is in about five minutes. Can I get you two anything to drink?"

"You're driving, right?" Fritz asked lowly as he peered past the menu. Mike raised a brow at him. "…Right, don't drink. Yeah, I'll have a margarita." This got the slightest snort of amusement out of Mike before he ordered a soda and Amber hurried off. "We'll be at the hotel anyways, so we won't need to switch drivers."

"Fritz, how much alcohol do you _think_ is in a margarita? Because if you're completely out of it after one then I'm moderately concerned," Mike prodded teasingly.

"We're about to meet up with Glenn, Mike. I don't intend to have only one." He then looked back towards the buffet. "And see? They've got a salad bar. I told you we needed to do salads."

"I don't trust lettuce that sits out for hours on end. Something about it just doesn't seem sanitary, buffet style be damned." Mike then squinted as he looked down the rest of the table. "I think there's a make your own taco bar."

"You're questioning the salad when there's beef and chicken sitting out for hours on end. Mike, priorities." Fritz glanced past the security guard and his eyes widened. "Here comes Glenn… And he looks half-dead."

Mike was about to question this but was cut off when Glenn appeared beside them. It was only then that he saw what the technician had reacted to. Glenn looked terrible in comparison. He was pasty and yet still had an uncomfortable pinkness settled on parts of his face. His forehead was glossy in a sheen of sweat and his hands were puffy and hot when he shook hands with the two men. Mike couldn't hold back as he watched Glenn sit down.

"Christ, Glenn, you look _terrible_ ," Mike insisted. Fritz glanced at him as though to add in, but then decided not to. "Is this still from the other night?"

"Yeah, it's nothing. Don't worry about it. I think I picked up something," Glenn excused. His voice was raspy and gargled deep in his chest as he spoke. He gave a low cough into his fist. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"…You didn't eat any salad recently, right?" Fritz asked lowly. Suddenly what seemed like a good idea was the suspect for what looked like literal poisoning, but the older man waved it off.

"It's fine. If it gets any worse, I'll go see someone. Don't worry about it." He then turned his focus onto Mike. His pupils looked uncomfortably swollen, almost as much as his hands had been. "How's business been since everything went down at Magictime? I'm guessing better than you could've expected."

"What does that mean?" Mike asked in genuine confusion. "I mean, yeah, I assumed that the whole place would clear out, but it didn't." Glenn waited as Amber set down their drinks, took their menus and orders, and left before clarifying what he meant.

"I don't know if you know this. I know Fritz does, but you weren't working at Freddy's in its heyday. Every time something happened- something big got on the news or someone went missing- business boomed. People actually wanted to take their kids in after other kids went missing. It's so…" Glenn paused to try and find a word. Then he graveled out, "It's plain stupid, that's what it is." He pulled a small bottle of antacids out of his pocket and popped one. "I got all the paperwork together for the company that did the renovation and they said they did work all over the state."

"And what's the bottom line? Because we've been saving up a bit…" Fritz trailed off as Glenn took a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and handed it over. He took one glance and gave a suppressed groan, "We've got maybe half of this… And this is just an estimate? Geez…"

"We'll figure it out. We'll just start renting out Foxy again," Mike suggested. "We'll find a couple of events to work, we'll get the commercial going, and we'll get whatever that number is-." Fritz flashed him the number. There was at least one more zero than he wanted to see. "…I stand by what I said. We'll just have to skimp, fight, and cut corners. We can do that."

"Just take a couple of cheap jobs. That's what we did to get though the rough patch," Glenn suggested as he popped another antacid and took a swig of the soda. "The show's about to start, so I'm going to get out of your hair. You two eat, watch, and tell me what you think afterwards." He slapped Mike on the shoulder. "Talk to you later, Sport." He then seemed to leave as fast as he could, still chugging down the glass of soda as he wandered off towards the kitchen in the back.

"…Alright, I'm going to come out and say it: Glenn looks terrible and I'm regretting ordering the buffet," Fritz said. He said it partially in joking and assumed that Mike would react with the usual sarcasm, but instead the security guard was silent. He wasn't usually worried about people he wasn't close to, especially not someone as distant as Glenn, but he couldn't ignore that the man looked disturbingly out of sorts. "Mike, everything okay?" Fritz asked with more concern.

Mike recovered quickly. "Yeah, I just realized Glenn took my drink and am wondering if it's worth going after it," he said nonchalantly as he turned his eyes towards the stage where the curtains started to open. "Looks like something's starting to happen," he remarked, turning his companion's attention off him.

Up on the stage the curtains drew back to reveal a El Chip and his group. The once faulty and clumsy Chipper had been repurposed into the cleaner, refurbished El Chip. Set with a sombrero and a mandolin, and a semi-dazed look, El Chip looked much more akin to a toy animatronic now than he ever had before. His band was comprised of three other animatronics; what looked to be a short dog, a pink bird that looked like a recolored Chica, and what looked to be a potted cactus.

" _Buenos noches, ninos and ninas!"_ El Chip greeted the audience with a blink and a dazed stare. _"It is time for El Chip and his band- the three Gran Chicos- to play!"_

"…It's already ten times worse than I expected, and nothing's even fallen apart yet," Mike quipped with a slight smirk. This got the slightest bit of a snicker out of Fritz at least, but Mike himself felt less than amused. Even as he stared at the band on the stage, he was fighting not to think about how sick Glenn looked.

The look in his eyes was a dead giveaway. Something was terribly wrong.

* * *

 **Mable: Because I know the question on everyone's mind has been, "But how is** _ **Chipper**_ **doing?" XD Well, he's had major plastic surgery and now has a themed buffet. That's pretty good considering what happened to some of the other restaurants. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter is due next week, right on schedule!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Mable: Hello there! Before we begin, I wanted to reply to a comment from Olivia the Nerd.**

 **Hello again, Olivia. ^-^ The book is- funny enough- also about puppets. Though wooden puppets in a Victorian-esque world instead of animatronics. Imagine something like Pinocchio. The title, Marzipan and Merlot, is just a working title right now.** _ **After their theater is lost, the two titular puppets must flee for their lives or else risk being sent back to the workshop where they were created and emptied into mindless husks.**_ **I'll certainly add more about the story later and will keep you updated on how it's going, along with revealing more story details closer to release.**

 **I'd definitely say to start trying to write your book. I say try, because it takes me pretty much twenty attempts to get any workable ideas down on paper. XD It's never too early to start, and really the only way one can improve their writing is through writing (and reading, but that's a given). Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the book! Thank you so much for reading it! 8D**

 **Now onto Mister Glenn's Wild Ride, featuring El Chip.**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-Seven_

Marionette didn't last nearly as long as he intended to and gave into the temptation rather quickly. Charlie didn't look surprised when he climbed up into the passenger seat and opened the door.

"Come with me. It's safe, nobody's out here," he assured as he exited the van. Though he wasn't confident enough to stray far from the van and quickly used it as a shield as he looked to make sure nobody was watching. He knew this was risky, especially considering his revelation with Louise and Jason, but he was willing to bend the rules for the other puppet. They wouldn't have another opportunity like this for a while.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Charlie asked. She didn't wait for an answer as she climbed out behind him and followed. He beckoned her closer to the wall and led her towards the back of the building. "There's so many people inside, Mari, and people have already seen me," she warned. Though again she didn't stop him, and she didn't exactly sound worried by it. In fact, she felt more confident with Marionette than she had when Baby coaxed her out of the van and into the mall.

"It'll be fine. We won't be going where they'll see us. I promise," the Puppet assured. He then hurried ahead when he noticed the back door. Trying it revealed that it was locked, but he was undeterred. With one hand on the door and one on the handle, he focused and shifted, tweaking at the lock until it gave, and the door opened. He beamed in delight as he peered in. From the looks of it, they were in some sort of storage room with the lights shut off. "Perfect!" He entered inside, doing a quick sweep to make sure they were alone, and then held open the door and ushered Charlie inside.

It didn't take long of shifting through the storage room before Marionette found two doors. One led through to the hallway while the other led to the backstage, being exactly where he wanted to go. He guided the other Puppet through the door and into the tight space off from the stage. It was less of a room and more of just an area to stick stacked chairs and something covered in a tarp- probably an unused animatronic. Thankfully, there was nobody back there, and from this vantage point they could see the stage from the side and the show starting to begin.

" _Buenos Noches ninos and ninas!"_ greeted El Chip. It was obviously the same animatronic as Chipper, just having a new suit refitted and updated with the theme they were going for. _"It is time for El Chip and his band- the three gran Chicos- to play!"_ The beaver stiffly turned to the right. _"Senior Pollo, you get to choose the song this time!"_

" _Si,"_ agreed what looked to be a dog animatronic. It was shorter than El Chip, so it was possibly repurposed from Chipper's son, which was no nowhere to be seen. It almost looked styled after a Chihuahua from the ears and the shape of the face and was colored a light beige with a few dark brown spots. _"But I am too hungry to perform to perfection! Can we hit the tacos first?"_

El Chip laughed boisterously. _"Ha ha!... No."_

Marionette chimed lightly at the show. It was certainly staged better than the old one, though it wasn't as unintentionally funny as it used to be. There weren't any signs of the whale cut outs either, so he doubted that the painfully bad jokes would make a resurgence. It was now that he noticed how far back Charlie was. She couldn't see from inside the door surely. He beckoned her closer, but she seemed hesitant.

"What if… What if they can see you right now? You're not that far from the stage," Charlie pointed out. She turned her heard and listened to the voices in the dining room. "And it sounds like there's a lot of them."

"Trust me, if someone could see me then I would feel it. We're out of sight right here," Marionette assured. He offered his hand out to her. She took it and stepped closer, to which he guided her in front of him, resting his hands protectively on her shoulders. "Chipper's always been an odd one. It's a normal animatronic, but it's made like one of the Freddy's models and has similar programming."

"It almost looks familiar… Did it used to be a Freddy's character?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Hmm, well… Yes and no. No, I don't remember it being used in establishments, but yes, because he was in the Fredbear and Friends cartoon, so there must have been some connection." Indeed, he remembered how Chipper had been a staple character. Though he was nothing like El Chip in the cartoon. "And the owner here, Glenn, used to work at one of the Freddy's. I'm not sure which one or what he did there though."

"Oh my gosh, I remember that cartoon!" Charlie whispered in slight surprise. She partially turned her head to face Marionette. "I can't believe I forgot it for so long, but there _was_ a Freddy cartoon, wasn't there?" She realized what sort of Pandora's Box she opened immediately when she felt his hands tremble in excitement.

"There was! I have the entire series on tape. When we get home, we can watch it together. If only we had this conversation hours ago, I could've brought the tapes and we could've watched them in the hotel! See, it's about Fredbear, Bonnie, and Chica trying to run a restaurant while putting up with- Ah, I'm talking over the show. I'll tell you later in the van," Marionette finished abruptly. He couldn't help but wonder what she would think of the show. Maybe she would agree with him on the quality change between seasons. Perhaps she would even agree that Freddy and Bonnie were much more compatible than Freddy and Chica or Bonnie and Bea.

Charlie turned her focus to El Chip's performance for a few moments. The group had begun to play music- or mimicked playing as music echoed through the speakers- that sounded vaguely like mariachi music. El Chip led them by singing loudly and mimicking playing his mandolin.

" _Her eyes were like olives, her lips were like cheese, her singing was mucho cantando, and her dancing brought me to my knees,~"_ El Chip sung to the audience. The pinkish bird began to rattle her maracas faster while the cactus spun around in its pot. Only then did the beaver animatronic break into the chorus. _"She was the fire! The fiiiire of my life!~"_ He tilted back his head, opened his mouth, and- " _Ayiayiayiayiayiayi!"_ He rattled with his head bobbling like it was attached to a spring.

"… So, was Foxy on the show?" Charlie asked. She didn't think she could handle much more of the display. Not to mention that she was losing interest in the animatronics which, while being interesting enough models, were slightly less than captivating when they weren't alive like them. Especially at the distance they were standing at, meaning that she couldn't look closer at how they functioned. Marionette didn't seem to mind at all.

"He was! He was sort of a foil or rival to Freddy's and was constantly trying to steal from him, but he wasn't necessarily a bad guy either. The typical pirate type."

"What about you?... Or the Puppet equivalent I mean."

"No, thank goodness. I have a terrible suspicion that I would've been turned into some sort of insane, flamboyant villain with a present complex. I just couldn't handle that when people are already unsettled by my smile." He chimed in amusement. "And Chipper certainly wasn't like this. He was a father and ran the lumber mill in town. I'm not sure why they chose the theme change, but it's certainly festive!"

He then hesitated. He had the desire to do something dangerous and risky. This was exactly what got him into trouble at the Halloween Party and yet he leaned in and lowered his voice. "If you would like, I could sneak you in tonight after hours and we could look at them up close."

Charlie turned her head so fast that her bell smacked Marionette across the mask. "Really?... Wait, are you sure about that?" she asked in surprise, but clearly there was interest too. "We could get caught. There could be cameras, a _night guard_ for one."

"I doubt Glenn has a night guard and I can handle the cameras," he assured, rubbing his mask before taking her shoulders again. "It won't be anything like what happened with Baby. We won't be taking anything apart or breaking down doors. We can just sneak in, take a look, and sneak out. It's your choice."

"…I should probably think about this…" Charlie looked towards the stage and the singing animatronics. "…Alright, we'll do it… But for now, maybe we should head back to the van?" She was starting to get nervous and he agreed without hesitation. He turned to lead her back out.

And then his gaze fell on the covered animatronic. He gave a thoughtful hum as he looked at the tarp then started to nudge in closer. "I wonder why this one is covered…" The Puppet reached forwards and started to lift the edge of the tarp. The Security Puppet kept an eye out but looked back when he heard him make a strange, clinking noise of surprise.

Underneath the tarp Marionette saw a pair of metal feet that had been painted dark brown. While they seemed unfamiliar at first glance, the shape of the metal feet was one he had seen before. Then the legs, now covered in this felt to resemble black pants. He had a horrible feeling he knew what this was.

"Mari?" That was all Charlie got out before Marionette yanked off the tarp in one fell swoop. The animatronic before him was painted and dress like a mariachi band member, though his pants and vest were black. He wore a sombrero that looked much too small in comparison to his head and his dark face paint was punctuated with apple red cheeks, a black nose, and strangely silver eyes. It wasn't just a beaver like El Chip; it seemed to be modeled after him.

"I don't believe this…" Marionette murmured. He refused to take his eyes off it as he explained to Charlie. "That is the Lumber Bot. This animatronic had a disturbing type of programming that allowed it to make non-programmed animatronics act strangely… And hunt just as it would. It attacked Mike and I- along with others- some time ago, so I assumed that Glenn would've gotten rid of it. He knew its programming was tampered with and knew it was attacking those working the night shift." He looked over it and a low static began to come from his core. "But he didn't get rid of it."

"Why would he keep something like that?" Charlie asked in shock. "If it wasn't working right and it wasn't alive, then why would he take that risk? It doesn't even look like its been used recently."

"I don't know," Marionette admitted, still obviously frustrated by the finding. He tightened his fists briefly before giving an airy exhaling noise and releasing them. It wasn't as though he could do anything about Glenn's recklessness. He couldn't even keep his own recklessness in check. Though this finding significantly changed his plans. "…Perhaps we… Shouldn't come back tonight…" Marionette quietly admitted. "…I'm sorry, Charlie. But I'm just-."

"No, I think you're right. It's one thing if they're not responding, but…" She looked over the seemingly unthreatening animatronic. "I don't want another Music Man incident, and I really don't want to feel that sort of programming." It was obvious that he was still upset about it. She reached out for his shoulder. "Let's get back to the van. I want to know more about Foxy's shoplifting."

This managed to make Marionette perk again. At least Charlie learned how to pull him out of a jam. Lumber Bot would be forgotten for now; it was Glenn's problem, not theirs.

In contrast to what Glenn had said, by time Mike and Fritz finished their meal and show he was nowhere to be seen. Amber couldn't find him either and suggested that maybe he had left the restaurant and would be back later. Neither Mike nor Fritz were patient enough to wait any longer and decided to head to the hotel. By time they got into the van, Mike had returned to his suspicions, thinking that something was certainly off with the situation. Especially with Glenn up and vanishing. Something didn't seem right about everything.

As they started pulling out of the parking lot, Marionette reached around the chair to tap him on the shoulder. "How was the show?" he asked curiously. Innocently enough considering he was there. Not that he was lying when he hadn't stayed for the whole show.

"Way more cohesive than Chipper's old one. Not as hilariously awful, but someone really needs to check El Chip's Spanish. About halfway through he stopped making sense… That's when the show went from good to _great_." Mike shot the Puppet a playful smile and the animatronic gave an amused chime. "And you two?"

"Didn't get to hear El Chip's broken Spanish, so we will consider ourselves lucky." That wasn't a lie either. "How about the food? In comparison to our own?"

"Considering that it was a taco bar, it was alright," Mike said with a slight shrug. "Seriously, I expected it would be awful, but it was actually okay. I wouldn't eat it daily though. You should've seen Glenn…" He gave a slow exhale. "So, Glenn looks like he's half in the grave and split on us after dinner. We did get the estimate and information on expanding, so all in all it was a success." He didn't vocalize his suspicions, but Marionette could hear something in his tone of voice. He must've not seen the Lumber Bot though or he certainly would've commented on it.

They stayed at the same hotel they had the last time they visited Chipper's. Not the same room but considering that most of the rooms were virtually identical it wasn't much of a change. Fritz took his own with Mike and both puppets splitting the other. Mike guided the two into the room while they hid underneath a drop cloth. He stepped inside, sent one glance over the room, and gave a blunt, "Well, here's where we're spending the next ten hours."

"Just pretend its Freddy's. The time will go by in an instant," Marionette assured as he slipped out from the cloth. "Or it will feel like an eternity. Either way, it certainly can't last forever." He hovered closer and watched as Mike sat down on the edge of the bed and took off his shoes. He hesitated a moment, tapping his fingers together, and then asked, "Did you see the Lumber Bot?"

"Nah. Saw Chipper and a couple of reused bots, but it didn't look like the Lumber Bot was there. At least, not in that show," Mike said. He seemed unconcerned at first, but then glanced up at the Puppet knowingly. "…What? What did you see?"

"Lumber Bot covered up off-stage," Marionette admitted. "He looked painted and refurbished just like the others, so I find it odd that he wasn't in the show."

"Glenn _still_ hasn't gotten rid of that thing?" Mike asked in disbelief. He sat there a moment, almost stunned, and then voiced his suspicions. "You know, something seemed off about Glenn. Not only did he look puffy and sweaty, and all pink in the face, but he was just acting weird. The last few times we've spoken, Glenn's been direct and asks questions. He tiptoed through our talk so quickly that you'd think he was taking hints from Scott. Which I would be fine with if it wasn't so weird."

"I think Glenn might be hiding something," the Puppet suggested. Then he hesitated and considered it. "…Of course, what he could've been hiding _was_ Lumber Bot. Bad programming or not, it is a fully functioning, modern animatronic. He might not be willing or able to replace it, and he might've known how you would've reacted if you knew it was still there."

"Yeah, that makes sense… Doesn't explain everything else though…" Mike couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than that but decided to trust Marionette's instinct. "I don't know. Maybe he really is just under the weather and it was bad timing for me to come see the business. I'll give him the benefit of a doubt."

"Now if only that detective would give us the same," Marionette playfully lamented, leaning over and crossing his arms, tossing him a more teasing sort of smile. "How does it feel surviving Chipper's yet again, Mr. Schmidt?"

"Surviving? Not yet. Give me at least until morning; by then we'll be able to see if the food was safe or not," Mike quipped as he laid back on the bed and reached for the remote on the beside table. He was soon flicking through the television channels while Marionette sat down alongside him, crossing his legs on the comforter. After a moment, Mike added in, "If Glenn wants to risk his life and restaurant with that thing in there then kudos to him. Just as long as he doesn't expect us to go fix it."

"Maybe he was afraid if you knew that you two would start looking deeper into it," Charlie pointed out teasingly. "Let's be fair, the moment he invited us over, the first thing we did was go sneaking around. Even if it's justified. You can't forget something like that… Even if your backup plan is to hide your secret under a flimsy sheet."

The comment settled for a few seconds before Mike turned to Marionette. "You better be thankful Charlie's here, because if she wasn't then there would be so many cringy jokes about secrets under sheets that it _would_ feel like a night at Chipper's." Marionette didn't know whether to be semi-curious or take Mike's smug smile as a sign to not be.

In the next room over, Fritz planned on getting through the night as quickly as possible. Now he wished that Natalie would've come with them, but he had partially expected that they would leave El Chip's and drive home through the night. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to stand an entire night with nothing to do- he would probably have to go out to the van and see if he had anything to tinker on. For the moment he jumped into the shower and tried to scrub off the day. It was all uneventful and normal, until he shut the shower off and realized his cellphone was ringing.

" _Probably Nat. I need to give her a call anyway,"_ he supposed as he started to dry off. The ringing stopped and then started almost immediately afterwards. This was peculiar; certainly not like Natalie. She wasn't the type to call multiple times in a row. Maybe it was Jeremy, or even Scott. Either of which calling repeatedly could spell disaster, but it wasn't as though he could do anything about it. He wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out as the second call was missed. He just picked up his cellphone to check it when a third call came through. This time, Fritz answered it. "Hello?"

"Fritz, good. I thought I got the wrong number." The grizzled, thick voice on the other side was clearly Glenn's. "Fritz, look… We need to talk. It's about the animatronics and it can't wait. I need you to come see me at the restaurant after it closes."

"Glenn, we just left the restaurant. Can't it wait until morning?" Fritz pointed out in disbelief. "Where were you by the way? Amber said you just left."

"It's not important, just… Come about ten-thirty, alright? Everyone will be gone, but it'll be early enough before Midnight that the animatronics won't be… Excitable." He gave a weary sigh and Fritz a shudder; that confirmed that the animatronics were still active. "And I need you to come alone. Don't tell Mike you're coming."

"Glenn, this is all a little much… Why can't I tell Mike?" Fritz latched onto that immediately, especially Glenn's following silence. "Does this have something to do with Mike?"

"I told you, it's about the animatronics… and I know about his _interests_ in animatronics," Glenn said, his voice growing a bit more solemn as he said it. Fritz's eyes widened, and his voice caught in his throat. "I need to talk with you alone. Ten-thirty, I'll be waiting for you in my office." With that, the phone call ended, and Fritz was left standing there without the foggiest idea of what was going on. He wasn't too unused to calls like this back when he worked at Freddy's- such as whenever Fredrick called him in the middle of the night with an emergency- but there were red flags everywhere.

So, he decided to trust his gut: he went straight to Mike.

After a few knocks on the hotel door, Mike answered it and found Fritz standing there, awkwardly dressed in half his uniform, hair still damp and face looking grim. He sent the technician a weird look, "Let me guess, you only realized once you got into the shower how disgusting it probably is?"

"Can you… Can you step out, or…?" Fritz glanced past and could see Marionette raising from the other side of the second bed. Obviously, he and Charlie had hidden, thinking it was someone other than him. He wasn't sure if he wanted them to hear some of the stuff he was about to divulge, not when it was so uncomfortable. "Just a second?"

"Sure, but it'll cost you," Mike remarked as he stepped out and closed the door behind him. "Alright, what disaster are we looking at?" He already knew something was up, which got a brief smile of stressed amusement from Fritz. A brief one.

"Glenn called and asked me to come meet him at El Chip's tonight after closing."

"That sounds like a trap," Mike bluntly stated.

"I know, especially since- get this- he told me to come alone and not to tell you anything."

"That sounds even more like a trap." Now Mike looked entirely unimpressed.

"And, well, here's the kicker… I think knows about you and Mari. He didn't say it specifically, but I know that's what he was implying, and I _think_ he wants me to come over so he can, I don't know, confront me about it?" Fritz was only more nervous while Mike furrowed his brows in confusion. "He said it was about the animatronics but then dropped that in there. You see my confusion."

"How would Glenn know about Mari and me? We weren't even together when we were here last," he pointed out skeptically. "Are you sure that he doesn't mean that he knows Mari and I broke in?"

"He said 'interests', Mike, and he said it in a not-so-subtle way. I know what he meant," Fritz pointed out matter-of-factly. "It wouldn't have been anymore obvious if he had started detailing what you had been doing. Thankfully, he didn't." But this didn't make any sense. From what Mike could rationalize, Glenn couldn't have found out. It wasn't like with Chance, who had been looking through the now-defunct cameras William had littered the house with. Unless-.

"Oh my God…" Unless somehow Glenn had gotten this footage from Chance or found it leftover on a backup computer that he left behind. The thought of it immediately horrified Mike, especially since that meant that maybe others could find that footage, including Burke and possibly the press. Mike ran a hand through his hair and tried to swallow the panic beginning to rise. Then he looked back to Fritz. "What am I supposed to do about it? Glenn's willing to forget all the crimes Fredrick committed, then I doubt he's going to rat me out. Technically, nothing I did was illegal."

"…The fact that you had to say that makes me even more disturbed," Fritz flatly answered. "We need to go over there and try to talk him down. Or at least, see what's so important."

"I stand by what I said: none of this sounds right and I wouldn't be caught dead in Chipper's after closing. Before Midnight or not," Mike insisted firmly. "And I don't think you should either. Even if it's not a trick, Glenn's going to get you into a corner and start asking questions that you're not going to want to answer. You know it's not an emergency if it's about me, so you don't need to go."

"I know, I know, but… But I'm afraid if I don't go, it might leave us open to something worse. Or, just… I don't know. Maybe if I talk to Glenn, I can try to cool this whole thing down. Especially with how sick he looks." Fritz was obviously concerned, but Mike was unmoved by it. "Can you at least drive me? Maybe wait outside while I go in and straighten this out?"

"…Yeah, fine. Since I might've gotten you into this mess… Or at least, _Chance_ did," he muttered the last part under his breath. Mike didn't want to go anywhere near El Chip's again, but he knew he had to do it. While he wouldn't say it out loud, the situation did unease him. Glenn could use that information for anything and it wasn't like they were on the best of terms. If anything, they were friendly competitors, and someone more cutthroat could've taken that information and used it to ruin the business. "Let me go get my shoes and we'll drive over there." Before Fritz could say anything, Mike let himself back into the hotel room and started to put on his shoes.

"Alright, I'm going to drive Fritz over to see Glenn at El Chip's. I don't know why he wants to meet at this unholy hour- _when we were just there_ \- but it's better than getting up in the morning," Mike explained quickly.

"Mike…" Marionette's tone was warning and already suspicious. Nothing that Mike didn't expect.

"We'll be back quickly and I won't be going in. You stay here and man the fort," Mike suggested as he headed to the door.

" _Mike_ ," Marionette said a bit more firmly, hovering closer, but was cut off by the door closing. The security guard could almost hear his static through the door. He then looked to Fritz who rubbed the back of his neck.

"We don't need to go just yet," Fritz explained. "Glenn told me to meet him about ten-thirty."

"If he wants to do this then we're doing it now, when there's probably still workers there," Mike firmly asserted. It was clear that he would not be budged. "And if Glenn doesn't like it, then he can drive all the way down to Foxy's some other night at ten o'clock." With that, he headed down to the van. Fritz followed shortly after, still seemingly hesitant.

It wasn't until they were driving over that Mike took notice of exactly how anxious Fritz looked sitting in the passenger seat. Fritz was not the nervous type. Cautious, yes, but not nervously skittish like Jeremy and Scott were. When it came down to having someone come to a business and risk their life, Fritz usually was capable of doing so. He obviously wasn't afraid of Chipper's or any of the animatronics in it, so it had to be Glenn.

"Did something happen between you and Glenn?" the younger man bluntly asked as they continued down the road. Fritz looked over with a start. "Glenn made it like you two barely knew each other and you act like you only know him by name, but you're acting a little too worried to not suspect something."

"It's not Glenn. It's all former Freddy employees, current or not," Fritz assured and turned towards the window. He stared at it for a minute before admitting, "It's a good thing we met Scott when we did, because if it was now, there would be no way that I'd open us up to someone in the business."

Blue eyes glanced off the road and to the other man, then returned to watching ahead, keeping an eye out on the unfamiliar road. "What changed?"

Fritz gave a weary sigh. "Fredrick changed." A long pause followed. It could've been left at that and Mike would've understood, but the technician took the liberty of continuing. "I never thought Fredrick was perfect, Mike. I knew something was off, but I didn't think it was _that_ off. He used to talk about William like he hated him, and talked about Henry like he liked him, and it was so convincing that I would have _never_ thought he was… Will." He gave a slight shudder. "I don't know if you realize how creepy it is to realize the guy you were working for was a serial killer."

"How about the guy who was your surrogate dad? How many times did he drag me out to a sympathy breakfast? Or that time he slipped me grocery money after he found out my fridge was empty… It just doesn't fit. We've got a kid killer running loose, making killer bots, and slipping me cash when I can't keep myself in groceries." Mike didn't want to say it, but it was more than just anger. It was a deeper betrayal than that, even if he didn't want to give William that amount of power. "…But yeah, I get it. Honestly, I'm pretty mixed on trusting Glenn regardless. He doesn't take care of his animatronics."

"Well, they're not alive," Fritz pointed out.

"They don't have to be. Besides, Glenn might've thought they were, or didn't care if they were. I don't know, I've got a soft spot for animatronics now." Though 'now' wasn't entirely accurate. Even when working the night shift at Freddy's, he had become attached and somewhat concerned for the animatronics. When he would see them become filthier and broken down, he found himself become more disgusted in the business itself, and the management, instead of the animatronics. He noticed Fritz giving him a slight smile and a quirked brow of amusement. "You've got that look again."

"Nothing. I was just considering that Glenn might not be too far off from the truth on his suspicions," Fritz playfully suggested. It eased the mood only momentarily as they proceeded to pull into El Chip's parking lot. While the lights were on, it looked like most of the cars were gone. "Geez, it looks deserted…" Fritz muttered as Mike drove to pull beside the restaurant. Then, out of nowhere, the technician asked, "Hey, you want to go cave diving sometime?"

Mike sent him an incredulous look. "Where did _that_ come from?" Maybe it was a metaphor on Chipper's being a trapping pit of death, but Mike wasn't seeing the connection.

"I wanted to go, but Natalie's claustrophobic and I doubt we're getting Jeremy in the ground. And I'm not desperate enough to ask Baby," Fritz pointed out. He then inhaled deeply and glanced at the clock. He was still rather early, but he started to brace himself up to head inside. "Are you sure you don't want to come inside?"

"Fritz, I'll go down in a cave with you, but I'm not walking into Chipper's this late," Mike pointed out. With a slightly disappointed exhale, Fritz started to get out of the van. The security guard leaned over the passenger seat to ask, "You can get an adrenaline high from cave diving, right?"

"You better believe nothing gets you into fight or flight mode faster than realizing you're stuck in a tight cave and can't turn around," Fritz called back as he continued towards the front door. He could hear Mike rolling down the window.

"Keep this short! I'm not coming in after you!" He was obviously interested, regardless of how he worded it. That was something worth looking into whenever they were closed for renovations. At least someone was willing to go with him, because Fritz wasn't even going to consider going alone. Even if he was willing to meet Glenn under such suspicious circumstances.

He tried the front door and found it unlocked, so he let himself in and walked into the dining room. It didn't look like there was anyone there, but there was a light coming from the kitchen and the dining room lights were still on. If the place closed then it had closed recently, even if everything was emptied out. It was very possible that there were still multiple workers picking everything up and putting things away, which made him feel better. Even though Fritz was going in blind as he headed to the hallway to look for the office. It didn't take him long to find it, with the door open and Glenn sitting at the desk inside.

"Glenn?" Fritz quietly began. Glenn still jolted upright as though he had barged in unannounced. "Glenn, it's just me. Sorry I was early, I just… I had a little bit of an issue getting from the hotel to here without… Mike finding out." It seemed like the older man believed the lie and his features softened.

"It's fine. Here, sit down," he offered as he gestured to the chair. He then broke into a fit of raspy coughs. "Throat's killing me. Chest too, I think I got some sort of lung thing."

"That could be serious," Fritz chimed in.

"I know, I know. Trust me, if something's killing me… It's not going to be my lungs." Glenn cut off abruptly and shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I didn't bring you here to talk about my health. I brought you here to talk about the bots. They still act up at night, but I'm sure Mike's already told you that."

"Yeah…" Fritz awkwardly tapped on the arms of his chair. "…About what you said on the phone about Mike, I'm not sure who told you that was going on, but that's not going on. Who told you any of that?" the technician asked in confusion and the slightest suspicion. Glenn started to answer, but then heaved to get oxygen, choking on his own breath, and waved it off.

"Doesn't matter," he choked out as he drank from a bottle of water. No wonder he was thirsty with how profusely he was sweating. "Chance. Before Chance died, he talked to me about Mike. He told me about how he was getting around to the other businesses," he admitted finally. "I thought he was the one who tampered with my bots. The only ones who could've were you, him, Dave, or that shady nervous guy. But after Chance and I talked… He made me believe maybe Mike did it… Maybe Mike's Afton's son."

"That's not true. Michael Afton's-… Michael's not exactly with us anymore." Fritz cut off a moment and considered his next words. "Is that what Chance told you? Because I could tell you what he was doing. That whole pizzeria was a sham."

"Chance was off his rocker. You don't need to tell me that," Glenn added, changing tunes entirely. "He really thought _Schmidt_ was some sort of mastermind behind everything? Mike's not even been working at Freddy's that long!..." His hand slowly dragged down off his face as he looked blankly towards the technician. "…Not as long as you have."

All at once Fritz got a cold chill down his spine. As though cold fingers were trailing across his shoulders before resting on his neck where they prodded at his pulse.

"It's not like Mike's the technician that worked on my bots and disappeared off the map."

This felt like a bad idea. Maybe Mike was right.

Then all at once, Glenn gave another huff and rubbed over his face. "I'm sorry, I'm not thinking straight. Everything's been in a blur for the last couple of days. Everyone's out to get me and all of that." He rubbed at his arm tightly and winced in obvious pain. It was only now that Fritz realized something was terribly wrong.

"Glenn, I think you need to go to the hospital," Fritz suggested. He stood and started to come around the desk, to which the older man shook his head. "Glenn, I'm serious. You could have some sort of walking pneumonia or something." Again, Glenn tried to raise his hand dismissively. "No. No putting this off. Come on, I'll drive you now," Fritz firmly stated.

"…Fine, if you won't get off my back about it," Glenn caved. "Just… Here, just sit back down. I'm going to go make sure the kitchen staff is gone and lock the place up. We'll go out the back; you can drive me in my car." This sounded good enough and the technician sat back down. "Just let me do my nightly routine. One more night won't kill me." He promised as he stood and started out of the room. He pulled the office door closed behind him with a click before heading down the hallway, leaving Fritz alone.

After about ten minutes of waiting, once Fritz was becoming antsy, he heard what sounded like someone going into one of the rooms down the hall. From the location and lack of labelling on the room, he assumed it must've been a storage or maintenance room and wondered if that was Glenn checking the animatronics before he left. He was wasting too much time in his state. Fritz stood and hurried to the door, intending to track Glenn down and confront him. He turned the knob and went to yank open the door open.

It didn't budge.

Fritz tried again and now gave a frantic knock. "Hey! Glenn?!" he called through but there was no response. He couldn't even hear whoever was walking around anymore. "Glenn, what are you doing?! Did you lock me in here?!" he called out as he tried to force the door open. It held tightly under his attempt to force it open.

Yet at that moment he heard the footsteps of someone else- or some _thing_ else from how heavy the footsteps sounded. His eyes widened as he realized it was an animatronic. Checking his watch, he could see it was still only ten o'clock. The animatronics shouldn't have been awake and moving. Then again, the door shouldn't have been locked either. He was trapped.

Glenn had set him up.

* * *

 **Mable: I'm sure anyone spotted that something was amiss with Glenn, and apparently, it's more than just taco-overdose. You can never trust the ones that worked at Freddy's, for they're much too purple.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Mable: So, I have no excuse for how late this chapter is. I just struggled more than usual, and it came up massively late, and I'm sorry. I won't dawdle any longer. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-Eight_

Mike was starting to notice that it was taking a little longer than he expected. He wasn't desperate enough to charge inside but he was becoming moderately confused and had half a mind to call Fritz's cellphone and see what was up. Yet right as he was pulling out his phone to dial, he noticed a car pulling out of the parking lot. It was hard to see from his position, but as it drove past, he swore he spotted Glenn inside. He squinted and tried to look closer, but the car was gone before he could be certain. Even though he couldn't be sure, he suspected that it was Glenn and that alone set off alarm bells.

If only he knew what was happening inside.

Fritz tried the window as the footsteps approached the office. He could hear the heavy clunking of metal that was barely suppressed underneath any fabric exterior- if there was a fabric exterior. The window seemed stuck and even when unlocked it refused to raise. The technician quickly entered a panicked frenzy. The glass looked thick; he didn't know if he could find something hard enough to break through quickly.

It was then that a thumping crack landed on the door. Fritz jolted and spun around to stare it down. His heart began to pound as he heard the mechanical squeaking of whatever was there rearing back again. He couldn't believe that a single blow would splinter wood, but it all made much more sense when the second blow revealed an axe. The sharp tip started to break through the door and sat lodged in the door for a moment before drawing back and striking again in slow, heavy blows. Fritz could already imagine it slicing through his flesh.

He tried the window one last time and when it still refused to budge, he looked around for something else. No other doors, no closets, not even anything that he could block the door with when something was breaking through. Without any other options, he rushed over and hid underneath the mahogany desk. He tried to quiet his breathing, which sounded too loud with his equally thunderous heartbeat, as he fit himself into the tight space underneath. If he was found down here then he would be at the animatronic's mercy, so he could only hope that he wouldn't be seen.

It didn't take long for whatever it was to finish chopping down the door and breaking its way through. With a loud cracking it forced its way into the office and began to thump across the floor. Fritz's eyes were wide open as he listened to it only feet away. There was a wide enough space under the desk that he could've bent down and looked out, but on the same hand so could the animatronic. He couldn't risk any noise. It came to a stop at the end of the desk and with a low squeak it turned its head and took in sight of the room around it, looking for the human who should've been there. Its presence was heavy, and the weight crushed onto Fritz's lungs.

But then, just when he thought he was found- assuming such from how it stood there unmoving- it slowly turned its body and started to head back to the door before stepping out. While Fritz was alone in the office, he didn't feel any safer. _"Okay, okay. Think… There's no way Glenn would've secured all the doors and windows. I could try the bathrooms- they're closest… But the windows might be too small, and I don't think those doors are going to lock. There's the storage room. Maybe there's a bigger window in there… I doubt I'll make it to the front door."_

Fritz was in the middle of contemplating his actions when suddenly a ringing started blaring out around him. He knew immediately that it was his cellphone and frantically yanked it out of his pocket. He instantly ended the call, denying it and silencing the ringing. Unfortunately, the damage had been done, and he could hear the footsteps returning from down the hall. _"Just stay quiet and it'll come in and walk right back out. It doesn't know where I am."_

And then the phone started to ring _again_.

Fritz was back in a panic. Denying the call would just leave it open to call again. Answering the call risked too much sound on its own. Either way, the animatronic was thundering towards the door. In the last moment Fritz's priorities changed from silencing the phone to just getting it away from him. He slung it under the desk and slid it out from underneath to the carpet in front of the door. He then held his breath, hearing the ringing, the heavy footsteps and then a loud crunch that silenced both. He didn't even care that his phone was destroyed, only that the animatronic was back and standing right beside him.

Thankfully, the animatronic again turned and started to leave the room once more. Soon he was sitting alone once more. He started to pull his frantic thoughts together again. _"That had to be Mike. Not that he can come in and help me if I can't get out. I can't wait for him- I have to find a backdoor or something before that thing comes back."_ With a slow inhale, filling his lungs until they were heavy and sore, Fritz scooted out from under the desk, stepped over the crushed phone, and came to the door.

He could hear footsteps when he looked out into the hallway but couldn't see any animatronics nearby. He steadied his nerves and stepped out of the office before slowly heading down the hall. Out in the dining room, Fritz could hear thumping footsteps, squeaking metal, and recognized immediately that there was more than one animatronic wandering around. He shuddered and approached the nearest door before opening it, and only finding a closet.

" _There's another hiding spot. Not really a good one though…"_ Fritz looked down towards the other door and the opening into the dining room and then inched in closer. He looked in the dining room as he edged to the door and started to slowly open it. All he could really see was the stage and there was nothing of interest on it. He continued to watch as he slipped through the door and into the storage room.

It was pitch dark inside, but Fritz didn't dare turn the light on. He instead reached for his keychain and pulled off a tiny light to use. It was less than a flashlight; just a piece of plastic with a tiny bulb that would glow when squeezed. It barely lit up anything that wasn't within a foot of the light, but it at least kept him from running into anything. He followed the shelves and walls around the exterior before eventually coming up on the back door. Alas, it too was locked, and he couldn't figure out how to unlock it. He looked for more windows, but the storage room was devoid of them.

It was now that footsteps approached from the other side of the room. Fritz turned off his light and squeezed beside a shelf. To his surprise, it looked like another door was pushed open on the other side of the room. In spilled a dull light that only seemed to be enough to illuminate the doorway, and with it wandered in an animatronic.

This was not whatever rushed the office. Instead, this was simply El Chip, walking in slow, clumsy footsteps. As soon as it stepped into the darkness Fritz could no longer see it but could still hear it walking through the room. First El Chip headed to the hallway door, and Fritz hoped he would leave through there. He did not. Instead, he turned and began to approach the back door. Fritz could hear his heavy footsteps and tried to press to the side, only to be stuck against a shelf. He ducked down until he was kneeling and tried to shuffle by on the floor when El Chip started to pass.

He felt El Chip's hand brush the back of his jacket. Fritz noticed it, El Chip did not.

As quietly as he could- holding his breath as he did- Fritz crawled towards the door El Chip had come in. The beaver had stopped at the back door and seemed to be contemplating it, so he only hoped he could skirt through before it turned around and spotted him in there. He shifted through the door and hid around the corner, unwilling to risk shutting the door and it letting out a warning squeak. His heart was pounding as he quickly ducked past the doorway and approached the stage. He wasn't surprised to see that all the animatronics had left the stage, only leaving behind the cactus' pot.

The stage curtains were drawn closed and he inched open the corner to look out. To his horror he caught a glimpse of the pink bird wandering into the front foyer and disappearing. She was blocking the front door- not that it was a guaranteed escape route anyway if Glenn had gone through the effort to fix even the office window. He looked towards the kitchen and noticed the lights were off now, unlike the dining room. Maybe that meant nobody was in there. Then again, that could also mean that something was hiding in there in the dark, but perhaps a kitchen would have another backdoor.

It wasn't as though he had much time to dwell. Fritz could hear Chipper's wobbly footsteps approaching the stage door. With no other options, Fritz slipped through the curtain and climbed down from the stage. His heart was pounding as he looked around the room and shuffled closely to the wall. He made it to the door back into the hallway, where he could return to the office or the bathrooms, but this would stick him in a dead end. Sure, part of him wanted to hide under the desk and try to wait it out, but the other part assured him that eventually they would find him if he stayed still too long.

Fritz stayed close to the wall as he inched step by step, soon arriving at the now cleaned buffet tables. He ducked down behind them and continued to shuffle along, only to stop when he heard what sounded like plastic scraping on tile, and it sounded close. _"Just wait it out. Whatever it is will just move by,"_ he assured himself. Than he continued to move ahead as quietly as he could. _"Almost there. Get to the kitchen and get out… Or get a knife and find another way out."_ He started to step out from behind the salad bar.

He was rewarded by a green, handless arm suddenly appearing around the corner and pinning down his shoe.

Fritz's eyes popped open and he slowly leaned forward to see none other than the cactus animatronic. It had pulled itself from its pot- with wires dragging from its bottom like plant roots- and was now crawling on the floor. The segment that made up its head spun around so that it could look up at the technician with bright orange eyes and a goofily stretched smile molded on its face. It stared at him, he stared back, and then-.

" _Doooon't drink the cactus juice! You don't know what it'll do to you,~"_ the cactus began to sing. The volume of its voice was unbelievable, and Fritz knew anything in the area would hear it. With a gasp, he tried to pull his foot free. The cactus brought up its other arm and clamped both on the technician's lower leg. He tried to shake it off as it sluggishly drug behind him. _"Looks like an oasis and tastes all sweet, but it ain't all sunshine in the cactus meat!~"_

"Let go!" Fritz whispered harshly. For a moment he forgot that this animatronic wasn't alive or else he probably wouldn't have even tried. He kicked his leg free, stumbled loudly over its arms, and broke into a sprint towards the kitchen.

" _Ain't no runnin' in the dining room, Kiddo!"_

Fritz felt a chill run down his spine at the feminine, heavily accented voice. He looked back to see the pink bird- the Chica recolor- coming around the corner. Then, in complete contrast to her previous comment, she broke into a dogged run towards him. Her maracas shook, her heavy footsteps echoed, and he could still here her voice. _"Come on back now, ya here?"_

With that and all the noise the cactus was still making, Fritz knew he was pretty much doomed. He turned ahead and barged right through the kitchen door. He only had a second of light before he was thrown into darkness and the only thing he could see in this time was the island counter beside the sink. He threw himself behind it and willed himself to stay as quiet as he could. Within moments, the kitchen door swung open behind him.

" _Now Marcactus, you rascal! We can't play on an empty stomach! How's about we stop at our buffet for a tasty chicken and cactus taco? Now that's what I call fusion cuisine!"_ the pink bird played through its speaker as the door fell closed behind it. It began to cross the kitchen with loud footsteps. Completely blind, Fritz still knew exactly where it was, and listened as it circled the kitchen. It must've bumped into something as what sounded like a load of dishes hit the floor. The technician cringed and gave a full body shutter. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so helpless- he hadn't even felt this weak at Freddy's.

The bird approached the island, stopped at it for a moment, then started to try and squeeze around it. Fritz promptly started to crawl around the other side, only to jolt at the loud banging as pots were knocked off the counter. _"Any minute now the rest of them are going to barge in,"_ Fritz panicked as he continued trying to scoot around the island. The bird was moving surprisingly quickly, and Fritz was slowed by all the objects crowding the floor. Anything he touched could make a noise and signal where he was.

It was then that the kitchen door started to slowly creak open. Fritz just barely managed to get behind the corner of the island, but now he was closer to the bird with a beam of light illuminating the kitchen. Not that he knew if they could see in the dark or not. The bird turned abruptly, knocked over a block of knives, and then stared intently at the doorway. The newcomer promptly announced its presence.

" _-And the spines poke you deep, if you eat from the meat! But it sure ain't as bad as that juuuice!~"_ the cactus- Marcactus?- sung through the doorway. While Fritz expected that this would doom him, this was actually his saving grace. He could only assume that it was the mistake of the programming, but as soon as the door opened the pink bird lost interest in the kitchen, as though she thought he had left it. In hindsight it made slight sense; it wasn't as though they had actual thought processes, so it must've assumed that an opening door, even if opened by something else, equated to him having left the kitchen.

Marcactus lingered in the doorway and tried to get himself through, but after a few minutes of struggle he lost interest and let the door slowly slide shut. Fritz only waited a few moments before shifting around the counter in the darkness and climbing back to his feet. He turned his small light back on and looked for a way out, finding only a window and no second back door. The window seemed like a possibility even without any obvious locks or handles to open it with. It was as though the window hadn't been made with the intention of ever opening it.

Fritz's dread almost returned, but it changed to shock as he noticed something just through the glass.

* * *

Once the calls stopped going through, Mike knew something was wrong. "Come on, Fritz…" the security guard muttered as he put his cell phone away, almost certain that Fritz wasn't going to call back. "He better have just turned his phone off." He could only hope as he stepped out of the van and headed to the front door. He double checked his watch; not even eleven, so nowhere near midnight. Nothing should've happened this early. The front door was locked, to which he wasn't surprised, but the lights were on in the dining room. Not that it made him anymore confident considering that the place was deserted.

"He was meeting with Glenn in the office, right?" Mike asked himself as he drew back. "Looks like it's another trip through the office window." He then jogged around the restaurant while mentally kicking himself for letting Fritz go in alone and wondering if the technician was naïve enough to sit there waiting until midnight. He tried the back door when he passed it and was unphased to find it locked. He still wasn't at the point of getting worried, not yet. Not until he looked in the office window and saw the state of it.

The office was a mess. The door was completely broken in and now lying in pieces on the floor. Things had fallen off the desk, a broken cellphone laid crunched on the floor, and Fritz was nowhere to be seen.

"God damn it, I knew it!" Mike tried the window, knowing he had to get inside and get to Fritz. From the looks of it, they could've already dragged him off and were about to put him under the axe. The window refused to budge even though it looked unlocked. Without wasting another moment, he sprinted back to the van and returned with a crowbar. He wedged it into the small crack of the window and began to pry it open. The window strained against the crowbar before letting out a loud crack and sliding upwards. _"What did Glenn do to this thing?! He just couldn't make it easy. No wonder he didn't want me in here,"_ he bitterly thought as he began to climb in.

The security guard was about halfway through when he suddenly heard heavy footsteps. He started to slide back out and dropped underneath the window just fast enough to not be seen, but just slow enough that he caught a glimpse of what almost looked like another Chipper. Except that it was toting around that same axe, and its painted body was clearly not the usual fabric or plastic.

" _And there he is, wandering around two hours earlier than schedule. I can't believe this…"_ Mike didn't know what to think. He had found Glenn suspicious and had been paranoid, but now that this was happening, he could barely believe it. It was hard enough swallowing that the Lumber Bot was still active, let alone that it was now hunting around the restaurant. Mike leaned upwards and peered into the window to see the Lumber Bot still standing there but angled at the desk and not noticing the human watching. Its axe looked less like a prop and more like something someone pulled out of a shed, but Mike noticed it was clean of any blood.

" _I'm going to take that as a sign that Fritz's still kicking, wherever he is."_ He watched as the Lumber Bot stepped out of the office and headed towards what he remembered as the bathrooms. He waited until he thought it was gone before trying to climb inside again. It was impossible to be entirely silent, and all it took was the smallest squeak of the window before he heard the footsteps again. _"You have to be kidding me."_ He nearly threw himself back out the window as the Lumber Bot entered the office again. _"Forget it, I'll find another window."_

Which was how Mike appeared outside of the kitchen window, to Fritz's overwhelming relief. He didn't even have to knock on the glass as the man came over to check the window. He noticed the technician without any effort and was relieved to see that he looked alright- as much as he could when trapped in a dark building full of moving bots.

"Fritz! Can you hear me?" Mike called through the glass. Fritz made a strange, frantic hand gesture that he couldn't understand. "Fritz, Glenn's already taken off! We've got to get you out of there!"

There were quite a few sarcastic retorts that Fritz could've given if not on the side of the glass that he was on. He wasn't even wanting to risk whispering back and instead had to mouth a response. " _Everything's locked,"_ he mouthed in a growing panic. He pointed back in the direction of the door. _"Animatronics everywhere. I can't get out."_

Mike looked at the window between them. It looked thick, perhaps even double paned. It would take a struggle to break through, but the only other option would be getting Fritz back to the office.

"I got the window in the office open, but I don't think you'll make it over there!" Mike began as he raised the crowbar to silently explain how. Fritz started to look back at the door in alarm. That was a clear way out, but it would mean going right past the animatronics again. Mike tapped the glass window to get Fritz's eyes back on him. "Lumber Bot's right outside the office and he has an axe!"

" _What do I do?"_ Fritz mouthed back. It was the short version of a very long question. He couldn't even begin to fathom how he was supposed to sneak by. That was, until Mike made a swinging motion with the crowbar at the window, mimicking his intentions. Ignoring that they would be vandalizing Glenn's business, and then realizing he could care less when Glenn abandoned him, Fritz fell onto the more logical problem. " _The animatronics are right out there!"_

The younger hesitated and then looked down towards the corner that wrapped around towards the front door. He then looked back to Fritz with a determined look, one that almost worried him. "Give me a few seconds!" Mike forewarned before hurrying off. While the technician had faith in his partner, he still felt like he had just been thrown into the lion's den. Once Mike started to break the glass, they would have to be incredibly quick, because the animatronics would be drawn to the noise. He could only hope that they were the same as the old Chipper animatronics in the Lumber Bot being the only one capable of truly injuring him, but he wouldn't put it past Glenn to have tweaked them.

After finding his way over and then putting away the small light, Fritz cracked open the kitchen door and looked out into the dining room. To his dismay, the pink bird, Marcactus, and Senior "Pollo" were now all in the dining room. The cactus was laying in the center of the room while the other two just stood at opposite sides of the room, staring off at nothing, and waiting for him. He felt a chill creep over and shuddered. Glenn probably planned on Fritz getting cornered in the office by the Lumber Bot and dealt with quickly, but he had certainly arranged an adequate backup plan.

" _This isn't like Glenn. I don't even know him, and I know this isn't like him. Nobody would do this. Even if he thought I tampered with his animatronics, why would he wait this long?!"_ Maybe he was sicker than it seemed. It already didn't look good, but he couldn't guess what sort of bizarre ailment would cause this amount of delirium. Before he could come to any further conclusion, he was interrupted by a new noise.

There was a loud banging from the restaurant's front desk area. It was a rapid knocking, methodical and attention-seeking, and Fritz knew it was Mike. All three of the animatronics grew attentive and began to rattle out various recordings as they turned and walked, or crawled, in the direction of the front door.

" _It's time fer the fiesta to begin! I hope we got enough ground beef."  
"Down in the gully there's a lizard sittin' on a log-.~"  
"Amigo El Chip, you throw the mucho bueno fiesta, si!"_

Fritz exhaled in relief as he watched them disappear out of the room. Maybe they would be far enough out of hearing range that they wouldn't be able to hear the window breaking. Or just wouldn't get back to the kitchen fast enough. Though his hope was short lived as he heard the heavier footsteps far to his right, probably coming down the office hallway. The knocking had started to coax the Lumber Bot out. From the light moving of the stage curtain he guessed that El Chip was still on the stage. Perhaps stuck and unable to find a way down; Fritz could only hope so.

There was a tapping on the window and only then did Fritz realize that Mike had come back and was no longer distracting the animatronics. This was it. Fritz rushed to the window so that Mike could see him and then moved back to the door to feel for a lock or something to block it with. There was nothing, not even a chair, and he almost wondered if it was possible to slip out of the kitchen and grab one before they started. He didn't get the chance.

The first hit barely cracked the glass. The second started to break through, but only a small section right where the crowbar hit. Mike continued with strike after strike until the glass began to break further. The cracking noise only grew louder and Fritz, still standing at the door, could hear the quick footsteps as the animatronics started to rush in. His heart pounded erratically as he watched the slow progress at the window.

"Mike, hurry!" Fritz choked out.

"I've almost got it…" A few more strikes and most of the window was broken through. Large pieces of glass were still jutting out, but the hole through was large enough for him to try and squeeze past- if he was willing to risk possible injuries. All it would take was a little more time to make it safe and he would be free.

Or that was until the kitchen door flew open and slammed into the technician's back. Fritz staggered briefly before pressing back and trying to force the kitchen door closed again. This was a hopeless endeavor as a maraca toting arm slid through and hooked around. A blurring slur of words was concocted between all the voices behind the door. Out of the corner of his eye, Fritz could see Marcactus' arms coming through and trying to wedge the doorway open. They couldn't think, they didn't rationalize, they had no emotions, and yet here they were so determined to get to him.

It was only once Fritz's shoes started sliding on the kitchen tiles that he realized he couldn't hold much longer. He looked up to see the window almost cleared and decided to go for it. He broke into a desperate run and started to climb through. He didn't care about the glass and instead fought against it even as it caught on his clothes. Mike grabbed him and started to pull him through. It almost seemed like he had gotten out.

Then the hands clamped onto his legs and started pulling him back in. It was the chihuahua animatronic, being the only one of the group with hands that weren't molded against something. Its shortness didn't matter; it was just as strong as any full-sized animatronic would be. Then once it got him slightly back inside, the pink bird wrapped its thick arms around his waist and yanked him back with nothing more than the rattle of maracas. Fritz grabbed tightly on the edge of the window while Mike grabbed at his arms, swearing profusely and trying to fight back.

But the animatronics were set in their plans and soon dragged him deeper into the darkness of the kitchen. He fought against the limbs as he heard the louder footsteps thumping closer, all with the squeak and creak of shifting metal. The Lumber Bot was coming. He tried to kick back the cactus that now caught his lower legs in a bearhug, but was already trapped between the pink bird, who was now unintentionally blocking the window with its back. Mike turned on his flashlight and shined it into the kitchen to get a better look, planning to crawl in after Fritz and start swinging.

This plan was challenged by the kitchen door slowly sliding open and revealing Lumber Bot's poorly disguised visage. The wide, painted smile was only more unsettling than before. It looked like one of the Toy animatronics, if steeped in Fritz's post-Freddy's nightmares and given a weapon. It came in behind Senior Pollo as Fritz struggled against the grip on him. Mike started came halfway through the window and went at the pink bird in an attempt to get it to release the technician. He leaned upwards and jarred the crowbar into the opening on it neck. He tried to pry it apart just as he had the window.

It wasn't quick enough. The Lumber Bot stepped in to the scene and the door shut behind it, stranding them in darkness again. Fritz caught a glimpse of the axe as the flashlight light caught it. The Lumber Bot was raising its arm with a slowly squeaking and Fritz's eyes widened in panic. He tried to force himself downwards through the pink bird's arms, staring into darkness, and fighting helplessly against the chihuahua animatronic. "Mike-!"

A loud shattering noise broke through the voices. Fritz flinched back at the explosive noise right in front of him. He realized quickly that it came from the chihuahua animatronic in front of him as its grip suddenly released. The light briefly turned enough that he was able to see the axe lodged into Senior Pollo's head, between the top of its head and its right ear.

" _The fiest- Chip- band- where we go- perform- No,"_ Senior Pollo rattled out as it trembled in place. The Lumber Bot pulled its axe out without a care, took a step closer, and swung again. Fritz felt the breeze from the movement and knew that if it got any closer it would hit his leg. Senior Pollo wasn't shielding him any longer either, as the animatronic soon fell over and the metallic beaver was just as willing to step and crunch right over Marcactus' wires.

A second loud cracking noise broke out. This time from above Fritz as Mike managed to break part of the bird's neck. Its head lulled forwards oddly and its grip slightly loosened. The technician slipped down just in time to dodge the Lumber Bot. He ducked around the pink bird, which had its arms out and was trying to grab for him but seemed almost confused in where he was. The arms of the cactus were still around his left leg and he dragged the whole thing behind him. He dove halfway through the window, nearly knocking Mike aside as he tried to desperately scramble through. Especially when he heard the Lumber Bot's axe thump against the pink bird's chest.

"It's on my leg! Help!" Fritz nearly babbled as he pulled his right leg up to the window. Mike didn't even need to be asked twice. He leaned in the window and brought down the crowbar to pry off the arms and quickly knock then back with quick hits. He then grabbed the back of Fritz's jacket and helped drag him out the rest of the way. The technician landed on the concrete on his face heavily and dragged to his feet before he could even recover.

"Get up! We're getting out of here!" Mike commanded as he broke into a run. Fritz wasn't willing to argue and followed, even if he doubted that the animatronics would follow out the window. He jumped into the passenger seat of the van and clutched onto the handle on the door as they pulled out of the parking lot. He was nearly shivering and wiped over his face only to then find blood on his hand.

"Am I bleeding?" Fritz asked as he looked over his scratched-up hands. No doubt scraped up by the glass and fall onto the pavement. He was move worried about the bleeding that he couldn't see. Mike glanced over briefly.

"Yeah, from your lip." He turned back towards the road as Fritz felt around his mouth with his tongue to check his teeth. Now away from the danger, Mike's anger returned. "I knew Glenn was pulling something! I should've stopped him as soon as he walked out that front door!" He pulled out his cell phone. "In fact, let's just see where Glenn ran off to. If he's not halfway to the border I will be genuinely shocked." Fritz didn't say anything as he called the number, but he wasn't surprised when the call didn't get through. "Of course. Typical Freddy owner behavior, and this one's only running a knock-off."

"By the way, thanks for calling me over and over again," Fritz lightly joked. "I'm… I'm guessing that was you. I don't know who else it would be."

"It was me. Sorry about that," Mike apologized, looking genuinely remorseful. "If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't have tried more than once. Not with how the Lumber Bot was acting when I tried climbing in through the office."

"Don't be sorry. You saved my life," Fritz reassured. He sunk down into the seat. "Mike, we got really lucky. If you would've come in, we would've been stuck in there."

"I wouldn't have let Glenn leave the room," the security guard insisted. He glanced to the technician with the hope of getting more details, but the man looked exhausted and thus he let it go. It wasn't too long before they arrived back at the hotel. "You head in. I'm going to grab the first aid kit and I'll be right there." Fritz nodded and stepped out of the car. Now coming down from his excitable high he felt weary and out of sorts. He dragged himself into his hotel room while Mike did as he said. Though he made a detour on his way to Fritz's room.

Marionette and Charlie were sitting on the latter's bed as Mike let himself in and looked over as he did so. "You're later than I expected," Marionette remarked. He then saw Mike's face and, in an instant, knew something was amiss. The human looked slightly shaken and his clothes seemed a bit askew, which the Puppet took as a major warning. "What is it? What happened?" he asked worriedly as he raised from the bed.

"It's nothing, just… Okay, no, it's not nothing." Mike paused to reign himself in while Marionette eyes fixated on the first aid kit. He quickly looked over the human from where he was but couldn't see any obvious injuries. Though they could've been hidden. Mike tried to branch the topic easily, "So… It was a scam. Lumber Bot and the rest of Chipper's gang went after Fritz- He's okay, don't worry, but he scratched himself up a little. This is just a precaution."

"Were _you_ hurt?" Marionette asked. It wasn't that he didn't care for Fritz's wellbeing, but he took Mike's assurances as the truth. "…I thought you weren't going inside."

"Don't worry, I didn't. I didn't break my promise… Unless my promise was to not bust out one of Glenn's windows, to which I could've never kept that promise anyway. He's lucky I'm not busting up a few more things, him included," Mike said, with his sourness towards the man appearing towards the end. "I'm fine, trust me. I'm going to go over to Fritz's room and make sure everything's alright with him. You two just… Sit tight, okay? I don't know what we're going to do now. We might be taking off for home sooner than we thought." With that, he slowly closed the door. For a moment, there was silence.

"…I knew this was going to happen," Marionette cryptically remarked. Charlie, who had listened silently until now, looked up at his back. "I knew with that… _Thing_ in there that something was wrong. I shouldn't have let them go," Marionette continued. He covered his mask with one hand. "I should've taken care of it myself."

"How would you do that? By destroying the Lumber Bot?" Charlie asked. "You said that was the one with the programming."

"It is. It's the ringleader and it isn't even aware like us…" Marionette released a huff of static, "I have half a mind to go over there myself and take care of it right now." He tightened his hands and stewed in his growing anger.

"Then… Why don't you?" The comment surprised the Puppet and he looked back to the Security Puppet. She continued, "You said yourself that the Lumber Bot's not alive. If you shut it down then the others wouldn't be a threat anymore, right?"

He nodded and considered the idea. "…Maybe you're right. Maybe I should do it. I could go now, while Mike is busy with Fritz. He wouldn't even have to know…" He almost felt like it would be deceiving Mike, but he didn't want to risk him a second time tonight. Who knew what Mike left out of the story. He certainly didn't trust Glenn either, who had gone from negligent to malicious.

Making her own decision, Charlie made an unexpected offer, "Let me take you. I can drive the van fine and it'll be safer if you don't go alone, even if I'm just a chauffeur." The Puppet didn't respond right away, he just tilted his head quizzically. "If I could drive Baby out to the mall then I can drive you two blocks at midnight… It's almost like our earlier plans, except instead of looking at animatronic models I'll be watching you shut one down."

It would be an unnecessary risk to take the van when he could teleport easily, but he had to admit that Charlie had a point. He couldn't be too certain that the Lumber Bot would fight back and if he did somehow get stuck at El Chip's, unable to teleport back on his own, then it would force Mike to come get him. He just had to decide if it was worth the risk…

In the next room, Fritz had just finished getting his wounds cleaned up. "I think I busted my lip. That's going to look great on Monday," he muttered as he looked at his reflection. "If anyone asks, one of them sucker punched me. I rather that then them knowing I fell out a window. Natalie included." Mike silently handed over a wide band-aid which Fritz used to cover the scrape on the heel of his palm. "So… What's the plan now?"

"What do you mean?" Mike asked. "I don't think we ever had a plan."

"I mean… I mean, are we going to stay the night here and leave in the morning or are we leaving tonight? I don't think I can drive, but I will if it means getting out of town and away from El Chip and his 'Amigos'," Fritz said with a flat scoff. He was too tired to show much emotion. He looked back at the mirror and at his sore lip and that uneasiness returned. "…Mike, did Glenn really just try to have me killed?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Mike answered. He then gave a huff between exasperation and frustration. "Let's just leave now. I can drive, I've driven way later than this. Maybe we'll even get back some of our payment on the room." The technician nodded. "I'll go get Mari and Charlie, you make yourself useful and steal everything that isn't nailed down."

"Sure. You can't get enough tiny soaps and reused towels," Fritz answered. He almost sounded normal but also a bit distant. Mike understood it, considering what had occurred, but he couldn't say he understood Glenn's reasoning for trying to do this to Fritz now. If he could've had a grudge against anyone, it seemed more likely to be Mike himself. Maybe even Fritz was confused by it.

"You're okay, right?" The younger reached out to squeeze Fritz's shoulder. "Everything's alright? You're good for me to drive you?" Such a simple wording to ask whether or not the technician was on the brink of a breakdown.

"I'll be doing a lot better once we're out on the road," the older answered. He then turned to look at Mike. "Thanks for coming for me back there. I don't know what would've happened if you weren't there."

"Don't worry about that. Just consider it payback for every time you've pulled through for me, alright?" Mike managed an honest smile that Fritz was able to return. "I'll go get them and we'll get going. You sit tight." He then headed out of the hotel room, took a few steps towards the next room, and then came to a halt when he noticed the empty parking space that hadn't been there before. The van was missing. He stared at nothing for a few moments and then continued to the next room to check if anything else was missing.

Both Puppets were gone.

In hindsight, he should've taken the keys out of the van.

* * *

 **Mable: Mike just learned a lesson that Scott learned long before him… And no, it's not to never trust anyone connected to Freddy's. It's to never let animatronics around car keys.  
Anyway, I will try to get my act together by next Thursday! I hope you enjoyed!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Mable: Sorry about the delay, but thank you to the one anonymous reviewer who pointed out that being a few days late on updating will cause me to lose all my readers. -.- I would like to thank my more patient readers for bearing with me. Your support makes it all worth it.**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Twenty-Nine_

Compared to last time she drove, Charlie was feeling a lot more confident. Compared to the last time he was at Chipper's, Marionette was much less passive. She could tell that he was on edge by how he tapped his fingers and occasionally made that static noise that signaled irritation. He was slid down in the passenger seat with his body half twisted to fit easily into it. It looked rather uncomfortable to Charlie, but he seemed unbothered. Not that her body was bothered by tight spaces either. Even if she wouldn't admit it, she knew by the end of the night she would be looking forward to the safety of a box more than the comfort of a bed.

It didn't take them long to pull into El Chip's. The parking lot was still vacant so if there was any security system then it hadn't gone off. More than likely the animatronics themselves were the closest thing to security. Charlie took the liberty of parking behind the restaurant and Marionette resisted the urge to immediately teleport inside.

"I can come get you when I finish with the Lumber Bot," Marionette offered. He was slightly concerned that she would be unnerved by seeing him attack another animatronic. She seemed disturbed when Baby had done so, but he couldn't forget that she had also eaten an animatronic in front of. That was something taboo and unnerving; thank goodness she and Ennard chose non-sentient animatronics.

Though it was at this moment that he remembered Max's injuries in Afton Robotics and wondered if he had been one of their victims, or the victim of an animatronic spirit now moved on. Some things were better left not thought about.

"No, I'll be fine. I'll stay out of the way, so don't worry about me," Charlie assured as she turned off the van. She looked to the Puppet attentively. "But I'll need you to get me inside again."

Marionette nodded and guided her out of the van and towards the back door. Before he could get there, he noticed the door to the office left open and tilted his head curiously. Maybe this was the window that Mike said he had broken, even if it looked fine from here. He smoothly slid into the window headfirst and then waited for Charlie to follow. It was slightly more difficult for her, if only because she didn't have the luxury of hovering, so he offered a hand and helped her inside. They then looked around at the office.

"Look at this place. Something even broke the door in," Charlie mused as she stepped closer. She stopped when she noticed something broken on the floor and kneeled to get a better look. Marionette was more focused on the door.

"I would say it was more than that. There isn't much of a door left," he pointed out. He looked at the broken pieces of wood and noticed places where something had forcefully cut through. "It looks like it found its axe as well. I can't imagine why someone would willingly give it back to it." Unless they wanted him to use it, he thought begrudgingly. He looked back to the Security Puppet. "What did you find?"

"It looks like a cellphone. Or what used to be one. Doesn't look like Mike's though," Charlie remarked as she stood from the floor.

"I believe him when he said he didn't come inside. Maybe it's Fritz?" It really didn't matter too much, but it did paint a picture of a struggle, which made the Puppet only more determined to find and stop the rabid machine. He checked the hallway, saw and found nothing, and beckoned Charlie along with him. It wasn't until they got out to the dining room that they were able to see further damage from the Lumber Bot and were shocked to see what had taken the damage.

Two of the animatronics from the show- the recolored Chica and the cactus- looked exceptionally broken. The cactus was dragging around a tangle of sparking wires instead of its pot. The pink bird's head hung strangely forward, even as it was still walking around in a circle as though having lost a walking track. None of the others were anywhere to be seen, but Marionette had a suspicion of what could cause this much destruction, and he looked around before settling on the slightly ajar kitchen door.

Charlie jumped at the sudden music from beside her and looked to Marionette questioningly. She recognized the nursery rhyme; if it and his cold look was any indication, he was looking to pop a weasel. Which he was, if not for him glancing over just in time to see Charlie watching. Suddenly he corrected himself. If she saw him fly into an attack to take the Lumber Bot apart, she would think he was a maniac, especially when it would probably take little effort to get the bot shut down. Without a word, he thumped his fist on his chest, stopping the music abruptly and heading for the door.

The Lumber Bot was in clear sight when the Puppet opened the door. It was standing beside a shattered window and staring at it as though waiting for something. Behind it laid Senior Pollo, who twitched and fidgeted like he was trying to get himself upright. There was a large gaping wound in its head that fit the mark of an axe. Seeing it, along with the other broken animatronics, made Marionette only more determined to shut the Lumber Bot down. If they had been living, then this lifeless thing would've maimed them. They could've been innocents just doing their job.

But Marionette kept himself in line as he approached the Lumber Bot. He released his strings once close enough and started trying to latch them onto and slide them into the metal. It would be so simple; shut it down, open it up, and sabotage to the point where it wouldn't be turned on again. It was very simple.

Then, just as his strings started to reach the core, Lumber Bot jolted. Something in its depths seemed to activate at the intrusion and it turned back to face him.

Red lights appeared in its eyes.

In one quick movement, Lumber Bot spun with surprising speed and swung with his axe. Marionette just managed to duck back to avoid it. At the end of his swing, the Lumber Bot turned the axe and swung back the other way, to which Marionette dodged once again, and again, as the axe swings became wilder and quicker. In one swing the Puppet twisted to the side as the axe swung down vertically beside him. He quickly wrapped his strings around it and tugged tightly, trying to detach it from the beaver's grasp. There was a brief tug of war; Lumber Bot's free hand grabbed at Marionette's shoulder as he forced it back by the head.

Then the axe came free, flew backwards, and landed on the other side of the island. As though drawn to it, the Lumber Bot's red eyes snapped to the island and he started to briskly walk over. Marionette wouldn't allow it to forget about him; in an instant he sprung, hitting it in the back and knocking it into the island and onto the floor. The struggle continued on the floor amongst the broken dishes and fallen cooking utensils, with the mindless beaver fighting and the Puppet now spilling its music. Lumber Bot drug itself around the counter and reached for the fallen axe, with the Puppet just barely noticed and knocked away with his telekinesis.

The axe skidded along the floor before stopping further away, just in view of Charlie. The Security Puppet moved in quickly and grabbed the axe before the Lumber Bot could. She then backed away from his grabbing hands, feeling an inward tightening of dread when those glowing eyes looked up at her. Its gaze felt so empty and transfixed to its weapon. It would be after her next, and she backed quickly out of the kitchen. Maybe she could keep it distracted while Marionette worked to shutting it down. It almost worked, as the Lumber Bot continued to try crawling after her and thus left itself open for Marionette to try and get his strings inside.

Just like before, as soon as his strings started to get too deep, Lumber Bot reacted frantically and swung its arm back. Marionette only had a moment to realize that it had grabbed a knife off the floor. Being that the handle was smaller than the axe's, it flew right out of the beaver's hand and straight at the Puppet. Marionette was just barely able to lean out of the way as it clattered onto a counter. With the animatronic recoiled and the strings drew back, the Lumber Bot's flimsy focus returned to its missing axe. It lumbered to its feet and took brisk, heavy steps to the door, nearly dragging the Puppet who tried to reign it in.

Charlie watched the kitchen door swing open and saw the red eyes staring out at her. The Lumber Bot's fake smile was grotesque and between it and the wandering animatronics in the room, she felt like she had fallen into uncanny valley. She could hear Marionette stuck behind it, but she couldn't see him and didn't know what state he was in. This alone gave her the nerve to raise the heavy axe and poise it to swing. It came close quickly and she braced herself before striking.

The blade hit the beaver's belly and reflected off with a clang, causing her to stagger back a few steps. The metal exterior was just as firm as she expected. She managed to keep herself upright and prepared to take a second swing. This time as she swung, the Lumber Bot raised its arm to grab the axe, to which she yanked it aside. Then she tried with a sideways, somewhat desperate swing towards its side, which still did nothing.

The Lumber Bot suddenly gave a less than graceful stagger forward and seized the axe in its hand while its other arm swung for Charlie and grabbed her by the jacket. It yanked her in and raised its axe high. The arm was immediately ensnared in strings and yanked back before it could come down. The Security Puppet quickly twisted free of her jacket and got a few steps between them. She watched the continuing struggle with the desire to step in, but she didn't know how. Her arms and wrists felt uncomfortably tight, her mind was racing, but she was powerless.

The Lumber Bot turned itself around and swung its axe down towards the Puppet. While it was only the back of the axe, it would still crack his mask, so he ducked down and fluidly dodged to the side. His movements looked effortless and were only interrupted by him swinging his arm out. In an instant a garbage can flew from beside the side wall and smashed into the Lumber Bot's side. The animatronic staggered slightly and garbage was spilled on the floor, and Marionette quickly sprung back in to fight for the axe again.

Seeing how the attack had stunned him, Charlie decided to attempt one of her own, and grabbed a chair from one of the tables. She was shocked how easily she lifted it and struggled only briefly with balance before approaching and swinging. Metal struck metal, the Lumber Bot wavered, and Marionette suddenly got the axe free. He then tossed it aside and suddenly rushed forwards, sliding underneath the bot's legs and using his strings to entrap and yank them. He popped up behind, in front of Charlie, and turned back to watch the metal beaver fall face first onto the tiled floor.

"Now!" Marionette commanded as he leapt onto its back and continued to pin it down. Charlie dropped the chair and hurried in to follow suit, looking over it.

"What now?! How do we shut this one down?!" she asked. He answered by shoving up the animatronic's vest and looking at a plate located on its back. It looked locked with a hole that might've required a specific wrench, but he knew how to manage. It was just like a door lock; enough focus and it would unlock- and it did.

"Here, look!" the Puppet instructed. The Lumber Bot was still trying to move and attack even as the Security Puppet looked back. Underneath the plate were wires and switches, all sorts of confusing hardware that he instinctually recognized. He was quick; when the obvious shut down switches turned out to be ineffective, he found the cord with the highest electrical content and yanked it free. There was a low groan as the hum of the bot faded away. It went still beneath them, showing that they had succeeded so far.

"Now it's deactivated… But it won't stay that way long. All they would need to do is plug it in and turn it on. No, if we want this… Weapon to be stopped, we will have to sabotage it." He tilted his head up to look at the other puppet. "It's not like a living animatronic that will survive and come back on even if parts of it are turned off. If we can put a wrench in the works then it will be a threat no more." He looked back down with a hum. "Now let's see…"

This was all new territory. He had broken animatronics, he had put them back together, he had given life and rebuilt lives, but he had never purposely sabotaged an empty body. There had never been a need to, but now… It was a menace. One look at the broken animatronics showed that, even though not alive, they didn't deserve this treatment. He started to remove pieces and wires that were more vital and harder to replace. Charlie watched carefully before getting an idea.

"Wait, hold on. We might have something we can use." She stood and headed back into the kitchen. She then began to search around for something that looked adequate to pour into the electronics. This eventually came in the form of a bottle of honey in one of the cupboards. Not exactly what she had in mind- personally she planned on looking for glue- but it seemed like it could work well enough. Just something to gunk up the system and make it more difficult to repair. Something syrupy was more than adequate for the job.

It was when she was reaching for the bottle that she noticed something dangling off her right wrist. It was a string. For a moment she thought maybe it was one of Marionette's that had somehow gotten loose and caught on her arm, but upon lifting it she found it attached to the back of her wrist. She lightly tugged at the string and watched it slide out a little more. Inside she could feel something moving and shifting up her arm and somewhere in her chest. It was a strange sensation and gave her something akin to chills. She could barely believe it; she had strings just as Marionette did.

The only reason she stopped her self-examination was remembering that she needed to get back to the other puppet. She took the honey, noticing a second string on the back of her other wrist, and then headed back out. She opened the bottle as she knelt beside the fallen bot. The Puppet looked at her with a curious tilt of the head.

"Just something to disrupt the circuits. It's going to be hard to get this off, if they can get it off at all once we get it in deep. It might seem silly, but it seems like the most practical thing," Charlie explained.

"I think it's a good idea. It just seemed odd for a moment, but something like this would certainly…" Marionette trailed off as he looked down at her arm. As she had, he noticed the string dangling from her. He gently reached out to take her arm. "You have a string!"

"I have two of them, actually. I couldn't tell you where they've been," Charlie lightly joked, trying to ignore the slight embarrassment at being studied. A good sort of embarrassment; the Puppet knew how to make even the smallest thing feel important. Like it was some sort of amazing accomplishment even though she wasn't entirely sure what she had done. He reached for her other arm and looked at the string there as well. He then chimed in excitement.

"Perfect! I was worried you didn't have them!" Marionette gently tugged at one and she could feel the movement inside as it slid out further. "This doesn't hurt, does it?"

"No. It feels… Different. I can feel it through my arm, but it's not painful," she explained. She watched as he continued to study them with that giddiness. He couldn't help it, though. Up until this moment, this very second, Marionette had been the only of his kind. While Charlie was technically a Security "Puppet", the differences in their model were obvious. The appearance of the strings assured that they were more similar than he thought. He could only imagine what she could do once she began controlling them. He didn't realize they were running out of time until Charlie reminded him. "Should I put the honey in?"

"Yes, sorry. I got a bit distracted. I don't think I need to tell you how great it is that you have these. It's w _onderful!_ " Marionette smiled to her warmly. "Can you try to pull them in? You should try to tighten where you felt it tense in your arms and chest." She tried to do as said. At first it did nothing, just flexing her arm slightly, but then she felt that same sensation of moving strings as one started to slide back in. There was another praising chime. "There you go! Don't worry about the strings getting lost inside. They won't, your body is made for this."

She then worked with the other arm and got the string to return inside. If anything, it only made her more curious about it. She would have something new to investigate once their work here was done. She looked at the back of her left hand a moment longer before turning her attention back to the animatronic. Marionette was already finishing up in removing what he could, and Charlie then took her turn to spill the sugary substance deep into the parts that couldn't be removed.

"This is really the most we can do. I honestly believe this will be more effective than even breaking it into pieces. They'd just put it back together in that case." The Puppet then sent a disheartened glance towards the other animatronics. Both the cactus and the recolored Chica had gone entirely prone once the Lumber Bot was shut down. No longer driven by its programming, they went into what was effectively their own night mode. He doubted they would rouse at midnight with Lumber Bot out of commission. "It is a shame that the others were broken. They may not be alive, but they bring plenty of children joy."

"They don't look… Too destroyed… I'll admit, Mr. Cactus over there has probably seen better days, but I don't see anything that can't be fixed with a little effort," Charlie suggested as she pulled her jacket free from underneath the Lumber Bot and slipped it on. Marionette gave a twang of disappointment.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Glenn doesn't take care of his animatronics. These may look well-kept now but that's because they're new. Back when it was Chipper's, many of the characters had fallen into disrepair and nobody was tending to them. These may be fixed… But I don't trust Glenn to do an adequate job, nor do I expect him to keep up with them." He gave a breathy sigh and looked back to the Security Puppet. He could see mild concern on her mask; she was showing emotions better too. It was enough to coax him into a smile. "Don't mind me. I tend to get melodramatic whenever people swing axes at me."

Charlie returned the smile, but then looked over at the pink bird, looking at its slumped head. "It's a good thing they're not alive. I couldn't imagine having to live with an injury like that. I can't even imagine living in a pizzeria, but somehow Foxy manages to do that."

"He's managed to deal with injuries like this too. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've put his arm back on him at least twice in the last decade. I've put plenty of animatronics back together…" As soon as he said that, Marionette considered it deeper. "…We could probably put these ones back together rather quickly." He tapped his fingers together thoughtfully before looking towards his companion. "And by now I'm sure Mike has already seen us missing. Let's be fair, he was going to find out... What do you say? We're already here, so should we try?"

"To put the broken ones back together?" Charlie asked in slight surprise.

"Sure! With my experience and your schooling, we should be more than capable," Marionette confidently chirped. "I certainly wouldn't be doing this for Glenn's sake, but the jobs of many people rely on this business. I don't want to inadvertently cause its closing. I don't want to get ahead of the competition like that." He then smiled brighter. "What do you say?"

"…Think there's any tools in the storage room?"

There were, in fact, a couple of toolboxes in the storage room. One of them was brought out into the dining room as the two puppets began to work. After an assessment of all three, it was decided that the pink Chica- they began calling her Pinka by then- would be the easiest to start with. Marionette was able to find a slightly bent piece that they were certain came from her neck, being that it was painted pink on one side. They started setting the head back into place, with Marionette nudging her loose wires down into the body. Charlie then took to placing the metal again and replacing the bolt with the closest thing she could find. It was still loose, but the head wasn't hanging any longer.

Next was the cactus. There wasn't much that could be done with the wires that the Lumber Bot trampled, which seemed to have controlled a mechanism in its pot. However, most of the problems did seem like they would be fixed if the animatronic was simply returned to the pot. Then most of the damage wouldn't be seen, and from how it moved earlier it seemed like it might still be fit to perform. It was a grueling process to move it to the stage and then leverage it onto it, even with Marionette's telekinesis and their combined determination.

This was also where they found El Chip standing prone. It was almost a relief to see that the leader of the band was in fine condition, as his disappearance had made both of them suspect that he had also been damaged. Even if the others would be slightly off, he would be able to hopefully hold the show on his own. After all, he was the mascot, and he would be the one that everyone was looking at.

Then there was Senior Pollo who was still on the kitchen floor. Alas, Pollo was beyond the repairs they were able to make. With his broken exterior and shattered interior, he would need to be welded and have pieces replaced that they couldn't provide. The Lumber Bot's removed parts wouldn't work either. The chihuahua was left in the kitchen where he was found, and hopefully it would finally get the message through that they had something in their midst that they couldn't control. It was a brutal reminder that a human could've been lying in pieces on the kitchen floor tonight.

By now midnight had passed and the animatronics had not stirred, so Marionette saw it as their signal to leave. They slipped back out the office window and were in the van within minutes. It was as Charlie was pulling up her hood and turning on the van that the Puppet decided to branch a new, more uncomfortable subject.

"I should… Apologize for getting you in the middle of that. I didn't realize that the Lumber Bot was going to become so aggressive," he admitted. She looked like she was going to protest, but he beat her to it. "But I am glad you came with me. I needed you here, and this needed to be done." He glanced down at the wires pieces of the bot discarded on the floorboard, then looked back to her. "So, thank you."

Charlie smiled back with an honest smile, not just a forced one to assure him. "No problem." She almost wanted to thank him for trusting her, or for taking her; she held back but assumed he got the picture.

The rest of the drive was largely uneventful until they arrived at the hotel. It wasn't until they started pulling into the parking space that they realized they were being waited for. The headlights fell on Fritz and Mike standing against the wall. Fritz looked physically and mentally exhausted while Mike looked unenthused, with his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"Oh, we're in trouble now," Marionette whispered playfully. There was a shred of sheepishness in his voice, which started to become more apparent on his mask as the security guard came to the driver's door. He opened it and stared at Charlie expectantly, to which she quickly noticed.

"…Should I just get in the back or…?" Mike pointed a thumb towards the back of the van. Charlie understood the gesture. "O-kay…" She gladly slid into the backseat, hoping this meant that they were driving back to the house. Fritz passed Mike and headed to the back of the van before letting himself in.

"We had a sleeping bag back here, right?" Fritz asked. The Security Puppet helped him look in the semi-darkness as Mike got into the van and promptly started to backout of the parking space, not even waiting for them to get settled. The silence was awkward in the front seats and the Puppet almost had half a mind to slide into the back. Alas, Fritz and Charlie found the sleeping bag right when he was going to use it as an excuse.

While he was turning to see as he was backing out, Mike noticed the cluster of parts laying in front of the passenger seat. He raised a brow quizzically. "What's all of that down there?"

"That's Lumber Bot," Marionette answered. "…Or what part of it we brought back as a souvenir." Mike sent him an unchanged look and he received the same smile back. He then gave a sigh and a shake of the head before returning to driving.

"May he rest in pieces." The Puppet swore he could see a ghost of a smile.

* * *

At first, the silence of the car might've been a mixture of the silent treatment and an effort to let Fritz sleep, but by the end of the drive it was clear that it was more out of their own exhaustion too. Mike somehow managed to stay awake, but had his arm propping up his head and had a glazed look. A half-drunk and now cold gas station coffee sat in the cup holder between the seat and went ignored. Both Fritz and Charlie were now asleep, with the latter going to sleep once she got bored enough. Marionette stayed awake mostly for Mike's sake, but it wasn't difficult for him.

It wasn't until they were entering town that Marionette realized he would soon have to say something to Mike. Though there had been a few words exchanged, such as when they stopped for gas, neither had said anything about his decision to return to the buffet. He would have to make the first move; it was clear that was what Mike was waiting for. Being that they were running out of time, and he didn't want things to be awkward at home, he spoke.

"I should've told you that I was heading back to Chipper's…" Marionette started.

"That might've been a good idea," Mike remarked, interrupting any further continuation. "Or you could've warned me before you took the van."

"I suppose that too." Marionette lightly fiddled with his hands. "I was just worried that if I told you my intentions, you would've expected to come."

"Pretty much," the human said with the upmost honesty. His bluntness was familiar, and the Puppet gave a light chime.

"So perhaps you understand. It was to protect you… That, and I thought the Lumber Bot would've been less aggressive without a human target there. That wasn't the case this time. I'm not sure who tinkered with the programming, but this time it saw me as a threat and fought back." Considering the other's previous reaction, it might've not been the best time to mention he was attacked. Mike had to already know, he assured himself, what with the broken pieces on the floor.

"It didn't hurt you, right?" Mike asked with newfound concern. That previous exhaustion and lack of enthusiasm was abandoned momentarily as the security guard was suddenly taken with concern. He looked to the Puppet and looked him over for damage- again. It wouldn't be the first time he tried to check him since he returned from the buffet. He was relieved when the animatronic shook his head. "Good. I'd feel pretty lousy if you had to take the brunt of Lumber Bot's anger when I was the one who smuggled his target out a window."

"Are you mad?" the Puppet asked quieter.

"I'm mad as hell… but not with you," Mike answered. Though it cooled slightly, the fire was still there. "If I ever see Glenn again- Glenn better hope I never see him again. He went too far, I don't care how sick he was." He glanced into the rearview mirror towards where Fritz was. Fritz was more than his friend; he was his business partner, a confidant, and had been more help than almost anyone else in his life. Glenn went beyond stepping his boundaries; he stepped right into Mike's circle, snatched someone of importance, and then thought he would get away with it.

"But you a _re_ okay? It didn't shake up you and Charlie too much?" he guessed. The Puppet shook his head. "Alright… I love you." The striped one trilled and returned it.

It wasn't until they were back at the house that Mike woke Fritz out of his nearly dead-like sleep to get him to drive himself home. Thankfully, the few hours he did get steeled his nerves, and if there had been any traces of the faint alcohol left- come to think of it, he never did ask if it was an alcoholic margarita- they had been all but dashed. Fritz was awake, alert, and wanted nothing more than to get home and lock his door. Which he did. He wasn't sure what time it was when he let himself in, but it was obvious that Natalie was in bed. He wondered if she had called, he realized that he would need to buy a new phone.

The technician stepped into the kitchen long enough to get some water when the lights flickered on abruptly. He jumped like he had seen El Chip himself barge in and spun around to face the blond woman standing at the kitchen's entrance. Natalie, of course, toting a bat and looking like she just got out of bed. Her eyes popped open when she saw the state he was in.

"Whoa, what happened to you?!" she blurted out. Once the shock wore down, she added, "I didn't think you were even coming home tonight. Did something happen?"

"I, uh… I ran into a little trouble at El Chip's. I got stuck in the buffet- No, Glenn _locked_ me in the buffet and I had to climb out a window to get away. My phone got broken too. I should've called, but I just wanted to get home," Fritz explained. "And before you worry, the others are fine. Mike helped get me out, but he wasn't in there with me, so nothing happened to him."

"…Wait, the _buffet_ or the _restaurant_?" Natalie asked, briefly confused. She then noticed something else in his wording. "Hold on, you said "nothing happened"- Were you attacked?!"

"Technically, yes, but most of this I got going through the window," Fritz admitted, gesturing to his injured face.

"And Glenn locked you in there?!" Natalie was absolutely dumbfounded. "You could've been killed! What was he thinking?!" The technician gave a movement akin to a shrug. He wasn't even sure what to think of it himself. It was almost like he was still stuck in the moment, dazed and confused. Natalie quickly pulled him into a tight hug with a muffled, "Thank goodness you got home…" as she pressed into his chest.

He returned the embrace and felt his heartbeat finally starting to slow again. He began to gently pet over her messy, blond hair with his bandaged hand. For the first time in hours he felt safe again. Even if Fritz didn't know where Glenn was, he couldn't dwell on what happened, because he wasn't getting any closure tonight. It was enough that he got home without injury. He was just glad to be home. "Let's just go to bed. I think I need to sleep this off."

"Sure, right. Come on." Natalie kept her arm around him like she was guiding him or was determined to keep him close to her side. It was protective and comforting, and it made Fritz realize how lucky he had gotten by not bringing her with him. He didn't want her to ever have to go through the things he had. He wouldn't be caught dead on another night shift.

Fritz woke some time in the late morning to what sounded like Natalie in a heated discussion in the kitchen. He immediately suspected the worst, that Glenn had appeared on their doorstep and was currently getting chewed apart by his girlfriend. He hurried to get up and head into the kitchen. To his relief, he found that Natalie was just on the phone, but it was obvious quickly who she was on with.

"-And let me tell you something else: if you ever come to the house then I'll deal with you _myself_! I didn't take three years of Jujutsu to have some taco shack psycho with a bad heart try to put our lives in danger! The fact that you've got the gal to even imply-!" It was now that Natalie turned, in the middle of pacing, and noticed Fritz standing there. "…Hold on, I'm not done with you." She covered the receiver and lowered her voice. "It's Glenn."

"…Alright, let me talk to him," Fritz said with a sigh of defeat. It was best to just get it over with.

"What? Why?! You don't owe him anything!" Natalie reminded.

"I know." He didn't try to give anymore of an answer. With a sigh, she raised the phone again.

"Fritz will talk to you. You better thank him, too, because I planned on hanging up any second now," she spat. Then she handed the phone over. Fritz answered it with a quick "It's me."

"You've got quite a wife there, Fritz," Glenn gargled over the phone. His voice sounded awful and was now muffled by some sort of airy noise. Like there was an air hose nearby, but he didn't work with those sorts of animatronics. Fritz decided not to correct his assumption that Natalie was his wife, it wasn't important.

"Thanks," Fritz briskly answered. "Look, let's not pretend that last night didn't happen. We both know what you were trying to do."

"You're half right there," Glenn admitted. "I'm going to level with you, Fritz… I can't remember most of what happened last night." The technician wasn't sure if he was lying poorly or trying to claim that he had a psychotic episode.

"You called me to come down, I came, you locked me in, left, and then I spent the night with an axe swinging at my face. Any questions?" Fritz almost challenged. He then beat Glenn too it. "Actually, I have one. Why?" There was a heavy sigh, a loud coughing, and then he noticed something in the background. "…Did you actually leave me locked up with an axe murderer and go check yourself into the hospital?"

"Look, I didn't even know you were still in there. I thought you left already. I thought-… I can't fight with you, Fritz. I shouldn't even be on the phone," Glenn explained. "I was driving home last night and couldn't even see straight. A cop pulled me over thinking I was drunk and next thing I remember I'm in the hospital and some doctor's telling me that no blood's getting through my chest. So, no, I don't remember any of that."

"I offered to take you to the hospital last night. Don't you remember _that_? The plan was for me to take you and that's when you walked out and locked up." There was no answer. "…You seriously don't remember?" Apparently, Glenn didn't. "Do you at least remember why you asked me to come down there?" The technician was getting exasperated. It just seemed too easy that Glenn would claim that he didn't remember anything. Just a surefire way to get out of any responsibility.

"Something about the animatronics- I don't know. I don't know what was going on last night. I don't even know when I'm getting out of the ICU... Fritz, I swear there's been a mistake. I'm not going to try to kill you. You know that. Why would I do that?" His breathing was more labored now, but he sounded adamant on the line. "I only called to make sure you got home alright. I didn't know any of that, I swear."

"Right… I've got to go. I'll tell Mike you called," Fritz quietly said. "Just… Yeah…" Glenn said his farewell and they hung up shortly after. "He says he doesn't remember doing it. I don't know if I can believe that."

"I know I don't believe him," Natalie quipped as she turned to the fridge. "I find it funny that he just happens to go into the hospital and lose all his memories the night that he did that to you." She huffed in frustration before cooling down enough to ask, "Are you staying up? Because I was thinking of getting out the waffle iron if you were."

"Yeah, I can't sleep after that." Natalie noticed that Fritz was still looking distant and went over to kiss his cheek and nudge him towards the table.

"You just sit down and wake up slowly. I've got this covered," she assured with a smile. He thanked her and did so, but part of him wondered if he had made a mistake in not having a distraction.

He wasn't sure what he was thinking anymore. The logical part of his brain readily believed that Glenn was lying to cover himself. It simply made too much sense to deny it. Still, another part of him thought that something about the whole thing sounded off. Glenn sounded ill on the phone, but he also sounded clearheaded in a way that he wasn't either time he saw him the night before. Still, better safe than sorry. He wouldn't willingly return to El Chip's ever again.

He could only hope the danger wouldn't follow him home.

* * *

 **Mable: The next chapter will be posted next week. I hope you enjoyed!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Mable: Hey! I want to thank everyone whose been so supportive about this update thing, but since I'm pressed for time, I won't dwell on it long. Just know that I really appreciate the kind words. It makes it easier to type as much as I do knowing that there are people who appreciate it out there. ^-^ Anyway, I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty_

A few days passed after the fiasco at El Chip's and the word was given that the commercial was going to air. As such, most of the staff had decided to meet at Mike and Marionette's to watch it together. Fritz and Natalie had drove Foxy over in the van while Jeremy drove himself over with the three Minireenas who had been performing in the restaurant. Tabby had decided not to come- to nobody's surprise. The commercial was airing at eight in the evening and Tabby tended to go straight home as soon as her shift was over. Though it was fortunate, considering how cramped the living room got.

Charlie had realized this before Mike had as she had planted herself in the armchair even before everyone else got there. She still seemed slightly quiet with all the people in the room, but didn't look too uncomfortable, and had even taken interest in the Minireenas, which distracted themselves climbing whatever they could. Jeremy, Natalie, and Fritz were on the couch, meaning that Mike had to sit in the other armchair, which didn't match the set and was largely more uncomfortable than the other one. Foxy and Marionette were left on the floor, to which Foxy absolutely refused to stop complaining about.

"Down here bein' treated like a lesser citizen," Foxy muttered as he tried to get comfortable on the carpet. "When it be me own restaurant _and_ me on the commercial."

"If it's any consolation, Captain, you'll probably get a better view from down there. The couch isn't really comfortable anyways," Jeremy sympathized. He reached forward and affectionately rubbed Foxy's ear, to which the animatronic made a low humming noise. The rubbing was interrupted as the human tried to readjust himself. "It feels like there's a board or something underneath me."

"The couch started sinking, so I had to lay down a couple of pieces of cardboard under that and the middle pillow," Mike pointed out. He then looked away from the TV and over to him. "But if you think you'd have better luck in this chair, I'm willing to trade." Jeremy decided that the fact Mike was willing to trade was a good indication that the armchair probably wasn't any better. The security guard glanced at the clock. "How much longer? It's almost eight-fifteen and I've had my VCR recording for at least ten minutes now."

"It should be any minute. He said it would be airing right after the hour," Fritz explained. Though he then hesitated and muttered. "…Unless he meant seven and we missed it... It'll come on eventually. It's supposed to air more than once tonight."

"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to home all of you until six," Mike quipped back. "Especially that one," he pointed towards Foxy casually. "He gets twitchy after midnight."

"Foxy'll be gettin' twitchier a lot earlier iff'n he gets stuck sittin' down here much longer," the pirate remarked. He then shuddered as he felt Forget-Me-Not starting to climb his back. "Jer'my, they be on me again."

"Sorry." As Jeremy was trying to grab for Forget-Me-Not, maneuvering around Rose and Daisy who were sitting on his knees, a familiar voice spoke from the television.

" _Yar, you be lookin' fer adventure on the seven seas?"_

"Hey, its on!" Jeremy directed excitedly. Foxy's head also snapped forwards, but his was less out of alarm and more out of the shock of hearing his own voice. Especially when he hadn't recorded any audio for the commercial, which seemed like a massive point of concern. Alas, what came next wasn't much better. A flurry of blips and scenes were cut together in a strange splice of a commercial. Weird moments were set out of context and played back.

" _Then shove off fer Foxy's Pirate Cove!"_ the Foxy voice announced as it cut to a scene of the pizzeria. Thankfully someone had managed to get footage when there were children there, so it didn't look completely empty. _"We got games as faarr as the eye can see an' plenty o' treasure waitin' to be plundered!"_ The commercial briefly cut to a scene of Marionette coming out of his box but cut off him in a matter of seconds. _"And if yer lookin' to fill yer gullet, our galley be servin' up the finest pizza, st-stuffed with cheese an' topped with goodies from land and sea!"_ It then cut to the scene they had recorded with Charlie's friends. The one with the smug Mike and the poor actors.

"Oh geez, Mike, you look like a child predator!" Fritz blurted out in a guffaw. "Could you have _not_ smirked like a psycho?"

"That was the best thing I could manage to make it look like I wanted to be there," Mike quickly defended. "Hey, at least I don't look like I'm acting. I might look like a creeper, but I'm genuine. Not like that redheaded kid looking for an Emmy."

"That's Carlton," Charlie said with a slight sigh. She had a hand on her mask and was torn between amusement, soberness, and the desire to cringe. "…I can't even imagine how weird that had to be."

" _So, come on down fer fun and games-!"_ It was in this horrible moment that it suddenly cut to Jeremy dancing in a scene that was absolutely not supposed to be on the commercial. Jeremy's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in shock. He couldn't even say anything as it suddenly cut to Foxy singing on stage. " _-And yers truly, Captain Foxy! And his merry band o' mates!"_ For two seconds it cut to Marionette spinning and then briefly showed the Minireenas dancing on their stage. The Minireenas all began to giggle and chirp excitedly, with Daisy even tapping Jeremy's leg and pointing at the screen happily. He was still staring in horror.

" _We even do birthdays, so bring in yer lads and lasses fer a birthday adventure!"_ Hilariously enough, the video did not cut to a birthday party, but to a split second of Marionette staring silently at the camera from his box. Then it cut to a more appropriate scene of Foxy tending to some children wearing party hats and crowding around a party table. " _Come be a part of Captain Foxy's pirate crew at Captain Foxy's Pirate Cove!"_ It finally ended on giving the address, phone number, and showing the outside of the pizzeria. _"Foxy's Pirate Cove: the adventure's only starting!..._ Ya-."

The commercial ended abruptly and moved to the next one, leaving the room in a heavy silence. Everyone was sort of just stunned, unsure how to react to what they just watched, and nobody saying anything out loud. This was finally broken by Marionette slumping over. Within seconds he was trembling with light chimes and the quietest of giggles.

"Foxy!" Marionette blurted out. He sat upright and grabbed the other animatronic by the shoulder. Mike recognized that look, and it wasn't just amusement. It was also equal embarrassment. If the Puppet could've been blushing, he would've been. "Foxy, what have we created?! That was just as terrible as anything from Freddy's! It might've even been worse!" He was borderline hysterical, and Mike honestly couldn't tell whether in a good or bad way. Though they both noticed those two seconds of the Puppet staring at the camera dead on; no doubt immediately giving numerous unfortunate viewers nightmares.

But instead of reacting immediately, Foxy rose off the ground and stood in front of the couch. Marionette looked up at him with confusion in that strained smile. "Foxy?"

"I didn't do any recordin'. That wasn't me voice…" Foxy slowly led in with a visible twitch. Before anyone could ask, he spun towards the couch with accusation. "That be Ennard doin' my voice!"

"…Are you sure?" Natalie asked in confusion. "I mean, I haven't ever heard Ennard and I know he can copy voices, but that sounded a lot like you. Are you sure they aren't just old tapes?" She looked to Fritz. "Scott's the one with the tapes, right?"

"Yeah, and Scott was doing some of the editing… But, uh, he's also the one with Ennard." The technician could feel Foxy's intense stare. He rose his hands in defense. "But Scott wasn't the only one working on the commercial. He just did some of the tape fixing before it was sent into an editor. They probably just got someone who sounded like you." Though even this was a lot of guessing. While he recorded and helped manage the paperwork, Fritz hadn't had much influence on the commercial, nor was Mike. He looked to Mike for backup, but the security guard seemed to be zoned out.

"Anyone can tell that be Ennard! That 'ya', the weird way 'o talkin', the stutterin'- Tell 'em, Mari! That be Ennard!" Foxy insisted, looking to the Puppet.

Marionette gave a partial shrug. "Well-."

"It be him!" Foxy interrupted and looked back to the couch. "Ennard be crouching in on Foxy's-… Lad, what's wrong with ya?" He looked at Jeremy who was hunched over with his head in his hands. "This about the dancin'?"

"It was the only thing I didn't want anyone to see…" Jeremy's voice was muffled into his hands. The Minireenas seemed distressed by his upset, with Daisy hugging his head, Rose grabbing his hand, and Forget-Me-Not holding his leg and looking up at him. Chances were that they didn't understand why Jeremy was upset, but they still knew he was, and they began to give their discontent 'uh' noises. "Ugh, I'm going to be a laughingstock."

"Jere, it's not that bad. Nobody's going to think you actually dance like that. They're going to assume you did it for the camera," Mike pointed out matter-of-factly. "Worst case scenario: they think you're looking for a raise."

"At least you didn't look like you were scared of the camera. You seemed pretty relaxed, like it wasn't even there," Charlie rationalized. She then looked between the TV and him. "…Which, I'm guessing from your reaction to it being included, you didn't know it was there?"

"No. Thanks to _Mike_ I didn't," Jeremy remarked, to which Mike rubbed the bridge of his nose. This had obviously not been the result he was looking for. It was one thing fooling around with Jeremy and another in humiliating him.

"I'm sorry, Jeremy. You better believe I wish I didn't take most of the shots I did, because whoever edited the commercial decided to take the ones we weren't supposed to use and throw out the good ones." He headed over to turn off the recording. "But to be completely honest, I don't think it was that bad." He knew even before he looked back that he was getting some looks of disbelief and pointed to the screen. "Comparing this to "Pizza is a bear's best friend" there's no comparison. This is cohesive, there's no singing, and as scary as Mari and I am, Foxy actually comes out looking less threatening then he did when I recorded him."

"Yeah…" Foxy agreed, briefly going quiet. He stood there for a few moments. "…Except that they got _Ennard_ doin' me voice! Another animatronic doin' me voice! Crowding in on me own character!" It was as though he was just cut out of the equation. It was clear that this wasn't going away, so Fritz stood from the couch and headed towards the kitchen phone.

"Why don't I just call Scott and ask him? He'll be honest and if he knows it's not Ennard then we can just guess it's someone else. Or maybe even some old recordings," Fritz suggested as he got the phone. Foxy gave a scoffing sort of noise.

"Ya don't think Ennard can do tha Foxy voice? Course Ennard can do tha Foxy voice. He's got a Foxy in him." Before anyone could point out the logical difference between Foxy and Funtime Foxy, the flustered pirate decided to accentuate his point. "Ya think it be that hard to go in and out of character? It be a snap! 'Specially with Ennard bein' as much of an actor as he is." Then, all of a sudden, his voice completely changed. "It's not like it's that hard to put on a pirate accent. I do it every day, and I do it _through_ another accent." It was so sudden that Jeremy's head snapped upwards. Just as quickly, Foxy was back in character. "And fer months we thought Ennard was a woman!"

Fritz started to dial Scott, though was now giving Foxy a weird look. The fox, apparently running out of steam, threw his arms upwards and sat back down on the floor. "An' it be so cheesy!"

"The commercial or the accent?" Mike asked. "Because yes."

"As cheesy as our freshly st-stuffed pizzas," Marionette quipped with a small, playful smile to ease the mood. Foxy turned to send him a weary look.

"Ya ain't helpin'. Neither of you." The pirate's hands dropped to his sides and his head dropped onto his knees. He gave a low groan, to which Jeremy reached out and patted his back sympathetically. "We all gonna look like a bunch o' suckers. This prob'ly be what Freddy felt like after that pizza dance started airin'." Marionette sympathetically wrapped an arm around his brother while patting his arm with his other hand. "Ugh, this better bring in kids…"

Foxy had no forewarning that this sentence was going to come back to haunt him.

Because within days of the commercial starting to circulate, business massively boomed beyond what they could've expected. It almost rivaled the opening after the Magictime incident. Parents were booking parties constantly or calling to ask which characters would be out at which times. The arcade was constantly thriving with children to the point that even the claw machine, which was barely won, started to run low on prizes and needed to be restocked. The Prize Corner was also constantly filled, but because Marionette had to be on the floor half of the time Mike and Jeremy would take turns manning the counter.

The children were slightly harder to keep an eye on. Carrying around slices of pizza and dropping cups of ice cream on the floor, swarming both Foxy and Marionette; they were a handful. Yet Foxy and Marionette loved it. As stressful as it was, they were being fawned on by dozens of children, and these were children who weren't afraid of them. Though the Minireenas weren't as thrilled about the rush of children. Especially not after one curious child grabbed for one of them, causing the three ballerinas to scatter and hide in the restaurant. It took Jeremy thirty minutes to find them after closing.

Thankfully, Marionette found the work worth it. Even Chrissy did well with the arrangement. She frequently came in and she was still shy around other children, but she was patient and timed checking in with Marionette once he was settled in the Prize Corner when no other children were nearby. More pictures of the two animatronics littered the walls, but the striped one made sure to still show Chrissy special care and kept hers pinned on the wall above his box. It was a proper balance and never at Freddy's had he felt so loved.

…But it came with a price. Unlike Foxy, who could put himself on his stage and rest, Marionette was constantly on the move. Even in the Prize Corner he had to constantly work and outside he had to always be on guard. He was singing more than ever as well, chiming in with Foxy, trilling and communicating with the children through wordless sounds until his internal music box was tight and protesting. Still, he pushed onwards. He adored their smiles, he reveled in their laughter, and he ignored his own feelings to get more of it, only stopping when Foxy would pull him aside and specifically tell him to cool down, which he did once.

The proof was in the profits though. It was worth it for the joy, but it was also bringing in enough money that they were starting to edge on enough for the renovation. As Christmas drew near, a few families had asked about booking Christmas-themed parties, which they did. Two one day, one another, singing and performing beyond the normal amount during the day. It was going well, but they needed more room, more arcade cabinets, a bigger kitchen, a second stage- they just needed to keep pushing and eventually they would make it.

And on Christmas Eve they were given a break.

"So, here's the deal," Mike began, pulling Foxy and Marionette aside after hours. "We've got a pretty big gig tomorrow that's going to pay really well, but it's going to be a killer and we might not all get out alive… Which isn't too different from our usual gigs, I'll admit, but this isn't something we can pass up," Mike reinforced. Him insisting this much already made it clear that it was of importance. "There's some sort of show or parade or something like that going down in the middle of town tomorrow and they want to hire. You'd go in, sing a few songs, and then- I swear to God- you'll make double what we made this week."

"Fer one show?!" Foxy choked in a gasp. " _One show?!_ "

"Some genius decided to start throwing figures on the table before Fritz even gave them are going rate. We're pretty much robbing them. We really are pirates." Yet Mike was beaming the entire time, because with this boost along with what they already had made over the last weeks, he knew they would be able to start work on the renovation. "There's a few catches involved. We'd have to work on Christmas for one, and we can already assume that we're going to have a lot of eyes on us. I'd bet that Burke's going to be there and watching our every move."

"Who cares about him?" Foxy challenged back. "Bloody hell, fer that amount o' money, I put on a beard and start climbin' down chimneys every Christmas!" Foxy assured. Mike wasn't surprised at his enthusiasm and looked towards the Puppet.

"What about you, Mari? I know we wanted to stay in for our first Christmas with Charlie, but this might be a break we can't pass up. We're pretty much getting asked by the city itself to perform for one of the biggest… Whatever this is supposed to be," Mike pointed out. It already seemed too good to pass up and he doubted that the animatronic would. "What do you say?"

At first Marionette had been just as excited as Foxy was, but the longer Mike spoke the more that interest drained out. Instead he was struck by a slow growing dread as he thought of standing on a stage and performing in front of so many people of significance. These wouldn't just be children or fairgoers, they could be members of the police force, members of larger parents' groups, maybe even the mayor. Effective people who remembered Magictime Theater _and_ Freddy's and were watching for any sort of slip up. Not to mention plenty of other people observing every moment.

He could feel his inner parts tightening in his chest. He could already tell that he would be fighting his reflex to go still and silent while on stage, but he knew he would be able to fight it. Even if it left him feeling unnatural. The truth was, Marionette knew that they couldn't turn down this offer. Turning it down could mean being labelled as unreliable by someone with more of a stance in the town than just a random child's parents. They needed the money for the renovation, they needed the good word of mouth, and thus the Puppet was stuck. He hid behind his usual smile.

"I think it's a great idea! We'll still have morning and evening with Charlie, won't we? I don't think it would bother her if we were gone for an hour. She does well when we're at work." He decided to think specifically of the Charlie aspect and hoped the other worries would go away on their own. Though thinking about it did make Marionette feel a little guilty. He would just have to make it up to Charlie either before or after the show itself.

So, the deal was made. Mike and Marionette headed home and had a rather uneventful Christmas Eve. The pressure of the show didn't put a damper on their festivities. The next morning was Christmas, which they got plenty of time to indulge in it. Compared to the heaviness of the years before, the gifts exchanged between Mike and Marionette were less emotionally charged. They stuck to things such as hand-picked video games and clothing- including an unholy, fluffy, wide-brimmed purple hat and candy cane leg warmers. The highlight gift was a beautiful snow globe with a built in music box that trilled out 'silent night'.

The entire time Charlie was there, as expected, watching with a warm joy and not expecting any gifts of her own. She was somewhat counting on it, as she hadn't had the means of giving a gift in return. Which would be gnawing at her, considering that she had been living with the two for months and felt like she needed to contribute. She just pushed it to the back of her mind, telling herself that they would exchange gifts next year without problem. Though then ignored the quickly passing wonder if she would still be living with them by next year.

That was, until Marionette exchanged a whisper with Mike and got a specific box out from underneath the tree. She didn't know whether she was filled with excitement or dread when she realized that it was a gift for her. There was a low bubbling excitement as Marionette offered the gift to her, wrapped in green wrapping paper with a shiny, red bow. She took it and for a moment just stared at it.

"I… I didn't expect you to get me anything." She looked up at him, then looked to Mike who had sat back down on the couch but was watching expectantly. "You two didn't have to do this."

"Are you kidding? We bribe all our friends," Mike exaggerated with a playful smile. "Or maybe you get special perks since you have to put up with living here." He was as relaxed as could be, but it was obvious that the Puppet was a bit less confident. It was surprising that he wasn't ringing his hand, but the human understood. Choosing the gift had been a painstaking process where they had gone back and forth in trying to decide. Even though the found what they wanted, he wasn't surprised that Marionette would still be worrying and second-guessing himself. He always did overthink Christmas.

"Go ahead," Marionette coaxed eagerly. So, Charlie did, carefully peeling off the wrapping paper and opening the box to find a smaller jewelry box inside. Inside was a sterling silver necklace with a bell pendant. To her relief, it wasn't an actual bell and wouldn't chime constantly when worn- she already jingled as much as it was. It was well made, and she had no doubt that it was real silver. "What do you think?" Marionette lightly coaxed, excitedly watching her open the gift.

"It's beautiful! You really didn't have to do this," Charlie insisted, as though a mantra, but was looking at the necklace with delight. Christmas had always been an odd holiday for her and gifts weren't usually a priority, so receiving something so nice was almost jarring. "But it's wonderful and I love it, it's be a nice change to wear a bell that doesn't ring!" Marionette trilled as she took the necklace out and started trying to put it on. She slightly struggled with the clasp and he was torn between offering to help or not, unsure whether he was stepping his boundaries or not.

Before Marionette could dare to offer and Charlie could dare to ask, Mike took the liberty of coming over. "Here, let me get it," he offered a little more directly. He tried to maneuver the clasp around and eventually got it to cooperate. "I hope you really do like it, because there's a chance this isn't coming back off," he muttered as he finished clipping it and stepped back. "How's it fit?"

"Perfectly! Thank you both, it really is-." Her voice was cut off by a jingling in her chest. It was as though it totally erased her voice for a few moments, but surprisingly she could care less. She was positively beaming and looked up, intending to thank the Puppet even through the bells, only to find that he was suddenly holding another present. She blinked- or it felt like she did but didn't- and looked up in confusion. "You got me another one?"

"I was just thinking that there weren't many of your things in the house…" He led in, glancing to the side briefly, thoughtfully. He then offered her the present excitedly. "So, we got you more things to make up for that!"

"Yeah, who doesn't love stuff? We practically filled our house with it," Mike quipped, leaning on the back of the armchair and smirking teasingly at Marionette, who made an eye rolling gesture.

"Better our stuff than someone else's," he answered and then started to hand the present to the other puppet. Then he hesitated and added in, looking to Mike, "And that includes the basement." He then handed it over to her. "Go on, open it!"

"I thought we were going to stop talking about our terrifying, nightmare-inducing basement during holy holidays. That was the whole point of banning any jokes on Easter," Mike remarked with a sly smile. Charlie began to open the second box while Marionette gave a wave of dismissal.

"Don't listen to him, Charlie. You just open your gift and I'll go get the rest," he encouraged before heading to the tree to gather a few more. Her head rose again.

"The _rest_ …?" she asked in befuddlement. Mike leaned over the back of the chair to whisper to her.

"He's got a thing about giving gifts. I learned that you just roll with it and he'll eventually break out the cupcakes," he assured, watching the animatronic gather the gifts with a warmer smile. It really was endearing to see how excitable he was around Christmas. Mike could barely stand dragging him away from the tree to go out. It was only at that moment when he remembered the show and turned to check the grandfather clock. "I don't want to put a damper on this, but we have to leave here in about fifteen minutes, so maybe we should save some of this for later."

"Oh right… I completely forgot…" Marionette briefly got a distant look that Mike recognized. He didn't get a chance to call it out before Marionette managed to recover and look to the other puppet. "Just open that one and this one and we'll do the rest when we return!... I'm sorry we aren't getting all of Christmas together. It seems unfair to leave you here alone," he sympathized. Charlie snapped out of her thoughts and noticed his distress. She decided to take a page from Mike.

"No, I understand… So, you'll be at the assembly for an hour and then heading straight out of town?" Charlie playfully quipped to ease the mood. Marionette chimed in amusement and relief.

"Only if we really botch this performance, but if there's two things Foxy and I do really well it's singing in front of large crowds and capitalizing on the holidays," the Puppet pointed out, disguising any worry well. Charlie was only half hearing him and half scrambling to think of a gift in return that she could throw together before they got back. Easier thought than done.

It wasn't until they were in the car that the confident and unbothered façade started to fail. Marionette was unexpectedly silent as he laid in the back seat. His body felt tired and with his internal parts already stiffening once more he was truly feeling it. This would've been a rough day normally, so knowing what was coming only made it moderately worse. It had felt like an eternity since he had gotten a day off, and even the days off were usually designated to prep work or sometimes stolen by private parties. As much as he loved his job, he couldn't ignore his own body forever. It was all overwhelming.

His lack of enthusiasm was noticed by Mike as they made their way too Foxy's. He eventually decided to say something in hopes of coaxing it out. "You okay back there?" Mike asked. "You're not usually this quiet before a show. Especially not with a show this big. Something on your mind?" The Puppet was tapping his fingers on his own buttons, staring blankly at the roof of the car, when he recognized the question. He suddenly felt a little defensive. He wanted Mike to think that he was as effective and full of boundless energy as an entertainer was supposed to be.

"It's fine! I'm fine. It's just working on Christmas that has me down. As soon as I see all those smiling children I'll be back in the spirit of the season!" Marionette assured with a delighted chirp. His chest tightened a little, but he honestly believed it would all be better after they got home. Thankfully, Mike trusted Marionette's assurances.

They met up with the others at Foxy's before getting into the van and driving into the middle of town. To give Fritz and Natalie a break, along with an opportunity to share Christmas together, Jeremy went in Fritz's place and took his role as Foxy's attendant. This mostly compromised of trying to keep a set of fake, fabric deer antlers on Foxy's. This was easier said than done when Foxy had no interest in keeping them on. The only reason he didn't outright yank them off was because Jeremy had brought them for him to wear. As usual, his first mate was his number one soft spot, and unfortunately it had backed him into this.

Neither Marionette nor Foxy were feeling very much in the Christmas spirit when the van pulled into the designated parking lot. The nearby park had been set up with stalls and stands, along with a wooden stage decorated with crepe paper and rows of folding chairs set along the grass. Everything was Christmas themed and draped in white to replicate the snow that hadn't come. If anything, the weather felt rather warm considering the usual for the time of year. Though that was better for the animatronics who were expected to perform out in the open.

Marionette didn't get much of a look at whoever was currently performing on the stage when they passed. Naturally, he was stuck hanging from his pole and being wheeled along the short cut grass. A light twitch slipped past his control. Mike heard it clearly and glanced towards the Puppet only to see that empty smile as a literal and figurative mask. Something was definitely off; not that he could say anything when they were being watched- as they probably were since they were moving two animatronics through a crowded place. Even behind the stage wasn't much better.

There were two small tents set up behind the stage to shield the electronic equipment in case of poor weather. Almost as though they truly expected- or hoped- the snow would come. There was an uncomfortable silence as they stood there and waited to be called on, listening to the music playing through the flimsy wall at the back of the stage. It wasn't until the music stopped and one of the closer stagehands walked off that Marionette dared to speak.

"We should have painted your face," he simply said, addressing Mike. Of course, this wasn't what he wanted to say, but it was the only small talk he could think of. With his insides bothering him he needed something to calm his nerves.

Mike was the usual distraction. He looked like he was considering it for a moment before blowing it off. "Between that and the commercial, they'd have me practically under house arrest. Let's not tempt fate," he offered. This got a chiming chuckle of amusement and Marionette could slightly feel the tenseness easing from his chest.

"We stickin' with the plan?" Foxy asked. Marionette gave a silent nod. The pirate then turned to Jeremy. "We still goin' in fer four?" He must've meant songs. As did the Puppet, Jeremy nodded. "Great. We got this." As confident as he sounded, he looked like a deer in headlights when the stagehand returned to usher them on stage, and not just because of the antlers that he 'accidentally' knocked off while climbing the short steps.

There wasn't even a curtain, so they were watched even while being brought onto stage. Thankfully the audience had slightly changed slightly. The same people were there but it looked like a few more families, including children, had appeared as well. Marionette didn't know whether to be thrilled or frightened by the fact that they had drawn in a larger crowd. Perhaps there were even more coming who knew what time they would be starting the show and were coming over right now. Not to mention onlookers who watched as they passed by stands selling art and refreshments. His internal music box began to tick against his control.

Marionette couldn't understand why his body was reacting so extremely to what shouldn't have been too big of a deal. He could only hope that his music box didn't skip, as it had started to do recently with the higher demand for songs. He was just stressed, he assured himself, but after these songs he would be free to enjoy Christmas. He had performed on a large stage before. He could handle this; this body was built for this.

Alas, this time it would be without Mike. Possibly the worst thing to get replaced was his stand as it now stood on its own, meaning that Mike had no reason to be up there. Now he realized why he had thought of the face paint; without it, the security guard standing there would be out of place. He would be standing alone in front of the sizable audience, performing when he was already exhausted, all while having to stay perfectly collected.

"I'll be right off the stage, alright? Anything happens, and I'll be right here," Mike whispered as he finished adjusting the stand- stalling for time- and then went to leave. He briefly squeezed Marionette's hand comfortingly, which would go unnoticed by anyone except the Puppet himself. Yet even that touch was gone too soon and now he and Foxy were left to perform. He recovered and the show began.

" _Yar, welcome to the show!"_ Foxy greeted the audience with usual enthusiasm. " _Er maybe it should be the lot of ya welcomin' us. It be ages since we last got off the ship and stretched our land legs!"_ He looked around as though scanning the area. _"An' it looks like there be plenty o' treasure to plunder…"_

" _Foxy, you're not actually going to steal from these nice people, are you?"_ Marionette chimed in, following with his routine. Once lost in the character it started to get easier. Foxy twitched in a nervous fashion.

" _What? Foxy? Never! Nah, I didn't say plunder. I said… Plunger! Aye, that be it!"_ Foxy denied quickly. There was a long pause.

" _We're going to need a plunger to find a punchline for this joke,"_ Marionette responded. This got some laughter from the audience.

" _Don't be sassin' yer Captain, First Mate Mari! It be Christmas! Time to share joy and love, and to put gifts under the tree, right where someone could climb down a chimney and grab 'em!"_ He made a swiping motion with his hook.

" _Foxy, please, no more chimneys. Last year it took two pounds of butter to slick you up, thirteen elves to pull you out, and a plunger to find your dignity after,"_ Marionette pointed out as he crossed his arms in scolding. He then splayed them in surprise. _"Oh, there's the punchline! I was wondering when it would show up!"_ More laughter, Foxy looked pleased, and the Puppet was already feeling leagues better.

" _What I meant was that we should be celebratin' the season! We never get to do any of them Christmas shanties we got put away- Ya see, folks, pirates don't really get Christmas on their ships… But iff'n yer lookin' to know why, lemme tell ya 'bout what it's like to have a "Christmas on Deck"!_ " With that semi-subtle cue, Foxy paused a few seconds as Jeremy turned on the music behind the scenes. He then immediately broke into song. _"When ya live as a pirate out on the sea, ya don't get no snow and there ain't no chilled breeze.~"_

The song was a basic duet, with Foxy singing most of the song and Marionette only joining in on the chorus. The song wasn't too overly difficult and seemed like it was all going fine, until they neared the final verse. _"Come on down to our ship, Dear Captain Santa Claus, and hand over yer gifts or we'll steal 'em all! Put us on the nice list and we give 'em thanks, put us on the naughty and someone be walkin' the plank!~"_ All Marionette had to do was follow Foxy's lead, flair the end with some chiming, spin in place, and then let the song end. That was all.

Yet it was in that moment of chiming that the tightness returned. It was a crushing pulse deep inside. He suddenly felt like he was in some sort of danger and it was all the Puppet could do to keep from going still. He spun and went silent and, thankfully, the pressure started to slowly release as Foxy went into a brief spiel before venturing into his solo. The song wasn't a long one, but the ending of it would signal the start of Marionette's own and he wasn't sure how he would handle it. As much as he tried to tell himself that it was all in his head, all nerves, something felt off in his center.

Something felt sore under his buttons, and yet he only realized this moments before his solo was to start. Foxy had stopped singing and looked to him attentively. _"Now don't that get ya in the Christmas spirit! Yar, First Mate Mari, ye be lookin' a little sad. Maybe it just be the facepaint,"_ he led in. Marionette could only wonder if he brother could tell something was off. From the look in his gaze alone he seemed to not suspect anything, which was good. That meant the audience probably didn't notice either.

" _No, I was just thinking about how Christmas isn't just about the holiday itself, but family and loved ones… It's easy to get lost when you're swept out to sea."_ That was the cue to begin. The song was simple, the music was quiet, and the only challenge would be singing at the same time as chiming. Which wouldn't have been a problem if he wasn't feeling every beginning chime like the prick of a needle deep inside. Usually it was as faint as feeling one's own heartbeat which was a sign that something was certainly wrong. He just had to focus on the soft music beginning to play over the speakers.

Forcing himself to relax, he began to sing. _"Every Christmas is a gift. Every moment I feel this is a present wrapped up tight,~"_ Marionette trilled softly.

Off the side of the stage, Mike was watching carefully. He had thought he noticed something peculiar earlier, but now it seemed like all was well and the Puppet was singing like normal. His voice was ethereal, especially when backed by the chimes of the music box, especially when it was a song he had never performed for Mike before. It gave him chills; considering the lack of snow, he could only blame the pleasant tingling on the singing.

" _I feel like an iceberg adrift at sea, waiting for you to come find me. It feels like I've been waiting forever,~"_ the Puppet continued with a slow spin. He then rested his hand over his buttons for show, ignoring the peculiar tapping he could feel through his fabric. _"And the fire won't warm my heart as long as we're apart. I'll stay cold until we're together.~"_ With the song eventually winding down, Marionette put aside his concerns. He could tell that he was doing fine; no skips, no stutters, and only light discomfort. He was doing this, and if the audience's attention was any indication, he was doing this well.

" _I'll wait beside the Christmas tree for you to come home to me. It doesn't matter how many gifts I see, because as long as you're not here it's not Christmas to me.~"_ Marionette came to a close slowly, trailing off in chimes and leaving the stage open again for the banter segment between songs. He was relieved when the pressure in his chest started to loosen. Only one more song and it would be over; he needed to enjoy it while he could.

" _Ya got a point there, Lad. This be the time o' year fer families and friends, captains and their crew, to come together. It ain't just about presents, cause there ain't nothin' sadder than openin' a bunch of stolen presents alone,"_ Foxy pointed out. He then pointed upwards triumphantly. _"But yer captain's got one last shanty to bring us all back to high spirits!"_

The music started once more and sounded much more typical to the usual pirate tune, backed with accordion music. _"Come on down, me Hearties, fer Christmas day's here! It be the day of celebratin' we waited fer all year!~"_

" _So, raise your voice and sing a cheer, for Christmas day is once a year!~"_ Marionette joined in. His chiming also joined in and he fought the urge to wince at the tightening that quickly returned. It was as though springs were slowly collapsing in his chest, even though he knew that there weren't any inside of him. Due to the song's lack of a holiday feel he had to use his chiming to assist, meaning that he wasn't in a position to back off. Assuring himself that it was just weariness, he kept his movements minimal, and continued singing alongside Foxy. _"Don't let it slip away to fear! Celebrate, for Christmas is here!~"_

He fought the urge to lightly wince as each trill seemed to close in further. Foxy continued to sing on, not noticing anything was amiss. _"And even if we're gettin' coal ya ain't gonna see us frown! We're pirates, lads, we don't get sad, so come aboard and come on down!~"_ He chuckled for show but was looking to get more into the spirit of it. _"An' if we steal a gift or two, what's ol' Saint Nick gonna do? It's a pirate's life, so don't ya strife. Just join in with our crew!"_ Once again, he went to pass it on to Marionette.

" _Christmas time's a time for play, and you're welcome home if you want to stay.~"_ Marionette's fingers started to tighten as the ache grew more intense. _"When you're out at sea, live the pirate's way…~"_

" _And if ya don't yer better off walkin' the plank!~"_ Foxy laughed again, this time a little more exaggerated. He glanced in the Puppet's direction. Apparently, he was starting to notice something was off. _"But ya ain't gonna find no gifts under the sea, and I can't say we're gonna find us a tree, but if you still wanna spend Christmas with me-!~"_

The Puppet prepared his line, splayed his arms, forced himself to straighten, and then-

 _ **Crack!**_

Marionette didn't know what hit him first, the fear that someone heard the noise that came from his chest or the sudden surge of pain that centered underneath his buttons. It was bad enough that his body immediately froze up under the strain. For a moment he was stunned where he couldn't react. Foxy must've noticed that Marionette had missed his mark, but he continued singing with the music, with the missing chiming being the only obvious change as the show continued.

Trying to play it off and hoping it was nothing, the Puppet tried to again use his music box to 'sing' once again. He was rewarded with a scraping noise and a sensation that he could only assume felt like being impaled through the core.

Something had broken. He was broken.

Then came the fear and the panic. Something inside of him, which he could neither see nor fix on his own, had been damaged in a way that had never happened before. Realizing that he was still in front of an audience, Marionette kept himself together as well as he could. He was still able to project his voice and forced himself to join back in with Foxy on the final verse, as though playing it off as Foxy having a solo. The dull stinging was always there even when he wasn't using the music box in his chest, signaling that whatever had happened wasn't going away on its own.

As soon as the song was over, Foxy turned towards his partner with a tilt of his head. _"Ya okay there, Mari? Yer lookin' a little pale!"_ He couldn't remember if this was part of the show or improv that Foxy decided to slip in. He was quick to answer.

" _I'm melting. Next Christmas let's go to Alaska,"_ Marionette played along, mockingly wiping off his forehead. Even this simple motion was causing pain. He was able to disguise it a little better. _"I think we're running out of time, Captain."_

" _Aye, our ship be shoving off soon. Guess this means it's the end of the show."_ Foxy waved to the audience and Marionette mimicked it stiffly. _"Merry Christmas, ya Landlubbers! I'll be seein' ya on the seven seas!"_ He must've known something was wrong by how quickly he ended the show. While the audience was still clapping, Mike came onto the stage to wheel the Puppet off. Foxy followed them without even waiting for Jeremy to pretend to come up and steer him.

It was only when they were down beside the stage, somewhat secluded from the audience's line of sight, that Marionette was almost blindsided by Foxy, who caught his pole by the hook. "What in bloody blue was that poppin' noise back there, Lad? Sounded like ya had a mini explosion!"

"That was you? I thought that was the mic popping," Mike said in surprise. He looked towards the striped animatronic, who had aimed his mask and gaze down at the grass. It was clear that something was wrong. "Mari, what happened?" That defensiveness returned, along with the mortification of having just broken himself while doing something that he should've been able to do easily. To both Mike and Foxy's surprise, Marionette was immediately dismissive.

"…It's fine. I'll be fine. Let's just get to the van." They didn't even make an attempt to move. He looked between them before insisting, "We can't talk here anyway. Let's just, please, let's go." He could feel the tightening return, though this time it was much more painful, and low static began to form in his chest even without his control. Mike and Foxy exchanged a doubtful look and only went along with it because he was right. As soon as Jeremy got their pay they headed back to the van.

Both Mike and Foxy had a bad feeling that this wasn't the end of it.

* * *

 **Mable: The next chapter will next year!... You know, because January 1** **st** **? Hah, poor New Year's joke, I know. XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and thank you so much for reading!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Mable: A new year and a new chapter! Here's hoping everyone had a good holiday and that they Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty-One_

Marionette had to say something. They were still on the way to the Pizzeria and Foxy had been staring him down the entire time. The Puppet was slumped against the back of the driver's seat, largely so that Mike, who was driving, couldn't stare him down too. There were obviously still questions and he was attempting to carefully avoid them, lest he risk someone trying to tear him open in the back of the van. His goal was just to get home and hopefully the music box would repair itself just like his mask did, but to do that he needed a distraction, so he had to say something.

"I think the show went well!" Marionette finally quipped. He was too uneasy to chirp, thankfully, as it would probably have hurt more than it was worth. Foxy was just watching him without agreeing. "I don't usually do solos. You know, since we'll be having more children and more shows from now on, perhaps we should start taking turns on stage. I could sing so that you could get a short break."

"Sounds great, lad," Foxy agreed flatly. "What was that pop in yer belly?"

Of course, he jumped right back to the damage. Jeremy was now looking back too, seemingly unaware of what they were talking about but catching on quick. Marionette concocted an excuse on the fly.

"I think my comb just got stuck for a moment and made a loud pop when snapping back into place. Nothing too worrisome," he assured as he slouched further against the back of the seat. "All I need is a little rest, and what better day to do it?"

"Uh huh. Yeah. Sounds good," Foxy agreed, still flat and unconvinced. "When's the last time yer box popped that loud?" Before he could answer, the older interrupted and added, "And while yer on that, when's the last time ya got this tired comin' off a stage?" He was watching as his younger brother was nearly sliding to the floor limply. Not even during their most trying battles did Marionette come out looking like this. "Ya look cracked and ya ain't."

"Don't say that, Foxy. I assure you-." Perhaps he got a bit too defensive and excitable as he felt the painful scrape inside and shivered. "I-I… I _assure_ you that I just need rest. I've overworked myself."

"I warned ya 'bout that," Foxy pointed out as he turned to look out the windshield. Marionette was relieved to have his gaze off him and closed his eyes, relaxing his body further. The pain eased slightly, and the gnawing became less obvious when he stayed as still as he could. He felt exhausted in a way that wasn't typical to a normal performance. Foxy gave a tired sigh, "All this workin' just been pushin' us too hard. Maybe if we got a bigger arcade-." It was now that he looked back and saw the Puppet's current state and reignited. "See! There ya go! Yer lookin' even worse!"

Marionette shot upwards and winced. He hoped Foxy didn't notice how he wrapped his arms around his torso and disguised it as crossing them. "I'm just tired, Foxy. If anything's wrong with me, it'll go away with rest." Foxy looked like he was about to keep pressing, but it was then that Mike spoke up.

"Lay off him, Foxy. It's Christmas, and if he says he needs rest then he deserves it today of all days," he defended. Foxy send him a look like he was about to protest, pointing out how obvious the other animatronic was acting, but then said nothing. Marionette couldn't see the look that Mike had sent back. It was the look of someone who understood something was amiss and clearly intended to get to the bottom of it himself. It was the silent assurance that he would figure it out. That was the only reason that Foxy even considered letting it go. The rest of the short ride was uneasily silent.

Once at Foxy's, Mike and Jeremy got out of the van, and during this Foxy decided to speak again. "I'm goin' back with Jer'my tonight. If ya need me then call me over there… If I'm still standin' after his lil bots chew my legs apart." He chuckled lightly, and Marionette smiled without a sound. It felt uncomfortably quiet and the pirate rubbed at the back of his head. He gave an exhale of defeat and moved in closer, still crouched down as though he was about to exit out the back of the van. Instead of leaving, he leaned in and wrapped a careful arm around his younger sibling.

"Ya did good today, Marion. Wouldn't have been able to do it without ya, ya know. Keep 'memberin' that," Foxy assured. "…An' if somethin' _is_ wrong, ya can always tell me. Call me and I'll be there faster than the northern current." He briefly rested his head on Marionette's. While the pain was still there, the Puppet gladly accepted the affection, and pressed back weakly. He even considered voicing his fears to Foxy. If anyone would understand it would be him.

Alas, he lost his nerve as soon as the van's doors opened. Mike gave a playful smirk at the scene. "Aww, that's cute. Now if only you got this friendly on stage." This got a flat look from Foxy and Marionette gave a vocal chuckle. The two separated and the Puppet exited the back of the van. Usually he would just teleport to the van, but this time he simply knelt beside the security guard.

"I'm rather tired, Mike. Would you mind?" he offered, reaching out his arms. Mike didn't even question it- out loud- and carefully took the Puppet into his grasp. This got a scoff out of Foxy.

"Makes a big deal 'bout me huggin' me own brother then hoists him up and carries 'em over the threshold," he remarked to Jeremy who got into the driver's side. "Let's shove off, Lad! There still be time to save Christmas!"

"Foxy, any Christmas with you is a perfect Christmas to me," Mike heard Jeremy say. Before he closed the back door he heard him discreetly add in, "As long as we don't get stuck watching Freddy's Christmas Bash."

"Ya better believe we are, Matey."

Mike retreated as quickly as he could, lest he risk Jeremy trying to invite them too. He set Marionette down in the backseat carefully before shirking off his uniform jacket and placing it over him. The Puppet warbled before he could think about it and was shocked with stinging through his chest. He flinched and made a distorted crackle, and unfortunately Mike saw it. The embarrassment was immediate, and he expected the human to call him out on it. Instead, Mike looked at him a few seconds before tucking the jacket around him.

"Just sit tight and I'll get us home," Mike assured. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to his porcelain forehead. Marionette made sure not to make any other reluctant noises and instead showed his appreciation and affection by squeezing his wrist. Once he pulled away, the animatronic turned and slumped into the seat. For a few minutes he fell into a fistful sleep and only woke when the car shut off.

"Alright, we're here," Mike announced as he looked in the backseat. He could tell how exhausted the striped one was. "…Let me carry you in. If Charlie asks, we'll just give her a flimsy excuse… Like that you're 'just tired'." His voice grew flat as he revealed his true feelings. Though that wasn't what immediately but Marionette on edge. Instead, it was the prospect of having Charlie see him weakened. He had to try to teleport inside. It couldn't hurt that bad or take that much energy. "Mari?" Mike noticed the distant look. "…Come on, don't risk it."

"I can make it inside," Marionette reassured. Before Mike could even try to rationalize with him, the Puppet took the plunge and teleported into the house. The pain and exhaustion was immediate. As soon as Marionette appeared inside, he dropped from hovering onto his unsteady legs. He kept himself from immediately crumbling by falling to the side onto the back of one of the dining room chairs. His chest tightened, he struggled to keep himself upright, and as though it couldn't get worse, he looked up to see Charlie standing in the kitchen watching him. He had to recover immediately.

"…Looks like I came in a little hot. Either that or my aim's getting much worse," Marionette playfully remarked. He chuckled, a off-tune chime made it through, he made a guttural rattling noise, and then nearly collapsed onto the dining room chair. His head dropped on his folded arms and he laid there while Charlie looked down at him. Then he slowly turned his head, showing his usual, friendly smile. "So, what have you been up to?"

Charlie wasn't exactly sure how to react to any of this, but decided to continue with a typical conversation, suspecting that she would figure out what was going on in time. "I saw you had gingerbread cookie mix and made a batch. They were supposed to be a surprise, but they're not cooperating. Or the oven isn't. One or the other isn't getting with the program." Instead of a chime, Marionette again made that strange rattling noise. She noticed briefly that his mask changed, getting a brief look like a grimace before returning to a smile. His hands even seemed to tighten as though in distress.

"That's a great idea. Usually I make them the night before, but I was so distracted that I didn't get a chance," Marionette explained. His voice sounded normal and his body language screamed exhaustion. "There's a few different bags for icing with in the pantry beside the icing. That will take a lot of the strain out of icing."

"And will make the decorating look a lot nicer. Thanks… Is everything okay?" Charlie leaned over the table and looked down with confusion and concern. "Rough show?"

"Actually-." Marionette cut off as the front door opened and Mike let himself inside. The security guard caught sight of the slumped Puppet as he was removing his coat, and Marionette pushed himself upright from the table. Though he was still barely propped upright, holding his head up with his hands as he tried to ignore the painful scraping and dragging on the inside. "Actually, the show went well! A success full of music, questionable jokes, and Christmas cheer. It went much better than I thought… It was just more tiring than I expected."

Charlie looked up at Mike to verify and it was his doubtful look back that convinced her that Marionette wasn't being honest. Silently, Mike reached out and patted the Puppet on the back. The animatronic turned and sent him the smile but gave no trills or warbles as in his typical fashion. It was then when the oven alarm went off and Charlie headed over to take the cookies out. She gave an impatient huff once the tray was sitting on the stove and she could see the cookies.

"They still don't look done. I don't understand, I baked them longer than it said," Charlie remarked with slight irritation. Mike looked down at Marionette's back, expecting the Puppet to spring up and attempt to help. He didn't even try.

"Sometimes you have to turn the oven up an extra five degrees," he volunteered in a rather lethargic way. Mike couldn't bear to watch it and instead headed to the oven.

"Here, let me take a look," he offered. Charlie scooted to the side and he glance them over. Then he boldly poked at the edge of one, lightly enough that he wasn't burned. "They're good. Just leave them out and they'll firm up in about five or ten minutes. Any longer and they'll turn into doorstops." He went and grabbed a few tubs of vanilla icing and an icing bag. By time he was walking back, only a few minutes later, he realized that Marionette was now laying his head on his folded arms again, as though he was sleeping. Mike was only more suspicious. "And I think we lost him."

Charlie looked back at the Puppet in concern before asking, "Did something happen?"

"I don't know. It sounded like a loud pop," Mike admitted. He stuck one of the icing containers in the microwave to heat and soften the mixture inside. "He wouldn't talk with Foxy demanding answers."

"He's actually asleep, isn't he? That quick," Charlie remarked as she watched Marionette. He wasn't reacting to their talking at all. It was possible he was awake, but that would be just as worrying. "Did you hear the rattling?" she whispered.

"…A little, but not really. Why? What did you hear?" Mike asked, looking to her. There was an odd moment where she stared back, revealing the obvious mistake. "…The rattling, right. I'm up to speed now."

"Sounds like he's not the only one whose a little rattled." It was worded like a joke but was obviously more than that. There were some things she had come used to and one of those was that even if she didn't know something that Marionette did, then Mike would. It made her less paranoid to know that there wasn't something slipping under both of them, because as honest as Marionette was, he did seem to try to shield her specifically. If Mike didn't know then she was concerned.

As was Mike. He wasn't completely oblivious; he had figured out immediately after coming off the stage that something went wrong. He didn't want to imagine something being broken, but from the sound and the behavior that seemed to be the only option. He wasn't going to stand aside while the Puppet tried to hide an injury, he would directly address him after he rested. There was a slim chance that Marionette was telling the truth and that he just strained something. How one would strain a music box was beyond Mike, but considering the circumstances it was possible.

He couldn't dwell on it now unless he intended to rouse the striped one and deal with it now, which he didn't. He took Marionette's usual example and used the baking as a distraction.

"Think they're cool enough to start icing?" Mike asked as he pulled the container out of the microwave. He began to open it and used an icing spatula to scoop it into an icing bag even as she was checking them.

"…To be honest, not really," Charlie admitted with an awkward smile.

"…Eh, let's go for it anyway. Worst case scenario, everything melts, and we pretend it was on purpose," he quipped, regaining his own smile. A distraction seemed like a good thing and they took to icing the cookies. They weren't all gingerbread men; some were shaped like trees, stars, or presents. He didn't know whether to be relieved that she didn't find the Freddy cookie cutters or not. In hindsight, those would've been good to sell at the pizzeria before Christmas. Another thing to add to the list of future work; another thing to divert his attention.

"I can't remember the last time I made cookies. Might've been years," Charlie remarked as she finished up icing the last gingerbread man. "I guess I could've just bought cookie mix but I never even thought about it."

"Same here. I never kept sweets in the house, but then I moved in with Mari and now get that hourly sugar craving. Helps me keep up with the kids." He chose one of the cookies that had its icing muddled- that he refused to admit that he might've sabotaged on purpose- and bit into it. "Except whenever my mom comes to visit. She's a traditionalist: cookies and tacky sweaters all the way."

"She sounds great." It almost took Mike off-guard that Charlie was completely sincere when she said that. It was a comment that could've been turned sarcastic so easily. Then again, Mike knew about her relationship with her mother, or lack of one. Not that he could comment on it. Any comment on a disappearing mother would've been hypocritical from someone who had been a runaway himself.

He decided to quickly change the subject. "Let's hook the game up and try out one of the new ones. You mind getting it all together while I peel him off the table?" he offered and asked. Charlie agreed and headed into the living room to go do so, sending one last look of concern at Marionette. Mike headed to the table and reached for his arm. Marionette shot upwards without much provocation. He then realized what happened.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked groggily. It wasn't usual to hear it projected in his voice, but there it was.

"About ten minutes," Mike flatly answered. He then exhaled and decided to be honest. "Look, Mari, I'm not stupid. We both know what happened on stage: something snapped, or popped, and you got injured on stage." The Puppet's face betrayed his shame and the human rubbed his arm reassuringly. "Hey, it's okay. These things happen sometimes. I just can't stand here and have you pushing yourself, trying to hide that you're injured. All you'll do is hurt yourself more." He took his hand and sat across from him. "Tell me what we need to do."

There was a long period of nearly complete silence, save the sound of Charlie fiddling with things in the next room. Mike's eyes stayed trained on Marionette as he tried to figure out whether he was going to answer or trying to be defiant. The Puppet knew he was had by the strings and that, mixed with the fact that he actually did need help, caused him to finally come clean. He couldn't keep trying to handle this alone.

"Every time I've cracked my mask it has sealed on its own. The worse the crack, the longer it takes, but it always fixes itself… I'm not sure if the parts inside of me work the same way. I've never had something like this happen before," Marionette admitted. He kept himself upright as he laced his fingers together and stared down at his hands. He never thought he would have to worry about what was inside of him. "I was hoping that it would fix itself on its own. It might still do that, I might very well just need rest to repair myself… Mike." He looked to his human. "Do you… Think this happened because my body wasn't made for this amount of performing? That I just burned out?"

"Mari, parts break. Bones break, intricate metal cogs break, _music boxes_ break; you've got to keep in mind that you put yourself through a lot more than just performing. Eventually something was going to give. This was just bad timing, probably fueled by how much you've had to be on recently." Even saying this, Mike himself didn't know if he felt any better about it. "So, the plan is to wait and see if it fixes itself?" The animatronic nodded. "How long would we have to wait with something like this?"

"I can't be too sure, but even when I completely shatter my mask it usually doesn't take more that twelve hours. I expect it should be better by tomorrow morning… But I don't want to miss the rest of Christmas." Marionette straightened further and ignored the lingering soreness. "I don't think slight movement will make it any worse. Let's just try to enjoy the rest of the day and by tomorrow it should have healed itself."

"Sounds like a plan." Not really the best plan, but there weren't many more options. "And if it's not fixed by tomorrow?"

"I'm sure it will be," Marionette insisted, forcing a smile and a more upbeat tone. "More importantly, what's the plan for right now? Unwrapping more gifts or enjoying the ones we already have opened?" He didn't want to think about the pain. Even just focusing on Mike this much helped him ignore the irritation.

"Charlie's hooking up the games now," Mike offered as he stood. He detached their hands only long enough to offer it again and helped Marionette off the chair. The striped one was capable of hovering, but he was slowed considerably and clutched tightly to the other's hand as he forced himself to cooperate. Charlie was already waiting for them and greeted Marionette as though nothing was wrong. He knew she was sparing his feelings and appreciated it, carefully sitting down beside her. Mike put one of the games in and started it up.

It was almost surprising that Mike didn't immediately go for the horror game. He could put on a multiplayer racing game as to hopefully engage and distract the Puppet further. At first it seemed to work like a charm. With the controller in his hands and his eyes on the screen, he neither had to move excessively nor dwell on the soreness. Unfortunately, it seemed to work a little too well. He got a little too excited, getting in the lead in the race, getting a little too amused by Mike swerving into the wall and swearing like he had driven his own car into the wall.

Marionette couldn't help but chime. Not that a chime was what came out, but a loud scraping noise. He shuddered and pressed back against the couch, locking up for a moment and losing focus on the race.

"Mari?" Charlie's worried voice snapped him slightly out of the state. He nearly flung his arm out the give the controller to her. She took it, still looking just as concerned, and took his place in the race. It took him a few moments to come down from the spike of pain and by then the race was wrapping up. There was an awkward silence once again.

"Alright, Mari, let's be honest," Mike remarked, looking to the Puppet. "…You threw the race so I didn't feel like an idiot for riding the wall." There was playfulness past the worry, and he wished he could trill in response.

"Mike, that's not true! You were doing wonderful… Until that wall jumped out in front of you, but that was hardly your fault," Marionette quipped back. He then looked to Charlie. "You take your turn. I think I may sit one out and watch."

It seemed deceptively like he recovered without much issue, but this wasn't entirely the case. It extended beyond the video games. While unwrapping the rest of her gifts, Marionette had gotten a bit too pleased at her delighted reaction, and again the broken noises commenced. Then while watching the Fredbear and Friends Christmas special it happened again, spawned by Mike making an ironic comment. It didn't just happen with pleasant feelings either; sometimes his parts would just spasm without warning and he would have to ride through it and recover quickly.

That didn't even include the exhaustion. His body already felt wrong, but when he wasn't actively doing something it seemed like he simply shut down. He kept falling asleep sporadically. By the third time of rousing slumped on Mike's shoulder he recognized that this was becoming a problem and forced himself to stay awake. Though once it got later in the evening this became more difficult to achieve. The day had slipped through his fingertips.

"I'm taking him to bed." Marionette roused after an especially long period of sleep to hear Mike talking to Charlie. Part of him wanted to protest, but the Puppet somberly realized that it wasn't worth it. It was only ten o'clock and he had run out of all energy. Which might've been a good thing as moving only the slightest bit still caused pain. "Oh hey, I didn't think you were awake," Mike said as he looked down and realized he wasn't sleeping any longer. "It's late. Let's head to bed."

It wasn't late though, not for their normal nights. It was just an excuse to soften the blow. Still, Marionette nodded in agreement, knowing that he wasn't much use in this state. Though he still reacted when Mike leaned down to pick him up.

"Mike, _Charlie_ ," Marionette quietly reminded. He couldn't tell, but he was sure that she was watching. Mike seemed less than bothered by it.

"Mari, she knows," he answered. The Puppet got a look of shock and he quirked a brow. "You can barely keep yourself upright. It's kind of obvious something's wrong."

"Oh… Right." Marionette vocalized a chuckle to replace what would've been a forced chime. He reached up for the human and held on as he was lifted securely. "I thought you meant- you know what I thought."

"Yeah, well… She probably knows about that too, but we'll deal with that when you're not hanging on by a thread." He could feel Marionette tremble and eased his grip in case it was from him moving him. He could tell the Puppet was exhausted just from how weakly he held on. As he carried him to the hallway, he could feel erratic ticking against his arm, through the fabric of the animatronics back. Mike had been mistaken earlier; the trembling was always there, and he hadn't noticed it. He could already tell this was going to be a rough night. "Night, Charlie. The Playstation's yours."

"I'd love to, but I probably shouldn't pull an all-nighter on Christmas. That has to be bad luck or something," Charlie answered. She sent a slightly somber smile after them. "Goodnight, Mari." She caught the briefest, flimsiest excuse for a wave and they were soon gone, and she was left alone. She sat there in the living room for a few moments before turning her attention to the television. Something Christmas-related was playing, but she found little interest in it. Maybe she would head to bed too, since all she would do if she stayed awake was worry. And she certainly was worried, if the way she was fiddling with her pendant was any indication.

Charlie turned off the lights and started towards her room, only to stop outside of the door to Marionette's bedroom. He had always said that it was fine if she went inside and after sending one last glance down the hall she did so. It was still weird to have the desire for the box, but considering the circumstances she decided to give in. She turned on the lamp instead of the overhead light and approached the box.

"Hello, Old Friend," Charlie playfully quipped as she opened the lid and started to remove some of the extra dolls inside so that she could fit comfortably. She then started to climb inside and was halfway in when her hand brushed something that felt a little more solid. " _What was that?"_ It would've been easily missed- hidden in the corner underneath a Chica plush- but it stood out as the only one of the toys that wasn't full of cotton. With a sharp tug of its arm, it was pulled free and revealed itself as a Bonnie toy. A thin exterior of fabric hid the mechanism inside and it was covered in numerous patches and stitches.

"A Rabbit? It's just like mine." She was almost dumbfounded by it. Other than the different color, it looked startlingly like her own. It even felt like it had the parts inside to play audio recordings like hers had. Though it looked to be in worse condition than her own- even with the numerous attempts to keep the fabric closed- it didn't rattle when moved or have hollow spots where pieces moved free. Perhaps the inside was more intact than Theodore's. "Maybe its just a lose connection… No, if it was just that then Mari would've fixed it himself. Must be something. Can't be that difficult of a fix."

The Velcro on the back no longer worked and left its opening gaped wide open. Thus, she could look inside and see more of what made the plush tick. It looked like there were a few more things broken, but nothing too difficult to fix.

"…Maybe I could fix this up for Mari. It could take the place of a Christmas gift. Doesn't look like it would take much," Charlie remarked to herself. She wasn't sure if he would move again- or if he ever moved before due to his loose arms- but it was possible that she could at least fix everything else. Maybe she would even have enough time to replace some of the patches and clean him up. "I'll need tools. I wonder if the warehouse-?" Her thoughts were cut off by the realization that it would involve her having to face Baby. "…I'll figure it out tomorrow."

The Security Puppet set the Bonnie doll in the box beside her and closed the lid. She knew what she would be doing tomorrow. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to show that she still had plenty to offer. To her, something so small was going to mean so much more. Part of her couldn't wait for the night to end.

Funny enough, Mike felt the same way. He supposed that was why he woke at eight in the morning on his day off. The night had been a strange one; once or twice he had been partially roused by Marionette fidgeting or crackling in discomfort. At some point he must've put his arm over the Puppet to soothe him as he was holding him close. He was relieved to not feel any ticking, any trembling, or even hear the slightest cracking sound. It almost seemed like a normal morning, as though the injury the day before hadn't happened at all. Maybe it really had healed on its own.

Relieved, Mike pulled Marionette closer to him and pressed into the back of his neck, leaving a light kiss. The animatronic started to rouse and shifted the slightest bit. This only spurred the man on further and he left a few more kisses. A hand gently trailed on his arm, encouraging him warmly, and the Puppet slightly turned and gave a _crunching crackling_ sound.

Mike's hope was shot down immediately. He shouldn't have been surprised, though was much more disappointed than anything else. Marionette must've been stunned by how still and tense he was, it lasted too long to just be the pain alone. Their only plan of action resulted in nothing changing and no idea where to go next. Even without saying a word, Mike's thoughts were loud and intrusive.

" _What are we supposed to do now?"_

 _A_ s though hearing them, Marionette choose this time to pull tighter into himself. He drew his legs in, wrapped his arms around himself, and buried his head into the pillow. That was it, he was broken, and broken in a way that wouldn't just disappear on its own. Mike exhaled slowly and slid closer, taking care not to jar the Puppet too much as he readjusted his hold on him.

"We'll figure this out." His voice was still marred by sleep, but his words were clear. "I promise, we're going to fix this." One of Marionette's hands grabbed onto Mike's arm and squeezed. He stayed completely silent.

They stayed like that for some time. It was over an hour later when Mike finally left the room, and he only did so that Marionette wouldn't hear as he called Fritz. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the counter as he waited for the technician to answer. It didn't take more than a couple of rings before he did. "It's me, hey. Merry late Christmas. Look… Something happened at the show yesterday. Something popped in Marionette's chest, I think something in his music box broke, and now he can't use it at all. Every time he chimes for any reason, he makes this cracking noise deep in his chest, and it hurts him. Has anything like this happened before?"

"Seriously?" Fritz asked, seemingly shocked at the recounting. "No, nothing like that. He's pretty much the only animatronic I've seen that hasn't just fallen apart at one time or another. I'm not sure how sturdy music boxes are, but they seem to last pretty well… I don't think I have any blueprints around here or I'd take a look."

"The problem is that _I_ need to take a look. I have blueprints downstairs, but they aren't going to be detailed enough." He tapped his fingers again, obviously stressed. "I need to find out how to open him up, so I can look and see what's broken."

"Mike, I don't know if that's a good idea. You're great with animatronics, don't get me wrong, but you just cutting him open might be a little risky…" Fritz pointed out. He already sounded like he was out of ideas, and he was the actual technician.

"I don't plan on doing anything, I just want to see what's broken. I think Mari might feel more comfortable if I could-… You said cutting?" Mike cut himself off as that word sunk in. It came with another uncomfortable realization. "…There's no way to open him up, is there?"

"Not that I know of, no," Fritz admitted sympathetically. Mike didn't answer, instead choosing to run a hand through his hair, muttering something that sounded like 'God' under his breath. "Not that _I_ know of. I never worked on Mari. I wasn't even primed on working on Mari, but I do know there were maintenance tapes on all the Toy animatronics. So, there must've been a procedure to maintenance him. Not that… I know where they are either- There might still be a way I don't know of. If anyone would know how to get him open, it would be you."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence," the security guard dryly answered. "Alright. I've got to go. If you spontaneously find a tape or remember anything, call me back." He ended the call soon afterwards and began to aggressively eat a cookie. There went his best lead and his only ideas. Now it looked like he would be shuffling through the basement again.

"So, it didn't heal up overnight…" Mike was too tired to be startled and looked back to see Charlie standing behind the couch. "Sorry, I didn't mean to listen in… Again. I heard you two talking last night too." If anything, he was relieved that he didn't have to repeat the story again. He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms across his chest.

"No, it didn't, and now we're running out of ideas." He took a bite of the cookie, pausing long enough to chew it. "Fritz thinks fixing it is going to involve cutting him open." Charlie's mask showed dread at the comment and he gave a dismissive wave. "But that's not what I'm going to do. First, we're going to see what we can find of tapes and blueprints, and maybe parts if we're lucky. There's got to be the parts we'd need in the basement."

"Would any of that be in the warehouse?" Charlie offered. "I was going to see if Fritz wouldn't mind taking me over there later. I could look around while I'm there." This actually sounded like a reasonable idea. Plus, it saved him from having to deal with the less than social Baby.

"I can drive you over there, just as long as you know what you're getting into. You should expect heavy lifting and plenty of unnecessary junk, and that's just Circus Baby alone," Mike quipped with the slightest bit of a smirk.

Charlie gave a small smile. "I don't think there's anything Baby can throw at me that I can't handle. Unless she starts throwing boxes, which honestly wouldn't surprise me too much." She turned towards the hallway. "Let me just… Get one thing and I'll be ready to go." With that, she walked off, leaving Mike alone with his thoughts.

Which he only stayed with for a few moments before a new idea started to emerge. "Tapes, huh?" Mike muttered as he started dialing another number. As before, he received an answer. "Hey, Scott. I'm looking for a couple of tapes-."

* * *

 **Mable: I was thinking of deciding a time of evening to start uploading, but with time zones and all I'm not sure how that would work. It you have** **any thoughts, then please comment! The next chapter will be posted next week. I hope you enjoyed!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Mable: I wasn't exactly happy with how the last chapter turned out, so I decided to take an extra day to work on this chapter and make it better. Hopefully the extra hours make a difference. ^-^ On another note, we just passed 300 reviews! Huzzah!... Not sure what the significance of the number is, but it certainly sounds significant! Anyway… I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty-Two_

Marionette was only half awake when Mike came into the room and started to get dressed. He tiredly lifted his head, ignoring his weakness, and looked towards his partner with an equally limp, but still warm smile. "Hey," he greeted as he watched him pull on a shirt. "What are you getting dressed up for?"

"Charlie decided to sacrifice herself to Baby, so I'm going to drive her over to the warehouse and take Scott his gift," Mike explained. He was pulling on his pants when he noticed the animatronic pushing himself upright. "You don't have to get up. I'm driving straight there and back." He tried to keep it sounding casual to stave off curiosity. "If I stay too long, Scott might try to convert me. I don't know about you but going to a late Christmas service at the Phone Guy's church sounds like a set up for me to make an idiot out of myself."

"Let me come with you," Marionette requested as he finally straightened. "I can't just lie here all day, and I have something I need to take to Ennard anyway. I promise I won't push myself."

"Considering how much energy it took you to get that far out of bed, I'd say you're already pushing yourself," Mike remarked. He only regretted it afterwards, when the striped one looked to the side with what looked to be a look of shame. "…Hey, I'm just kidding, alright? If you aren't going to be too uncomfortable then you can come." He had a bad feeling about this but couldn't justify refusing it now. "Just make sure Ennard doesn't get too grabby. We know how he is."

With a partial agreement, Marionette managed to get himself out of bed the rest of the way and followed Mike out to the front door. Seeing him coming, Charlie quickly stuffed the Bonnie plush awkwardly under her jacket. Due to her now much more narrow middle, she was able to just barely hide the plush. Though it helped that the Puppet wasn't paying too much attention. They got into the car and drove to the warehouse, where she hurried inside quickly to not get wet from the rain.

Charlie shut and latched the door before shivering at the chill. Even the warehouse felt uncomfortably cold, but she supposed that made sense being winter. She took the plush out of her jacket and planned to start looking only to be interrupted by a voice from the office area.

"Fritz? Is that you?" the feminine voice called. It was clearly Baby even before she began to skate closer. Charlie braced herself and could only hope that Baby had meant what she said on the phone, or that even if she didn't, she wouldn't get in the way. The clown appeared from the aisle and her glowing eyes fixated on the Security Puppet quickly.

"Charlie," she almost seemed surprised, even if her voice didn't betray it. "I never thought I would see you here again."

"Yes, well… I had some work I needed to do in the warehouse," Charlie excused. She looked down at the Bonnie plush before looking back at Baby. "And I suppose I wanted to see how you were doing too. Did you spend Christmas alone?"

"I spend every day alone," Baby answered. She then decided that wording sounded too pathetic. "That's how I prefer it. I'd rather not have the Puppet, the Pirate, and _it_ haunting me."

"Do you mind if I stay?" the striped one asked.

"No, you're fine. Compared to them you're actually tolerable," the clown remarked in what might've been a compliment. She turned to head down the aisle again, slowly, as though she wasn't intending to go anywhere. "But what sort of work would require you to come here?"

"I'm trying to fix up this old Bonnie doll. I have one just like it, so I know what I'm doing, but I don't have the tools to do it. It's a late Christmas gift so I can't ask Marionette for help either," Charlie explained. The clown glided into a turn and looked down at the doll, to which the Security Puppet extended it out to show it. "Maybe you've seen one of these? I don't think they were too rare."

"I saw _something_ that looked like that," she vaguely answered. Then Baby turned and started to skate down the aisle. At first, Charlie wasn't sure if she was leading her somewhere or just leaving. It wasn't until the clown turned towards a shelf and dragged out a heavy looking toolbox that the puppet hurried to follow. "These are the tools that Fritz left here. I don't need them," she said as she held it out. Charlie set the plush on the shelf before reaching out, to which Baby simply remarked. "This is a little too heavy _for you._ Where will you be working?"

Charlie almost considered defending herself, but upon second look at the toolbox decided that she wasn't confident enough to do so. She would rather hold her tongue than try to take the box and make a fool out of herself. "I guess just in the office. The light's better in there." She grabbed the plush and followed behind the clown.

"Did Fritz bring you here? I haven't seen him for a few days…" Baby remarked thoughtfully.

"No, it was Mike. I think Fritz has been taking a few days off for Christmas," Charlie explained. "…Did he tell you about what happened at El Chip's Fiesta Buffet?" Baby gave a questioning hum. "He was attacked by a few animatronics. He wasn't hurt, nobody was, but he was definitely shaken up afterwards."

"Oh… He didn't tell me about that…" Baby murmured. She slowed to a stop beside the desk. "…What happened to the animatronics that did it?"

"They were being controlled by one that was programmed to attack. Marionette and I sabotaged it, so it won't be a threat to anyone else."

"… _Good_."

Baby dropped the toolbox on the desk loudly. It was abrupt enough that Charlie slightly shuddered. The clown looked to her expectantly as the puppet stepped in and opened the toolbox. The smaller tools in the upper levels of the box immediately caught her interest and she started to retrieve a screwdriver and a roll of electrical tape. Charlie noticed that she was still being watched and glanced at Baby only briefly before her attention landed on the plush toy. She turned it over and opened its back wider. It was time to put her schooling and birthright to work.

"Can you work while I watch, or will it distract you?" Baby asked. Her voice had returned to a neutral tone, but her eyes seemed to be alit with curiosity, watching as the other got ready to work. Charlie found nothing wrong with an audience.

"No, stay. I think I'll enjoy the company. Maybe you could help keep me focused," the Security Puppet offered as she pulled the office chair over and dropped into it. She scooted closer and investigated the depths of the plush.

Meanwhile, Baby just looked down at her. She supposed that she could use Charlie as a distraction for the day, considering that she was running out of them. Perhaps the Security Puppet would even be able to tell her more about the world outside of the warehouse. She needed a glimpse outside the building, even if through the eyes of another.

"I didn't think you would come back alone again. Not willingly. Not unless you needed something…" Baby glanced down at the toolbox. "Which, I suppose you did." There was something strange on her voice. Charlie was shocked to hear the clown almost sound somber about it. As though she had wanted her to come back. Then again, she had spent Christmas alone; something that even Charlie hadn't done in years.

"…No… I planned on coming back, I just… Things are still strange," she admitted. She started to look inside the plush, trying to remember what she had done the last time she tried to fix Theodore. She tried to forget that she hadn't successfully fixed all of Theodore. "El Chip's caught me off-guard. The animatronics there weren't like Music Man. Even as irrational as Music Man was, you could tell he was alive. They clearly weren't." Apparently, Baby had nothing to say to this. They fell back into silence as she continued to work. She taped off a few stripped wires and replaced the arm cog that had come free.

"I noticed you're walking better," Baby remarked. "And the bells you're wearing around your neck. I suppose it was a present from the Puppet; he was created for gifting. It looks nice on you. Fitting."

"Thank you." It was now that Charlie started to realize that there was something rather odd going on. Baby was acting particularly strange. She tried to ease the mood and playfully asked, "But would look better on you?"

"Yes."

Baby's bluntness managed to rile a jingle of amusement out of Charlie. Though, all joking aside, Baby couldn't deny that Charlie was an attractive animatronic. She had subtler smile than the Puppet's, she was shaped nicely, colored brightly, and no part of her looked out of place. Baby looked like a mess compared to her, but only realized it now. A hand reached up and felt over the disjointed and misshapen plates of her face, faded in color and broken, and had a sudden realization.

Maybe this was why Fritz wasn't coming back.

That would have to change.

* * *

The car pulled into the Phone Guy's driveway and Mike immediately reached into the back for the cover. "We're not doing what we did yesterday. No teleporting, it could make it worse," Mike insisted firmly. Marionette wasn't sure what he intended to do but went along with the human's insistence. He shielded himself underneath the blanket and allowed Mike to help guide him inside. He only realized when the security guard knocked briefly and boldly let himself in that the Phone Guy must've been expecting their arrival. He wasn't too surprised.

"Hey! I didn't expect you here yet," Scott greeted from across the room. He was taking some of the decorations down from the faux Christmas tree he had in the corner of the room. He did a double take once he realized that Mike wasn't alone. "Umm, well, hey Mari. Merry late Christmas." It was obvious from that tone alone that he knew something. Mike must've told him about the injury, and that alone made Marionette self-conscious.

"Merry late Christmas. Where's Ennard? I brought him something," Marionette asked, letting Mike remove the blanket and revealing the carefully wrapped gift in his arms. Scott's smile returned and he looked less nervous.

"He's right in the office." Thus, the Puppet headed in that direction. This left Scott and Mike alone, with the former grabbing a plastic bag off the couch and approaching the security guard. "These were the only ones I could find that I labelled under 'maintenance' and 'the Puppet'. I haven't listened to any of them, but I labelled them right after I made them, so… This is your best bet." He handed it over. "There's a tape player in there too."

"Thanks for this, Scott. You sure you want me to take your tape player? I probably have one somewhere in the house. There's tapes all in the basement," Mike pointed out. To which Scott shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I have a couple of backups. I'm more worried about not getting the tapes back, so if you could make sure to do that- only after you're done with them, no rush- I'd really appreciate it. I uh, heh, I sort of have a collection going on here." Scott gestured to the wall of tapes.

"…You know, I'd find it weird that you collect tapes of your own name, but then I would have to pretend that you don't willingly live with Buttered Noodles," Mike quipped with a smirk. He received a flat look in response.

"Never let Ennard hear you call him that… He already tried to change his name to Eggs Benedict. This one might stick; you wouldn't believe how much he loves noodles," Scott explained. He then looked back into the bag as Mike continued to just stare at him, knowing that he was serious and wondering how he could live with that.

Meanwhile, Marionette pushed open the office door and found Ennard trying and failing to hide himself under the desk. The puppet cocked his head curiously and the clown finally spotted him and started to come out.

"Oh, hi there, Mari!" Ennard chirped as he started to climb out. Once he was standing, Marionette was able to see that he was wearing a black, button-up sweater with Christmas tress and snow on it. The first thought was that he was wearing it for Scott's sake. Then again, he didn't seem too ashamed to show it off. "Ha ha, I thought you were someone else! What a relief!" He chuckled a few seconds longer before explaining. "There's been this woman coming around all the time to see Scott. I think the neighbor's been sending her to try and woo him. Long story short, I hate them both."

It was just such a sudden that Marionette couldn't help but chime in amusement, but immediately regretted it when a cracking noise and the pain followed. He managed only barely to keep from hunching over in front of the amalgam. The blue eyes flickered down to his chest briefly.

"Yikes! You didn't tell me you were broken!" Ennard exclaimed. Before Marionette could disagree, the other had him by the shoulders and was getting uncomfortably close. He could probably hear every tick. "How'd ya manage that one?!"

"I'm not broken, I just- Would you please?" He managed to slip out of Ennard's grasp by thrusting the present into his chest. The clown took it, looking down at it in confusion, while the Puppet attempted to explain. "I've been working more than I used to and was under a lot of stress and… Apparently something has decided to fail." He forced a cheery tone and added, "But I'm sure it'll get better with continued rest. That's all it is, strain."

"Oh really? I didn't know strain could sound like that!" Ennard almost sounded like his goofy, naïve self. That was, until he got this strange look and almost smug tone. "Cause, I thought it sounded an awful lot like a broken comb jammed where it shouldn't be.… But what do I know? Ha ha!" As the striped one felt a cold chill through his back, the amalgam looked down at the gift. "What's this? Something for Scott?"

"It's for you. It's just a day later than I anticipated," Marionette explained with his smile returning. Hopefully this would turn the conversation away from his injury. "Go ahead and open it."

The amalgam tore open the wrapping paper and eagerly opened the box. He pulled out a green and yellow made of stitched together cotton fabric. The pattern almost seemed to match the hat on Ennard's mask and the fringe was a matching yellow. The clown let out a sharp humming noise as his wires shifted in excitement and he looked the scarf over.

"This is great, I love it!" Ennard chirped as he quickly wrapped it around his neck. Seeing that there was more in the box, he gave a delighted chuckle and plucked out a wrapped object. "And you got me giant candy too! How'd you know that was my favorite kind?" he playfully asked.

"Actually, that would be a Christmas Cracker!... Though there is candy in it, so I suppose it is a giant candy," Marionette said. His voice held delight, but his usually chirping and trill was nowhere to be seen. Ennard noticed this but ignored it with a giggle and leaned in, quickly ensnaring the other in a quick hug. Marionette flinched, body sore when jolted, but was relieved to feel that Ennard had been gentle with him.

"I love it all! Here you are all busted up and you still come all the way over here to give me a present." He then pulled back, smiling down at the Puppet, and chirped, "Since you went through all that effort for me, I'm going to return the favor. Here, let's open you up and I'll fix ya right up!"

"Huh?" That's all Marionette got out before Ennard was going at his buttons. Over-protective of his damaged chest, he grabbed the wire wrists and tried shoving them back. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm gonna fix you! Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I've taken apart and put back together a ton of animatronics!" Ennard confidently proclaimed. He then fumbled with the buttons, starting to become confused. "Wait, these don't open?"

"No, Ennard, they don't open! _I d_ on't open!" the Puppet snapped, shoving Ennard's arms back. A broken crack of discontent forced its way through. "Now would you please-?!"

"What's going on in here?"

Suddenly Mike was at the door and looking in. There he caught a glimpse of Marionette and Ennard lightly wrestling before they went still to stare back at him. He slowly raised a brow at the scene. Marionette's hands snapped back, and his arms fell to his side, covering any discomfort.

"Nothing. Ennard was just opening his gift," he quickly excused. His body was beginning to feel weighted and started to realize that he had sacrificed his energy just to keep the clown at bay. "I think I may go wait in the car. I don't want stay up too long when I should be resting," Marionette excused before passing by. He moved quickly towards the door and grabbed the blanket quickly, covering himself up. "I'm heading out to the car!"

"Wait for a second and I'll walk you-." Mike was cut off when Marionette let himself out and disappeared. "And there he goes, out into broad daylight without me," the security guard finished. He sent a glance back at Ennard who stared back without any explanation. The human started to head back towards the front door, grabbing the plastic bag again off the couch. "Guess that's my cue to go."

"Mike, wait." Scott reached over the back of the couch to offer him another tape. "Take this too. It's about using electricity to jumpstart animatronics. Voltage and all of that." This received two reactions. Firstly, Mike shot Scott an incredulous look, then Ennard stepped out of the office and stared at the back of the Phone Guy's head. Noticing the human's look, the older man explained. "It's not for what you think. I just… If you did get in there and something happened, you could, you know, shock an animatronic like you would a human heart. Like a defibrillator."

"Right, that… Sounds useful." It sounded terrible. Mike was already sorely regretting his decision to even consider this. It was one thing to consider putting a few pieces together, but to think of the possibility that this could effectively shut down the Puppet's body was another thing. "Yeah, I don't think I can do this."

"Just remember that- What? Oh no, don't worry about it. It's just in case of emergencies. It's better to know all the options before they play out," Scott excused smoothly. "Just remember that if you do have to use any amount of electricity, you have to keep the wattage-." He was cut off by a loud popping noise nearby and looked back frantically, only to find Ennard opening a Christmas cracker. He gave a patient sight and looked back to Mike. "As I was saying, again, make sure not to use too much electricity or it'll only start frying the electronics. I don't need to tell you how bad that can be."

"No, I know. I've seen what the tasers can do." Already Mike was writing out any use of electricity. Unless the Puppet's body was entirely unresponsive, he would do what else he could. "I should get him home… I'll see what he'll let me do when we get there. Thanks for the help, Scott. Take care. You too, Ennard." He headed to the door and let himself out. As soon as Mike closed the door, Scott was clasped around the middle.

"Sorry for scaring ya like that, Scottie! Just popping open one of the cracker things," Ennard apologized as he nuzzled against his shoulder. "Want one? They taste like caramel.~" The Phone Guy was still obviously worried from how he watched the door. In all honesty, he had wished that he was more useful, but fixing animatronics was out of his league. He wasn't a trained technician; he barely knew how to help Ennard when he was distressed. A wire hand raised and offered him a wrapped piece of candy.

"Sure. What's life without a little indulgence?" Scott questioned as he unwrapped the candy and popped it in his mouth.

"You can say that again!" Ennard added with a giggle. He then smoothly turned the human to face him and leaned in to nuzzle against his cheek. He could feel Scott's pulse quickening and pressed his mask's nose against his soft skin until it squeaked. "I bet you're sweeter on the inside then any candy."

"I, uh… Thank you?" Scott wasn't sure why Ennard had been so affectionate recently, but he wasn't complaining. Confused, yes, but not complaining. He nearly bit down on the candy as he felt the animatronic shift so that his mouth rubbed against his skin instead. "I'm guessing you liked whatever Marionette brought you? Y-You're not usually this… Happy before lunch." Happy was one word for it. Ennard straightened to smile down at Scott and pulled him tightly against his chest.

"I'm always happy around you, Scott! You know you're the best gift I got.~" Ennard pressed his mouth to the human's head with a low hum of delight. His hands rubbed along the human's back soothingly. "…And I gotta tell ya, I love when you start with all that robotics talk. We should talk about it sometime." He was only becoming bolder and Scott wasn't entirely sure why. "I mean, it's not like you could just talk about it with any human that popped in." Oh, _that_ was why.

"Ennard, is this about-?"

"I'm just going to leave this on the TV." Scott looked back just in time to see Mike set down another gift. He wasn't entirely sure how long he was standing there or what he had seen but had certainly not heard him let himself back in. Mike glanced between the two of them and nonchalantly added, "You really need to get him a stuffed bear or something." Then he shut the door and was gone before Scott could even attempt an excuse.

Thus, he was left standing there with his embarrassment. Along with Ennard's casual remark- as though completely unfazed- of, "I hope it's more candy."

* * *

"What's in the bag?"

Marionette didn't even try to look, he just bluntly asked to see if Mike would be upfront with him. The security guard looked over at the Puppet, who was slumped down in the passenger seat and cocooned in the blanket. "Maintenance tapes."

"I see…" He pulled the blanket tighter around him as though to close off the world. The ticking had returned, and both could hear it. "And what do you intend to do with those?"

"I don't know yet," Mike answered. He didn't show it as obviously, but he was just as nervous as Marionette was. Just the thought of picking through his insides unsettled his stomach. It was just as responsive and felt as much as a human body would, so he could consider it performing surgery, and he certainly wasn't ready for that. "Just in case."

"You do realize I don't open, don't you?" the animatronic asked.

"I know," Mike answered. He shifted uncomfortably as they inched closer to home. "…Look, I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do." He was answered by silence. "I love you, Mari." Still silence.

The car pulled into the driveway and came to a stop. It was then that the blanket suddenly fell in. Between that and the shifting feeling in the air, Mike realized that the Puppet had teleported inside, even though he had so much trouble with it before. With a patient exhale, Mike grabbed the bag of tapes and headed inside to see the damage. He found Marionette at the back of the couch, hunched over it and barely holding himself up. "I could've brought you in-."

"Let's do it."

The finality shocked the security guard, who shut the door slowly behind him and stared at the animatronic. "You mean you want to…?" The striped one nodded in a quick answer. "You don't have to do this."

"Yes, Mike, I do," Marionette corrected. He tentatively reached to his chest while the other arm wobbled as it held him up. Under his fingertips he could feel the ticking, the grinding, the continued pain that was only getting worse. He was able to disguise it better, but it was always there, and he suspected it wasn't going anywhere on its own. "Ennard said that he thought it was my music box comb… The part that brushes on the pegs and that makes the chimes. I'm not sure if he's right, but it certainly _feels_ like he's right… And I can't fix that on my own."

"Are you sure you want me to do this? I could call and have Fritz over here in a couple of minutes."

"No…" The Puppet was nearly trembling at the thought of having himself opened and worked on. If this had to happen, he wanted it on his own terms. "I want you to do it. I know you can." Mike reached out and rested a hand on his back comfortingly. It was almost a silent assurance that he would. Though he was still mostly uncertain until he again felt the malfunction through the fabric of his back. All at once he sobered up; he could do this. There was no room for failure. Thinking ahead, Marionette pointed off towards the hallway. "My sewing box is under my bed. In it is-… A fabric knife." His voice cracked, and his arm trembled.

"Say no more. Just wait right here and I'll get everything." Mike set down the bag of tapes on the back of the couch and went to go get the box. He returned with both it and the music box. "I thought you might not want to be awake for this." Marionette nodded again, unwilling or unable to speak. "I was also thinking that we should probably do this in the basement. I know you'd probably be comfortable literally anywhere else in the house, but the replacement parts are down there, there's an actual workbench we can use, and the lighting will work better."

"Wherever you think is best," Marionette quietly agreed. "I'm putting myself into your hands."

"Then I'm going to go down and get everything ready. You just try to relax," Mike said. He took his dark hand in his own and squeezed it comfortingly. "Just keep remembering that by tonight it'll all be over." He drew away and gathered everything before heading downstairs, nearly stumbling from how much he had to carry, and then setting up the place to work. It wasn't long before he returned to collect the Puppet. "It's ready for you," he announced. Marionette nodded stiffly and followed him down the stairs, capable of getting himself down into the basement fine.

The workbench had been cleaned off, with everything that had been on it moved to the desk instead. The light above the bench was bright, shining down so that the work would be illuminated, and Mike's jacket had been folded like for a makeshift pillow. Marionette approached it cautiously and began to move onto it. He was ticking louder, and the pain was growing only more obvious, but it only persuaded him further to go ahead with it. He laid down and stared up at the light. The end of his legs almost reached the strange router in the corner, but he was more distracted by the sound of Mike winding the music box.

"Make sure not to let that wind down… I don't want to wake up while you're working," Marionette reminded. His voice was wavering, and his fingers nervously drummed on the bench beneath him.

"Trust me, I won't. I'm going to have you fixed in no time," Mike assured. The music box began to play as he turned and leaned over the animatronic. "It's just going to be a few seconds and you'll be fixed." Then he waited and watched as the music box began to lull Marionette into sleep. His features relaxed and the ticking and cracking went silent.

Immediately, Mike went to work by getting out the tape player and shoving in the first tape. It began to play after a few seconds and Scott's voice soon echoed out.

" _You're listening to Freddy Fazbear maintenance tape twelve. Today I will be giving you instructions on upkeep and cleaning of the Prize Puppet. First, we will be discussing how to replace uneven or chipping face paint."_

"No," Mike dismissed, shutting off the tape and replacing it with another one.

" _You're listening to Freddy Fazbear maintenance tape thirteen. Today I will be giving you instructions on how to restring the Prize Puppet to its cross if it… Uh… Somehow gets itself free… Make sure that the music box is playing at all times."_

"No." Again he tossed the tape aside and put in the third one.

" _You're listening to Freddy Fazbear maintenance tape eleven. Today I will be giving you instructions on how to repair the music box in the Prize Corner. While it's not necessary during the day- the Prize Puppet makes its own music- the music box is important for the nightshift. So please, if you notice the music box not working during the day, please either repair, replace, and make sure to tell the Fazbear nightshift staff."_

"Music box repair… Wrong music box but this might still be what I'm looking for. He said it himself; Mari and the box sound near identical…"

" _First thing to do is open the back of the box and remove the actual music box from inside. Make sure to unscrew and remove the external crank before doing so. Next, identify the broken piece to be replaced-."_

Mike paused the tape and headed back to the bench to look down at Marionette. He needed to see what was damaged, which meant he had to go ahead with opening the Puppet. Mike reached onto the desk and opened the sewing kit. Underneath some of the tools he found the fabric knife. The blade was shorter than he expected and twice as sharp, and it felt heavy in his hand.

"Let me just check everything over one last time…" He checked the light, the music box, made sure Marionette wasn't awake, and only then got enough nerve to stop stalling. "Alright. Let's put you back together."

Mike began to slowly cut through the fabric of Marionette chest, trying to do it further from the buttons in case it left a scar behind. The fabric gave slight resistance against the sharp knife, thick and stubborn, but then began to open. He turned the Puppet's body slightly to see better as he opened the incision. He could see machinery inside. A wave of anxiousness passed over, leaving a tingling heat burning his neck and flushing his face. Mike ignored it and cut a little further. Then he grabbed his flashlight and shined it inside. He could see the endoskeleton and soon the music box mechanism mounted on it.

"Wait a minute…" Mike spread the incision wider and looked closer inside. Marionette's internal music box was remarkably like a normal music box, though there were some differences. The cylinder that turned to play music seemed to be made of rings with pegs on them, giving it the cylinder look and function while allowing the pegs to move separate from one another. This had to be how Marionette was able to play such elaborate tunes. Though this wasn't what stood out to him. Instead, he was looking at what he could only assume was the comb. Or what was left of it. "What in the…?"

The comb had snapped off from where it was screwed into place. While part of the comb was still bolted in place, the part that had broken off was now wedged underneath the cylinder. Somehow it had shifted into place instead of dropping off and innocently falling somewhere else into the body. "I'll be damned… Ennard was _right_."

He started to carefully slide his fingers into the incision and felt forwards until he brushed the piece of comb. He clamped the piece between his fingers and began to tentatively rock the piece, loosening it from the tight hold, and easing it out from being trapped. It took a little maneuvering, but finally managed to come free and Mike pulled it out. It was baffling that a single, thin piece of metal could cause so much misery. Let alone that it could snap like it did. He set it aside and turned to wind the music box again. After turning back on the tape player, Mike headed over to the drawers and opened the one that contained the Puppet's replacement pieces.

" _There are four main pieces to the music box: the comb, the cylinder, the bedplate, and the motor. The comb is the flat piece that rests against the cylinder. The cylinder is, well, the cylinder. The motor is the mechanism that attached to the windup key and activates the cylinder. The bedplate is what everything is attached to. Note that if the bedplate somehow ends up broken that most likely the music box won't be repairable. Okay, now identify what part needs replacing and remove it by unscrewing it from the bedplate. Then locate the replacement piece in the storage closet."_

"Does a repurposed dresser count as a closet? Wouldn't want to go against company policy," Mike remarked as though talking to someone who wasn't there. He shifted through all the pieces before finding a fully intact music box mechanism in the corner. It looked almost identical to Marionette's own. He didn't know whether to be surprised that William had a second one or to just be disturbed that he anticipated something like this. He moved it to the desk, retrieved a screw driver, and unscrewed the comb from the second music box.

" _If you can replace the piece, then wind the music box and double check that it plays through correctly. If it doesn't, then further repairs will be needed. If it does, then congratulations! You have successfully repaired the Prize Corner's music box. Just a reminder, but do not attempt to retrieve and repair the music box after hours. If you hear broken noises coming from the Prize Puppet, do not attempt repairs on the Puppet- or approach the Puppet- and instead inform the manager. This is the end of training tape eleven."_

"Thanks for warning me now," Mike muttered as he approached Marionette again. He turned and opened him to look inside again. "Alright, how are we going to do this?" he asked as he started to try and fit the screwdriver inside. It soon became apparent that he couldn't fit it inside. He sighed and grabbed for the fabric knife. "Sorry about this, Doll. Just a little more." He cut more of an incision, watching how long the slice was getting. He didn't even know if he would be able to stitch it closed right, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.

With more room, he was able to fit the screwdriver inside and awkwardly, still largely sideways, worked both screws out. He removed the rest of the broken comb and set it down beside the other piece. The screws were stuck through the new comb, which was set in place, and then twisted with his fingers until he had to use the screwdriver to tighten them. He tapped on the comb to make sure it was sturdy before checking everything else over. It all looked to be in place and he removed his hand before returning to the sewing box to get a thick enough needle and black thread.

" _Last leg of the journey. You've got this_ ," Mike mentally encouraged as he threaded the needle. Only now did he realize his hands were shaking. He was still able to start stitching up the cut and watched as the black fabric started to pull back together with every careful stitch. In one anticlimactic moment of cutting a loose thread, the surgery was finished. Now all that was left was to wake him up and see if everything was in place. It was a risk if there was something Mike had missed, but he was too impatient to wait longer and stopped the music box.

Marionette woke slowly; his hand twitched lightly and his mask started to shift, but he stayed rather still. He was already aware that something was different as pressure in his chest had dulled and the pain was gone. Moving cautiously, he slightly turned his head to look at the human standing beside him.

"Hey! Looks who's finally decided to join the living," Mike said with an assuring smile. Inwardly, he was just waiting for the moment when they would know whether it worked or not. The cynical side of him was already anticipating that same, painful cracking noise instead of the gentle chiming. He took the Puppet's hand once more to comfort the animatronic in case something went wrong. "It's over, Mari. I replaced the broken part. Here, look." He lifted the removed comb pieces. Marionette looked surprised as he took the larger piece and turning it over in his fingers.

"I recognize that look of shock. Yeah, apparently Ennard hit the nail on the head," Mike quipped with a small smirk. The animatronic smiled and looked at the comb again, still surprised that such a vital piece had snapped. Yet he remained silent. The human gave a gentle coax, "Try out the new one and let's hear the results." While still hesitant, expecting the same pain as before, Marionette agreed and relaxed himself before trying to vocalize.

He awaited the resounding crack, but instead was answered by a soft chime. The replacement had worked. Mike had repaired him.

"Thank God!" Mike blurted out in relief. He released the breath he had been holding and nearly doubled over on the spot. "I was so sure something was going to go wrong. That I screwed something up somewhere along the line." The tentative chimes immediately changed into delighted trills as Marionette embraced being complete. Then his focus turned on Mike and he started to push off the desk. He wobbled as he sat upwards as his body was still recovering from the replacement, and the security guard reached for his shoulder to steady him. "Take it easy, okay? No sudden movements until we're sure-."

He was cut off by Marionette wrapping his arms tightly around him and pressing his mask into the crook of his neck. He was still trilling without a hitch, so much so that he was nearly shivering. It was a stark difference to the broken ticking that had been prominent earlier that day. It was literal music to his ears and he hugged back gently. Marionette nuzzled against him before moving upwards to leave gentle kisses along the human's face.

"Thank you, thank you," the Puppet began to murmur in a quiet mantra. "You're wonderful. _Thank you_." His trilling switched to a more affectionate warble as Mike cupped his mask, pressing his forehead against his.

"Don't mention it. You know I'd do anything for you," Mike reassured, claiming his lips in a chaste kiss. "Come on. Let's get you out of this basement and somewhere where you can actually rest," he suggested as he easily lifted the other and headed towards the door. He would worry about the tools and everything else later; he had something more important to tend to.

"I don't know if you realize it, but you saved my life," Marionette quietly assured. It might've just looked like a single piece, but to him it had meant so much more. It meant security, that he had someone who would be able to fix him, and that damage wouldn't be the end. If he had a shelf life, then it had doubled in his eyes. "But I didn't expect anything less… I don't know what I'd do without you."

Mike held him a little tighter and tried to not let the words go to his head, even though he felt every one of them. "Yeah, well…" He got a playful smile. "You might want to save that until we see if I can get you up the stairs without casualty."

They left the quiet basement. The router hummed, the lights flickered, and the memories of what happened already started to soften. It felt like it was finally over.

* * *

 **Mable: I actually intended to have some of Foxy and Jeremy in this chapter but considering the flow I was afraid that it would feel too much like whiplash. Expect for that to come in the next chapter instead. It's about time we got more Foxy- who doesn't love Foxy? XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Mable: Here's the new chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Almost Feels Like Home**

 _Chapter Thirty-Three_

Foxy woke to the site of Balloon Boy leering at him from the side of the Jeremy's bed. The moment yellow eyes met blue, the small animatronic began to laugh boisterously, like he was proud of how unsettling he was. The pirate groaned and reached back to grab the other pillow to cover his head with and block out the morning. He had two seconds of peace before he felt poking on his back.

"He sleeps a lot, doesn't he?" a small, feminine voice pointed out.

"He's a pirate, maybe he drank a bunch of rum," a second, identical voice remarked.

"He smells like pizza, not rum." There was a small pause before she asked, "What does rum smell like?"

In response, Foxy gave a clumsy wave back with his hook, like he was trying to dismiss the Bidybab twins who now standing behind him. He didn't even get a second of peace before something started crawling underneath the pillow. There appeared Minireena Rose, who proceeded to try and climb onto his muzzle with a giggle. Foxy had finally had enough and sat upwards abruptly in bed, the pillow and Minireena dropping onto his lap.

All of Jeremy's small animatronics were crowded around him. Balloon Boy to his left, the Bidybabs to his right, Lilium and Plushtrap standing at the foot of the bed, Forget-Me-Not climbing on the headboard, and even Daisy sitting where Jeremy's pillow had been before Foxy stole it. The only one wasn't here was Jeremy himself- and Max, but Max didn't exactly move that much.

"Gah!" Foxy made brushing motions towards them. "Alright, alright, I'm up!" This had the desired effect only on Plushtrap and Lilium, as Plushtrap hopped down off the bed, caught Lilium who jumped down, and then they scurried off into the cat condo that Jeremy had sitting in the corner. With how the Minireenas hissed and climbed, it was no wonder that he set up cat toys to appease them, and no surprise that it worked. As for the other mini-matronics, they might have taken a single step away but still crowded around. He didn't trust going back to sleep.

"Can't a fox sleep on his day off?" the pirate muttered as he scooped up Rose in one hand and set her aside. He then shuffled down the bed. "Right, ya lil beggers, ya got yer wish. Captain Foxy's up." The comforter slid off with him, causing the Bidybabs to topple on their backs. "I'd be doin' better with rats chewin' at me ankles," he added in under his breath as he started heading out. Balloon Boy answered with an obnoxious giggle and Daisy followed behind Foxy with little spins and ballerina leaps. Once out in the front room, Foxy could hear what sounded like the shower running and knew it had to be Jeremy.

"Morning, Captain," Max mockingly remarked as he watched Foxy step into the living room. He then added, "…Was two hours ago. Must be fun not having anywhere to go, ha ha ha!" The magician was standing prone beside the television, which strangely wasn't on. Max didn't do much other than absorb himself in television, meaning that it was almost always on and he always had the remote at hand, but now he stood in silence. Almost as though he had been waiting for Foxy. The pirate gave a grumbled response. "Hey, Buddy, could you do something for me? All jokes aside, I need a big favor and I think you're the guy to do it," Max inquired.

This was certainly unexpected. Things between the two of them were always strange, with the magician giving the obvious impression that he thought he was better than the fox. Thus, he never asked for anything, and thus Foxy was confused. He still decided to agree. "Aye, whazddya need?" he asked as he circled the couch. He went to sit when he was stopped.

"No, don't sit down," the magician corrected quickly. Foxy straightened again with a slightly perplexed look. Blue eyes flipped to the phone table nearby. "See the answering machine?" The pirate looked towards it in response. "See that flashing red dot? Someone called while Jerry's been in the shower," Max explained. "Why don't you play the message before he gets out?"

"… _Jerry?"_ At first Foxy thought it was some sort of joke, but then he abruptly sobered. _"Wait, did Mari call? Maybe Mike called. One of 'em called."_ Protective paranoia sunk in and he headed over quickly. He pressed the button to play the message back and listened as the machine rattled out the number, date, and time of the call. He expected a familiar voice, a masculine one, to forewarn him of something terrible happening to his younger brother. Instead, he heard a woman who he didn't recognize.

" _Jeremy, it's Cass. Okay, so… I don't appreciate you leaving these long-winded messages on my answering machine. I get important calls during the day and I can't just throw away fifteen minutes of recording time every time you decide to recount the last year of your life. If you wanted to catch up, then we could've. I offered for you to come down for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and you said no. Try to see it from my perspective; I try reaching out and you're just not reliable. Maybe if you need someone to just listen for a while you should consider seeking someone professional, since I know you're probably "stressed out" again. Still love you though. Bye."_

The message ended abruptly and left the animatronics in silence once more. Foxy wasn't sure how to even react at first. A strange woman who Jeremy had never mentioned had just left a lengthy, passive-aggressive message to which Foxy had no context for. Thankfully, Max decided to fill in the blanks.

"That's Cass. She's the sweetheart of the family, Jerry's sister," Max chimed in. Suddenly it made much more sense. Just as suddenly Foxy began to feel a growing irritation. Siblings were naturally a touchy subject but paired with the wording he couldn't help but feel growing frustration. He might've not been awake long, but he remembered nearly every bullet point from the lengthy message. "Hey Gabe…" Max looked up slowly and quietly asked, "Why don't you do me a big favor and call her back?"

Foxy didn't even care about the repercussions as he snatched up the phone and stabbed at the redial button with his hook. The phone rang only a few times, during which he knew he could hang up and still didn't. Then the voice, her voice, came onto the line. "Hello, Jeremy?" she asked. Now she sounded as neutral as could be. Foxy could only imagine it being faked as he adjusted his character.

"Yes, hello. This is Cass, right?" Gabriel asked. He sounded just like any human stranger.

"Uh, Cassandra, yes." She sounded understandably confused. "Who is this?"

"This is Gabe. I'm a friend of Jeremy's," he introduced brusquely. "I was visiting, and I just happened to get your message while Jeremy was in the shower, and I was hoping that maybe we could talk."

"Sure, I have a few minutes. Did Jeremy get my message?" Cassandra asked. She still sounded largely confused but didn't seem to expect a confrontation. Perfect.

"Not yet. I thought maybe we could talk first." Gabriel held but, inwardly reminding himself to stay restrained. "I really do appreciate that you could take time away from your busy schedule to call Jeremy long enough to remind him that calling him is taking away from your schedule, but I'm a little concerned he might take some of your message the wrong way. I know if my sister suggested that I got therapy for talking too much I'd be just a little hurt." No, he wouldn't. He would've been downright offended, but Jeremy wasn't the type to get offended. "I thought maybe I could convince you to call him back and leave a nicer message."

"…Excuse me?" There came the edge of offense. "You want me to call Jeremy back and leave a nicer message? I'm sorry- Gabe? You're mistaken. I didn't mean anything like that. I was just telling Jeremy about how hurt I was that he rejected our invitation to come visit for his job. I'm glad he has a job, but it always seems like something's more important family." She gave a forced sort of chuckle. "Blood is thicker, but not as thick as money I guess!"

"That's a good point. It would've been an even better point if it hadn't followed your reminder that your schedule is more important than talking to him. Eh, pot and kettle, what's the difference?" Gabriel sounded as casual as could be as his hook tapped irritatedly on the phone table. "It's one thing when you're an employee, but when you're an owner of a business you have to be around a bit more."

"An owner?" She might've snickered or scoffed, but he also could've imagined it. "Okay, maybe I was too harsh. I know how sensitive Jeremy can be over the tiniest things. Whatever, that's fine. Just tell him I didn't mean to come off like anything other than concerned. We do worry about Jeremy." He must've been imagining it, but he swore he was hearing condescending comment after comment. As though he was talking to some foul cross between Baby and _Dad_.

"You certainly act like you're reliable, but I seem to recall him inviting his whole family to the Halloween Party we threw and nobody came because… Oh, wait. They never said why they weren't coming, because they never called," Gabriel said with his irritation beginning to show. "So, there he was, waiting hours for someone to show up and nobody did. Though I guess Jeremy's the unreliable one, not being able to come when you call."

Cassandra seemed taken aback by the other's continued lashing. Now she began to defend herself more firmly, unwilling to cave even for a second. "Okay, _Gabe,_ listen. I don't understand why you're being so hostile or what Jeremy told you-."

"Jeremy didn't have to tell me anything. I could see for myself how upset he got that night, but it's nothing compared to how upset he's going to be when he hears that message you left," Gabriel spat. "If you don't want to talk to your brother, then fine, but you're not going to make it Jeremy's fault. And you're not going to imply that Jeremy's the one with a problem when he's running a business, he's got a life outside of his family, and you're acting like a catty, bitter princess."

There were a few seconds where Cassandra sputtered. Gabriel almost felt victorious, but it wasn't enough to pacify the frustration that was causing him to twitch and grit his teeth. Especially once she managed to speak again.

"Am I actually talking to an adult right now?" Cassandra snapped in disbelief and offense. "I don't know who you think you are, but this is between me and my brother. Between _family_. You don't know anything about what's going on, so just stay out of it and don't call me thinking that you know everything."

"Oh yeah? Well, guess what, Sis?" Gabe snapped, boiling over. " _Last night wasn't the first night I slept in your brother's bed!"_

With that, Gabriel slammed the phone down on the receiver. It took him about two or three seconds to realize that might've been a terrible mistake. Not that he regretted it, what with the nerve of the woman on the line. He turned to look at Max only to find the magician looking at something behind him. At that moment Foxy suddenly realized that he could no longer hear the shower. He slowly turned to look towards the bathroom door.

There stood Jeremy, mouth agape, eyes wide, and hair still damp. He had to have heard Foxy and knew what he had done.

"Jer- You- Lad!" Foxy choked out, quickly returning to character. "Ya- Ya snuck up on me! I thought you were still in the shower! Blimey, Lad, ya really should get a- err-somethin'…" He trailed off and stared back. Jeremy still looked just as shocked and finally the fox caved and decided to look at the floor in guilt.

"Foxy…" Jeremy quietly began. "…That was my sister, wasn't it?" Foxy neither looked up nor answered him. "You just… Told off my sister, didn't you?" Whatever emotions he was feeling weren't obvious, other than complete shock.

If it couldn't get any worse, Max suddenly decided to look directly at Jeremy and announce, "Your sister _is_ a catty, bitter princess. Ha ha ha!" Foxy decided that this defense was bad enough to start groveling.

"Ugh, Lad, I'm sorry! I don't know what happened. The whole point was to call her 'bout this message she left, an' the next thing I know I lose my head." He reached up with his hand to rub his uncovered eye. "Just lost me temper an' said a lotta stupid things."

"No, you didn't," Max interrupted. Foxy had half a mind to correct him and remind that he wasn't helping, but Max continued before he could. "This isn't the first time she's left messages like this, _Gabe_ ," Max tattled as he looked back to the fox. "Ha ha ha, and you should hear what she says when he does answer the phone." Foxy stared at the shorter animatronic for a few moments before looking to Jeremy in questioning.

"…Tell me he's exaggeratin', Jer'my," the captain requested with his voice solemn. He was still ready to swallow his pride and plead with the man, hoping that he hadn't sabotaged everything in one phone call, but he wasn't about to let this go. Jeremy looked almost as embarrassed as he did every time the pizzeria's commercial came on. Foxy had his answer. "…I see."

"No, Foxy, just… She doesn't mean it." Jeremy gave a weary sigh as she laid over the back of the couch. He covered his face in that same embarrassment. "She… just echoes what everyone else in the family says. She's not the only one in the family who thinks I'm a criminal and a deadbeat, and that I'm throwing my life away at a pizzeria just to spite them. That's just what they think of me and I- I could never say anything to them. Not when I've done so much stupid stuff…" He exhaled through his nose. "I'm should be mad because and now my whole family's going to find out about this and blame me."

Foxy hadn't thought of this. His ears started to fold back. This was already so much worse than if Jeremy had exploded in anger. "Lad…"

"… But I… I'm _not_. I'm not mad. I can't even pretend to be mad, even if it's a total betrayal of blood." Jeremy straightened and uncovered his face. Through his glasses, Foxy saw something unexpected in Jeremy's eyes. It almost looked like admiration, as unbelievable as it was. "Because that's the _first_ time anyone ever defended me." He got a strained smile of mixed emotions. "Nobody has ever stood up for me, or even just said I wasn't a mess! Ever! You're the _only_ one!"

The reaction was surprising, but also telling. Jeremy wasn't angry or offended only because the entire family had targeted him. That should've relieved Foxy but instead it only made him more concerned.

"Lad, she ain't-… Jeremy, I hope ya don't actually think anything she says is true. Or anything yer family says," Foxy tried to convince. "Yer the most reliable person I know. Ya've always been there, even when its causes ya trouble. Even when it means workin' on Christmas or comin' home to fussy dolls every late night. Ya deserve better than that." He circled around the couch to get to him so he could take him by the shoulders. "They're wrong."

"No, I know that. After years of a bunch of people convincing you that everything you do is a mistake, you sort of just… Stop hearing it? Or you hear it, but you're just numb to it." Jeremy didn't want Foxy to pity him. He gave his captain a lopsided smile and patted his hand. "But I did sort of leave myself open to this. Cass called a couple of weeks ago to invite me to Christmas and I turned her down… And then I felt bad about it and left a really long message of me babbling."

"That ain't no excuse fer them ta treat ya like this. Ya deserve better than that," the pirate boldly asserted.

"I _do_ have better than that," the human answered. "I…I have you." He slowly, almost shyly moved in to press a kiss to the side of his muzzle. Foxy gave a low rumble and held him close, nuzzling into his soft, blond hair. He was right; any family issues aside, he had him.

"Apparently in your bed too. Ha ha ha!"

Unfortunately, he had Max too.

* * *

It was such a relief to not have to worry about pain from any movement. Marionette had thought about it vaguely in the past, but it wasn't until after dealing with such a debilitating injury that he knew how fortunate he was. Currently he was laying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, and petting Moppet who was curled up beside him. It was all so comforting and soothing; a sharp contrast to the nightmarish game that Mike was currently playing as he sat at the end of the couch. As afternoon was starting to fade and evening crept closer the phone started to ring.

"That's probably Charlie. I'll get it," Mike offered and paused the game. He then headed into the kitchen to answer the phone. "Hello, hello?"

"Hey, it's me." As expected, it was Charlie. What wasn't expected was the amount of static clouding her voice. "I've finished up here. Would you mind picking me up?"

"No problem… Hold on a second." It couldn't be the warehouse phone causing the interference as this was the same thing that happened when he had called Glenn. It was then that he noticed the only change from earlier, which would be that the pantry door was open. He couldn't recall if it was open during the call with Glenn, but he shut the basement door and pantry to check. Almost immediately, the phone became clearer. "I think something in the basement is causing the static on the phone," Mike called in to Marionette.

This piqued the Puppet's interest. Now that he thought about it, there was running equipment in the basement that they hadn't ever found the reason for. He started to sit upright when he was struck by a light tightness in his chest. For a moment the panic almost returned, but then he realized it was not his music box but the seam of tread down his chest. He traced a finger down the stitched and realized quickly that the tugging was because the fabric had sealed underneath.

"-And he's chiming again, so it sounds like everything's back on track and he should be fine here while I come get you," he could hear Mike explaining over the phone. "So, yeah. Sorry you got to miss out on watching me pretend I knew what I was doing and somehow managing to do it." He worded it so dismissively and yet sounded so proud; it was unbelievably endearing. "I'll be there in about five minutes. You just sit tight and watch your six." Mike ended the call soon afterwards. "I'm going to get Charlie."

"Before you go, can you hand me the scissors?" Marionette asked. Mike was slightly unsure why but did as he asked and stuck around to watch. Once he saw the Puppet slide upwards and lower the scissor to the incision he knew what was coming and knelt down to watch. He wasn't sure if it was out of curiousness or cautiousness, but he couldn't look away as the stitches were carefully snipped. Dark fingers then gently slipped out the stitches one by one. Any small holes left behind were sure to seal on their own, just as the slice had and just as the past cracks on his face had.

"I know what you're thinking…" Marionette with a playful smile. "How does he keep such a trim figure with an entire music box inside?" He chimed in amusement, with it sounding better than it had in days. Perhaps even before the injury.

"Yeah, sure. My exact thoughts," Mike quipped with light sarcasm. He reached forward to run his thumb over where the stitches had been. He could vaguely still feel raised fabric and wondered if it would stay that way, like an invisible scar. "It's amazing how you do that. How you can just close yourself up when everyone else is so busted up." The striped one knew that 'everyone else' meant the other animatronics, and he wasn't entirely wrong. The only other animatronic he knew of who was capable of self-repair had been Golden Freddy, but he had never been full invested in self-repair.

"It doesn't make you feel strange that you saw my endoskeleton, does it?" Marionette asked coyly. He caught Mike's hand and traced his fingers over the back of it. "It doesn't make you feel like I'm any more animatronic than I was before? It's easy to see me as human with my metal covered."

"Nah, nothing like that. If anything, it just made me appreciate how long you can bear singing in front of an audience." It would take something more than just a little metal to reconsider Marionette's humanity. Especially when Mike was fond of his more animatronic parts. Piecing him back together had just allowed him to see the intricate system from the inside. These intricate pieces kept his music playing, his strings tightly wound, and the Puppet in complete balance. Every comb, every cog, was vitally important, but then it was something supernatural that pulled it all back together.

"Mike, you're staring," Marionette playfully pointed out.

"I guess I am." He didn't stop himself though. A few quiet moments passed.

Then the security guard abruptly leaned in and pressed his lips to the porcelain ones. Marionette wasn't even surprised by the suddenness and instead pulled him closer, encircling his free arm around him. Moppet was spooked by the sudden movement and left, but neither noticed. The Puppet was too busy trying to pull the human onto the couch with him. Mike could already feel the strings wrapping around him and ensuring that he stayed close. He wasn't sure what it was that triggered this; maybe it was what they had went through, the stress and relief, the feeling of being able to work of someone so extraordinary.

"Mike…" Marionette finally drew away. Mike took the opportunity to press slow kisses against the stripes of his mask. He could feel the animatronic tremble underneath him and was only persuaded on. "Mike," Marionette started to interrupt again. His arms wrapped around his human's neck as a hand slid through his dark hair, both holding him close and trying to reign in control of them both. "Mike, what about Charlie?"

"We've got five minutes," Mike smoothly defended. Marionette was prepared to remind him that he wasn't adding in the driving, but his judgement was clouded by the attention being lavished on him. "I think that's plenty of time to make up for lost time, don't you?" his human coaxed. The Puppet caved with a small, playful smile, and a nod. His voice was swallowed by warbling once again and Mike claimed his lips once more. He lost himself in the feel of fabric and the sensation of the gentle ringing under his fingertips.

Five minutes would never feel like enough.

In the warehouse's office, Charlie set the phone back on the receiver and looked to the now fixed Bonnie doll. Or fixed enough; there was too much to fix everything, but some of it was back in working condition. She had mended a couple of patches too and hoped it would give the plush a longer time without tears. Baby had been there the whole time but had seemed quiet and distracted. Even now she seemed to be staring off into space.

"Mike's going to be here soon to pick me up, so I'm going to go stand by the door. You can come with me if you want," Charlie offered as she put the tools away and closed the toolbox. "I think I'll take your advice and not try picking this up," she playfully remarked. Then she picked up the plush in question, careful to make sure not to active the voice recording. "Come on, Bonnie. It's time to get you home." She turned to the office door to leave.

Baby pushed off from the desk and blocked her way.

It was so sudden that Charlie was taken aback. Baby had just seemed so out of it that the sudden motion was unexpected. She expected an explanation, but instead the clown was just staring at her, so she was forced to ask. "Is something wrong?"

"I was just thinking about how beautiful you are." The look of complete confoundment was only a fraction of the confusion that Charlie was feeling at the sudden compliment. As though Baby had just lost her mind- or perhaps wanted something, which was more likely. "You're very fortunate. I don't think you realize that," Baby continued on. "You went from a human in a complete body to a puppet with all your parts and paint. You're whole. You could enter a pizzeria and people would believe you were supposed to be there."

"I… Thank you?" Charlie half said and half asked in confusion. "Is this about-?"

"I used to have a better body, but it too was flawed. It was too large, heavy, hard to move and control. Isn't it funny? In this body I can move, I am more free, but the price was any beauty I once had…" She traced her fingers over her cheek. "My face is fractured beyond repair. I look like I am scrap. I am not Circus Baby any longer, any circus would throw me away." Baby raised her eyes to Charlie once more and they seemed to transfix on her mask. "It almost isn't fair. You had two complete bodies and mine was always flawed. What I wouldn't give… To look like you."

Suddenly Charlie felt very uncomfortable. Maybe it was how Baby leered at her, like she was a cupcake being gazed at by a hungry child. Or like she was an animatronic that Baby was eager to feast on parts from.

"I think you're being a little too critical of your looks, but you know I would do what I could to help you, Baby," Charlie said to diffuse the situation. "I would fix you myself if I could."

"Of course you would. I knew you would say that. You're always so helpful…" Baby's voice lowered considerably. "I wonder… How much would you be willing to give?" She rolled slightly closer to the Security Puppet, who slightly leaned back away in response, growing more uneasy. "It is clear to me now. I need you."

"You need me for what…?" Charlie quietly asked. She glanced down at Baby's clamping claw and twisting wires as the clown finally stated exactly what she wanted.

"I want _you_ to fix me."

It was not what Charlie was anticipating at all. Not with the threatening buildup and the oddly foreboding way Baby led into it. "What?"

"Fritz is a wonderful technician, but he is all function and no form. He cares about everything working on the inside… But when you're what we are, the outside could get you scrapped just as quickly. You must know that. That's why you fixed the outside of the doll along with the inside; you know the importance of appearance," Baby explained in more detail. "I want a beautiful face."

"Oh! I thought- I guess that doesn't matter really." The Security Puppet caught herself before she could say what she had really thought was happening. This didn't mean that she wasn't still a little surprised. Compared to the plush toy underneath her hands, Baby was a whole different vessel, and the thought of working on her was a much larger undertaking. "I don't know what amount of schooling you think I have, but I'm not exactly qualified to be working on anything bigger than, well, Plush Bonnie here."

"I know that. I'm not that ignorant," Baby said with brief exasperation. "You would be working alongside Fritz, but I saw what you did with that doll. You're already better than the lazy workers down in that cold building, and they were expected to tend to multiple animatronics." The bitter memories brought forth frustration, but she forced compositor. "Wouldn't you feel privileged to work on a living animatronic? One whose parts all work without programming?"

"Of course I would, and I appreciate you asking me but I really thing you should consider how dangerous this would be." She picked up the plush toy for example. "I worked on Bonnie because I know it's not alive and it can't feel pain. If something breaks in this then nothing happens… Well, no. Mari might get upset, but no lasting consequences. I could break something in you that Fritz might not be able to fix."

"You would be working on my face, my already broken face. How could you break me any worse?" Baby asked simply, almost patronizingly.

"Well, I assume you'd want your eyes and mouth to work," Charlie pointed out matter-of-factly.

"If it means having a pretty face, I could care less." As exaggerated as it sounded, Baby's tone made her sound completely serious. Perhaps she wasn't even imagining the true consequences in her desperation. "I'm tired of those old posters mocking me and reminding me what I've become. I don't want to stay like this any longer." Baby's hand traced over the broken plates. "I want the face of a doll."

Charlie was at a loss for words. It was clear that this was bothering Baby and that she wouldn't let it drop. Not to mention that she was correct on numerous accounts. While she didn't think that appearances were that important under normal circumstances, Baby was limited because of how she looked. She couldn't be seen by the general public when she looked so broken or people would ask questions, would get scared, and with Baby's unpredictability this could lead to worse results. Fixing her would at least give her more possibilities. Maybe it would even change her outlook and behavior.

"Well… Alright, maybe," the Security Puppet agreed. She was still the slightest bit weary of the ideas. "But only if Fritz agrees to it. I'm not sure how he's going to find the parts you'll need."

"Don't think about that. I can handle that on my own. We have more important things to discuss and we're running out of time to do so." The clown turned to the desk and grabbed a flimsy sticky pad in her hand. "Here, take this," she instructed as she shoved it into the puppet's hands. She then thrust a pen after it. "And write down every detail for my perfect face." Charlie got a slight amused smile and sat down at the desk again. "I don't mind the shape if the plates are fixed, but I need better paint. Something bright. No purple."

It was almost ten minutes later when the sound of the warehouse doors opening alerted the two animatronics to Mike's arrival. The security guard looked slightly out of sorts with disheveled clothes and tussled hair, and it seemed most likely that he had somehow lost track of time and rushed over. Charlie was willing to let him off the hook.

"That was a rather long five minutes." Though Baby was not. She had followed the Security Puppet out to the door, turning her attention on her instead of the human. "Remember what we talked about. I'll call you once Fritz agrees." After receiving a nod of understanding, she turned and disappeared back into the office, leaving them alone.

"What was that about?" Mike asked in slight confusion. He then noticed that she had something hidden under her jacket and raised a brow in suspicion. "Do I want to know?"

"The short answer: this is her list of demands," she answered, showing him the list. "The long answer I'll explain in the car." Which she did. Once in the car, Charlie retold the entire tale, even down to her original suspicions. "I honestly thought from how she was talking that she was planning on pulling my face off and wearing it as a mask."

"Considering her and Ennard's history, I wouldn't be too surprised either," Mike added in.

"Do you think I should do it?" Charlie hesitantly asked as she looked to him. "It's one thing reading books, but to actually start moving and adjusting Baby's vital parts. I can't believe she trusts me with this."

"At least Fritz will be there and it's not like you have no idea what you're doing. You were studying robotics," Mike pointed out in her defense. "Either way, when it comes down to it it's your choice. Don't let Baby bully you into giving her a facelift. It's not like it's a life or death situation." Ironic considering what he had done earlier.

"You're right about that…" Charlie fell silent as she thought about what exactly this would entail. She was capable of fixing faceplates, especially when she had pieced the plush together so easily. Her hands worked just as well now as they had as a human. "Maybe I can do it. I already know what she wants, so if Fritz is willing to do it then I should be able to do it. What other chance am I going to get on to work on a real animatronic?"

"…Considering that Mari's still recovering, I'm not going to push my luck by answering that question."

The conversation came to a close as they arrived at their street and soon after pulled into the driveway. As before, Charlie was escorted beside carefully to avoid the prying eyes of the neighbors. Once inside, Mike checked on Marionette and found him still on the couch, propped up on a pillow, and currently playing the game without him.

"I leave for five minutes and you hijack the game," Mike tsked as he dropped onto the couch beside him. "At least tell me we're out of the hallways."

"We are and we just thought what I think was a boss. It was very disturbing and I may be scarred for life," Marionette pointed out nonchalantly.

"How are you feeling? You sound a lot better," the Security Puppet asked. She wanted to make sure he was well before she presented him with the surprise she was currently holding behind the couch.

"I feel much better too! It's funny, I thought the injury was sudden, but now with this new part in I'm starting to think this was building for a while. I just didn't see the signs until they were too big to ignore." He then handed over the controller to Mike and turned to face Charlie completely. He had a wider smile than usual and seemed more perked than ever. "How was your time with Baby? I'm hoping she wasn't much of a handful."

"She wasn't. We were talking about her getting fixed up, but that can wait until later. I've got something I want to show you." She pushed past any anticipation and came around the side of the couch, revealing the doll in her hands. He immediately looked to it in surprise. It was already easy to see the differences with the patches alone, but the dolls neck also looked more upright and the arms seemed less loose, meaning the inside was also fixed. "I know I didn't really have a chance to give you a Christmas gift… So, I took the liberty of fixing up this Bonnie doll you had in your box. He was built just like mine, so it wasn't too difficult."

"He looks wonderful!" Marionette exclaimed in delight as he carefully took the doll. He felt over the right arm, which felt much tighter. "His joints were so loose before, and you even fixed his ears!"

"I just had to set some things back into place. Now I can't get the waving mechanism to work fully, but if you press the top button on his back…" She reached down and tapped the button. In response, the Bonnie doll began to open and close its mouth a few times. Marionette gave a chirp of equal surprise and delight. "And the button underneath that should make him talk, but I'm not sure how good the recording quality will be. I didn't want to test it out around Baby."

"Probably a good idea. You don't know what's going to suddenly set her off," Mike agreed. He looked over at the plush toy that the Puppet was still fawning over and gave a light cringe as he watched it open and close its mouth. "Big mistake, Charlie. You've given the Fingertrap the ability to bite again." When she looked confused, he added with a smirk, "And yes, he calls that thing Fingertrap."

"Unless you intend to jam your finger into his mouth, I think you should be safe," Marionette quipped playfully with a glance out of the corner of his eye. He then looked back up to Charlie. "Thank you, Charlie! He's better than he's ever been!"

"It's not that big of a-." Her dismissal was cut off by Marionette reaching one arm up for her, coaxing her into a one-armed embrace. He was just as warm as he ever was, and she couldn't hold back a delighted jingle. "You're welcome, Mari. I'm glad you're fixed."

Marionette had progressively become a big part of her life, both from the obvious reasons and through how supportive he had been. She had genuinely been worried about him when back before her change, and even when she first changed, he had been a complete stranger. Now he almost felt like family. He was like the brother she never had. Or the brother she could've had. The brother she _wanted_ to have…

"Before I forget!" Charlie drew back quickly. "I did notice some differences between him and Theodore when I was working and I think they might be different models. I thought maybe for fun we could compare them and maybe date them. We might be able to figure out which one came first." Marionette agreed with the idea. "Let me just go get him. I'll be right back, wait here."

She headed towards the hall and the Puppet fell into silence once again, looking at the doll in his grasp. Slowly he turned it around and looked at the buttons on the back. Specifically, the middle button that Charlie had said controlled the voice.

"What's the chance that the recording still works after all these years?" Marionette asked behind him. "Or worse, what's the chances that if I press this button, I'll hear my father's voice?"

"Pretty high, to be honest," Mike admitted. "It probably says something along the lines of: _Fazbear Entertainment is not liable for any injury caused by Finger-Biter Bonnie_."

"And sadly enough, I would've expected something like that from my father," the Puppet lightly joked. There was a forced, awkward sort of chuckle; the typical discomfort that came with talking about William Afton as his father instead of as the Purple Man. "Though it could've been nicer depending on whose it was. I don't remember how I got this, so it could've been Elizabeth's or Foxy's. Maybe even Michael's since it looks so old. That would be ironic in hindsight."

Now he was at a crossroads. If he waited too long, then Charlie would be back and he wasn't sure if he wanted to subject her to his father's voice. Something somewhere could click in her memory and his heritage would come forth. On the other hand, he could try it now, but that would mean having to deal with the aftereffects. He hadn't heard his father's voice in so long and he wasn't sure what sort of reaction he would have. Especially if William had somehow replaced the recording with an updated 'Fredrick' one. In a moment of boldness, Marionette decided to take the plunge and pressed the button.

" _Happy Birthday, my sweet angel!"_

All at once, Marionette dropped the doll and threw himself backwards. Mike was blindsided by the Puppet running right into him and fumbled with the controller before dropping it. He then looked to Marionette in questioning as the striped one stayed frozen in place and stared at the now silent doll. It took the security guard a moment before his mind caught up with the voice that came out of the doll. Now that he was no longer distracted, he realized what it was that he heard. The recorded voice was from Marionette's mother. Mike could vaguely recognize it from the tape of her that the Puppet kept in the house. Marionette hadn't been prepared to hear it come out of the doll.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked. He put his hand on the animatronic's shoulder and watched as he started to slowly straighten again. Instead of answering, a striped arm reached out and carefully took the doll again before pressing the button a second time. Just as before, there came the loving voice of a happy, healthy mother. The doll was definitely not meant for him originally, but it still sounded as though it spoke directly to him.

" _Happy Birthday, my sweet angel!"_

"I can't believe that it still works after all these years. Even Scott's tapes had more static than this," Mike said in disbelief. He was well-aware that Marionette didn't have much from his mother and knew the value of even the smallest thing, let alone a voice recording. He got a small smile and squeezed Marionette's shoulder reassuringly. "Either Charlie is way better at fixing things than I gave her credit for or she got incredibly lucky. How often do you get a tape of _her_ voice?"

That thought lingered in the Puppet's mind as he stared down at the doll silently. He heard movement in the hall as Charlie returned from her bedroom with her doll but remained transfixed. The Security Puppet took one look at the scene and noticed something was off. "Is… Something wrong?" she finally asked.

"It's not like that," Mike assured. He glanced at the Puppet beside him before continuing to explain. "There's a recording of Mari's mother in the doll."

Charlie knew absolutely nothing about Marionette's mother. That mixed with her lack of a presence in the house said more than words ever could. "Oh…" She was just about to apologize when Marionette sat the doll aside and rushed towards her. In an instant, he had pulled her into a tight embrace, catching her fully by surprise. She almost lost her balance from it but didn't think it was possible to fall with how securely she was held. "Mari?"

"Thank you." Marionette's voice was faint, a mere wavering of its earlier self, but still full of joy.

There was no running away from it this time. She had to feel the familiar, familial warmth, and as she hugged him back it was as though hugging her twin once again. As though Marionette _was becoming_ her brother.

…And she loved it.

* * *

 **Mable: I'm very excited about the arc beginning in the next chapter. I've been waiting a long time for this. Though not nearly as long as Baby has, if you get my drift.… Though, just remember to be careful what you wish for… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Mable: You are not going to believe the week I've had. Long story short: my mother had unexpected surgery yesterday. Thankfully, it went great and she's recovering well, but in a matter of days she went from sore to under the knife. I'm just glad she came out fine. I won't go into details, but there were some nasty worst-case scenarios thrown around, and they were avoided because she had an excellent surgeon. ^-^ Anyway, without further ado, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty-Four_

Everything wrong with Baby's life had begun on that terrible day at her pizzeria. It was the furthest back she could remember, possibly because of how life changing it was. It was the day that stole her future, stole her body, and sentenced her to years of punishments at the hands of whomever owned her. All because of the mistake of a little girl with strawberry blond hair. A girl who was specifically told not to approach the clown, especially not alone, and had suffered the ultimate price. A beautiful young girl who had gotten everything she ever wanted had stolen Baby's future.

That was not Baby's fault. Yes, she would acknowledge that what she did was wrong, but she had only did it because of programming. She was doing what she was told to do by her creator. If this one, specific girl wasn't supposed to be touched then she should've been watched, or the programming should've been fixed. Or, simply enough, the girl could've been smarter. Her mistake led to her own downfall; she deserved everything that came after disobeying her father. Yet it was Baby who was yanked from her pizzeria and thrown into a life of servitude and repeated punishment.

But that was long ago. Back when Baby was still beautiful enough to be rented out to the public. Before her attempt at freedom had turned into whatever this was. She had imagined living life as a human, not spending her days hiding in an old warehouse amongst items that nobody wanted. This was where everyone could put her and forget her, but Baby didn't care. Not when past attention- the controlled shocks and the confining limits of her stage- had been so brutal. She would rather be forgotten, though that was only if she was at least able to be beautiful again. She had been so pretty, so shiny once, and she needed that again.

"Baby?"

Fritz had arrived quicker than she expected. It was still early evening and she had called him only some minutes ago, insisting that he hurry to the warehouse, that there was some form of an emergency. It _was_ an emergency really. If she had to look at those old posters or remember those salad days one more time, then she would snap and tear through the warehouse like an untamed bear. The technician stepped into the office and she faced him politely.

"Fritz, you came. Thank you," Baby greeted pleasantly. She had to be pleasant when she was about to ask for so much. "I'm sorry to call you at such short notice…"

"It's no problem. I meant to come by today anyways, but I was looking through blueprints and old Freddy's stuff and got distracted. Sorry about that." He sounded so comfortable. Under normal circumstances, Baby wasn't entirely sure if she would be pleased by this or not, but Fritz was special. Him being comfortable was in her best interest. "So, what's wrong? You look alright, but did something happen?"

"Oh, no. No to both. I look terrible and nothing happened, unless you count that I realized I look terrible. Which I do, Fritz. I look like a monster." Fritz almost looked like he was about to protest, but she interrupted him. "I called you here because I'm ready to be fixed. I don't care about my body as much as my face." She tapped a sharp finger on her cheek. Then she traced it over a patch of unpainted lip. "Charlie agreed and she's willing to assist you in doing so. We can get started as early as tomorrow, if you'd please."

Fritz raised his hands in defense. "Hold on. Just slow down a minute before we start making any plans, okay? This is a little sudden." Surprisingly, Baby went silent in what was almost a display of patience. He tried to think of it rationally as quickly as he could. Honestly, fixing her face wouldn't be that difficult in theory, but there was one big problem. "Baby, I'm more than willing to fix you up, and I'd be happy to have Charlie's help… But we don't exactly have the parts to do that right now."

"I already thought of a solution. My old pizzeria is still abandoned and some of my old body may be there. They always leave things behind. They never care enough to take everything with them," Baby explained matter-of-factly. "It would already be made for me, to fit my wires, so we would have to do little. Maybe Charlie would need to repaint it to look more appealing."

"I can't exactly break into an old pizzeria, Baby," Fritz said incredulously. He tried to not immediately panic at Baby's seeming research of outside places. She must've been on the computer again, just like she did before disappearing to Chica's Party World. "And that's if it's not emptied out, which it probably has been by now. It could've been looted, Fazbear Entertainment could've come looking for anything to sell, and even if we did find something, it would probably need more than a little work-."

"Which is why I arranged with Charlie to assist you. I'm sure together, you two could make me an acceptable face," Baby insisted. Yet she noticed that Fritz looked hesitant. "All you must go is go into my old pizzeria and get my parts."

"Baby, I don't even know if I can do that," Fritz admitted. There was a long period of silence.

"…Oh…" Baby turned away. "…Then maybe I should go get it myself."

"Baby, we talked about this," Fritz forewarned. Immediately, the clown spun around to face him. Her eyes were alit with obvious anger, even when it couldn't show on her face. He nearly shirked back but held his ground, if only because he didn't want her to spot any weakness.

"What did we talk about, Fritz? Me hiding in a warehouse forever? Me staying hideous because everyone's too busy to help me find the parts that _were mine_ before some technician tore me apart and rebuilt me in a body so big and heavy that I could barely move it? Yes, you can run away, celebrate your Christmas, have fun at your home, but as long as I look like this _I can't go anywhere_."

Baby didn't even have to raise her voice to show the sheer amount of frustration coursing through her. All of it came out in one rushed frenzy, and it still had the same impact as if she had yelled. She was unhappy, she was impatient, and she was willing to break in to a second restaurant just out of the belief that she may fix her face. Now the weight of the situation hit the technician and he knew he had to pacify her. Promising a break in was out of the question and it seemed like she would remain unhappy at the warehouse. Desperation set in and he spoke before he really thought.

"If I… Took you home with me and let you stay with me, would you give me time to find parts without breaking in anywhere or doing anything risky?" Fritz offered. This certainly piqued Baby's interest, if her tilting head was any indication.

"Your home?" she asked in light surprise. "There's room for me?"

"Of course! I have a guest bedroom an a fully furnished basement. We could be on different floors entirely, meaning you would have plenty of room." Which meant that he too would have room. "And if you promised not to sneak out, there's no reason you couldn't have free reign. It's not as spacious as the warehouse, but I have a television, I have a stereo, I have a kitchen- anything you would need."

His comparisons seemed to be going on Ennard more than her, but Baby couldn't say she wasn't tempted. If not for the more humanly feel, then for the fact that she would always be staying within feet of Fritz. They would be living together. As though he was her plaything. Or like they were a _couple_. The thought of it made her buzz on the inside. "And you wouldn't… Confine me to a room? Or threaten me? Or whatever else Scott uses to tame his _pet_. I would be treated as a person?"

"Of course! I wouldn't do anything like that! And I'm pretty sure Scott wouldn't do that either, but I don't know what he's into these days. Other than a bundle of wires." Fritz almost seemed amused by the comment. Baby tried to understand why, but the meaning of it went straight over her head. "Would you be willing to do that? It's probably long overdue anyway."

"Yes…" Baby said almost breathily. He almost made it sound like he had been planning on asking her to move in with him. "Yes, I would be happy to go with you."

"Great! Let me just get the van ready and we'll go." There wasn't really anything to do to get the van 'ready', and the excuse was specifically so that he could call Natalie. He could only hope that her reaction wouldn't be as horrified as someone like Mike or Jeremy would have. Especially since he hadn't asked her beforehand when she lived with him. She answered the phone with a delighted chirp and he proceeded to spill out a retelling of the entire event. The frantic explanation ended with, "And I don't know what else to do. I can't trust that she won't go out looking for replacement parts and that… That would be a disaster."

"That's a lot to take in all at once… But, yeah, you have a point," Natalie agreed. She was obviously unsure about this whole thing, but she trusted Fritz's logic. If he said there wasn't another way, then she believed him. "You told her I was going to be here, right?"

"Not yet, but I don't think she'll care. Baby's not looking to pal around with anyone, she just wants to be out of the warehouse," Fritz reassured. "Scott said she just did her own thing when she was staying with him, so I'm guessing she'll just keep to herself. I know she's not going to want me to hover."

"Well, bring her home then...But you owe me, so I'm choosing dinner tonight," Natalie said playfully. The mood seemed to ease convincingly enough. Neither of them could tell that the other was nervous at the prospect of the clown being in their house. No worries were exchanged as they ended the call and went on their ways.

Fritz loaded Baby into the back of the van and drove her to his house. As Natalie's car was in the garage, and he hadn't forewarned her to move it, he would have to move her in past the neighbor, who was mowing the lawn. He climbed into the back of the van and started to unfurl the tarp. "I'm going to wheel you out of the van and into the garage, and then I'll take you into the house from there. I'll just need you to be as still as possible, so I can move you through undetected. Can you do that for me?" Fritz inquired as he held the tarp, ready to toss it over the clown.

"I can. I pretend well," Baby agreed. "Just don't take too long. I don't want anyone to see me."

"I don't plan on it," Fritz agreed as he covered her quickly. She went instantly still as he pulled the material over her and made sure she was fully covered. All his motions seemed so careful and comforting to her. How he guided her down the ramp from the van, how he quietly whispered a warning before tilting her enough to coax her wheels over a small ledge, how his grip tightened just slightly when the neighbor called over- "Hey, Fritz! Bringing your work home again?"- and gave some sort of awkward stumble of a response as he finished moving her inside. All the while she stayed still and took all of it in.

"Alright, safe and sound," Fritz remarked as he pulled the tarp off, having shut the garage door. He had her pointed towards another door inside, right beside a car already located in the garage. "Let's get you inside and settled in, okay?"

In response, Baby silently offered her arm. He must've taken this as uncertainty, as he took it and led her to the door without any questioning. He then opened it and stepped through, waiting to make sure she could make the step inside. She almost felt like royalty being tended to with such care. Almost like she was Fritz's precious cargo, his special princess, now here to share his home.

Then Natalie walked up to them.

Baby's gaze immediately fell on the unknown woman. She was blunt with a direct, "Who are you?" Fritz looked between them and Natalie gave an awkward sort of smile.

"Baby, don't you remember-… Oh, wait, no. No, you two haven't ever met I don't think. That was Ennard disguised as Baby at the pizzeria. Sorry about that, I wasn't even thinking," Fritz explained with an amused chuckle. He was all flustered as he gestured to the human. "Baby, you remember I mentioned Natalie."

"Oh… Yes, I do." Of course she remembered _her._ Fritz had mentioned Natalie a few times; Baby usually blocked it out. "I expected something else… I didn't expect you to be blonde."

"Well, I like to leave people guessing," Natalie joked lightly. She didn't expect Baby to even appease her with fake amusement and she wasn't disappointed. Fritz noticed the tenseness and started to guide Baby towards the nearby stairs.

"Here, let me show you down into the basement," he offered as he took a few steps down. Baby only followed to the top of the stairs before stopping abruptly. He looked back to her before trying to gently tug her. "I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not like the warehouse. It's really just another floor, except it's below ground," he said with a friendly smile. It was very welcoming, but Baby was literally unmoved.

"And how do you suppose I get down the stairs?" Baby asked. Fritz seemed confused for a moment, then remembered the skates. He glanced down at the skates and steps before looking back to her.

"…Very carefully." Baby made what was almost a scoffing noise at the comment. Fritz continued with the idea. "Here, just turn your foot sideways and lower it onto the first step. Then we'll slowly work you down the stairs." His hand welcomed around her wrist as he coaxed her down. She started to carefully lower her skate, fixating on the warm touch, willing to go along with his rather lackluster plan. Or she was going to, until Fritz spoke past her. "Nat, why don't you take her other arm?"

As soon as Natalie took ahold of her arm, Baby was gripped by pride and snatched it away. She pulled her other arm from Fritz as well, though less abrasively. "I can do it myself. Just move out of my way."

Baby was too stubborn to reconsider what she was about to do. The stairs were of polished wood, they were steep, and it wasn't like she could ride down the edge of the steps like at the mall. That had been an act of sheer luck, and even though she intended to do something similar now there was something in the back of her mind that new it was a bad idea. She still pushed herself forwards and attempted to step down normally.

What followed was the world turning into a blur as Baby proceeded to fall forward down the stairs. She was tripped up immediately and hit the railing of the middle landing hard, her chest hitting the wood and it cracking underneath her weight. She then proceeded to start falling sideways and tried to right herself, only to start falling back down the last four steps and landing against the wall, then falling to the floor. A picture was knocked off the wall, drywall cracked underneath her elbow, and Baby had never felt more ridiculous. She struggled to lift herself against the wall as her skates continued to roll underneath her.

"Are you okay?!" Fritz blurted out in shock as he came around the corner of the stairs. There came the shame and embarrassment, and she tried to shoo him back as he came to her side.

"I'm fine," she dismissed simply.

"Are you sure? That was a rough tumble," Fritz pointed out. There was the slightest tinge of humor in his voice and she turned on him with every intention of snapping. Alas, Fritz beat her to it by taking her clawed arm and trying to help her to her feet. She couldn't get up before Natalie got to see her and Baby spotted her on the stairs. Ashamed and dismissive, Baby looked away quickly.

"I'm _fine_ ," Baby insisted again. At least Fritz was attentive. At least now she knew how to get his full attention and concern if she needed to. The clown started into the main sitting room of the basement. "Where do I go?" she asked, feigning an uncertain tone. As expected, it coaxed Fritz back into being a proper host.

"Anywhere you want," Fritz insisted. "Here, I'll show you around."

"I'm going to go pick up dinner! You two take care, and try to avoid any steps," Natalie playfully called down. It was obviously a feeble attempt to sound welcoming and not awkward. Fritz appreciated it, while Baby only appreciated that she was leaving. She listened as the footsteps crossed over her head towards the front door. They were finally alone again.

"So, this is the guest room," Fritz introduced as he walked to one of the doors against the left wall, resting behind the couch. "It's a little short notice so I didn't have any time to really prepare, but it should be enough-."

"Does she have her own room?" Baby asked intrusively. The question almost took the man off guard, but then he remembered that it was Baby, and she had a habit of being blunt. "If she is a _guest_ then shouldn't she have the guest room?" Baby continued to pry.

"Natalie and I share the upstairs bedroom, so this one's all yours. Just make yourself at home, okay?" he insisted with a smile. He thought he knew what was wrong now. It wasn't too hard to notice how Baby was acting around Natalie. "I know it's probably weird staying in a house with someone you've never met. Just trust me, Natalie is really great, and she wants you here just as much as I do. You're our guest, so just give us a chance to prove it. I know this is better for you then being stuck in the warehouse." He beckoned her closer to the room and gestured around inside. "So, the room's yours, and pretty much anything out here in the basement is free for you to use…"

He continued to point to doors and list off amenities that she could use, more than once seemingly forgetting she was an animatronic and treating her like a human. Though Baby had tuned out shortly after she had heard: " _You're our guest."_ The divide was immediate in his words alone. She was the third wheel, the guest, the extra part, and Fritz hadn't brought her to _his_ house but _their_ house. She had known that Fritz talked an awful lot about Natalie and that she stayed with him quite a bit, but didn't know it was to this extent… But perhaps Natalie was the third wheel and they didn't realize it yet. She looked replaceable.

"I guess I'll let you get settled in," Fritz offered, taking Baby's silence as the desire to be left alone. The clown perked instantly and stopped him before he could leave the room, blocking his path with her claw.

"No." Fritz looked to her questioningly and Baby lowered her arm slowly to her side. "…No, don't go yet. Stay with me, please? She won't be home for a while…"

"Really? I… just assumed I was crowding you, but if you can put up with me a little longer then sure," Fritz playfully quipped. He then got an idea. "I know you're probably burned out on old Freddy's stuff, but I do have a couple of boxes leftover that might have some stuff from your old pizzeria if you want to look. I sort of became the dumping ground after everywhere closed." He began to lead her to a small door under the stairs. The space underneath was crammed full of boxes, and he knelt to sort through them. "If I may ask, what was your pizzeria like? You don't have to talk about it if it's a touchy subject."

Maybe it was, but Baby intended to open up to him, retelling him of the glories of the good old days- or what she could remember of them. Beginning at how beautiful she used to be and ending before she came to the little girl who took it away.

* * *

"Scott, hey! I thought I saw you trying to sneak inside," a female voice called from the fence before Scott could hurry inside. In his arms was an oversized bag of dry cat food that weighed almost as much as a bag of cement. With it weighing him down, he didn't have any chance of getting inside before being spotted. Alas, it wasn't his neighbor either, but his neighbor's rather curious friend. She looked to be about Scott's age, with shoulder length light-brown hair. He greeted her cordially.

"Oh, uh, hello Dawn. I didn't see you there. I mean, I can't really see anything past this." He shook the bag. "You'd- You'd think I was stocking up for the end of days or something, not bringing home dinner for three cats." She gave a good-natured chortle and he readjusted the bag enough to see past it easier. Though didn't put it down; hopefully she would refrain from a longwinded conversation if he kept looking busy.

"Did you hear about all the break-ins recently? We were just talking about it. There was a break in just a few streets over a few nights ago," Dawn pointed out to Scott's horror. He vaguely saw something on the news about robberies in the area but had hoped it was further than a few roads away. "Scary, isn't it? You might want to consider putting your car in the garage. I wouldn't put it past them to start stealing cars," Dawn remarked in what almost sounded like a playful tone. Playful considering that she was discussing something so unsettling.

"Yeah, that… That actually sounds like a good idea. I might just do that now." Scott set the bag back into the trunk and closed it before starting to open the garage door. "I'll just-…" He abruptly froze when he remembered the hideous effigy of animatronic exteriors. "…On second thought, I'll just take the groceries in first." He closed the garage again, turned to the trunk, and started to take the cat food back out. "I guess I should get this inside. It was nice talking to you." He turned to hurry off towards the door, still lugging the oversized bag.

"Wait, Scott, please," Dawn blurted out. She sounded so desperate that he turned back to her, and that desperation quickly changed to a slightly shyer smile. "How would you like to have dinner sometimes? I'm busy tonight, but I'm free tomorrow if you'd- oh, I don't know- like to go by Lulenta's?"

"Going out? I'm flattered, I-… I just…" It had been the first time that Scott had been asked out by someone in at least a decade. Perhaps longer, as it wasn't like his last relationship involved anything as formal as a night out. There was a part of him that truly wasn't interested in Dawn's advances, but then there was a stronger part that reminded him that he lived alone with his cats, and his clown, and had no prospects of romance outside of that very tiny family. He had to get out more. Besides, it would be strange to say no and then run into her at the next potluck dinner. "Al-Alright, sure! I'll… Pick you up at eight?"

She was positively giddy as she gave him the directions to her house. All the while Scott wasn't entirely sure if he made the right decision or not but had a subtle feeling that he hadn't had a choice either way. She then dismissed herself to the neighbor's house as he started to take the cat food bag inside. As soon as Scott got a few steps inside the door, Ennard popped up and eagerly took the bag from his hand. Scott thanked him, relieved to have the heavy bag out of his grasp.

"No problem!" Ennard chirped as he headed into the kitchen. He easily tore open the bag and began to pour the food not the bowls, ignoring that it wasn't yet feeding time. The cats ignored this too, as they rushed in to begin gobbling from the bowl. "Ha ha! Eat up, ya little beggars!" the clown laughed as he watched them dig in. He continued watching even as he called back into the living room. "I saw ya got blinded sided by that lady again. Such a shame; ya got so close to making it inside." He knelt down to pet over the Maine Coon's back. "What did she want?"

"She was actually, funny enough, but she actually was- after talking about robberies, there's been a break in in the neighborhood- she actually asked me out to dinner," Scott revealed. He coughed awkwardly and turned towards the door. "And we, uh, her and I are going out tomorrow night. I'll go get the rest of the groceries." He skirted out the door so that he wouldn't get asked questions. Or worse, be teased by Ennard. He didn't see the clown straighten abruptly.

Scott came back inside to find Ennard already standing over him at the door. He thought he wanted the groceries- probably the new ice cream he picked up- so he offered the bags.

"You said yes? So, you're really going out with her? Even though, ya know, ya don't have anything in common and you don't even like her?" Ennard asked in total shock. Scott was somewhat surprised by this reaction. "Why would you do that?!"

"Well, yes… She went to the trouble of asking me, so… It would be the right thing to try, since she asked." He offered the bags to the animatronic. "Could you take these?" Ennard, who still looked to be in utter shock, stiffly took the bags. "And, uh, it's not- this doesn't mean we're going steady or that I'm going to bring her by- or, heaven forbid, move her in- but she made the attempt and I should too." He turned to head back outside, taking the other's silence as either growing agitation or amusement. "She won't be coming inside or anything. Let me get the rest of the groceries."

Ennard stiffly carried the bags into the kitchen and set them on the counter. He began to slowly take the things out and put them away, disinterested in them, just dwelling on what Scott had just saw him. The woman and his neighbor had been so persistent, so pushy about Scott needing to be out of the house and out on dates, and yet somehow it worked. Ennard didn't understand how that could be. She was just some woman, it wasn't like she could've left that much of an impression on Scott. Unless he saw something in her that Ennard couldn't through the blinds.

"Hey, Ennard? When you get a moment, could you move the… You know, your body further into the garage?" Scott asked, coming in with the last of the bags and setting them down. "Dawn was saying there were robberies in the area-."

"I'm _kinda_ doing something right now!" Ennard snapped. He regretted it immediately afterwards. Scott seemed only surprised by the outburst, but it still felt like kicking a kitten. The amalgam gave a breathy noise. "No, wait, I can do it." He didn't want the man going to try and do it himself, and he certainly was the type who would rather attempt it than ask again. He brushed past him and stepped into the garage, now leaving Scott as the one standing there staring.

It wasn't hard to realize that something was wrong. Scott followed him and looked into the garage, seeing Ennard already trying to move the body against the back wall. "Ennard?" he timidly called after him. "Ennard, what's wrong? You know I wouldn't bring her inside the house, and I wouldn't tell her about you."

"That's not it," Ennard admitted. He dragged the body back and propped it up against the wall, ignoring any plates that fell off. "I don't trust that woman. She's too needy. Something's gotta be wrong with her."

"…What?" Scott was almost taken aback further. The way the amalgam worded it could be taken the wrong way. As though he was suggesting that anyone who would be interested in Scott had to be damaged in some way. He couldn't have meant that. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, she just came out of nowhere and all of a sudden she's got her eyes set on you… Almost like she's got her eyes set on something else." Paranoia started to sink in as Ennard started formulating ideas. He then came to the one that seemed most logical and turned abruptly to voice it. "You know what I think? I think she's just trying to get cozy with you so that she can move in and then be in walking distance to the neighbors! Then she wouldn't have to drive over here all the time- she'd just walk next door and be there!"

There was a long moment of silence. One that was abruptly ended by Scott being unable to withhold snickering. Ennard's eye seemed to twitch. "What? Why are you laughing? I'm serious! She's just using you to get your house!"

"Ennard, I think you're watching too many soap operas," Scott pointed out, barely able to keep his voice straight. "If it makes you feel any better, she's probably only asking me to dinner because everyone's been telling her that I don't leave the house and she feels obligated to get me out. She's just trying to be nice." He could tell that the amalgam wasn't convinced by the explanation.

"With how needy she's been about it? They're pretty much here every five minutes! She wants more than just a free dinner!" He turned back to the body and fussily worked on straightening it, trying to make it look more put together. "She's living in a fantasy world if she's thinking she can get the house and _you_ that easily."

"Look who's talking," Scott retorted. There was another long pause.

Then Ennard broke it with a giggle. "Okay, that was a good one!" he admitted with a seemingly carefree laugh. The Phone Guy almost immediately relaxed, thinking that maybe he was getting through to him. Until the amalgam sobered up abruptly. "I still think she wants something. Are you _really_ sure you want to go? You could just go tell her no and then we can have dinner here. Easy as cake! We could even have cake!" The desperation was starting to come through more clearly. It didn't help how tempting the offer was. Scott would've been just fine with staying home like he did every night, but then again, that was what led to everyone thinking he was a hermit.

"Ennard, I know you're trying to help, but I can't… This is what normal people do. They go out and socialize. I… I haven't been on a date in years. Especially not with a-… With a stranger, but Dawn's a nice woman, and I think I could use a night out, so that's my tomorrow," Scott explained awkwardly and rationally. "And it will probably only be an hour and I'll bring you something home… Will you be okay?"

"… Of course! Ha ha, why wouldn't I be? Yeesh, Scott, you don't have that good of an opinion of me if you think I'm gonna lose my mind over you going to dinner with some strange lady!" Ennard laughed off. "As long as she doesn't come inside, I'm fine! Aaaand just as long as you bring me back something good."

Scott was relieved by the tone, but he quickly realized that something didn't seem right. Ignoring the fact that Ennard's change of heart was so sudden, his wires were twitching and twisting in the way they did when he was agitated, not amused. It didn't take him long to figure out that Ennard was putting on a show. Yet if he acknowledged it then he would have to address it, and he already made his mind up. He agreed to dinner, he would go to dinner, and he would be just as friendly and sociable as he used to be before Freddy's became a fixture in his life.

"You know I'd never forget about you, Ennard. And… Thanks," Scott said with a warm smile. If Ennard was willing to put on a pleasant ruse, then he could return the favor. "I'm just going to put away the rest of the groceries and then I'll pull the car in… And then we'll get on tonight's dinner. Cause we still have tonight to worry about." He stepped back inside and Ennard turned back to the husk behind him, calling back towards the door.

"Alright, Scottie! I'm sure you'll figure something out!" Ennard gave a pleasant laugh as he grabbed the husk, and then proceeded to accidently discharge electricity into it. The lifeless plates shuddered, and the tips of his wire fingers strung as he snatched his hands back. Sure, he could disguise his frustration from Scott, but it found other ways to leak out. With an impatient gargle, he grabbed the plates and began to maneuver them roughly into place, uncaring if he damaged them.

After all, it wasn't his body. If it was, maybe he would've been able to do something useful with it.

* * *

"Huh, here's a familiar face." Baby was drawn from her staring by Fritz's abrupt comment. He pulled a blueprint out of the stack he was going through. "I totally forgot that I had this… I don't even remember how I got this, but it's you. Look."

He offered her the blueprint and she glanced over it, seeing her old body printed on the slip of paper. Beside it were a list of her functions, though she noticed the absence of her actual use. Nowhere did it mention the programming she had to coordinate the others appropriately, nor the claw that had been in her belly. It all looked so innocent on here, as though she really had just been created to perform. She almost wished that she had.

"You know if you're willing to wait a little longer for me to get the parts together, I might be able to fix your ice cream maker at the same time I work on your exterior," Fritz tempted. It sounded like he was trying to buy himself time, which Baby was about to point out until she remembered how much she wanted and needed the cold, sweet, sugary _cream that looked so good and tasted so good-._ "I could get you showroom ready all at once. That ice cream maker's what's going to give me the problems though. I can already tell that it's going to be a challenge."

"Not for you. You seem competent," Baby remarked. She dragged her sharp thumb across the paper until it poked through the slightest bit right beside a faint depiction of her own face. Being blueprints it wasn't easy to make out exact details, but even here she saw something that looked better than her own. Perfect faceplates and perfect coloring; just like Charlie, better than Natalie. "But ice cream isn't what they will see when they look at me. I don't need ice cream." She didn't even want to think of ice cream, lest she get stuck in another loop of obsession about the smoothness of _cold, sweet ice cream with sprinkles and toppings and-._

Or maybe Fritz wasn't competent if he managed to do this to her programming. For a split second she almost wanted to hate him for it, for his influence over her, but then she looked past the paper at him and couldn't. Fritz was infuriating only briefly, but he was always wonderful. Perhaps he didn't even realize how wonderful he was.

"Why would I need ice cream? If I want something sweet, I always have you," Baby said. Fritz chuckled, taking the comment as a joke and adding his own.

"I'd say on the dairy spectrum, I'd come out with a little more cheese than ice cream," he playfully quipped and looked up to smile at her. That was when he saw how she was staring at him and the mood changed quickly. Baby was not like Marionette or Foxy, who both managed to emote well. Even with her bluntness, her facial expression was always still. Yet there was something unsettling by how she was staring at him, especially since he was crouched down and cornered into the space under the stairs. "Something wrong, Baby?"

"Why would anything be wrong? I'm here with you." Baby's voice was low and heavy as she rolled herself forward towards him. She discarded the blueprint onto a cardboard box and reached towards his face. Fritz was quick and reached up to catch her hand, then played it off like he had mistaken her gesture. This turned out to be a mistake as soon as her claw moved in and pressed to the side of his head. He could feel it lightly opening and closing in a petting motion, with the sharp teeth catching some of his hair. Just having that claw so close to his neck made him even more uncomfortable.

"You've been so good to me, Fritz…" the clown murmured. "…I should be good to you too." Her fingers flexed around his hand as she started to move in closer. She leaned down towards him and coaxed his head to tilt back with her claw. The look on his face was a mix of alarm and fear, but that didn't bother her at all. There was nothing wrong with a little fear. Not when his skin was so soft and tempting. He had to taste as sweet as ice cream, and she leaned in closer.

And only stopped short at the sound of a door closing upstairs. She stayed frozen in place as she heard the footsteps cross overhead, but then continued to lean in.

"Fritz?"

At Natalie's call, Fritz finally got the nerve to plant his free hand on Baby's chest and pushed her back. She wheeled away remarkably easily, and he quickly got to his feet.

"I'm down here!" the technician called back. "Just- Just hanging out with Baby! You need me to help with dinner?" He desperately hoped for a quick way out. His heart was pounding as he looked up towards the roof unable to look at Baby, even when he could feel her claw now brushing his side. With his newfound boldness, he grabbed her wrist to stop her, holding her still.

"Yeah, sure, if you don't mind," Natalie called back down. She was oblivious to everything happening beneath her. "The food's going to get cold pretty quick, so the sooner the better!"

"I'll be right there!" he called back. Fritz then looked back at Baby. He swallowed thickly as he lowered her arms. "So… I should go do that… And you can keep thinking about what you want us to fix when we start fixing your body. You should reconsider the ice cream maker. Maybe the song bank too, we could get you singing again." He was rambling as he squeezed by her and started to head back towards the stairs, watching her roll behind him as she did so.

"You want to hear me sing?" Baby asked as she watched him back up the steps.

"Oh yeah, sure. I think that would be great," Fritz insisted as he cleared his throat at the landing. He pointed a thumb up the stairs, "So, I'm going to go eat. I'll be back later."

"I'll be waiting for you," she answered. He tried not to look too out of sorts as he continued up the stairs. His palms were sweaty, his pulse was pounding, and he was starting to wonder if he had made a terrible mistake.

…No. It was just an innocent crush. Baby was just acting this way because she wasn't used to someone treating her nicely. All he had to do was keep being friendly while not giving her the wrong idea, and not getting stuck alone with her again.

"Hey, that was quick! Usually I have to drag you up here myself," Natalie greeted pleasantly. As she opened a container of take out a spicy, saucy aroma filled the air. If not for what just happened, he would've been looking forward to the meal. His stomach was still twisting. "Something wrong? You look a little weird. Did something happen?" Natalie asked with light concern.

"No! No, no. Just… We were going through some blueprints and my mind got away from me. Flashbacks to Freddy's and stuff, don't worry about it," Fritz dismissed as he got out the plates. He went through the motions stiffly and the act of lying left a bitter taste on his tongue, even when it was for the best.

Because he had a feeling Baby was listening from downstairs.

* * *

 **Mable: Thank you for being so patient! Sorry this chapter was so late and hope the chapter was worth it. I hope you enjoyed!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Mable: Here we are with the new chapter! My mom's doing better, thank goodness, so things have been going well. ^-^ Without further ado, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty-Five_

Fritz was having an increasingly hard time pretending that he was comfortable in the house with Baby. He knew that both women were noticing it too. The difference was that Baby wouldn't stop her advances even when noticing he was acting strange. She would be persistent, and he knew it and only became more uneasy as evening set in. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Natalie seemed to be becoming more comfortable with their guest. It was fully nighttime when she started growing bored with whatever she was reading when she thought of Baby again.

"Should one of us go check on Baby? She's been quiet for a while," Natalie suggested as she looked up at Fritz. She had been laying back against his chest, as he had been surprisingly clingy tonight. "Oh, hey, I got an idea! Why don't we all watch a movie together? I know Baby's not exactly like Foxy or Mari, but maybe she'd like that. It's something we could do together without much effort." It was clear that Natalie was trying to bridge the gap between them, and Fritz would've jumped at before what happened earlier.

"I don't know. It's a good idea, but I don't think Baby would go for it…" the technician tried to lightly dismiss. She wasn't having it, not when he sounded so unconvincing. Not when she suspected he was just trying to shield her.

"Let me just ask her then. Or, wait. Do you think it would be better if you asked her?" Natalie offered, second guessing herself. Fritz didn't even know what would be the lesser of two evils. He certainly didn't want to be alone with Baby, but he also didn't want Natalie alone with her. Than again, he wasn't sure if he trusted Baby being alone for too long either, but it wasn't like she could get to the front door unassisted. "Maybe we should just go ask together?"

"I don't know, I just don't think we should. She's been used to being kept off the leash and I told her we wouldn't hover. We should just let Baby do her own thing," Fritz insisted, trying not to sound too desperate. "Baby's not exactly used to being social with people. Not even me. The only reason she tolerates me is because I drive her around." How he wished that was true. Natalie still seemed hesitant to let it drop. Part of her couldn't help but feel bad for Baby, who had been sitting down in the basement quietly for the last couple of hours. It was as though she hadn't moved at all.

"Maybe that's it though. Maybe nobody's reaching out to her. Except you, and coincidentally you're the only one she's being social with. Maybe Baby just doesn't know how to go out and ask for companionship. I know that feeling," Natalie tried to convince. Determined, she set down her book, drew away from him and stood from the couch. "I'm going to go ask her. At least if she says no, she'll know that the offer is there." Fritz looked ready to disagree, looking slightly uneasy but not saying why. She sent him an amused and assuring smile. "Relax! Worst case scenario, she tosses me back out of the basement. No big deal!"

Fritz didn't know what to do. True, he needed to check on Baby, but he didn't exactly want to go about it this way. Watching Natalie head to the stairs made him second-guess his judgement and finally he stood to follow her. Natalie headed all the way down the basement and into the sitting room, where she immediately found Baby standing in the center of the room silently, directly underneath where the two had been sitting. The technician, meanwhile, stopped on the landing so he could listen in without being seen. He didn't want Baby getting the wrong idea.

"Hey, Baby! I was just wondering if you'd like to watch a movie with us," Natalie rushed out in a friendly but obviously unconfident way. The animatronic turned to face her slowly. "We could do it down here and you could even pick the movie out. What do you say?"

Under any normal circumstances, Baby wouldn't have even pretended like the idea of spending any time with Natalie was appreciated. However, there was something different at play. Even though Fritz hadn't intended on it, Baby had heard his footsteps and knew he was there. It didn't take her long to get her own ideas. She believed that this plan must've been concocted by the technician to get her to open up to Natalie, that he really wanted to spend time with her, and that he was hoping to make her like the woman through quality time.

How sweet. Pointless, but sweet.

Though what wasn't pointless was the opportunity thrust upon her. Even if she wanted nothing to do with Natalie, this would keep her close to Fritz, and that was always the main goal. Perhaps Fritz would be able to compare her and Natalie better if they were in the same room. Then he would surely see which of them was the more appropriate choice for him to keep.

"Yes," Baby agreed in a rather pleasant voice- pleasant compared to how she wanted to sound. "But I haven't seen any movies in a very long time, if ever. I won't be able to choose."

"That's okay! I can sort of sum up all the ones we have, and you can choose from there," Natalie explained excitedly. She immediately took Baby's willingness as a good sign and thought nothing suspicious of it. After all, Baby was still acting rather disinterested, so any ulterior motive was harder to make out. Natalie headed over to the cabinets under the television and opened them to reveal a few rows of movies. "Okay, let's see what we've got…"

Fritz stepped off the staircase and looked in the living room. He was almost surprised at Baby's willingness but seeing her staring in his direction made him question her reasons for agreeing. He gave her the benefit of the doubt; maybe she just looked over when he came down the stairs. Maybe Natalie was right with the idea.

"We've got Waking of the Blood Suckers. It's old and cheesy, but it's kind of funny in a way. Then we have Skin Deep, which is a thriller about a guy trying to stop a killer whose stolen his identity and is framing him. Then there's The Plunge, but it's kind of depressing. It's about a family getting stuck in a cave while hiking and only the little kid can go for help. It's… Pretty bleak," Natalie listed out. Each time she lifted the movie to show Baby the cover, not realizing that the clown was leering at the technician instead of paying attention. "Oh, geez, and then we got this really terrible romantic comedy. You probably wouldn't like it."

"I don't know that. I haven't laughed in so long," Baby murmured as she continued staring at Fritz. Her green eyes trailed over him. "I haven't felt true love either… But I'm willing to learn." Her voice lowered and Fritz shuddered from the chill that climbed his spine. He glanced to Natalie, who seemed to somehow misconstrue the disturbing nature of the comment as being innocent.

"Well, I don't think you're going to learn from this. It's about a business woman who gets forced to work on her family's farm out in the country to keep them from losing it. Then she falls in love with her high school crush, who runs a neighboring farm, and both farms are about to be bought out by a big corporation that plans on paving over everything. Surprise, surprise; it's the company she works for. It's really…Goofy and unrealistic. I wouldn't watch it by myself… But if you're interested in it then I _think_ I can make an exception."

This was the first thing Fritz could crack a smile at in hours, and it was largely because he knew Natalie loved the movie regardless of how she was vehemently denying it. She could insult and crack jokes at it all she wanted to, but he knew there was a reason that the film kept popping up every couple of weeks. Baby noticed the slight smile and locked onto it. He was interested and that meant she was too. "That will do," she agreed.

"Then we've got a plan! Let me just get everything set up." Natalie was quick to rewind the tape and put it in. She then headed to the couch, pausing when she noticed Fritz and Baby still standing there. The technician looked awkward and the animatronic was just watching silently, but neither did anything more. "Well, come on! Let's get this show on the road! Baby, you want the couch or an armchair?"

"I'd rather stand," Baby denied. Realizing that Natalie didn't look convinced, she added in- just to keep her from pestering, "It's more comfortable if I stand."

"Well, okay. If you're comfortable then it's fine by me," the woman agreed. She then sat down on the couch, pulling a pillow into her lap and patting beside her for Fritz to sit down. Which he did and tried to pay attention to the television instead of the clown looming over the back of the couch. The previews ended rather quickly, and the movie began in full as Natalie leaned closer into Fritz, relaxing against him comfortably. He was rigid, expecting Baby to react, but she did not. There wasn't even the slightest squeak of movement.

It took at least an hour of the movie before Fritz became convinced that Baby wasn't going to fly off the handle. Only then was he able to relax enough to put an arm around Natalie to hold her close. By the final act of the movie, she seemed to be slipping into sleep, whether it be because of the dimmed lights or just the comfort of watching a movie she had seen hundreds of times. On a normal night, Fritz might've considered just waiting until the tape ran out, shutting the television off, and sleeping with her on the couch for a while before moving into the bedroom. That would've been nice.

Any sleepiness was gone as soon as something sharp pricked against his scalp.

Fritz's eyes widened as he stared at the screen, unwilling or unable to turn his head and look at what he knew was there. It was Baby's hand, and after a few tentative taps it began to pet over his head. He could feel the fingertips tracing through his hair and over his skin. They were sharp enough that they could've cut his flesh, but the touches were light enough that they didn't. His heart started to pound, he felt uncomfortable and lightheaded as his adrenaline started to raise, and all the while the dim green glow signaled that she was looking down at him.

He looked down at Natalie out of the corner of his eye and considered waking her and rushing them off to the safety of the master bedroom. He could hear the squeaking as the clown rolled closer. Now she stood directly over him, and her hand started to drift down to his ear and cheek. The credits came on just as it started to near his neck and Fritz subtly poked Natalie in the side with his fingers. Or jabbed more like. She sat upwards slightly in confusion.

"Huh?... Oh, the movie's over." She pushed her hair back out of her face. "I think I started to nod off there. What time is it?"

"Getting late," Fritz answered. He inwardly sighed in relief when he felt Baby's hand retract away from him.

"This is what I get for getting up early," Natalie quipped with a half-suppressed yawn.

"Maybe we should call it a night. I'll just go take my shower and you can get in bed," the technician suggested. He stiffly turned back towards Baby but didn't look up at her. "Baby, you'll be okay if we head to bed, right?" Her hand was on the back of the couch, only inches away from him. He couldn't wait to get further away from it- and her, as her piercing stare was starting to burn.

"…Yes, I'll be fine," Baby agreed. He expected her to say more, but she left it there. He untangled himself from Natalie stood abruptly from the couch.

"Then I'm going to head upstairs to take my shower and then head to bed," Fritz repeated as he turned off the dim lamp beside the couch. He then waited for Natalie to stand. Instead, she grabbed the remote and changed the television to the normal channels. "…Nat? Are we going?" Fritz asked with slight desperation.

"I think I'm going to help Baby find something on TV first, so she doesn't get bored down here. You've got to take your shower anyway, so just call down when you're done," the woman suggested. He could see that Baby was watching him again with some sort of glint in her eyes. He wasn't sure if he trusted that look enough to leave her alone with Natalie. "We'll be fine."

"Uh… You know, I could just skip it tonight." He didn't exactly want to skip it. Fritz had a certain nighttime routine that he tried to stick to. Not to mention that he had been sweating so much today that he knew he needed it. "Or… I know. How about I bring my stuff down here and shower in this bathroom? That way it's not like I'm on a completely different level… I could probably even hear the TV through the door." That was a carefully disguised warning to Baby. If she did anything, he would be able to hear it. Or, at least, he hoped that he would be able to. "I'll be right back."

Fritz returned with the things he needed for his shower, along with a change of clothes. He was dreading coming back down the stairs, but the conversation he heard from the living room eased him slightly.

"Leave it on that."

"The Immortal in the Restless? Sure, but it's kind of…"

"It's terrible, I know. I want to watch it and see why _that thing at Scott's_ enjoys it so much. I don't understand it, the show or _it_."

Derogative comments about Ennard aside, Baby was being talkative and non-confrontational. Fritz took this as a good sign and stepped into the bathroom before shutting the door to a crack. Within a few minutes he was in the shower scrubbing off his discomfort. He was reminded of her caressing his head as he was washing his hair. Considering that he knew the circumstances of Baby's upbringing, this shouldn't have made him as wary as it did. He had been fine with Mike and Jeremy choosing to become affectionate with animatronics, but the thought of himself being courted by Baby unsettled him.

Maybe it was Baby herself. He wanted to believe that he had begun to predict her behaviors and moods, but if his paranoia was any indication then this wasn't the case. Not to mention that he was quite taken. He loved Natalie more than he had anyone else and he wouldn't lose that for anyone, let alone an animatronic who suddenly became obsessed with him. He couldn't even tell if he was holding back from rejecting Baby to spare her feelings or to spare her wrath.

A creaking noise suddenly echoed through the bathroom. Fritz hesitated with his cleaning and turned towards the shower curtain slowly. "Nat? Is that you?" he called out. Through the pattering of water, he could hear the squeaking of wheels rolling on tile. _"Oh hell, it's Baby,"_ he realized. He couldn't see through the curtain, but he could hear something lightly tapping the porcelain of the toilet. Probably Baby's claw, meaning that she was now standing right beside the shower. _"She's going to rip this curtain right open, isn't she?"_ He was already starting to panic, trying to quiet his heavy breathing, and waiting for what was coming.

But to Fritz's surprise, Baby did not yank open the curtain and grab for him. She just stood beside the curtain and listened for him. Swallowing thickly, he tried to continue washing. It wasn't like he could leave the shower while she was in there. Fritz was still standing in there when the water started to go cold just waiting for Baby to leave the room and unwilling to acknowledge her and risk the curtain flying open. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he heard the shifting, jingling, and a wheeling noise as she started to roll back out of the bathroom. He waited until he heard nothing at all before peering out.

The bathroom was empty with the door left wide open. Fritz quickly dried off, got dressed, and headed out, wondering why Natalie would've let Baby slip out of the living room. The clown herself was nowhere to be seen as he approached the couch. Natalie was laying prone one arm hanging off the couch and her hair puffed in front of her face. He reached for her shoulder. "Nat?"

But she was just asleep and flinched as she awoke. She rubbed her eyes with a groan. "Okay, I might be fighting a losing battle here," Natalie admitted as she sat up and stretched her neck. She glanced around the room before asking, "Where's Baby?"

"She's uh…" Fritz looked back towards the guest room. The door was half-open, and he could see Baby looking through it. In the dim light she looked more like a misshapen, broken doll than an animatronic. Now he understood why she was so obsessed with fixing her face; in the right lighting she was terrifying. He looked back to Natalie and answered, "She's okay. Let's get you up to bed before I lose you again."

Natalie gave a light laugh and stood from the couch. He coaxed her to move ahead of him, both leaving the television on for Baby, and guiding her to the stairs. Right as she was about to step onto the stairs, Natalie called back, "Good night, Baby!" There was no answer and she looked to Fritz. "I hope she's not upset that we're leaving."

"She'll be okay. Baby's tough," the technician assured as he beckoned her up the stairs. He looked back towards the sitting room but couldn't see Baby from this angle. He didn't dare confront her about earlier and followed his girl upstairs.

"Maybe tomorrow we could see if we could get her back upstairs and I could get her to bake with me or something. I can't speak for every animatronic, but it seems like most of them have a soft spot for cakes and sweets. Not to mention, it's pretty much the way all my siblings used to bond. If you were fighting with someone, Mom would drag you both into the kitchen to help her bake. Usually the fight would be done with by time everything popped out of the oven," Natalie explained in a groggy tone. She sounded tired, but determined, and Fritz wasn't sure why.

"You're really going all in with this, but you don't have to. I'm sure Baby appreciates it- I know I would- but I wouldn't get your hopes up." Especially not now with her new 'affectionate' behavior. Baby had seemed to become fixated with him in only a matter of hours. He was shocked that she had been this friendly with Natalie as it was. It was always possible that she could poke the bear too much in her attempt to be friendly and set her off.

"I know that, believe me, but… I'm pretty used to trying to smooth things over in a family. It's kind of nice to do it again. I haven't really seen much of my sisters since I moved out of the house, so I don't know, maybe I was kind of hoping Baby would be like a surrogate. Or maybe that's the borderline sleepwalking talking," Natalie admitted. Whether it was serious or not, it suddenly gave Fritz an idea of why Natalie was trying so hard. With a yawn, she headed into the bedroom to get changed. He was about to follow when he noticed something.

"Wait…" Fritz patted down his clothes, only then remembering that he had changed into his pajamas. The clothes he had been wearing were downstairs, and he didn't want to go back down unless he really had to. "Nat, have you seen my keys?"

"Have you checked the kitchen?" Natalie called back. Fritz followed the suggestion and looked around the counters and in the change bowl without any luck. He continued looking around the living room, checking the tables and couch, and becoming more irritated with their disappearance.

Finally, he pulled on his jacket and headed to the door. "I'm going to go look in the van!" he called before letting himself out. It didn't take him long to realize that they were also not in the van, which meant that most likely they were in the pants he took off, in the _downstairs_ bathroom. He sat in the van for a moment and considered whether it was worth going down there or leaving it for the morning. The problem that was if they weren't down there, he wouldn't know until tomorrow. He would stay awake all night worrying about something as small as lost keys.

"Why am I even scared of Baby?" Fritz finally asked himself impatiently. "What's the worst thing she can do other than come on to me? It's not like she wants to kill me." Maybe he was taking this whole thing the wrong way. If he could handle the nightshift, which involved numerous animatronics trying to kill him, then he could handle one that was getting a little too clingy. "Forget this. I'm going down there and getting them," he decided as he left the van and headed back inside.

Though this brief period of confidence was short lived. It couldn't last once he stepped inside and heard what sounded like gentle coming from the basement and trailing up the stairwell. He was shocked to realize that the haunting, quiet voice belonged to Baby.

" _Down in the willow garden,~"_ Baby sung gently. _"There my love and I did meet…~"_

Fritz knew she was singing to him, both because she had asked him earlier and because he had foolishly telegraphed that he would be passing by the stairs. Thankfully, he doubted that Natalie would be able to hear the singing from the bedroom. Or if she did, she would be too tired to realize what was happening, or even guess that it was Baby and not the television. He started to second-guess his decision to go downstairs.

" _While we set a courting, my love fell off to sleep.~"_

Swallowing down his uneasiness, Fritz headed to the stairs. _"It doesn't sound like she's too close to the stairs. I'll just get in, get out, and get back up the stairs."_ He held his breath as he started down the stairs slowly. The stairs only creaked slightly as he stepped down them and he listened past it for the subtle sound of squeaking wheels. Baby's voice was growing louder, but it almost sounded like she was further away.

" _I bought a bottle of burgundy wine, but my true love did not know…~"_ Baby murmured softly. He stepped off the stairs, carefully looking into the sitting room, and then going to step into the bathroom. _"I planned to poison a dear little girl, there on the banks below.~"_

Fritz came to an abrupt stop in the doorway of the bathroom. He looked out into the sitting room again but couldn't see any sign of Baby. He took a deep breath and entered the bathroom. His clothes had been sitting on the toilet lid and it looked like something had gone through them. Perhaps Baby had been fondling his clothes. He shivered at the thought and started to look through his pockets.

" _I drew a claw through her, it was an awful sight,~"_ Baby's voice continued to slip through the walls. _"I threw her in the sewer and then ran off in the night.~"_

" _These can't be real lyrics… I wouldn't be surprised if Baby wrote them herself,"_ Fritz thought. He tossed down his pants tiredly. _"Not in here. Either she got ahold of them-."_ Then it hit him. _"Wait, maybe I took them out when I was pulling out boxes!"_ He vaguely remembered them poking into his leg as he was crouched down. That meant they were probably on one of the boxes still. He left the bathroom and quietly stepped into the sitting room.

" _My father had once told me that his money would set me free. If I would poison that dear little girl, whose name won't come to me.~"_

The voice was coming from the guest room, whose door was now swung wide open. Not that he could see inside any better. Baby had turned off the lamp by the sofa and the television, leaving it dark in the basement, and he didn't even have the glow of her eyes to signal where she was. He stayed close to the wall as he headed under the stairs. He began to blindly feel around in the dark, his hands feeling over the tops if the boxes and short stacks of files.

And then the squeaking returned. The singing trailed off into a low humming as the wheels rolled across the wooden floor of the basement. Fritz froze still even though he suspected she knew he was there. She was like a ghost, coaxing him in with a hollow voice and then drifting out to find him when he got too close. He only looked over when she stopped beside the short hall. The light that fell down the stairwell landed on her and was the only thing illuminating her. Somehow, she had managed to shut off the lights in her eyes. _She could've been watching him the whole time._

"Are you looking for these?" Baby asked. She raised her hand to reveal his keyring dangling off it. He stared back silently. "I didn't think you would notice you lost them so soon. I was keeping them safe for you."

"…Thanks." Fritz stood and dared to step closer. He reached for them and she drew her hand back quickly, closing her fingers on the ring.

"But before that… What did you think of my singing?" Baby asked, purposefully keeping the keys out of his grasp. Not that he would reach for them. "I suppose I'm out of practice. I haven't sung in so long… For anyone… But I wanted to sing for you," she explained. Her voice lowered to nearly a whisper. "I knew you were listening."

"It's great," Fritz blurted out quickly. "Great, really. Not rusty at all… I would change the song though, if it was just me. It's a little morbid."

"Life is morbid. People die but classics live on," Baby answered. Her voice lowered once again, almost sounding deceptively seductive as she added, "But maybe you could teach me a better song to sing."

"Baby, please. It's getting late and Natalie's waiting-." Fritz tried to be rational as he tried to squeeze by and back into the hall. Baby's claw sprung out to block his way, scraping the corner of the wall as she tilted her head.

"She's probably asleep by now…" Baby suggested. She raised the keys and jingled them tauntingly. "Don't you want these? You came all the way down here to find them. It was the only way to get you back down here."

"Baby…"

"Why, Fritz?" the clown asked more firmly. "Why did you hide from me? Is it because of what happened earlier?" She gave a mechanical sigh and her claw tapped on the corner of the wall. "You think I don't notice, but I do. I notice how you have been ignoring me, avoiding me, and I don't understand why."

"Well, to be honest…" Fritz wasn't sure which route to take with this. So, he decided to dip into honesty. "Yes, earlier did startle me. After something like that things are just a little awkward… But I'm not trying to ignore you. I was just-."

"Why would they be awkward?" Baby asked in confusion. "I just wanted to show you how much I feel about you…" Her voice became heavier, almost breathy sounding, and her claw slid down the wall before dropping to her side. "You make me feel so many things, Fritz. Nobody's ever been like you. You're perfect." She dropped the keys to the carpet and began to reach for him again. He stepped back out of her grasp and her hand closed, then slowly fell to her side again. She just stared at him, feeling as though he had just rejected her. Her claw started to clamp down. "It's _her_ isn't it?"

Fritz didn't like that tone. His answer was sudden, "It's not her. It's you."

The animatronic made a sharp squeaking noise. In this context it almost sounded like a gasp. Then she just stood there. Her eyes dropped and darted around thoughtfully, and the technician dared to reach down for the keys. She made no attempt to reach for him again as he passed by and headed towards the stairs. He sent one last look back at her and found her in the same position. She hadn't even turned to look at him, as though his words were that powerful. Though that hadn't been his intention at all he felt like he had to say something.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Fritz said. Then he headed up the stairs and to his bedroom.

It took a while for Baby to pull herself together. Fritz said it loud and clear; it was her. Something was wrong with her. He couldn't be with her- maybe he wanted to be and that's why he was sorry- because something was wrong with her. Her suspicion immediately went to her new fixation: her appearance. She reached to her face and felt over the broken plates. The plates he wouldn't fix because he was too busy with other things, with _her_.

History was repeating itself yet again: Baby was losing her happiness to a carefree human girl. One who could get anything they ever wanted and still managed to take everything from Baby. Last time it was because the girl didn't know her boundaries, this time it was because the girl was standing in her way… But maybe there was hope.

Baby clung to that apology yet again. Fritz had been dodging her and avoiding her feelings, but he had never outright said that he didn't feel the same way. The only reason he wouldn't had to be that he did, but he believed that they couldn't because she was too broken. Perhaps he wasn't thinking of how complete she would be after her face and body was all pieced together again. She would be shiny and colorful, she wouldn't age or lose her looks; she could be perfect for him. Such a talented technician needed someone who would understand his precious talents.

There was still a chance. She still had a chance to go after him and apologize for her boldness. Then she could smooth things over and try again once she was fixed. Baby quickly headed over to the stairs and looked up them.

"Fritz?" she called. She had hoped that he stayed awake after the event. She had hoped he was sitting on the couch; torn, confused, and feeling guilty. Instead, it seemed like he had just gone to bed, but that didn't detour her. She looked down at the stairs, then her skates, and then gave an exhausted huff. This would be degrading. Though it wouldn't be the first time she had to crawl to get where she wanted. She climbed up the stairs on her hand, claw, and knees and came out in the darkened living room. Now she just had to find him, and it didn't take long to deduce which door led to the bedroom.

Baby opened the door slowly and slid herself inside. She was as silent as could be, pushing herself slowly across the carpeted floor, and approaching the bed. She was just about to reach out to wake Fritz when she saw how _they_ were laying.

Natalie was facing the far wall while Fritz laid behind her. He was as close as could be with his arm fit snuggly around her waist. They were both fast asleep, serene and unbothered, and oblivious to her standing over them. Just seeing them so comfortable and peaceful did something to Baby. She wasn't sure what it was except that for some reason it made her hurt inside. Maybe it was just from crawling up the stairs; maybe she knocked some of her wires loose.

That pain was quickly replaced with white hot anger. Baby turned a glare to Natalie and started down at the blonde strands obscuring her face. All at once she hated her. Natalie didn't know what it was like to be an animatronic. She probably knew nothing of machines or sacrifices, or fear and pain, or the horror of looking into a mirror and seeing a monster look back. She didn't deserve someone as wonderful as Fritz. Baby had never wanted so more to reach down and clamp her claw down on someone's neck.

…But she wouldn't. She might've looked like a monster, but she wasn't going to act like one. She knew the consequences of that. Not for Natalie's sake, but for Fritz's. He could still realize his mistake and come crawling back to her.

Baby was still infuriated when she rolled out of the bedroom and into the area between the living room and the kitchen. Her hand was shaking, her claw chattered, and she had half a mind to lose her mind and trash the house. The other half of her mind was there to remind her that she could let herself out the front door and find her way to the old pizzeria on her own. That idea was more tempting than any other and she started to head to the door.

Only to spot the pair of scissors laying on the counter.

They looked so innocent sitting there unused. Someone had probably used them to open a package of food or to snip open a piece of mail. Looking at them now, Baby thought of hair. Hair had to be the important part of someone's appearance. That little girl had beautiful hair; long, strawberry blond, and as soft as could be. Natalie had lovely hair as well, though not quite as impressive as the girl's own. Those blonde locks blocking and crowning her face in gold. Real hair was something that Baby never had and could never compete with.

Perhaps it was time to level the playing field.

There was part of Baby that was very aware that what she was doing was wrong. Yet as she took the scissors in her hand, opening and closing them like her claw, it felt so good. It would grow back anyways, and if Fritz couldn't stand looking at Natalie with something less then perfection, then maybe they shouldn't be together. Maybe she would be doing him a favor.

Nobody noticed as the clown entered the bedroom again and now circled onto the other side of the bed. Now she could look down at Natalie's face to watch whether she was waking up so she could stop. She already had her excuses lined up; all she had to do was play dumb and pretend that she thought she was doing something good. Natalie would surely believe it and Fritz was too meek to even tell her about what happened earlier. It was worth it, she decided, and she lowered the scissors towards her.

The scissors opened and slid over a lock beside her ear, being careful not to touch the flesh. One accidental nick would ruin her work. The scissors started to slide closed and with a small snipping sound cut off a small piece of hair. Just a test, but soon to be followed by more. Hooking under a thicker piece of hair, Baby slowly began to clip at the hair, and took too much joy out of the quiet snipping sound. She didn't even notice that Fritz was starting to stir, having heard the odd noise in his sleep, and opened his eyes.

The first thing Fritz made out was Baby standing over the bed with something sharp pointed in at Natalie. He lashed out immediately and threw out his arm to knock the scissors back.

The scuffle yanked at Natalie's hair and she too roused from her sleep, confused and sputtering, blurting out, "Oww! What happened!? What was that!?"

Baby was startled by the sudden turn and rolled back from the bed. Fritz sat upwards and looked to the floor in a panic, expecting to see a knife. Instead, he saw the scissors, and his eyes widened as he pieced everything together.

"What's going on? Fritz?" Natalie asked as she started to sit up. The small amount of her cut hair fell onto her chest and she felt and looked at it in the dim light. "Did… Did you rip my hair out?"

This was about to get out of hand. Baby evened out her voice and tried to sound rational and innocent. "It's not what you think. I was just trying-."

" _That's it!_ " Even Natalie jumped at Fritz's yell as he nearly sprung out of bed. "That's it! I'm taking you back to the warehouse!" He grabbed for his keys and jacket in a fluster. Natalie only now realized Baby was in the room and started to figure out what was going on. She was just shocked, looking between the two, watching with wide eyes. Baby was equally shocked at Fritz's tone. An appropriate enough reaction, maybe, but not like him. She refused to move as he gestured to the door. "Come on, let's go!"

"I'm not going," Baby simply stated. Her claw tightened as she stared him down. "You can't make me."

"I can and will! Look, Baby, I was willing to take the threatening singing and you stealing my keys, but I draw the line when you start creeping in here and pulling stunts like this!" Fritz yelled back. He pointed towards the door. "You're going to go out that door, you're getting into the van, and I'm driving you back! Go on! **Now**!"

" **Get back on your stage. NOW."**

Baby had intended to fight to stay, to proclaim her false story, and to resist getting stuck in the warehouse yet again, but that tone stopped her. Just hearing him like this while dressed in his purple uniform jacket made her extremely uncomfortable and reminded her of something awful. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so disgusting on the inside. It was as thought Fritz was someone else, someone who she could only barely remember, and someone who she couldn't help but obey. Maybe she had a brief blackout, because the next thing she knew she was in the garage and loaded into the van.

Fritz was silent the entire drive and Baby made no attempt to speak. Part of her expected a taser thrust into her side if she even tried, so she could live with silence. She could only imagine what Fritz intended to do once they got back to the warehouse. Perhaps he would try to shut her down, maybe he would just punish her with shocks. She wouldn't willingly stand for either but there wasn't much she could do now but wait. Soon they backed up to the doors and Fritz let her out of the van and into the warehouse. He was still silent as he closed the doors.

He was still standing there facing the doors when he addressed her again. His voice was surprisingly quiet, and he sounded more defeated than angry. "I don't know what to do anymore… I've tried so hard to help you, Baby, we all have, but you just… You just keep doing these things. It was one thing when you were just putting people down- that I can live with- but to go out of your way to do this…"

"It was just hair," Baby defended. She realized this was a mistake when he turned on her with the return of that anger.

"That's not the point, Baby! The point is that you decide after one day that you suddenly like me and think that gives you the right to try and hurt someone else!" Fritz scolded. He got an incredulous look, utterly baffled by the situation. "And it's not even like you actually _like_ me like a person, because you don't see people as people! You see them as toys and obstacles, with me being your toy and Natalie being your obstacle! She went out on a limb for you and you don't even care!"

"I do care," Baby protested. Her mind felt fuzzy and her normal method of thinking out strategies before she spoke wasn't working. She had never seen him act anything like this. "I care about you, Fritz."

"Baby, you don't know the first thing about caring for someone," Fritz stated matter-of-factly. "Because if you did, you would've stopped this a long time ago. You had to know that I wouldn't suddenly love you because you did something to Natalie. You're not stupid. You just did it to make you feel good about yourself. That's the most selfish thing you can do." He paused to catch his breath. His glare intensified as his fists tightened. "And if you think that wanting someone justifies you doing bad things, then there really is no hope for you. I've really tried to help you, Baby, but you're not willing to change."

"That's not true. You won't let me change," Baby denied. "You only took me home to pacify me, not because you wanted to help me."

"Okay, you want me to be honest? Yes. Yes, I only took you home because I knew if I didn't that you'd do something _crazy_ like you always do. Like when you ran off to Chica's Party World and started destroying animatronics. Do you even think these things through? Do you realize what could happen if someone caught you?" Fritz paused for a response and Baby stayed silent. "They would do the same thing Chance tried to do. If they couldn't take you apart and sell you off in pieces, then they would _burn you_." But that was not what had rendered Baby mute. It was instead his reveal that hit its mark.

"You wouldn't have taken me home just for my sake," Baby clarified, staring at him. "…Because you don't love me."

There was a heavy moment where Fritz's anger started to sputter out. It didn't exactly change to sympathy, but he knew this would be painful even though it had to be said. "No, Baby. I don't."

"…I see." Baby rolled back slightly towards the side of the aisle. Her back bumped lightly against it and she lowered her head until her eyes were hidden. "…Then you can go. Go home. Go back to her."

"Baby-."

"I said _go!_ " In a split second, Baby yanked a cardboard box off the shelf and threw it at his feet. Parts, pieces, and other worthless items flew out as the loud crashing nearly shook the shelves. Fritz backed away quickly and looked up from the box to the animatronic, now looking with dread instead of frustration. She was twitching, her wires flailing like they were trying to crawl out from her body, and her claw was nearly grinding into itself. Unwilling to wait for him to leave, she spun on her wheels and stormed off to the office where she slammed the door behind him.

Baby clawed at her chest with her hand as though to tear out the growing discomfort inside. It was almost as though he shocked her without a taser, save that the pain was dull, more emotional than the raw electricity coursing through her wires. She almost preferred the taser to this. She didn't think she could bear even looking at him ever again. Which was fine, because she didn't want to. She could get the parts and fix herself on her own, as she had done before. She didn't need Fritz's pity or protection anymore, even if it all felt wrong.

Humans were always more trouble than they were worth. In the end, they always led to her downfall.


	36. Chapter 36

**Mable: Hey again! I wanted to forewarn that in a few days I'll be posting short stories for prompts here on Fanfiction. I've been writing them on Tumblr for a while and recently started to repost them on AO3, but I think it's worth posting them here too. ^-^ Just a head's up. Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty-Six_

"Hello?"

" _Hello there, Scott."_

Scott was almost completely dumbstruck by the familiar female voice coming out of the phone. "Baby?"

" _Yes, it's me. I was looking for someone to do me a favor. It's very important,"_ Baby explained quickly. She rattled it out as though she had said it repeatedly already, which made him suspect that he wasn't the first person she had called. After all, he highly doubted she would've called him first.

"Uh, what kind of favor? Like you… Need somewhere to stay?" Scott offered. That seemed like it would make the most sense, since she had stayed there before. While that had ended in disaster, desperation could've driven her to ask again. This was soon revealed to not be the case.

" _No. Nothing as terrible as that,"_ Baby quickly shot down. _"I need someone to deliver me to my old restaurant, Circus Baby's Pizza World. The building is still abandoned and whatever was left behind should still be there, which I need, but I cannot get anyone to take me. The van is here, I just need a driver who can come tonight. Would you?"_

"Well, uh, I would- I would be glad to help you Baby, but I'm busy tonight," Scott excused with a clear of his throat. "I'm actually meeting someone for dinner, so I can't really get away. I'm sure if you asked Fritz or maybe Jeremy-."

" _Never mind then,"_ Baby interrupted impatiently. _"If you change your mind, I will be here. As I always am."_ With that, she ended the call, and Scott was left in a fog of confusion.

He hung up the phone, stood from the office chair, and headed out to tell Ennard about the strange conversation. He didn't have to go far as he opened the door and found himself face to face- or face to neck- with the clown.

"She's kinda desperate, isn't she?" Ennard asked with a playful chuckle. "What, she couldn't wait until tonight? Ha, I hope you two don't run out of stuff to talk about or you're gonna have to come home early!" It was clear that he was trying to listen in, but it was evident that he hadn't heard what was going on.

"That wasn't Dawn. Oddly enough, that was Baby looking for a ride," Scott explained. Ennard tilted his head in confusion.

"A ride? From you? To where?" All joking was set aside. Ennard trusted Baby much less than Dawn because he knew what she was capable of. So, her newfound interest in Scott made him very wary. "Don't tell me that you agreed to do it! It's bad enough that you got one kook trying to get ya to drive her around. You've gotta learn how to say no!"

"Ennard," Scott said with a flat, nearly exasperated tone. The clown quieted at hearing it, as though he was being scolded. "Dawn is a perfectly nice woman. I really wish you would stop talking about her like that… And no, I didn't agree to take Baby anywhere. She, uh, wanted to go to her old pizzeria and I just- I can't do that in good faith," he admitted with an awkward smile. Ennard gave a light giggle, even if it sounded a little forced. At least he wasn't still moping like he was the night before. "I'm guessing that I wasn't her first choice. I don't know why she thought I'd drive her."

"Eh, who knows about Baby. We've had our wires all wrapped together and I still don't understand why she does anything," Ennard admitted playfully. He then looked a little more eager. "This means you're done with work, right? Why don't'cha come out and we'll do something. How about a game of cards?" There came the clinginess again. This too had gotten more prevalent since Scott told him about the date the day before. It was the lesser of evils though. Scott could live with Ennard's attentiveness, especially when he was so helpful.

"I really should get a little more done. I need to make a few more calls before five. Shouldn't take more than twenty minutes," he reassured with a smile.

"Then how about you eat something? You're just skin and bones- except the keyboard stuck to your fingers and the phone glued to your ear," Ennard joked with a playful tone. "Come on, give me something to do!"

"Okay, uh… I don't know. Maybe some toast, I'm not really hungry," Scott caved. As fussy as Ennard was being, he was probably right, but his appetite was all but gone. He didn't want to verbally admit that he was nervous about this evening or he would give Ennard more fuel to discourage him going. Ennard certainly did fuss on him.

"Then toast it is! You just sit tight and finish up your calls and I'll be right back!~" the amalgam trilled in a sing-song tone before heading out. Scott shook his head with a small smile and returned to his office chair. Distractions or not, Ennard did manage to keep life exciting- and in a good way, not like the constant worry of robbers ransacking houses in the city.

Ennard returned about ten minutes later. He waited at the door as Scott wrapped up a call and hung up before typing something further into the computer. Then he leaned over him and looked down eagerly as he rested a hand on his shoulder and offered a plate. "Here you go, Scottie!"

"You came just in time… Uh…" Scott looked down at the plate now held at his chest. Ennard had brought him toast but had taken the liberty of topping it in as much as he could. Whipped cream, cinnamon, maple syrup, probably butter underneath, and the slightest amount of jam was spread on two pieces of toast that looked small in comparison. This wasn't nearly as light as he had expected or wanted, but he couldn't help but be amused by it. "…Thanks."

"Aww, it's no trouble!" Ennard chirped. He pressed his mouth to the top of Scott's head. "Ready to have some fun?"

"Not just yet," Scott casually remarked as he tried to figure out how to pick up one of the pieces. "I don't know how you put all this on here."

"Aww, why don't you take a break and spend a little time with me? You're going to be eating anyway… Oh! I know!" Ennard leaned further over to look down at the man excitedly. "Why don't I make the calls for you? I think I've got your voice down pat." The look on Scott's face gave away the possible results his imagination was cooking up. That was a look of true horror. Ennard cackled at it. "Don't give me that look! Talking's one of the things I do best! And even these know how to tap on keys," he added, tapping on Scott's shoulder like he was mimicking typing.

Scott swallowed down a mouthful of sweetness. "I… I don't think that's a good idea," he gently dismissed. Then he offered the toast to his companion, watching as the amalgam sunk his needle-like teeth into it and dropped crumbs onto him. He couldn't help but smile at his innocent-sounding suggestions. "Hey, you know, I could just skip the restaurant and bring Dawn back here to have some of your cooking. Just as long as you don't start mixing relish and sardines again."

"Don't joke like that," Ennard answered in a remarkably flat tone. For a second it sounded so real that the human thought he was referring to Dawn directly. Though then he added in, just as flatly, "You know that was _delicious._ " There came another carefree, playful laugh as he leaned down to pull the other into a warm hug. "Come on, come on, please?"

"…Alright, okay, you win," Scott agreed with his own chuckle as he pushed back from the desk. "But only a little while, okay? I really need to finish this by tonight." Ennard didn't seem to be concerned as he led his companion out by the wrist. It was only a few minutes. Work could wait.

Except that Scott should've realized that Ennard was going to be more than a five-minute distraction. It started with an innocent game of cards, then a little television, then making cookies, then intense conversation while the cookies baked, then a game of scrabble- which Ennard was better at then he had any right to be- then taking the cookies out, then going through the pantry, and every time Scott was about ready to pull away, Ennard would coax him back in with something else. It was only by sheer luck that he just happened to look at the clock and realize how late it was getting.

"I guess I should go get ready…" Scott admitted in a rather unsure voice.

"You don't have to go," Ennard reminded, still kneeling and going through the pantry. He distracted himself with reading can labels and boxing up the ones that looked closer to their date. Scott was almost impressed in how less clingy the clown had gotten just by giving him something to do. "Hey, baby corn! I didn't know we had any of this! I love these tiny things!"

"Well, I can't back out now… She's- She's probably already waiting for me…" He looked down with an exhale and smoothed out his clothes. "I should probably put something better on. You just… Keep doing that." He headed to his bedroom and shut himself inside. He was positively shaking by time he was thumbing through his closet.

It had been so long since he had done anything like this. Church was one thing; he didn't have to be that careful about how he presented himself. Even at the meetings and activities he would occasionally attend, he felt somewhat assured that they weren't staring at him. It was a place of acceptance, so his eccentricities would be ignored. Going out to a restaurant and visiting normal people was a whole different story. They would look at his limp and his scars and think he was damaged. They would see his shaking and know he was damaged. They could stare at him.

What was worse was that Scott could remember life before being the 'eccentric' of the town. Back then, even in the early days of Freddy's, he had only had to deal with a touch of social anxiety. Usually he was able to get around this by just chattering on about various things until people found it endearing. He ate out much more frequently, he visited a few good friends often, and William, and he was content in what had seemed like a largely typical life. Then came his accident. Suddenly he was set back for months learning to live again. Friends disappeared, people started to stare, and animatronics- and William- haunted the shadows.

Scott managed to get through the process of getting dressed and returned to the kitchen. His mouth felt dried out and he was trembling so much that his hands hurt. Not that he felt comfortable taking his medication before going, which would probably come back to haunt him later. "Okay… How do I look?" he asked as he stepped into view. Ennard looked over him.

"You look great!" he reacted immediately. "You look terrified," he added in as an afterthought. All he did was point out the obvious, but it was just enough to tip Scott over the edge.

"I can't do this," he caved. All compositor was gone in an instant. "I'm just- I'm going to- I'm going to call her and tell her that something came up and I just can't. I can't go out there like this. I'm just going to embarrass myself and make a big scene, and people are going to stare, and I'm just going to do that thing where I ramble until I make everyone really uncomfortable." He shifted around in front of the sink like he was trying to pace but couldn't decide if he wanted to or not.

Ennard was elated for about three or four seconds. For that short amount of time it seemed like his wish had come true. Scott would be staying home, Dawn was out of the picture, and all was well. Unfortunately, he couldn't just tune out the rest of Scott's stressed confession. All his self-doubt and frustration were obvious, even to Ennard, and it was clear that this wasn't something to be happy about. He knew he had to be encouraging, even if he didn't want to in this case.

"Hey, hey! Don't say that!" Ennard protested as he stood and turned Scott to face him. "You're just psyching yourself out with all that. It's just dinner, right? Just, what, an hour of eating? You can do that!" He placed both hands on his shoulders, squeezing them affectionately, and kept a bright and encouraging tone. "I think you've handled a lot worse than that!"

"It's just- It's not the same. I don't want people staring at me," Scott admitted with a weary sigh. "People see me and pity me, and then start imagining what happened to me. I've had people ask about it, and what am I supposed to say? Usually I just lie. I just say it was a car accident or an accident on the job."

"Why don't you just tell them the truth?" Ennard suggested in a gentle tone. Which was massively contrasted with when he added, "That it's none of their business and to get lost?" This got a slight chuckle out of the Phone Guy, which assured the clown that he was on the right track. "And if that woman starts prodding you about it, then ditch her! You can come back here and eat baby corn with me."

"I guess that's always a backup plan…" Scott gave a shaky exhale and rubbed his shaking hands together. "You're right," he admitted, caving yet again but now to the opposite decision. "I can't back out now. I can't just… Call and cancel now. Dawn's been waiting all day and planning her day around this. I can't let her down."

"Yeah, sure. Do it for _her_ ," If Ennard could speak through gritted teeth, then he would be. He almost forgot why he was still pushing for this night out at that point, but regained compositor. "Just one hour?"

"Maybe, if I can make it that long..." Scott answered, still rather unconvinced in himself. Though he still managed a smile. "I'll still bring you home something."

"Great! And I'll be right here waiting for ya!" Ennard assured. Something felt uncomfortable, but Scott assumed that it was just the lingering doubt and anxiousness as he headed to the front door. Surprisingly, the amalgam didn't follow at his heels, but merely dropped his arms to his sides and watched as his companion got his keys together, gave a small wave, and stepped out of the house. Ennard was now left alone in the empty house, save for the cats and the cans.

If Scott could deal with an hour then he could too.

* * *

Dinner with Mike, Marionette, and Charlie was rather close to what it had been back when there was only two of them. Mike was the only one who ate, for obvious reasons, but the puppets would still sit at the table to chat. Normally, this was a great time to discuss any topic without any interruptions or distractions, but tonight it was intruded on by the phone ringing. Being the closest to the phone- as Marionette was sitting alongside Mike, who was currently cutting through a tough piece of steak- Charlie was the one who went to answer.

"Hello?... Baby?" She was a little surprised to hear the clown on the line. "Oh hey, how's it going? Did you talk to Fritz?" There were a few moments of Baby talking. It was in these moments that Charlie's body language changed. She went from looking relaxed to confused, then to a little alarmed. "What? Wait, slow down. You need me to do what?" Now Marionette was listening. Mike too, but he managed to keep his eyes on his food while the Puppet blatantly stared.

"Sounds like someone's looking for a favor," the security guard said under his breath. Marionette gave a small nod of agreement. The only surprising thing about it was that Baby wasn't too proud to call and ask.

"I don't even know where that is," Charlie pointed out, sounding a little exasperated. "And I really don't think that's a good idea considering last time. Couldn't you ask Fritz about getting them?... Oh…" The Security Puppet shifted uncomfortably on her legs. "Yeah, that's not good… No, I don't think Fritz is the type to do that. You'll just have to let him calm down. What exactly did you do?... _What?..._ Please tell me your kidding… Yes, it is that bad. It's actually pretty terrible, Baby. I hope you apologized… How am I not surprised?"

"Something happened between Fritz and Baby," Marionette recounted under his breath. "Fritz didn't call you?"

"No, but if it's that bad, he might still be too traumatized to talk about it," Mike quipped. He then grew more serious, "I'll call him after dinner." Even though they were getting bits of the conversation, it was enough to be concerned about. Especially since Mike understood Fritz had been spending a large amount of time at the warehouse. At least by Charlie's tone it didn't sound like Baby hurt him.

"Maybe they fought because he wouldn't take her somewhere," the Puppet suggested. He continued trying to listen and pick apart the meanings in the pieces of words and fell silent as the other puppet continued.

"Mike? Oh, no. I don't really think Mike would agree to do it," Charlie remarked. She sent a glance to the table. "I mean if you really want to ask him, but I'm not sure that's… Going to work." As soon as she made an offering motion to Mike, he started waving a hand wildly in dismissal. "Are you sure? He's sort of in the middle of something." Mike continued making throat cutting gestures while Charlie answered him with a shrug. She was stuck square between a reluctant Mike and an extremely pushy Baby. It was now that Marionette rose from the table and quickly approached. He held out his hand expectantly.

"Okay, well… Here you go," Charlie said before quickly passing the phone off to Marionette. She then approached the table where he could hear her and Mike whispering about what was happening. Switching his voice to mimicking Mike's own, Marionette greeted Baby simply.

"Hello, Baby."

"Hello, Mike," Baby greeted back. She immediately rushed into her request. "I'm afraid that I am in need of your service. You see, as I was telling Charlie, I am-… Say that again."

"Say what again? Hello?" Marionette asked innocent in Mike's tone and mannerisms. Somehow, Baby was able to hear straight through it, which he wasn't exactly surprised at.

"Oh. It's you," Baby answered as she finally saw through his voice. "She put you on the phone instead of Mike… But I highly doubt you could drive a van."

"No. Sadly I don't get out on the road as often as I used to," he quipped back. He wouldn't let her rattle him. "See, Mike is busy at the moment, so I intended to answer you in his stead."

"Silly Puppet. Tricks are for kids," Baby said almost mockingly. Then she abruptly changed her tone. "It's fine. Tell Charlie that I can find another solution to my problem."

"If you would like to talk about it-." Marionette was cut off by the call being hung up. He couldn't help but be a little disappointed in her total unwillingness to talk to him, but again, he wasn't surprised. He hung up the phone and returned to the table. "Baby sends her love!"

"If it's anything like her love for Fritz, return to sender," Mike sarcastically answered. "Apparently Baby was staying over at Fritz's and turned into a psychotic stalker in a matter of hours. Not only that, you're not going to believe what she almost put Natalie through." He looked to Charlie to signal her to explain. She rubbed over her mask, already exhausted by the conversation.

"She tried to cut Natalie's hair off while she was sleeping. She snuck into the room and started cutting away with a pair of scissors. I hope Fritz stopped her in time, because that would be a nightmare to wake up to," she sympathized. Mike almost made an ironic comment about waking to Baby but couldn't chew fast enough to beat the security puppet to speaking. "I did notice she was interested in Fritz. Every time she talked about him, she had nothing but good things to say, and you would know how rare that is. But I can honestly say that I never expected something like that."

"I don't have much experience with Baby, but the experience I do have with her tends to suggest that she gets fixated. I'd love to say that it's the fault of programming, but I don't think it is," Marionette suggested. He sounded almost just as tired as she did but was also worried about Fritz and Natalie. Who knew how much Baby left out of the story. He couldn't help but wonder about Baby too. Who knew what desperate measures she could go through if denied what she wanted for to long. The desire to help was always there, but he didn't know how.

He fell into a thoughtful silence as dinner continued like normal.

* * *

When Scott had said it would be an hour, Ennard had expected that it wouldn't be exact. He estimated that driving time, ordering time, introductions and goodbyes, and all of that would add on at least a little more time. Maybe thirty minutes, maybe less, but he would've never expected that one hour would turn into two and a half. It didn't help that every extra minute felt so long in comparison to the one before. He had tried to distract himself with his usual vices, but the night crawled on sluggishly.

Ennard was in the office when he finally heard the garage door open. He perked before springing out of the office chair and hurrying to greet the human. As expected, there was Scott. He might've looked a little tired but didn't look distraught like he had earlier, which thrilled the clown. "Hey, there you are!" he greeted excitedly. "Ya stayed out later than I thought, ha! How'd it go?"

"Honestly? It went pretty great," Scott answered. He had a warm smile as he turned to him. "I didn't mean to be out so late, but we met up with a couple from my congregation and they sort of talked me into a movie too."

"Aww, that's great!" Inwardly, Ennard was already feeling relief. He had a good time and wasn't alone with only Dawn, which meant nothing too romantic happened. Which was _great_. "See? Aren't ya glad ya went? I knew you'd have a good time! Probably not as good of a time as you would've had if I went, but close!"

"I really am. Thank you for that." Scott's voice was sincere as he looked up at the clown. It was only now that he let his true excitement come through and smiled a little wider with it. To him, he had done more than just having a simple night out. He had proved himself as still being able to enter and exist in society like any other normal person. He showed that he was still the same person he used to be. "It was amazing, Ennard. I was talking without stuttering, and I wasn't rambling too much. A little here or there, but nothing like what I've done on the phone. I was so sure that the shaking was going to get worse, but it didn't. Or if it did, I had it under control."

Any hesitations that the amalgam had was long gone at seeing how happy the man looked. To think that one evening out with a group of friends could make him feel this good. Ennard could handle that, especially since it wasn't _just_ Dawn. In fact, maybe he could go visit other people- maybe even someone closer to home, like Fritz or Mike. Then Scott would come home all giddy. He started to lean forwards, prepared to ensnare him into a surprise hug to show him how proud he was-.

"It just felt so good to talk to real people again."

And Ennard froze up as he tried to think of what he meant by that. He couldn't have meant anything less than innocent, but it still sounded like he meant-.

"I just sometimes I feel so isolated. Like I'm not even human anymore. I go and watch people, but I can't be a part of them- you know what I mean. And I… Today I was able to do something like I used to again… It was nice." Scott smiled to himself at the thought. For a few hours he had been able to get away from himself, even if it meant having to stretch some of a persona and watch his words, but that was a given. He looked up at Ennard and expected him to say something, as he had earlier. Ennard just stared at him silently.

"…Ennard?" Scott eventually asked. "You're, uh, starting to space out."

"Right, sorry. I guess I do stuff like that all the time. Ha."

The change in tone was instantaneous and so clear that even the most oblivious of people would notice it. Scott couldn't remember the last time Ennard had sounded so flat, with his voice even sounding deeper than typical. It took him aback.

"I-I mean, it wasn't as good as it would've been if you were there!" Scott chimed back in. He knew it must've been something he said and guessed it was most likely just how much he built up the evening. Maybe he should've toned it down considering that the clown was left at home. "If you were there then we probably would've stayed out later. Maybe we would've seen another movie. Or a better movie; I let them choose and it wasn't bad but wasn't really my type. You know my type." Again, Ennard didn't take the cue to speak, and instead just glanced away. "…How about you? What did you get up to while I was gone?"

"Oh, you know… The usual," the amalgam vaguely answered. He noticed the runt cat walking by and heading into the kitchen. "Keeping the cats company. Keeping eyes on the house."

"That's great! They can get up to stuff if you're not watching, trust me." Scott wasn't sure what to say and cleared his throat. "So, uh, I'm yours for the night! I'm going to just change and then maybe we could do something? We could play a game or watch a movie."

"Scott, you don't have to do that. I know you're tired," Ennard said. Ironically, he was the one who sounded tired. "Why don't you just finish out the night doing whatever you want to do for once? I know you don't get to do that much." He then drew back a couple of steps, looking awkward as he did so. "I'm just going to be in the office. I'm halfway through a game of solitaire." Before the Phone Guy could answer, Ennard turned and headed into the office, effectively cutting off any reply. Scott was left standing there with the sphynx mother rubbing against his leg.

Ennard certainly didn't feel good blowing Scott off, but after that he wasn't sure if he could face him. Scott couldn't have meant it like that. Or, at least, didn't mean to say it as bluntly as he did. A Freudian slip more than anything, but the amalgam knew that it came from somewhere, and it felt like a gutting claw scraping along his wires. It was much worse than when Baby would spit venom about him pretending to be a human. It might've been less painful if Scott would've outright called him his pet.

It wasn't like he had a solitaire game to return to either. Ennard just slumped in the office chair and stared at the game over screen. He heard Scott pass by and go into the bedroom to change. Ennard answered by pushing the mouse around lazily and pretending he was doing something. It wasn't too long before the human returned. Perhaps it was from the confidence boost from earlier, but Scott was already prepared and ready to make another attempt with Ennard.

"Hey, I just remembered that I brought you something. It's not from the restaurant- I didn't want to leave food out in the car during the movie. I'd get mice in the car or something… But I did keep my promise." Scott offered him a box of candy. Ennard took it and looked at the packaging. "They're malted milk balls. I know that's kind of a strange choice, but I really like them and thought you might too. And if you do, I can use it as an excuse to buy more," he joked. He looked around at the office and noticed an open can sitting on the desk, dangerously close to his keyboard. "I see you got that baby corn open. Did it taste as good as it looked?"

"Yeah," Ennard admitted. He gave a breathy noise as he started trying to open the box. "I don't know why I do this."

"Do what?" Scott asked. The tone was no better from earlier and he still seemed distressed. "I can open that up for you-."

"Eat. Or try to eat. Baby was right; it's not like I'm supposed to. It doesn't go anywhere," Ennard pointed out as he finally got the box open. "I don't get hungry either. I just do it because it feels good… But all it does is make a mess, doesn't it? Then you get stuck cleaning my wires…" He glanced up at Scott for a moment before looking back down at the box. "I guess it's not worth it."

"Of course it's worth it! It makes you happy, and I don't mind cleaning you up. Not when you do so much for me," Scott encouraged. He gave a good-natured chuckle. "We could just consider it maintenance." That was supposed to be a joke, but to Ennard it felt like it was an insult.

"Yeah, maintenance. Ha ha. Good thing you never had to clean out Funtime Freddy's wires. He… He used to get full of gunk and stuff... Or I guess you have since I've got him inside me… Just metal parts and wires on the inside," Ennard rambled. He gave a sort of sigh and turned the office chair in the direction of the computer. "Lemme just play another game. I've gotta win one of these eventually…"

"If you're sure. I just thought you seemed a little upset and I thought maybe it was because I went out without you," the Phone Guy suggested. He was obviously fishing for answer. "That doesn't bother you, does it?"

"I'm glad you went out, Scott. I'm glad you got to spend time with other humans and I'm glad you had fun… Nothing's wrong. Nothing's wrong with you. It's just me…" Ennard fiddled with the mouse. "Me… Not getting to go out too. You're right. That's what's wrong." Scott seemed to believe it enough.

"Oh, alright, well… I'm sorry about that… We can still watch movies and have dinner here, you know? It's really not a big deal," Scott tried to assure. Ennard nodded stiffly. I guess I'm just going to go turn on the TV. If you'd like to join me, I'd- I would really like you to. So… I'll be right out there if you want to join."

"Maybe," Ennard dismissed. It didn't sound very convincing, but the human left to give him some distance. As soon as he did, Ennard set the box beside the keyboard and tried to get lost in solitaire without thinking.

It felt like an hour or two had passed by time Scott returned. Ennard was staring at the computer screen closely with unfocused eyes and vaguely watched as cards were moved around the screen. The Phone Guy cleared his throat.

"Hey, uh. I think I'm going to bed now… You'll be coming to bed soon too, right?" No, he wouldn't. He would stay up as late as he could and then head out to the garage like a good animatronic returning to their stage. At least the car had been parked inside so that meant he could probably sleep in that instead of in the plate body. He faked a brighter tone.

"Sure thing, Scott! Let me just- let me just try one or two more times." Ennard was moderately surprised at how well he covered. Scott wasn't entirely convinced but decided not to press.

"Just don't stay up too late," Scott suggested before leaving the office. Once out of earshot he exhaled through his nose and continued into the bedroom. He was glad that Ennard seemed to be coming around a little more, but that didn't mean that he fixed whatever originally set the clown off. Still, space had seemed to help, so he continued to bed.

Scott was woken some time later by a loud thump out in the living room. He jumped slightly at the noise, but the paranoia quickly deteriorated as he realized there was a more obvious explanation for it.

" _Ennard…"_ He sighed and looked to the clock. It was only about two in the morning, but that meant that Ennard had never even attempted to come to bed. He turned on the lamp and reached down for his prosthetic. _"I guess I should go try to wrangle him in. Maybe he'll be willing to come to bed now."_ Another thump came from the living room. _"…Or maybe I can at least convince him to save the jumping jacks for morning."_

With a tired groan, Scott stood and started over towards the bedroom door. Maybe he was still muddled by sleep, but he started to regain his nerve. _"Maybe he'll finally tell me what's really wrong. If this is really just about me going out with Dawn… Unless."_ He hesitated at the door. " _He saw how happy I was and thought I was… That's why he's acting so weird! He must still be afraid that I'm going to move her in."_ Somehow his sleep addled mind managed to come up with this when his awake one hasn't. _"I shouldn't have gone to bed. He's probably been awake worrying for hours."_

Any need for sleep was outdone by the need for Scott to comfort and assure Ennard. Only then would all be well. The Phone Guy started to slowly open the bedroom door as to not surprise the amalgam and looked into the living room.

Where two unknown men were currently trying to lift his television.

The men were dressed in dark clothes and thick jackets with hoods pulled over their faces, not that he could see their faces since their backs were turned towards him. Scott abruptly pulled the bedroom door closed again, barely restraining himself enough to shut the door quietly. His heart rate quickened, his breath caught in his throat, and he tried to calm himself down enough to process that _people had broken into his house._ It didn't take him long to connect the dots and realize this was connected to the recent string of break ins.

" _I put the car away. I put the car away and they didn't see it, and they thought I wasn't here, and now they're in the house, and they probably have guns…"_ His head snapped over to the bedside table where his cell phone sat bathed in the glow from the alarm clock. He inched across the floor as to not alert the men of his presence and grabbed his phone. He quickly dialed the number and waited, his breath was shaky and seeming much too loud in his ears.

" _911\. What's your emergency?"_

"There's- There's people in my house. Some guys broke in and they're stealing my TV right now," Scott managed to get out. "And I don't know if they have guns or anything, but they looked like big guys and they're right out in the living room-."

"S _ir, I need you to calm down. I need your address, okay? Where are you in the house?"_ Scott answered the questions, feeling numb and shaky, and all while trying to be quiet. He could hear bumping in the living room and the crashing of the things beside the television being knocked over. They must've finally picked it up and were carrying it out. He was pulled out of the thoughts by another question: _"Are you alone in the house?"_

 _Ennard._

"I- uh- I don't…" He didn't know how to answer, let alone able to answer when he was consumed by worry. Where was Ennard? "I… Hold on." He could hear her calling him to not get off the phone, but he covered the speaker and receiver with his thumbs and slowly crossed the room again. Instead of looking out the bedroom door, he cracked open the door into the bathroom. Thankfully, the bathroom door was open, and he could look out into the house. He could see that the office door was shut. _"Is he still in there? Maybe he can get out the window… Oh, no, God, I put bars over the office window!"_

Scott was beginning to feel lightheaded as the panic took hold. When a man appeared through the door, approaching the tape shelves, Scott pulled back into the bedroom, shut the door, and locked it. Now he was cornered, listening through the wall as the men continued going through his house. _"What if they hurt the cats? What if my insurance doesn't cover this? Why aren't the police here? How far are they coming from, the other side of town?!"_ It was then that he heard someone trying to twist the door handle to the bedroom. Scott backed towards the closet and was half-ready to climb inside and hide.

"The door's locked," an unknown man's voice spoke. "Do you think someone's home?"

"Can't be. They'd hear something by now and be out here." There was a rustling noise. "And this door's locked too." It sounded like he was trying the office door, which meant that Ennard had locked himself inside and was now as cornered too.

"Isn't the car in the garage?" The men now lowered both of their voices. "Look at all these tapes. What are these, camera recordings? We've got a real psycho here."

"Probably just some old guy. They get old and start thinking everyone's stealing from them." The man then snickered, as though realizing the irony of the comment, and stepped into the bathroom. He began rummaging through the medicine cabinet. Scott could hear him checking the bottles and it even sounded like he took one of them before he stepped back out into the living room. "What are we going to do?"

"Get the crowbar. We'll just pop them open."

Scott covered his mouth to suppress any noises. They were going to come in. Or worse, they would get into the office. _"They're going to get to Ennard!"_ This led to a more horrifying realization: _"Oh Lord, Ennard's going to kill them and the cops are already on their way."_ Yet just as all hope seemed lost, a new voice chimed in.

"We've got to go. There's sirens moving in. Someone must've recognized the van," a third voice called in. "Just grab the VCR."

The Phone Guy covered his face and muttered quiet thanking into his palm. Thanking God, thanking the cops, thanking everything that the men were leaving. He didn't even care when he heard them take the VCR because he knew they were leaving. He hurried over to look out of the curtains and watched as a non-descript, white work-van drove off. He couldn't see the license plate numbers, but still reported it into the cellphone.

"I'm still here. Sorry, they were- I had to go quiet. I didn't want them to hear me. They just left in a white van with my TV and my VCR… And maybe my medication." It was now that Scott saw the police car pulling up and it was only now that he remembered Ennard. If the police came and the animatronic thought they were still the burglars... "I-I've got to go check my cats," he excused as he carefully unlocked and opened his bedroom door. "I'm just… Oh…"

He must've not noticed it earlier, but the robbers had left quite a mess in their wake. Everything that had been around the television was now on the floor, the lamp had been knocked over, the door was left open, and the cats were nowhere to be seen. Considering that the garage was cracked open, he assumed they had probably run to hide in there. He was brought back by the voice of the operator.

" _Sir? Are you still there?"_

"I'm-I'm here, and they're gone. I just… The house looks bad." He swallowed thickly and leaned to look into the bathroom. His remaining medication was out on the counter, but the bathroom didn't look nearly as wrecked.

" _I'm going to let you go, alright? I've already told the officers that you're in there, so let them in. They're going to take care of everything."_

"Alright, thanks…" Scott ended the call and headed to the office instead of the front door. "Ennard? Ennard, it's me. They're gone," he called inside. There was no response and he knocked on the door sharply. "Ennard?" Still no response. He was running out of time with the cops coming in and quickly rushed to get his keys. Long ago, he used to lock his office nightly out of paranoia, so he had a key to unlock the door. As the policemen stepped inside, Scott got the office door opened.

But Ennard wasn't there. This was baffling, as there was no way for Ennard to lock the door from the outside. It was then that he looked closer at the window and realized that it was not only open, but the bars had been pried off the window. It was then that Scott knew the amalgam was no longer in the house.

He really wanted to believe that Ennard had snuck out and way hiding somewhere nearby, but he had a terrible feeling that this wasn't the case.

* * *

 **Mable: Just in case you forgot, Ennard doesn't handle confrontation like a rational human would.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Mable: Hey there! Back with the next chapter! Though before I do, I got a guest question about 27's Fury and I and how we know each other. Truth is, we're really good friends! Beyond just the computer realm too, real life buds. 83 So, yeah, we're close enough to have plenty of blackmail fuel on one another. XD Which is always the mark of a good friendship, isn't it?**

 **Anyway, I shall continue with the chapter, as it is already a day overdue! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty-Seven_

There was an abandoned motel off the highway right out of the city limits of Hurricane. The motel was nothing exceptional; a two-story building collapsing in on itself, with multiple doors and an empty parking lot. Many years ago, it had been a moderate success and received visitors off the highway, but it eventually faced competition within the city limits. People were more willing to drive the extra few miles and be in the city than stopping on the side of the road. Thus, the motel was eventually closed and put up for sale. The sign was still mounted on the outside of the management office's window, but there didn't look to be any takers. The building then started to fall into disrepair.

This would be the last place that anyone would go unless they had something to hide. If the speed of the white van pulling into the parking lot was any indication, the passengers were already on the run. The van drove through the parking lot before circling the building and stopping behind it in the unkept grass.

The man in the passenger seat was known as Doug. While many features weren't visible under his dark clothing, his voice alone indicated that he was the oldest of the three. "What are we stopping here for? We're only twenty minutes away from the house. You can drive twenty more minutes," he pointed out in irritation.

The driver, a slightly younger man named Roger, wasn't even phased. "If someone recognized the van, then there's going to be cops out on patrol. They could already have the whole highway blocked off down there. We'll just lay low for a couple of hours and drive away when morning comes," Roger suggested.

Doug made a huffy noise like a scoff and dug into his pocket. "Because they aren't going to see us at sunrise. We should be driving in the dark," he added in. He pulled out the pill bottle and tried to read the wording on it in the low light. He then started to open it.

"Then we'll leave before sun-up. Whatever… You're not actually thinking of taking those, are you?" the driver asked as he parked the van. He sounded just as disappointed as the other had in them stopping. "You could make a small fortune off one of those alone and you're just going to take them while we're still in the middle of this."

"I'm just going to take the edge off. That's all this stuff does anyway," the older argued. "If you want to risk your life peddling pills to druggies on the side of the road, then be my guest, but this is the only thing I'm going to get out of them."

"I don't want to be that person, but I don't know, there's just something stupid about taking random pills," the third man, Wayne, added in. Wayne easily disappeared into the background when his two companions were conversing, and that wasn't just because he was cramped in the back with their stash. Not only the TV from tonight, but things that hadn't yet been dumped off were shoved into the back of a van. In hindsight, this was probably not the smartest decision.

Though in hindsight, none of the three intended to get to the point where they would get caught. Which was why they were now parked outside the back of a hotel with few ideas.

"Shut up," Doug tiredly dismissed. "We're at least going to go in and see if there's still furniture inside. I'm not sitting out here for hours on end."

"That was the plan," Roger agreed. He fixed his hood and removed his gloves so that he looked less suspicious. So if anyone saw him, he could claim that they were just exploring the hotel. They would look less guilty that way. "I'm going to go check the office and see if there's any keys leftover. I'd rather hang out in a room I can lock."

"I'll go with you," Wayne volunteered and followed out of the door on the side of the van. The third man only sat there for a few seconds before returning the bottle to his pocket and stepped out.

All three of the men walked through the scraggly grass around the back of the hotel. It was so dark that they could barely see, but none of them seemed willing to bring up turning on a flashlight. Just in case someone was still here. They circled around the building and to the front office, where Doug let himself in first. The front door was unlocked, and the office was largely barren. There was a chair, some old pamphlets, some trash, and a good amount of dust, but no indication that anyone was there. A flick of the light switch showed that there wasn't any electricity either.

However, there were a few keys hanging from the hook rack behind the desk. Doug took the only one left from the second floor and tossed one from the lower floor back to Roger, who looked at it in confusion.

"I didn't think we were planning on getting different rooms," the man pointed out.

"If I have to spend three hours stuck in a hotel room with you two, I'm going to blow my brains out," Doug said with the upmost confidence. "I'll be up in fourteen sleeping. Come get me when we're leaving."

"What if there isn't a bed?" Wayne asked matter-of-factly. The older man gave him a pointed look.

"Then I'll sleep in the bathtub," he sarcastically muttered. He then stepped out and headed to the stairs lined up beside the front office. Roger made a waving motion after him.

"Forget him. He's just ticked off that we wasted our night on a TV. We're only going to get ten bucks for that thing at max. He might as well keep the damn thing, unless you want it." He looked to Wayne, who gave a noncommittal shrug, seemingly uninterested. "Guess we're taking the one at the end. We'll get the cooler out of the van when we get down there." The cooler was small and had only a couple of cans in it, but it would give them something to do. Besides, he got parched after close calls, and his dried-out mouth wouldn't be comfortable staying like this for the next few hours.

The two men walked to the end of the line of rooms and let themselves into the room. It still had a stripped bed in it, a chair with a broken back, and a table with an excessive amount of writing scratches onto it. It wasn't much but enough if they just intended to sit there and wait out the night.

"We could've wheeled the TV in and used it right now if the power was on. That probably would've been the most use we got out of it," Roger pointed out as he circled around the hotel. His souring mood was cut short as he caught sight of the van and came to an abrupt stop. Even in the darkness he realized that the back doors were wide open. "I hope you forgot to close those on the way out and we weren't just driving with them open."

Wayne looked confused and Roger pointed to the van. "What? No! It would've been a wind tunnel back there if they were open, and I came out the side. You didn't go into the back for anything?"

"No… Doug," Roger decided with a huff. "Doug was the last one out. He must've gone in the back for something and left it open. And here he is acting like we're the problem." The man shook his head and closed the doors again.

Meanwhile, Doug himself had found and unlocked the door to room fourteen. He opened it to find it largely empty, but there was a bed with a thin, dusty sheet halfway on it and a cleaner, fitted sheet peeking out underneath. That wasn't saying much; the bed would still be disgusting to sleep on. He was going to need one of those pills to help him relax. He pulled the pill bottle out of his pocket, twisted it open, and dropped one of the pills into his hand. Then he popped it in his mouth. What he didn't expect was how dry and chalky it was, sticking to his tongue and refusing to cooperate.

He tried to swallow it quickly and it got stuck in the back of her throat, causing him to choke and sputter. He got himself into the small bathroom quickly. It was a dingy one, with crust tiles and a brown stained bathtub. There was a large hole busted in the wall beside the toilet and almost looked to lead right into the next bathroom. The sink was also grimy and the mirror above it had an orange tinge. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have even considered standing in it, but he was still choked up.

Doug turned the faucet and a gush of foggy water poured out. He decided right away that he didn't want the water anywhere near him mouth and instead coughed a few more times to try and dislodge the pill. After more choking, the pill finally came out into the sink, now partially dissolved into a thick, white sludge. It was soon washed down the drain by the water, which was starting to clear out.

The man let out a disgusted noise and spat into the sink, then rinsed his mouth out with the now cleaner looking water. He looked at the bottle one more time before nearly slamming it down on the counter in frustration. Forget trying to take those again. If Roger wanted them then he could have them. Any frustration was cut off as Doug straightened and glanced into the dirtied mirror.

Something moved behind him.

It was so quick that he would've missed it if he hadn't been staring. He turned back and looked towards the darkened bedroom but saw nothing. "Wayne?" he called as he stepped out and looked around. There was nobody there.

It was late, so he blamed the blurry movement as a trick of his vision. He still made sure to shut the hotel room door but didn't feel comfortable enough to lock himself inside. Then he approached the bed and sat down on the foot of it. He slid off his boots and then laid back on the bed. It smelled like stagnation; like the smell of a stuffy attic. The bed squeaked under his weight as he moved to get comfortable.

Then something squeaked even when he wasn't moving. Doug's eyes shot back open and he listened closer. A scuffle and another squeak came from under the bed and his eyes widened. His mind went back to the hole in the bathroom, then raced to rats, mice, or opossums. Something infesting the hotel and currently under the bed. He needed to get his boots back on and sat upright on the end of the bed.

And something grabbed him around the ankles.

It yanked his legs so sharply that he was thrown forward onto the dirty floor. Within seconds, something was trying to pull him under the tight squeeze of the bed. He tried to scream as coldness clamped over his mouth.

…

It was only once Roger was cracking open a can of coke- unwilling to risk intoxication when the cops could appear at any minute- that he remembered the pills. With a huff, he set the soda down on the table. "I've got to go get those pills off Doug. I don't want him taking them," he announced as he stood and headed to the open door. "Just don't drink too many of those." Wayne lowered his drink and looked at it in confusion, then at the cooler that only had three drinks in it. Before there could be any further comments, Roger stepped out of the room and headed to the upper floor.

He knocked on the hotel door twice and received no answer, so he went ahead with letting himself in. Even in the shadowed room he could see the bed and the lump in it that resembled Doug's form. He had what looked like a dirty and torn fitted sheet draped over him entirely, and it was almost amusing. Almost, but not quiet, and Roger looked around before happening to glance into the bathroom and seeing the pill bottle on the sink. With a small sigh he headed over and grabbed it, wondering how many of them Doug had to have taken to be out like a light. Then he headed to the door.

Only to stop when he heard something strange. It sounded like a thump from the wall and he looked across from the bed to see a cracked closet. He waited a few moments and heard another thump. Uneasy, he backed towards the bed.

"Doug," he whispered to the man on the bed. "Doug, get up. There's something in the closet." The sheet shifted slightly, and he heard a breathy sort of snore. At that point he gave up on him being any kind of help.

Another light bump from the closet caught his attention. It sounded so small and innocent that he guessed it had to be a small animal of some kind. He took a step closer, ignoring the squeaking of movement from the bed, and closed in on the closet. The smarter thing would've been to just take the pills and leave, but something coaxed him to the closet. Something about the noises drew him in and he reached out for the door.

" _If I open this up and it's full of rats, then screw the police, we're leaving now,"_ he remarked to himself. He almost snickered at the thought as he opened the door.

But what he had heard moving was not a rat, nor was it any animal at all. Instead, Roger looked down at a very human shaped object wrapped up in a sheet. The sheet had been cocooned around it, holding its legs bent and its arms to its back. It was tied with strips around the eyes and mouth, as though blinding and silencing the body. The only opening was a single tear at the nose. The man stared down in absolute horror and for a split second he wondered if they had somehow stumbled upon some serial killer's stash of victims. It wasn't until it shifted, struggling against the binds, that he realized it was Doug.

Doug hadn't been in the bed, he was tied and bound in the closet. _That hadn't been Doug._

And whatever it was that had been under the sheet was now standing from the bed behind him.

Without giving whoever it was long enough to attack, Roger pulled out his handgun and turned on it. It was a small thing only brought along for intimidation, but it was loaded, and its weight was security in his hand. Or it was, until he caught sight of the tall creature standing beside the bed. It looked human in shape, but he knew it wasn't, and in an instant, it darted into the bathroom. Roger tried to shoot after it without remembering to turn off the safety, and by time the gun was ready to fire the creature had already vanished. The man through himself to the wall beside the door and slid along it towards the bathroom.

There was the sound of mechanical shifting and squeaking as he approached. All he caught visually was a glimpse of what looked like tangled wires disappearing into the hole beside the toilet. He was in a panic and inched in closer to look. He crouched down and looked through the hole, able to get a clear- though dark- view inside the other bathroom. He leaned in, gun raised towards the hole, and peered into the darkness.

"What's going on?"

Roger jumped at the voice and shot into the darkness. Though it soon became clear who the voice belonged to and he looked back towards the door. "Wayne, goddammit-!"

As soon as he turned his head, something reached out of the hole, grabbed him by the wrists, and yanked his arms into the darkness. It felt like metal wrapping and tightening around his hands as it tried to drag him in. Roger squeezed the trigger and fired again, but missed whatever target was there, unable to aim with his head and shoulder shoved into the wall above the hole. The gun was forcibly turned before dozens of sharp needles dug into his hand. He yelled in pain.

"Wayne! Wayne do something!" But the other man couldn't do anything but watch in horror as a mass of wires reached out, wrapped around the man, and drug him through the wall and into the hole. The legs and feet disappeared into the hole and a hideous scream could be heard, along with a staticky noise that sounded unsettlingly like electrocution.

Wayne finally did something, but that was turning and running out of the room. The man raced down the steps, circled the motel, sprinted through the grass, and darted to the sanctuary of the van. He threw himself into the driver's seat and began to search for the keys, hoping that Roger had left them behind. This hope was quickly dashed as he couldn't find them. Without skipping a beat, he burst out of the door and started to sprint around the motel again. He had to get to the highway, and he didn't even care if he was caught by the cops.

He was halfway to the deserted highway when he heard rapid footsteps crunching down the gravel road behind him. Wayne began to swear and sweat profusely as he tried to run faster, hearing the creature rushing in. It was too fast for him and he knew he wouldn't get away, even when he could see the highway. All at once he was hit in the back by a heavy weight and hit the ground heavily. The heavy wires held him into the dirt and suppressed any attempt to escape. He could hear the whirring and squeaking of metal in his ears.

Wayne tried to fight back and thrashed under the creature. He turned his head to see it, but had his face roughly shoved back into the dirt.

" _Don't look_ ,"a human-like voice murmured from behind. It then began to chuckle lowly, with its voice growing steadily deeper until it was something warped and unholy. " _Ha ha_. _**Psycho**_." That was the only thing Wayne heard before wires began to slide over his eyes and mouth.

…

" _911, what's your emergency?"_

"Hey, I'm parked beside the highway at the… Canyon Motel? The closed down motel outside of Hurricane. I was driving by and I saw some people fighting in the parking lot. I think something's going on down there."

" _How many people did you see fighting? Are they still out there?"_

"No, they went inside, but I think they're still fighting in there. Something seems really fishy about it though. They're all dressed in dark clothes- looks like a gang or something. Some of them left a couple of minutes ago in a truck."

" _How many men did you see leave?"_

"Maybe… Five? There's three still in the hotel, but I'm not going in there."

" _No, Sir. Stay where you are until the police arrive. Did anyone look like they needed medical attention?"_

"There was this one guy- I don't know. Might be a good idea. I though I heard some gunshots coming out of there."

" _Alright. They will be there in a few minutes. I just need you to sit tight for me. Can I get your name?"_

"…Hold on a second." With that, the phone was set down and left hanging inside the payphone. As quietly as he could, the caller slipped back to the street and easily lifted a manhole cover before slinking underneath it. The sewers were cold and unwelcoming, but safe in comparison to the street above. This section of them was largely unfamiliar and he had to rely on an obscene amount of guessing to make his way across town. He was entirely alone, with not even a single rat found in his path.

It was almost morning when he finally climbed back out of the sewer and started the trek behind a few houses, passing through backyards and a park before arriving at the correct fence. He climbed over easily and approached the back of the house. In a few short seconds he had lifted himself, slid through the open window, and lowered into the house. He shut the window behind him and slowly approached the door. Every motion sounded too loud, especially as his wires squeaked uncomfortably from the dust that had settled in between them. He would need a thorough cleaning, which he would do first thing.

He stepped out of the office and took a couple of careful steps behind the couch before arriving at the garage door. He reached for the doorknob.

"Ennard?"

And there was Scott, sitting at the table in the kitchen and looking out at him. He had been waiting for him. _He knew what he did._ Ennard quickly tightened his wires, slipped one of his arms discreetly behind his back, and steadied his voice.

"Oh, uh, hey there Scott!... I didn't think you'd still be up. That was- yeah- one heck of a surprise, wasn't it?" Ennard began. He put on more of a show. "I was just sitting there in the office and suddenly- Surprise!- there goes the front door! I can't believe they took the TV and the VCR, and whatever was in the VCR. I hope it wasn't anything good." Scott was watching him with this strange look. It almost looked like fear; he was probably shaken. "I'm… I'm sorry I took off on ya… You know I'd never let anyone hurt ya, but I sort of panicked. Had to get out of the house."

"Where did you go?" Scott asked shakily. He looked up at the clock. "For… For four hours?"

"Just over the fence and a little ways that way," Ennard remarked, gesturing with his free hand. "Dropped down into the sewers for a while, so I really need to get cleaned off before one of the cats starts rubbing up on me-." He was trying to escape into the garage. Scott didn't let him go.

"I was really worried about you. I- No- I mean, I was more worried about you getting seen by someone then you getting hurt. I knew you would've fought back, I just-…" He noticed the nervous twitching and through that saw the hidden arm. "What's in your hand?" he asked. There was a long period of silence. "Ennard, what's in your hand?" Scott asked again. This time he was more insistent and borderline panicked.

"Easy, easy! Ha ha, don't get so jumpy! Nothing much…~" Ennard stepped over to the table and looked down at Scott with both hands playfully behind his back. Then he presented one of Scott's medicine bottles. "Ta-da! I found this out there. One of those weird guys dropped it. Lucky, huh?" He handed it over eagerly.

But Scott took one look at the bottle and knew it was the one that the men took with them, and he knew it was very unlikely that they had dropped it out front. They hadn't even left in too much of a hurry. This confirmed his worst fears and he closed his fingers tightly around it, slowly drawing his eyes up to the clown.

"Ennard…" That tone enough almost sent chills through the amalgam's wires. "I want you to be honest with me, please… Did you go after them?" No amount of pretending would convince the man. He had to be honest, even knowing the consequences that it would bring. A long moment of silence followed and then he spoke.

"Yes." Immediately Scott dropped his head into his free hand. "But- Scottie, no! It's okay! Nobody saw me and it's not like anyone'sgonna believe those three!" Ennard said with an anxious chuckle. The human shook his head lightly into his hand, almost in disbelief. "I was really careful, I promise! Nobody's gonna know! And I got- I got your medicine back, right? You need that! You were shaking so bad earlier, like a leaf, like you didn't take it." He was becoming more desperate to somehow ease the situation, and to fix what he had unintentionally broken. "It's fine! It's really okay-!"

"Why?" Scott interrupted. It was a quiet question, muffled by him rubbing his face. He set down- nearly slammed down- the pill bottle and used the other hand to rub his face as well. "Why would you do that…?"

"I just- I couldn't just- Scott, they broke into our house! They tore up the place, they stole our stuff- look at it!" He gestured out towards the living room. "And you- wedon't deserve to put up with it! They took your _medicine f_ or Freddy's sake! How can I put up with that?! How can I stand aside and let them tear down everything we got after everything we've been through?" He was becoming more worked up at the thought, and Scott began to have horrible growing suspicions. "I was protecting us! You, me, our cats, out home, our life! That was all-!"

"Ennard, did you kill them?!" Scott suddenly asked as he looked back up again. That firm look, that dread and suspicion, left Ennard almost frozen. Though it was the question itself that left an impact.

"Did I… Kill them?" the animatronic asked back. It was almost as though he was more upset that Ennard could've done something to the robbers than the robbers breaking in, or Ennard almost getting caught. As though he really believed that the amalgam would go on a killing spree… Or maybe he did think that. All at once, Ennard's nervous desperation was switched out for something else as he grew still and tense.

"No, Scott. I didn't _kill_ them," he said with surprising coldness. "Hard as it is to believe, but I'm not some sort of crazed psychopath that goes around killing people. Never even thought about it. Even when bullets were flying by my head."

Scott's eyes widened at that final comment and his concern quickly switched targets. "They… They shot at you? They had a gun?" He looked over the animatronic and saw only dust and dirt scuffing his wires. "But you weren't hit, right?"

"Oh, don't be so worried!" Ennard said with fake bubbly tone. "After all, it doesn't matter, right? I can just do a little welding, eat some wires, and put myself all back together!" His voice dropped immediately as his fists tightened. "Because I'm just a machine _._ I'm just a bundle of wires, not something precious _like a human_."

The disapproval melted off Scott's face as he realized what Ennard was thinking. "Ennard, that's not what I'm saying! You know what I'm saying, and you know why I'm worried!"

"Yeah, you're worried the evil child-eating, human-murdering clown you keep in your house is going to go on a rampage and kill everyone! Especially those poor, innocent men just trying to make a living off your stuff!" Ennard said mockingly. Though he was feeling anything but humorous. He was boiling on the inside at the thought alone. "But I'm glad I went over there, because now I got to see first-hand what real humans are like! Really opened up my eyes!"

"Ennard, I'm not scared because you're an animatronic! And I'm not- I'm not siding with them either! They broke into my house! If anything, I want them to get caught, but I- you just don't- you do things without even talking to me about them! You don't warn me when you leave, you don't tell me where you go, you just go out the window and do it!" Scott accused. He stood abruptly from his chair and gestured to the kitchen window, which was usually Ennard's means of leaving the house. He was just as frustrated as the clown. "And that- that has _nothing_ to do with you being an animatronic! I don't care that you're an animatronic!"

" _It just felt so good to talk to real people again."_

Scott was taken aback by his own voice being mimicked back to him. It took him a minute to even remember saying it. "That wasn't what I meant-."

" _I go and watch people, but I can't be a part of them._ _ **You**_ _know what I mean."_

"Ennard, you know that wasn't what I meant!" It was then that he had a realization. "That's why you were upset. You thought I meant… Ennard, no, you know I don't think that." He started to step around the table and Ennard stepped back.

"I thought- ha- I really thought maybe I got it all wrong. "Scott, no, Scott wouldn't mean that! Scott understands, Scott's been around long enough to know how it works, Scott really, really gets it!" But you don't get it, do you? You still just think I'm some sort of crazed monster! I thought I meant more than just this non-human _thing_ you keep in your house to replace real humans!" He turned away and tossed his arms into the air with exasperation. "Well great! Now that we've cleared that up, maybe I should just head on over to the warehouse where I belong! Then you can move in Dawn, the real human, have a bunch of little kids, who I'm not safe with, and live like a real person!"

"Ennard…" At this point, Scott didn't know what to say. All of it was pouring out at once and trying to stop it was like trying to stop a flood with a bucket; it was going to sweep them both under. So, he stayed silent as he tried to think of something he could present as evidence to reassure Ennard that it wasn't how it sounded. There was a breathy and distressed sort of sigh from the animatronic.

"And you know what's the worst thing? It's kind of funny…" Ennard started quietly. His voice fell as he came to a stop beside the garage door. He could remember when he used to call through this door, when he had been kept in the garage, and it felt so distant to now. Back then everything was a means to get out of the room, but now it was like he never left it. "I feel… So much for you. It hurts, Scott. I feel too much… But you're never going to really believe that I can feel anything." His voice began to degrade. "You're always g-going to th- _ **think tha-at I'm empty**_."

Scott stepped closer and reached for him.

" _ **That I'm like him."**_

Scott stopped abruptly in his tracks at the comment. He didn't even have to question it to know that Ennard meant William. The comparison seemed to come out of thin air.

" _ **I'm not like him. I'm not him. I'm not h**_ uman." In a jarring moment, Ennard's voice returned to the feign Funtime Freddy's one that he was usually using. With it, the despair seemed to quickly switch back out with frustration, or something like it. He stepped away and headed to the front door. "I'm leaving."

"What?" Scott nearly choked. "Where are you going?!"

"I don't know! It's not like it's anything new! You said it yourself: I don't think before I do things- you should be used to this!" Ennard unlocked the front door and slipped out before Scott could grab for him.

The Phone Guy rushed to the door and looked out in time to see Ennard sprint across the street- much faster than Scott ever anticipated- and disappear between the houses across from his. "Ennard!" he called after him, but the clown didn't even look back.

Once again, the night stubbornly refused to end. The ordeal still wasn't over.

* * *

Not one person. Not one of the calls she had made had gotten her any closer to her goal. Nobody was willing to drive her to the old pizzeria.

Baby was at the end of her rope. As easy as it was to just say she was willing to leave on her own, it would be insane just to try to cross town on foot. Not only would she put herself at risk, but it would then be almost impossible to bring the parts back. Working on herself in an abandoned building would just have her end up in the same position as now. Something would go wrong, and she would come out looking like a mess. At least Charlie hadn't revoked her offer to help fix her, so Baby would get that degree of help if she could just figure out how she would get ahold of the parts needed for it.

It didn't help that the humans with cars were all stuck in the tight grips of their animatronic companions. The Puppet was bad enough but talking to the nervous, blonde one and hearing Foxy in the background was downright embarrassing. What had they done to earn what Baby couldn't? Maybe it was a matter of weakness. Yes, she was just too strong and resistant to be contained by a human. Fritz wouldn't have even been able to handle her. She was glad she didn't have him clinging on anymore, because he was just holding her back. It didn't even hurt that much anymore.

The clown was brought out of her thoughts by a banging noise echoing across the warehouse. Her head raised immediately and tilted as she took in the sound and tried to figure out what it was. It was followed soon afterwards by a bumping on the wall and she rolled out of the office and into the warehouse. Her gaze traced along the aisles as she slowly rolled down them. It was definitely coming from the door; someone was trying to force their way through. Perhaps it was someone trying to break in. Maybe a curious detective or a would-be thief looking for a quick payday. Baby's claw tightened at the thought and she waited patiently for whoever it was to come through.

But whatever she expected couldn't prepare her for what actually came barreling through the door.

With the door finally forced open, in stumbled in none other than Ennard, who would always be the last person Baby wanted to see. She found that instead of her typical aggression she felt something more like exhaustion in seeing him. Baby was simply not in the mood to deal with his incompetence. Especially now that he broke down the door which she would no doubt be blamed for.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her weary tone coming through. She expected that he had come to tell her off for calling Scott earlier and was more than prepared to handle it. She realized quickly that something was amiss. He slammed the broken door shut behind him and turned to stare her down. For only a moment he almost looked intimidating. Then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, he asked her a single question.

"You still need a ride?"

* * *

 **Mable: Because the only thing worse than Baby's impulsiveness and Ennard's recklessness is the terrifying thought of what would happen if they worked together.**


	38. Chapter 38

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty-Eight_

Ennard barged into the office and began to dig through the drawers and scour the top of it. It was clear that he was looking for the keys, and Baby stopped in the doorway to watch him. She waited until he had practically torn apart the entire desk before she decided to step in and stop him.

"If you're looking for the keys-," which she knew he was, "-then you won't find them. Fritz took them with him when he left. I'm almost certain of it." No doubt he was too paranoid after their fight to leave her any chance of escape. Infuriating.

"… That's okay. I don't need the keys anyway, I'll just start it myself. Can't be that hard," Ennard insisted as he looked around. "Did he leave a coat or something around here? I'm gonna need to cover up if I'm driving and this mask ain't gonna cut it." Baby pointed towards a locker against the back wall. He opened it up and began to shift through a few old, oversized coats left behind. He began to pull them out and hold them to his chest to test them. He was barely taking this seriously, and she gave an impatient whirring from inside.

"This is not going to work. Have you even driven before? Charlie, at least, has driven before," Baby pointed out to him. He looked to her almost too innocently and she was only more irritated, mostly at getting her hopes up in the thought that maybe he could help her. "Aren't you afraid that you will make your plaything angry? I couldn't see him appreciating you stepping out of line." Ennard twitched and she knew she hit a soft spot. How curious. "Why would you want to do this?"

" _Because I'm an evil monster who_ _ **eats children and destroys lives!**_ " Ennard snapped back, glaring back at her, his voice contorting just as much as his wires. Baby stared at him for a few moments.

"Well, the first step is admitting you have a problem," she added. Surprised, yes, but neither intimidated nor shaken by Ennard's even more erratic behavior than usual.

"And yeah, I _have_ drove, thank you!" Ennard snapped as he nearly ripped a large raincoat out of the locker. He paused a moment before looking down at the jacket in his hands and lifting it. "You think this one'll fit me?"

"I think it's almost sunrise and once it's light out no amount of disguise will be able to hide what you really are," Baby remarked matter-of-factly, making her irritation clear.

"Then I'll make it work." The clown started to pull on the raincoat and tugged the hood up as far as he could, with it unable to slip past the party hat on his mask. He then tried to tuck it under the mask to hold it in place. Then he passed by Baby and headed down the aisle towards the front door. "You know where we're going right? I only saw the map once and it ain't the same driving as it is on foot."

"I know where it is. I wouldn't forget," Baby promised. She decided to leave out the part where she mentioned staring intently at the map while trying to plan a way to get there. "It is of absolute importance that we get there and find my old body. It must still be there."

"Yeah, about that…" Ennard slowly buttoned the front of the raincoat as he looked at her. "This body ain't the plate one from down in Afton's, is it? Cause if it is, I don't think it's gonna be there." He wasn't sure if he wanted to outright claim he had her body either. That seemed like the sort of thing that could send her into a rage or into a fit of insults. She instead gave an impatient noise of static.

"No, it's not. That body was too big and clunky and _flawed_ to work for anything. No, I had one before then, back when I was in my own pizzeria. You wouldn't remember it because you weren't there," Baby insisted. She had a point, so he decided not to argue. "Just listen to me and my directions. I know how much trouble you have following someone else's lead… An inherited trait, maybe?"

Ennard totally ignored any partial insult, which was the most normal example of his behavior since he got there. "Alright! Buckle up, Baby, cause we're going to the circus!" Ennard announced as he opened the door-

-and immediately stared into a set of headlights.

The clown froze immediately. Not because he had been spotted- if that was the case he would've ducked back inside- but because he could see the color of the car and knew exactly who was driving it. Baby hadn't recognized them however.

"Of course, you led someone here with you. I don't even know why I expected otherwise," Baby remarked. Her voice became more of a growl. "Get in here before you make it worse."

"Ennard?"

She looked back out when she recognized the voice. There, standing from the driver's side, was none other than Scott. The second he called out, Ennard was snapped out of his frozen state, and promptly stepped back into the warehouse and slammed the door. He then stood there staring at the door and trying to figure out how Scott could've possibly found him.

"And again, I am somehow surprised by what should've been obvious. You appeared, so of course your wrangler would come after you," the female clown remarked. She didn't mean to, but her tone dropped to a more solemn one. "And that means he will be whisking you away and I get to return to searching for a ride, doesn't it?"

"No," Ennard interrupted. "…No, we're still going. Get in the van and I'll get it started." With that, he swung the door back open and strode out. He tried not to look at Scott as he hurried to the van and let himself in the driver's side.

Scott gave a slow exhale at the amalgam purposefully ignoring him, then looked over as Baby came out and approached the van. This was a bit of a surprise. He expected for Ennard to come here but assumed he would keep a wide berth from the other animatronic. "Baby? Where are you going?" Baby started to open the back doors of the van and he caught on. "Oh good Lord, he's not actually going to…"

"Drive me to my old pizzeria? Yes. That was my reaction as well." She started to climb up into the back of the van and only looked back at Scott once on her knees, poised to shut the doors again. "But since we've already been caught no less than one step out of the warehouse, I don't expect much more than a disaster. Just as he usually is." With that, she shut the doors and left the man standing there.

The Phone Guy gave an exhausted sigh and started to slowly walk to the front of the van. He found Ennard hunched down with his arms lodged underneath the steering wheel, no doubt attempting to hotwire the car. Scott didn't know whether to be mortified, curious, or some sort of mix of that. "Ennard," he quietly began. He was still ignored. "Ennard," he tried again. The car made a strange noise, like a revving sort of popping noise. He folded one arm and covered his face with his other hand, growing move exhausted and impatient. _"Ennard."_ Finally, the van sputtered to life, and Scott wasn't even surprised.

It was becoming clear that the amalgam was going to do this. He was determined and started to climb in the driver's seat. He was stopped by Scott catching his arm.

"Ennard, wait," Scott said. He gave a long, tired inhale and exhale, still covering his face, still not being looked at by Ennard. "…Okay, fine. Get in the passenger's seat. I'll drive."

Ennard wasn't sure what sort of reaction to have to that, so he decided not to have one. He slowly pulled out of Scott's grip, circled the car, and climbed in on the other side. The Phone Guy gave a tired mutter of, "This is a bad idea," and then proceeded to sit down in the driver's seat of the now running van. He watched as Ennard got in and slid down in the seat, still wrapped in the raincoat with his head turned to face away. Scott found himself staring until he was brought out of it by Baby piping in from the backseat.

"Do you need me to guide you? I know the directions to my pizzeria," she offered. It was a surprisingly helpful gesture for her, but he declined.

"No, it's okay… I've been there before, so I know where I'm going." Ennard turned his head slightly as though listening and perhaps curious. Scott couldn't remember if he told Ennard that, but he supposed he hadn't. He tried not to tell him the full extent of his work with the pizzeria chain. "But I've got to ask, why now? I sort of thought Fritz was getting the parts."

"I can't rely on Fritz anymore. I angered him and now can't be too sure he won't try to sabotage me. Or at least, I cannot trust him to give his full efforts any longer," Baby explained. She wasn't ashamed of what she did. If anything, Fritz should've been ashamed. Or that's what she kept telling herself to fight back the nagging frustrations trying to build up. "…But then again, I'm not entirely sure that he ever intended to fix me."

"I'm sure he did and I'm sure he does. Fritz isn't like that. He's a good guy…" Scott trailed off a moment as he went back over her words. "…What, uh, what did you do that got him so upset?"

Baby didn't really want to answer. By now she had realized that everyone would react to it with disapproval and, while she acknowledged this was appropriate, she couldn't afford Scott suddenly deciding to not cooperate. Then again, she couldn't imagine what could've happened to lead to a wedge in Scott and Ennard's co-dependent relationship. Eventually, she just decided to get it over with and out there. Elsewise someone would twist it into her hiding it.

"I tried to cut his girl's hair while she was sleeping," Baby admitted. "In my defense, I was holding back… And she would look better with short hair."

There was a lingering silence for about five seconds. In this time Scott's eyes widened as he blankly stared at the road. He didn't say a thing. Meanwhile, Ennard made a noise like a guffaw and then tried to stay stoic considering the circumstances. This only lasted a few more seconds before he caved with a snicker.

"That's terrible! That's like something Juliet would do to sabotage Clara's entry into the Miss Transylvania contest! So catty!~" He continued giggling as though it was the funniest thing in the world. Of course, he wasn't directly laughing at Baby, but it felt like it to her. She twitched in annoyance and tightened her claw.

"It can't be much worse than whatever you did. I know you wouldn't offer me help willingly," Baby pointed out in her defense. To her surprise, that succeeded in quieting down Ennard in seconds. Suddenly reminded of the circumstances that brought him here, he returned to his defiant silence, and the car returned to an uncomfortable silence. "…And it wasn't entirely my fault. Fritz made me believe that he was- He misled me. Anyone could have been confused by him." Her claw still stayed tightened, even with her partial victory. "It would've been different if she hadn't been there."

Something about that comment sent an eerie sense of déjà vu between both Ennard and Scott. Neither could even bear looking in the other's direction after that. Thankfully, they arrived at the building shortly afterwards.

Circus Baby's Pizza World was as abandoned as it had been years ago. The sign over the door had been taken down and the few stray fliers left behind on the windows were decayed by age and weather. The parking lot was deserted, as expected. It looked as though someone hadn't been here in years. Since Scott knew that William had held onto the location as long as he could, it was quite possible that the rights to the building were still up in the air. Maybe its deed was still hidden somewhere in his old house, lost to time, leaving the pizzeria in infinite limbo.

Baby wasn't sure what she was expecting. She sort of expected something more akin to Chica's Party World, just closed and slightly rundown. In hindsight this made much more sense, but she couldn't help but be disappointed. She was still eager to get inside and look for her old body once more. Though her companions didn't seem to be in an equal rush.

"Alright, we're here!" Scott tried to sound excited and failed miserably. It didn't help that the two animatronics in the car were less than enthused. Especially Ennard, and Scott bit down on his lip as he realized it was time to take the plunge. "Before we go in there, Ennard, we really need to talk."

"Can you two talk when I'm not here?" Baby interrupted. That was enough to cause Scott to fall silent, and Ennard was too stubborn and frustrated to call her out on it. "Never mind. I'll see myself out." She opened the back of the van and climbed out. Ennard followed out the passenger door before Scott could make a second attempt.

The two clowns were soon standing at the front door. Ennard leaned in to peer through the glass and looked into the darkness. "Looks like they gutted the place! Guess there weren't any plans to open it back up." She tried to open the door and found it locked tight to her dismay. "So, what's this old body look like? I want to know what I'm looking for in there."

"What do you think it looked like? It looked like me," Baby lightly snapped as she looked to the glass on the bottom pane of the door. She tapped over it and realized it was a little loose. Perhaps she could push it out without much effort. She pressed one hand to one side and her claw to the other and began to press onto it evenly. "Except it was smaller than the one you remember and had a wig that felt like real hair. I remember having real hair." She gave a harder push and the glass popped out of the door, fell into the restaurant, and promptly shattered when it hit the floor. Baby still considered it a victory and glanced back briefly.

"…You don't need to come in. You can just wait out here," Baby offered as she began to climb through the door. She was met with a chortle from Ennard.

"You think I'm gonna miss this? Not a chance!"

"Not you, _him_ ," Baby clarified, glancing at the human now standing behind them both. Ennard hadn't even been paying enough attention to notice him coming up and started to fall back into the uncomfortable silence now that he knew he was listening. "I'll need you to help me carry the parts out. You should make yourself useful somehow," she added as she stood in the building and looked around.

He had been right about the place being gutted. There was no furniture at all in the small room; no tables, no chairs, and not even a register counter. Some scraps of drawings and things still hung on the walls, but they were just as faded, with only a few posters remaining. One of which showed cartoon versions of her, Ballora, Funtime Freddy, and Funtime Foxy all lined up on a stage. She was in front, as usual, and she was somewhat disappointed to see that it depicted her plated body and not the previous one. The glass crunched under her wheels as she lazily drifted across the floor.

The stage was still there, but the curtains were missing and the wallpaper on the back was peeling away. She looked up at it and could vaguely imagine seeing herself standing on stage and singing to a crowd of eager children. To think that it had all only lasted one day. She didn't want to think about it anymore. Hearing Ennard climb into the building, she started towards the back hall.

The hall was in worse condition. It smelled foul, like something was beginning to mold. Perhaps the building itself was rotting away. She counted the doors; a kitchen, a closet, bathrooms, an empty party room, and a blank space. She stared at the blank space of distorted wall and then continued looking down the other doors again. There was something missing.

"What are we looking for?" Ennard chimed in as he leaned in beside her. The wire of his arm brushed her shoulder and she was quick to flick it away with her fingers.

"We're looking for the room where they keep the costumes and the animatronics. The backroom, the storage room, the room where they would keep a body," she explained impatiently. "I don't understand. There's the private party room, the kitchen, two bathrooms… and nothing else? How is there nothing else?"

"What about there?" Ennard asked, pointing to the distorted wall. "Didja check there?"

"What do you mean, 'did I check there'? Did I check the wall? Yes, I checked the wall," she sarcastically said. "Can you try to be competent for once?"

"What are you talking about? I mean that door!" he insisted, pointing to the wall. She sent him an annoyed look- as much of one as she could- and he passed by. Again, his wires brushed her, much to her annoyance. "Right here. This door," the amalgam said as he gestured to the wall.

"That is not a door, that's a wall," Baby clarified. "I don't understand what you're doing-." And just like that, Ennard stepped into the distorted wall. Baby stared in silent shock as the clown stood halfway lodged into what looked like a solid, though somewhat muddled looking structure. Then he started weaving in and out, waving his arms in it. "…What?" She looked him up and down. "What- What is this? How are you standing in a wall? You're _inside_ a wall. What are you doing?"

"Baby, this isn'ta wall. Trust me, it's a door! This- Look, this-!" Ennard felt along the width of what was shaped like a doorframe, if not for it being in the wall. She could even see his wire fingers jutting out. "See? Door!"

" _I'm looking at the wall right now,"_ the female clown argued back. "How can you tell me that's a door when I see the wall going straight through you? And stop weaving like that, it's disturbing. Standing in the middle of a wall-."

"It's, uh, it's a saferoom," Scott interrupted. Baby and Ennard almost completely forgot he had followed them inside. "They were rooms that they kept equipment, suits, all those things in. They were off the cameras and animatronics were programmed not to see them so that… They wouldn't wander inside. It's probably your programming that's making you not see it."

"And I'm so busted up that I still see it! Ha ha, guess there's some perks to that!" Ennard playfully quipped, taking a good amount of joy at being proven right. He then fully dipped into the wall. "Alright, let's see what we've got in here."

It was just another thing to irritate Baby, though this time it was on a deeper level than she expected. There was that programming standing in her way again and this time literally. She thought that her issues with the programming was over. That was the whole point of allowing Fritz to work on her, to instill the irritating fixation with ice cream- which she knew he put in- and yet it was still a problem. Either he was incompetent, which Baby knew he wasn't, or he left that there on purpose. Or maybe he just didn't care to remove anything that didn't bother him. Maybe Fritz never really cared at all.

"I wonder, did Fritz leave that in on purpose or did he forget it was there when he was trying to remove the rest?" Baby asked out loud. Even though Scott was the only one who could be listening, it didn't sound like she was talking to him. "But why leave it in? There wasn't a saferoom at Foxy's… Or maybe there is?" Whether it be Ennard or Fritz, someone was always making a fool out of her. She wouldn't be surprised if more things were hidden from her.

Then Ennard stepped back out with a shrug. "So, bad news: there's nothing in there." Baby's eyes raised to him in surprise. "And that's not just no body, that's nothing at all. Whole place is totally emptied out."

"What? No. That can't be. There must be something," Baby disagreed. She started towards the wall but stopped abruptly only inches from it. Something was gnawing at her insides and buzzing at her head the closer she got to the wall. She couldn't go in; something was keeping her out. Instead she looked back to Scott. "You go look and see. Maybe Ennard can't see what's in the room because of his broken programming," she desperately requested.

"Okay… Here I go, uh, into the wall." Scott headed over and stepped past Ennard, with them still awkward in each other's vicinity. He looked around at the inside of the saferoom and was only slightly surprised when the inside was completely barren. Anything that had been in there was long gone. "Ennard's right, there's nothing in here. They must've taken everything out."

"It's not here?... Let me see." Baby couldn't help but be in denial. The body hadn't been down in ARI, so if it wasn't here then she had no idea where it would be. She tried to barge her way into the room, but it was like the wall that only she saw truly did exist. She tried to thrust he claw through it and was rewarded with scolding pain climbing up her arm. She recoiled promptly and rolled back away, pausing a moment. Then she slammed her claw into the nearest wall, putting a large hole in the decaying structure. At hearing the noise, Scott rushed over to look out the door, and now both he and Ennard were just staring at her.

"It's gone… My body, my only hope at fixing myself, is long gone…" Baby's defeated tone began to slowly grow into anger. "I bet someone stole it. Nobody cared to take it when they left so some stranger took it for themselves. Someone with a perfectly put together body. They always do that. These people, these humans, take _everything_ from me. My technician, my body, my pizzeria- it never stops. There's nothing they won't take." She cut off her venting by turning on the two onlookers. "It happened here, you know. This was where they ruined my life. Didn't I tell you?"

Both silently shook their heads and she gave a noise akin to a hiss. "Here, _let me show you,_ " she spat before heading into the party room. It was just as barren as the safe room, without even a single table left inside. She skated across and stopped on the spot she remembered, then turned around and waited for them to follow. They did, as predicted.

"It was right here. It was a private party, so I was back here, waiting. All of the other children had left, except for _one._ " Scott already had a terrible feeling from that detail alone. He glanced over at Ennard, who was watching Baby silently, then looked back at Baby. "She wasn't the birthday girl. I don't even know if she was part of the birthday party. What I do know is that her daddy told her not to come close to me, but she thought I was so beautiful. She thought I was so wonderful… So, she came close when she was alone. You know what happens when we're alone with children, Ennard."

Ennard did know and he knew where the story was going. Baby didn't stop her story for more than a few seconds, "And she came closer to me."

 _The young girl carefully pattered across the floor until she stood only a few feet from the tall, clown animatronic. Its blue eyes were nearly glowing and watching her as she approached. Then she gave an eager smile as her excitement began to bubble. Here she was, able to see her pretty doll without anyone else interrupting. She was like a doll too, with her painted face and pretty, molded clothes._

" _Don't tell Daddy that I'm here," the girl nearly begged. Then she took another step forward. "I've been wanting to watch a show too. I don't know why he won't let me come see you- You're wonderful!" The clown was silent, staring forwards blankly, and only then did the girl feel slightly uneasy. She glanced around and realized that the last couple of children by the door were now gone. "…Where did the other children go?"_

 _A loud clunking noise cut her off. The girl jumped and looked back to Baby, whose front was beginning to open. Then, right before her eyes, the animatronic produced and ice cream cone and soon it was being filled with soft, vanilla ice cream. The girl's eyes lit up at the treat as it was offered to her. She eagerly started to move in to take the cone, getting closer to Baby, leaning in to accept the sweet offering._

 _She didn't even have a chance to react as a large claw launched out and clamped down on her. The girl screamed and tried to fight back but was easily yanked inside of the clown. The front closed behind her as the cavity compressed around her. The screaming continued, but nobody could hear her as she fought against the pressure and horror of closing metal. All the while, the clown didn't even move. It just stared ahead as children returned to the party room._

 _It almost didn't seem like it cared at all as the screaming from inside started to fade away. The girl slipped away in the middle of the party and nobody noticed._

"-But it was her own fault," Baby defended. "She was told not to be alone with me and she still made that decision. She willingly came closer, and her father wasn't there to watch her. Because of her, I lost my pizzeria, was confined to a basement, tormented, entrapped. They tried to burn me, they tried to break me, and now after all of this I am here again, and still I have nothing." Her anger grew more obvious. "Humans always do this to me. They blamed me for their mistakes, they take from me, they act like they like me but what they really want is something else. Just like Fritz. Just like you."

Scott realized she was speaking to him. He looked between the two clowns, still reeling from the disturbing story and the somewhat callous change of topic. "I didn't-."

"I didn't deserve this," Baby interrupted in protest. She began to twitch and shiver. "I did everything I was told to do. I did everything they made me to do. It was their fault. _It was her fault_." The anger was bubbling forth louder as she clutched her hand and lowered her head. "She's the one that went against what she was told. She was the stupid little brat who thought it was safe to take ice cream from a stranger. How was I supposed to resist?"

The human just watched her ramble with open mouth alarm. It all sounded so disturbing, so cold, so much like something that would come out of William's mouth. He was positively speechless.

"Sounds like you really hated her! Hey, I've gotta question." But surprisingly enough, Ennard was not. Baby must have been surprised too, as her head snapped up and her broken eyes fixated onto him. She looked seconds from going rabid and he half expected her to lash out at a single wrong word. He could only hope that the amalgam knew what he was doing. "Why'd you choose vanilla ice cream? I'd think kids would like chocolate more!" Or maybe he didn't.

"No, I did not choose the flavor," Baby spat as though it was the most foolish question he could've asked. "I could only make vanilla, so I gave her vanilla."

"Uh huh. Gotcha. But, ya know, between us chocolate would've been better, right?" he asked. She did not answer the question, so he continued, even when Scott grabbed his arm to try and stop him. "But her dad really told her not to be around you? Gee, kinda paranoid, don'tcha think?" He nudged the Phone Guy in the side. "Must've worked for the company, eh? Must've been in on it." He then looked back at Baby. "What did she look like? I'm guessing blonde, curls, baby blues."

"Ennard," Scott interrupted quietly.

"What? I was just guessing!" Ennard said with a short laugh. He was acting as though what happened earlier didn't even happen. "It's a fact that your hair matches your favorite kind of ice cream! Her favorite was vanilla, so she was a blonde!"

"I didn't say her favorite flavor was vanilla. I said I _only_ made vanilla. Do you ever listen?" Baby snapped. At first, she hadn't realized what he was doing, but now she was suspecting that he was trying to trigger her programming. The sheer nerve of him was disgusting and she fought the urge to think about _sweet, soft ice cream_ as she started to roll towards him. She was becoming more agitated. "Are you this dense on purpose or are you just being especially difficult because you love that I couldn't get my body back? I'm sure you would be."

"Her favorite flavor isn't vanilla?" Ennard tilted his head. "Then it was chocolate!"

" _Why does it matter?_ " Baby snapped as she stopped in front of him. "Looking so smug like that, thinking you know everything. There're more than two flavors of ice cream, Dummy. So many _creamy, cold_ flavors. What about strawberry?"

"Nobody likes strawberry!" Ennard protested. He waved it off in dismissal. "That wasn't her favorite!... Was it?"

"Yes, it was," Baby corrected matter-of-factly. "You're wrong as usual. Now stop it. Stop talking about ice cream, I know what you're doing."

"Okay, okay, maybe I was wrong…" The clown raised his hands in defense. "You got me! Just having a little fun!... One quick question though," he chirped, raising a single wire finger and peering at her. "Which body were you in when this happened? Maybe they got rid of the body after that! Was it the hairy one or the one I remember?"

"I-… I don't remember," Baby admitted. Her eyes flittered down before meeting his again. "Does it matter? Neither of them are here. It doesn't matter."

"Huh, that's kind of strange. You can't remember which of the bodies you were in-." Ennard's voice grew quieter and his pitch lowered. "-but you can remember that girl's favorite ice cream?"

It was only right then that Scott realized Ennard was doing all of this on purpose. Baby must've realized it too as she began to scramble. "I was… I was made for her. I would be programmed to know."

"No, no, no! That's not what you said! You said she wasn't supposed to get _aaanywhere_ near you, right? So why would anyone make you to be near her?" the amalgam protested matter-of-factly. "I see it all clearly now! All this talk about that girl-all this anger and hate- I think maybe you knew who she was before that didn't ya? Maybe it wasn't as much of an accident as you made it sound!"

As soon as those words came out, Baby lashed out with her claw and grabbed him by the neck, yanking him down and clamping hard. He didn't fight back at all. She shivered and shuddered over him as she glared at him.

"How. Dare. You." Her volume raised as her voice began to show an amount of emotion that neither he nor Scott had ever heard. "How _dare_ you! You think you know- you don't know! You don't know what I've been through! You don't know what he did to me!" She tried to shake him, and only then did he reach up to catch her wrist, to somewhat stop her from tearing at his wires. "I didn't know her! How was I supposed to know what she was going to do?!"

This resulted in an immediate, long, drawn out silence. Green eyes stared into blue as both animatronics remained poised like that, with the lone human watching in silent horror. Baby was trembling like a leaf as she held Ennard tightly in her claw. Everything was so cold and empty around them, and the musky building felt more like a tight tomb than any sort of pizzeria. The moment seemed to last for much too long until Ennard finally dared to speak again.

"Baby…" he asked quietly. His voice almost sounded sympathetic, as though he knew something that she didn't. "…What's _your_ favorite kind of ice cream?"

All at once, the whole world seemed to screech to a halt around her. She knew exactly what he was implying, and her eyes darted around his face as she tried to concoct any sort of response. She finally answered him by releasing him and he drew back to full height, rubbing his sore neck as she stood there. Slowly she looked down at the claw that made up her right arm and opened it slowly. The sharp teeth looked menacing to her now. If she really tried, she could see the moment in her mind when the girl was grabbed and dragged into her metal coffin. If she tried even harder, she could even remember the feel of it.

Whether it be the pain of the claw clamping down or the suffocation as her body was forced in on itself.

She gave a shuddery gasp and grabbed at her chest. Her sharp fingers scraped along the gaping opening on her front and the worthless lights stuffed inside. It all felt so cold and empty. Her old body had been so warm and comfortable, with real hair and soft features. That couldn't have been an animatronic body, could it? That had to be the small, supple body of a human being. Not just inside of her but all over her. Like she had been wearing its skin. She could even remember the sweet taste of pink tinged cream.

Ennard realized something was amiss. Though still less than enthused with the other clown- mostly because he had been grabbed so ruthlessly- this weird behavior was unlike her usual demeanor. Almost like she was another person entirely. He spoke, "Baby?"

"It was me," Baby gasped out. Her voice was fluttery as her eyes shifted around and she started to roll backwards, trying to get some distance from everything. "Everything that's ever happened to me… I was the one who did this to me. I didn't listen. I was bad… I'm _not_ supposed to be like this." She looked up between the animatronic and the human and felt like a cornered animal. Everything was overwhelming and every sense was much too intense. "There wasn't another body, was there? There was nothing here to find…"

"…What do you mean?" Scott didn't know why he was coaxing out further answers. He should've known from the example earlier that nothing he was going to hear was going to be worth it. He noticed how she was acting and was starting to become slightly more concerned for her own sake. "Baby, maybe you should try to calm down. You're going to work yourself into hysterics."

Though he had a feeling that he was too late as she turned towards the back of the room and began to stare at it. Suddenly the room was entirely different to her. This building was no longer the pizzeria she lost, but the tomb where a life was stolen. That young, naïve, foolish girl had been sealed inside of Baby and _never left_. That was what was wrong with her. That was why she was like this. This was why she couldn't love or have friends, because she had never left the suit.

Scott looked to Ennard who almost looked confused. The human gestured his head slightly towards Baby, clutching his keys uncomfortably. Ennard, while being the spearhead for Baby's revelation, still seemed uncertain in how to go about this. He stepped after her, "Hey-."

"I'm broken. I can't be fixed."

Anything Ennard was about to say was cut off abruptly by the fact that it wasn't Baby's voice that had said that. The voice was unknown to him. Feminine, human, but not of a little girl. It almost sounded like it was Baby's real voice, and that was all the confirmation that he needed. He had been right in his suspicions; she had been a human too, a human now trapped in her own body. For the first time he wasn't afraid of her or angered by her. It was as though she wasn't the Baby he knew in that strange moment. She wasn't the one who insulted and threatened him for so long, but someone else who was lost.

Someone trapped in a body that she didn't understand. He sympathized just enough to make his decision on what to do.

"Nah, you're not broken," Ennard volunteered as he reached out for her. His wires brushed her shoulders and she tried to draw away. He was just quick enough to snare his arms around her and pull her back into a hug. She was clearly confused, caught between the desire to free and protect herself and the lingering shock of her personal revelation. "No more broken than I am."

Baby didn't know if that was better or worse but, in the end, she gave up on pushing him away. She just let him hold her. Strangely enough, it almost was comforting. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had dared to hold her, and even though she knew what he could do his wires didn't feel intrusive. It was the first time that she had ever appreciated him being there, even if she couldn't rationalize it, even if he had forced her into this revelation.

But nobody had been there when she needed them, had they? And now she was going to be like this forever; stuck in a broken body. One that no longer felt like it was her own.

Finally, Baby started to snap out of the state she was in. She was still very aware of Ennard's wires tangled around her. He could've easily overtaken her and robbed her of what little she had left, but he did not. Instead he just rested his head on hers and stayed thankfully silent. He had just as much to think about as she did, they both did. It was almost gentle how she started to draw away from him. At this point she didn't find it worth yanking away but did feel that it was time to separate herself. She had never felt as unsteady on her feet as she did when she wheeled slowly away from him.

"…I need to leave this place. There's nothing here for me," she finally decided. Ennard didn't argue and Baby wheeled out the party room door and towards the front. She needed more time to think about this and to figure out what she really was. Though there was one thing she was sure of as she glanced at the posters of animatronics lining the wall: this was not her pizzeria. It never had been, and it was never going to be.

Ennard watched her leave with equal pensiveness. Though his thoughts had quickly shifted from Baby's revelation to himself. How peculiar it was that someone like Baby, who had given no indication of being anyone's victim, had always been a human trapped in a metal shell. She had to be; he heard the voice still inside of her. It even made him wonder if there was a human in him too, even when he knew that there was no chance of it. Not even Ballora and the Funtime animatronics were in him now. Everything he absorbed disappeared without a trace.

"Ennard?" He almost forgot Scott was there and only remembered when a hand rested on his arm. He almost recoiled from being startled. "Wait," Scott was nearly pleading with him, expecting him to return to his dismissive, silent treatment. "Just let me say something, alright? Please." It was evident that he was shaken from what he had just witnessed. Even though Scott had largely suspected who Baby truly was- it wasn't that hard to come to his own suspicions considering how animatronics came to life and when William's daughter went missing- it was still jarring to watch the slow breakdown.

Baby's issues with humans only reminded him more that he had something he needed to fix. He took a deep breath and began.

"Dinner was terrible," he bluntly began. "I couldn't keep up eye contact, let alone an actual conversation. Dawn was patient with me, but I could tell that she knew I didn't want to be there, and I didn't. The whole time I just felt like I was out of place. When John and his wife appeared, I thought I was done for. How was I supposed to handle that? And I was the odd one out, so they looked to me to talk… So, I started to talk about you." Ennard turned his head attentively and Scott got a slight smile. "I left some stuff out obviously, but you were the subject of the conversation. I told them your name was Benedict and that we met a community theater. It was close enough."

Scott gave a light chuckle while Ennard turn towards him completely. He was clearly curious, though still silent, and the man didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"And they loved hearing about you, and I loved telling them. That was really what turned the night around, you know, because suddenly it wasn't about how I didn't fit in with them. It was just us talking about my life with you." Scott drew back his hand to rub at his neck. He wasn't sure if it was out of the growing embarrassment or the stress of the evening, but everything felt heated and tense. His heart was pounding in his chest. "I'll admit that's not the first time I've though about you to get through something. Sometimes I do it just to get through going to the store or trying to get through work. Not that I don't focus on work, but- you get it."

He was shocked that Ennard was still so silent, but he knew the amalgam had an amazing poker face. Scott didn't; he was sure his face was flushed by now. Probably had been so since the break in. He knew he was still riding on that adrenaline to get him through what was probably morning by now. He hoped nobody would notice the van outside, that no cops would return to the house while he was gone, but those worries were again set aside as he focused on the animatronic.

"I don't think you realize it, Ennard, but my life's gotten a lot better since you've been in it. Just living with you has made me a happier person. I don't see you as an animatronic. I don't see you as anything." This deserved the long pause that followed it. "…That came out wrong. I meant you're just Ennard to me. Or Benedict when I'm talking to strangers. You're- Well, to be honest, you're the only reason I'm going to feel safe enough to go home… And you're the only reason why I don't feel so alone when I'm there." He hesitated a moment and considered his next move. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think I've ever been as close to any human as I have with you."

He reached up to lay a hand on Ennard's shoulder. "I don't think you're a monster, Ennard. I trust you, I love you, and I want you to live with you. I'm not looking for any other life. I'm happy with just us, okay? You don't have to worry about that." Ennard seemed to look a little surprised and Scott decided to take an example from him and embraced him. Funny enough, but hugging wires had begun to feel normal. It just wasn't normal for him to initiate it. In an instant Ennard returned the gesture and squeezed him close.

"I knew you didn't mean it!" Ennard chirped in delight. "I mean, I should've. Sorry about getting all worked up over nothing. I just had my wires all bundled up about those guys breaking in, ha ha!" It sounded honest enough, but it almost seemed like there was something being held back. "I don't mean to get clingy, ya know. It's just kinda hard knowing that I can't be with you all the time. Heh, can you imagine if you brought _Benedict t_ o dinner? Lemme tell ya, that's one way to start a conversation!" It was a relief to hear his laughter.

Scott exhaled smoothly, "Maybe if I ever go out to dinner with Dawn again, which I probably won't since I spent the whole night talking about you." He started to pull back, but the amalgam held tight. He took it in stride, smiling to himself and adding, "I'm glad you weren't hurt."

"I am too! Glad those guys didn't take more than they did," Ennard agreed. He pressed into the human's hair. "Hey."

"Yeah?" Scott asked.

"I love you too."

Scott's breath caught briefly. He hadn't even realized he had said that. Ennard didn't give him long to dwell on it.

"Guess we should get out to Baby before she drives off without us!" Ennard suggested with a playful chuckle. He nuzzled into Scott's cheek. "Come on, _Scottie_. Let's head home." He nearly dragged his companion out of the pizzeria.

He was so happy to have made up with Scott that it was easy to pretend that everything was fine. All he had to do was not think about Baby's revelation, or the questions it left him with.


	39. Chapter 39

**Mable: Here we are! I got a question in an anonymous review about the sequel to A Fool's Endeavor, so I decided to take this author's note to discuss it.**

 **Tentatively called "A Fool's Gold" as a working title, the novel will involve Jester Lure, Balsam, Sir Morrick, and a few others forced to undertake a long journey once more. However, unlike A Fool's Endeavor, it is not Lure's princess and lifestyle on the line, but his own life that now hangs in the balance. After an alchemy mishap, he is cursed by something unimaginable, and unless he can find an antidote in the City of Mages he may, at best, be looking at a survival through the loss of his own limb. Time is of the essence as the companions must venture out of their kingdom and into the depths of the desert to find a solution.**

 **So, that's pretty much a summary. XD I'll be sure to give out more details as the book gets further alone in development. For now, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Thirty-Nine_

It was clear that Scott and Ennard had made up from whatever spat they had. By time they got in the van the man had a small smile and the amalgam was chattering away happily. They seemed so carefree and usually Baby would've been jealous of it, but not now. Right now Baby didn't feel much of anything as she sat in the back of the van and stared at the claw that replaced her hand. The thought of having had a beautiful human body that was stolen away from her, stolen by the body that was currently hers, was almost too much to bear.

It almost made her forget about the fact that she was going to return to that warehouse with a broken face. She shuddered at the thought and gave a quiet noise like a huff. This was so disappointing, so mortifying, such a waste of time and now it was morning and she had nothing to show for it. It felt strange looking out of the back windows and seeing the golden glow of a rising sun. It had been an eternity since she had been out during the day.

And just like that, they pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse and came to a stop. They didn't rush her out, but she could only assume that they were going to be like Fritz and would want her back in the warehouse as soon as possible. She could tell from how Scott kept yawning and stretching that he was tired, and Ennard's focus was back on him so she was back to being on her own.

"Such a waste," she spoke before she thought. "Stuck in this broken body and now there's not even a hope of a way out… What was I thinking? Its been years since the pizzeria was open. Why would I think I would find something there?"

"It was a good guess. Freddy's had a habit of leaving things behind. I'm actually shocked the saferoom was open at all; usually they shove whatever they want to hide inside and seal it up," Scott explained. Though in the back of his mind he added, _"But William would've never done that with his own animatronics. Not when he made them for a reason…"_

"Ya know… I might know where your old, plated body is. The one from ARI," Ennard coaxingly suggested.

"It's in that garage, isn't it?" Baby blankly asked.

"Bingo! And I've got all the pieces if ya want to fit back inside. Sure, it's a little bigger than what ya got now, but if you want it then you got it! Personally, I think you're better off not having to lug that thing around," Ennard said. He sounded so casual about it all. She didn't understand how he did it.

"…I could care less about form or functionality. All I wanted to fix was my face, and now I can't do that. I won't be able to find the parts for it…" She traced her fingers over her face. They dipped into the broken sections on the right side of her face and along the jagged plates. "…But is there even a point? I thought that maybe if I looked more beautiful that it would fix my problems, but my problems can't be fixed. They're too deep inside."

By this point, Ennard was wearing his poker face again, because Baby's choice of wording was making him increasingly comfortable. He knew what she meant all too well- there was a reason he wore his mask, after all- and he knew that part of what she said was right. A new face wasn't going to change her world. Or maybe it would.

"What about the face off the clunky body? Just would need some adjustments, maybe a new paint job, some soldering here or there, and you'd be good as new!" the amalgam suggested. "A new face for a new Baby all built up on the old one!"

"I can't do that. Look at how I put myself back together last time," she offered as she raised her arms and looked at them. She gave an impatient huff; functional, not beautiful. "I would need Fritz… And he wants nothing to do with me now." She looked backout the window vacantly. "…I should've never gone home with Fritz. I might've stood a chance if he didn't know who I was."

By this point, Ennard just couldn't handle much more of this negative plummet. It was making him uncomfortable and making him think things he shouldn't, like about himself. He volunteered a new suggestion.

"How about I do it?" Baby looked over abruptly and Scott was cut off mid-yawn. "I know what I'm doing! All I'd have to do is shape up the plates, set 'em to reattach, and weld 'em into place. Easy as cake! I just can't promise we could get 'em back off easy once they're on, ha ha!"

" _You?_ " Baby was utterly dumbstruck. It was hard accepting the fact that she was being civil with Ennard all of a sudden, let alone that he, an animatronic, was offering to work on her. An animatronic who was currently in out of service state himself. She resisted the urge to glance down at the mess of wires that was trying to look like a bowtie. "I don't think you understand how difficult that would be. I would need a technician, someone better than Fritz even."

"Oh, please! I've opened up tons of bots, trust me!" Ennard assured with a dismissive wave. "I know how it all ticks, and I think I've been a lot closer with screws, bolts, and hairpins than he's ever been! At least let me try. How bad can I do?"

"Don't make me answer that question," Baby sourly remarked. "As of right now I am at the upper level of destroyed bodies. I can fall farther and am not looking to do so."

"I'm not trying to push you," Ennard offered. Though he promptly followed with, "Oh, please! I can do it! I can make ya look _great!_ " Which instantly contradicted itself and was caught by both listeners. Seeing that he wasn't convincing either of them, the amalgam tried to switch up his tactics. "How about this… I get the plates all fixed up and ready to go on, you look at them, and if ya like what you see then we go ahead and getcha your new face. How's that?"

Baby wasn't entirely sure how to answer. She still didn't entirely trust Ennard, even though her opinion of him had raised dramatically in the last couple of hours. She didn't really trust anyone anymore and while she didn't like how she looked, she was worried about the risk of looking worse. Especially since Ennard himself had such a devil may care attitude towards his wires being bared, even when covered in an old raincoat. Still, there was something inside that wanted it, that was willing to risk it. She wanted to think it was hope but suspected it was more than likely desperation.

"…Fine. Only if you show me the plates first, and only if Charlie paints my face," Baby agreed.

"That's the spirit!" Ennard chirped. His wires twitched in excitement and delighted static coursed through his body. He turned to their driver. "Well, ya heard her, Scott! Next stop, home!... After I go tear apart the warehouse and find a welder."

With the renovation starting and no hired out parties planned yet, Mike and Marionette were both still home around noontime. It was nice to get some time off work, but Mike was still looking over the newspaper's wanted ads, wondering vaguely if he needed to invest in getting a second job while the restaurant was out of commission. Thus, he was right there to answer the phone when it rang. "It's Mike."

"Hello. It's me, Scott," Scott answered. His voice was groggy on the line. "So, uh, I've got Baby over here and Ennard's trying to fix her face- It's a long story. It's been a long night. Anyway, she wanted me to call and see if Charlie would come by."

"…Is this really Scott or is this Ennard?" Mike asked as an immediate reflex. "Sorry, I'm just not sure if I can take that story at face value. There's at least five red flags I'm seeing."

"No, it's really me. It's just been a long night." Scott gave a slight chuckle. "Heh, I probably sound like a mess right now. It's a long story, but if you have the time it might make a little more sense if I explain everything."

"I've got time," Mike agreed. What he didn't realize was what sort of story he was in for. It began, oddly enough, with Scott's date, somehow moved into a break-in, skimmed what sounded like Ennard committing a triple homicide, quickly jumped to him and Scott with Baby, and then was particularly detailed until the point where he wrapped up the current events.

"So, he's starting to get to the point where he wants to paint the plates, but Baby really wants Charlie to do it. She says they talked about it? I don't know. I'm barely staying awake as it is…" Scott hesitated for a moment. "…But after what happened earlier, I don't feel comfortable disagreeing with her. She's going through a lot."

"Yeah, I think we all had a hunch that was what was going on," Mike pointed out. At least, he, Marionette, and Foxy had been very aware of who she really was. It still felt jarring when only days before she had been acting just as erratic as usual. "I don't know how Fritz is going to react, but I could probably get him over there to help. Unless you think it's going to make it worse."

"I… I don't want to do this behind Fritz's back, but I don't think he should get wrapped up in it. Ennard's really doing a great job so far. I've never seen him so focused!"

"And I don't want to give Baby the wrong idea. It might get back to her that I was the one who told Fritz and she might break in and shave my head in the middle of the night," Mike pointed out. Scott cracked up at the comment. "You are tired, aren't you?" Mike asked with a playful smirk. "Alright, I'll ask Charlie and we'll probably be over there in a few minutes. Tell Ennard and Baby to hold off until we get there." He meant it too, because part of him was insanely curious at watching Ennard perform what would probably be known from now on ask 'Baby's facelift'.

"Thank you so much, Mike. I'll see you then, if I'm still awake when you get here," Scott finished as they ended the call. As soon as he hung up, Mike headed off to retrieve Marionette and Charlie.

He wasn't sure what led to it, but Charlie had somehow convinced Marionette that she wanted to see his entire Beanie Baby collection, with anecdotes about how he got each one and each one's apparent value- even though most of them had cost only a dollar or two at most, if that. So, she was laying on her front on his bed as he lifted each one out of his box and lost a few minutes a piece giving detailed explanations. The only reason Mike assumed she didn't stop him was because of the same reason he wouldn't have; Marionette was adorable. So excitable and lively as he went over something as basic and unexciting as plush toys.

Mike watched for a few moments, leaning in the doorway and listening to a quick reprise of the time that he and Marionette had explored the fairgrounds after a job. He only interrupted once the Puppet was switching babies and did so by knocking on the doorway.

"Sorry to barge in on your presentation, but I just got out of the most bizarre conversation with Scott that I've ever had. Including the time he asked me how to stuff a chicken… Which in hindsight probably was Ennard." He squinted thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head dismissively. "That's not important. What _is_ important is that Baby's over at Scott's… And she's about to have _Ennard_ work on her. Which might be a tad more complicated than stuffing chicken." Both Puppets just stared back like it was a joke.

"…Excuse me?" Marionette asked in disbelief. "Baby is letting _Ennard_ , whom she couldn't even tolerate one day with, work on her at Scott's house? Let alone the question of how she even got over to Scott's house."

"I'm going to try and go through the story as fast as I can, because it took about fifteen minutes and still seemed largely nonsensical. I'm just going to tell you like he told me and see if you can make more sense out of it," Mike led in. "Last night, Scott was robbed, and for some reason this led to Ennard going over to the warehouse to help Baby get to her old pizzeria. And yes, she's been calling everyone else to ask about that, it wasn't just us. Scott caught up with them and they went over there, but they couldn't find anything. So, Ennard's trying to use some of Baby's old parts- the ones he used to disguise himself as Baby- to fix her face for whatever reason."

"I'm not surprised," Charlie voiced in. She lifted herself off the bed and turned fully towards the security guard. "When we were talking about it, she was fixated on her face. I'm not really surprised that's what she wants done." She stood from the bed with a small stretch and a sigh. "But I already promised her I'd do it, so if that's what she wants then that's what I'm going to give her. Mari, can I use your paints?"

"Of course. They're in the closet," Marionette answered. Charlie headed out the door to go get them, and Mike vaguely wondered if she rushed off like she did to escape the chance of more plush talk. He then looked back to the Puppet, who had his arms crossed and was tapping his fingers pensively. "I can't say I understand the sudden willingness to cooperate, but if Baby is willing to let herself be worked on, then I'm happy for her. And I'll be there to support her, as close or as far as she wants me," he added in with the lightest chime.

He started to follow Charlie out the door until Mike caught his arm.

"One more thing," Mike said. Marionette looked to him in confusion. "Scott said that Baby started to remember things when she was in the restaurant. It brought back old memories."

"She remembered… Memories of what? Her being a human or her death?" the Puppet asked, shocked at the revelation. It made sense that she would start to remember things in familiar locations, but he never expected Baby, who was especially resistant, to remember anything at all. Baby had stayed resistant to accepting who she was, even when Chance had blatantly told her so long ago. Denial of all kinds had always run deep in the Afton bloodline, he knew that well.

"Both. I don't know the full extent, but Scott said she figured it out when things started to line up. I'm not sure what state she's in right now, but I have no doubt that this sudden willingness to pal around with Ennard is probably connected to it. That, or sheer desperation to get her new face."

"Do you think I should give her space?" Marionette's desperation was starting to come through clearly as he wrung his hands together. Already a bundle of nerves and they hadn't seen her yet; he hadn't ever been so nervous about her. Mike hesitated a moment, unsure how to answer.

"…To be honest, I think if there was any time that you needed to be there, it needs to be now. She's probably still going to be as pleasant as usual, but if she remembers that much there's no telling what else she remembers," Mike pointed out. "She might remember you." She might've remembered her father too, but he decided not to say that out loud. Not until the Puppet was a little less flustered. He reached for the Puppet's shoulder and caressed it gently as he added, "Just… Don't expect a miracle. Baby probably didn't magically change overnight."

"I know and I won't… Though I consider her and Ennard being in the same room and not tearing each other apart to be a miracle," Marionette added in playfully. Even though he tried to taper his expectations, there was an excitement bubbling at the thought that maybe Baby would become sisterly. Even if it was in a small way, as he couldn't expect her to change entirely. There was still the small hope that something good would come out of this regardless.

It didn't take too long to get ready and drive over to Scott's house. Marionette teleported inside first while Mike helped Charlie move in and found Scott barely awake in his armchair. The Puppet could already hear clattering in the garage and assumed that both clowns were out there, but didn't feel ready to face them, and instead approached the chair and tapped the man on the shoulder. Scott jumped in his seat and the cat curled in his lap responded by dashing off him and sprinting off somewhere into the house. The man then looked up, saw the Puppet, and eased once more.

"Uh, hey… How long have you been here?" he asked groggily.

"Two minutes and I already know you need to sleep," the striped one answered. "Mike's bringing Charlie in now and we can keep an eye on everything. Why don't you get some rest?" He noticed that Scott was fully dressed as though he went out but looked like he was about to fall asleep on the spot. It was a bit concerning considering that he wasn't as used to long nights any longer.

"I will. I _definitely_ will. I just wanted to see you and Mike in… And, uh, see Charlie. I haven't seen her since- Well, even before that I hadn't seen her since she was just a toddler," Scott explained. He lowered his voice and got an awkward smile. "It's just so strange having you guys all together in the same house! It's kind of like a Freddy's reunion really." It was then that he noticed Charlie and Mike coming in and his eyes widened as he saw the Security Puppet. "Oh, wow. She is a Puppet like you. I didn't expect she'd look so similar." He rose from his chair and just lightly swayed before heading over to greet the two. "Hey. Glad you could make it."

"It wasn't too hard. Wasn't like I had anywhere to be with Foxy's closed," Mike said. He then gestured a hand between him and the Security Puppet. "Scott, this is Charlie, Baby's past chauffer. Charlie, this is Scott, former Phone Guy and current chauffer." Charlie recognized the voice as Scott greeted her and she shook his hand. She wasn't sure if he was what she was expecting, and if he worked at Freddy's when she still went there then she certainly couldn't remember him. "You're looking like a zombie. You really need to get some sleep," Mike sympathized.

"Yeah, Mari was just on my case about it. Just make sure if I'm not up by five that someone takes the welder back to the hardware store. It's a rental… And that someone is probably you," Scott suggested, walking around outright asking. It was clear that was what he was doing.

"Usually is," Mike remarked.

Seeing as though everything looked alright for the moment, Scott headed to his bedroom to get some rest. Marionette waited until he left before heading to the garage door which was cracked open. He could still hear the light sounds of clinking from plates being moved around. He then turned back to the other two.

"You should probably go in first, Charlie. Just… Don't be too shocked when you see Ennard. And try not to get too startled by his eccentricities," he said. Under any circumstances, he would've wanted to go in first to put a physical buffer in between her and Ennard, as he knew how little personal space mattered to him. With Baby's state and her specific request for Charlie though it seemed better to fall back, giving himself a buffer. He looked to Mike and added, "I don't know if you want to come in too. Baby's never been particularly shy about her feelings."

"I didn't come all this way to not see Baby go under the knife. What's the worst she can do? Hurls a few toy-themed insults my way? I can handle that." Mike got a small smirk as he shirked off his jacket and hung it up. It was the only part of his work uniform that he was wearing so with its removal he stepped down from any security guard role. "But I'll take this off just in case. The less purple, the better."

"That might help, but just stay behind me just in case. That way she'll be more likely to take potshots at me," Marionette said with a light chime. He then opened the door for Charlie. "After you."

It didn't take long to spot Baby, who was standing off in the corner of the garage beside a massive mound of plates and parts. It was clear that it was the body Ennard had disguised himself in- the strange effigy- that had now been deconstructed. Though it looked like the old Circus Baby pieces had also been mixed in with Funtime Foxy, Funtime Freddy, and Ballora's own. The clown was already watching the door when the Security Puppet stepped in.

"You came. I almost thought you wouldn't," Baby said in greeting. Her voice sounded quiet and weak; it was close to Scott's, but the source of her fatigue was not from lack of rest. It was the first time that Charlie had heard her sound so listless.

"I wouldn't miss it, and not just because I have a job to do," Charlie answered. She patted the box of paints that she had carried inside. "Everything's right here. Are you sure you want to do this without Fritz? I'm sure if you apologized, he would be willing to come over here and help." She just assumed that it was reluctance and stubbornness again, but she started to realize this wasn't the case when the clown shook her head.

"It's not that simple anymore… I would rather do this without him. I would feel more comfortable with as few people as possible." Baby then glanced past the Security Puppet. "…Though I see the Puppet snuck in his security blanket." Mike gave an unruffled salute while Marionette peered around the door to look towards the clattering noises.

The rest of the garage had clearly been set up for what was coming. A large tarp had been spread out on the floor where Baby would probably be worked on. Ennard was standing at the washer and dryer, which he was using as a makeshift table. Baby's old head sat on the ground, with its facial plates removed and currently being tended to. A welder, a sander, and various other tools were spread out on the washer and dryer. From the piece that were neatly set aside, it looked as though Ennard had already done most of the work already. He seemed transfixed on his task.

The Puppet came up beside him and looked at the metal plates. They had been smoothed and forcibly reshaped, but the price was that most, if not all the paint was chipped away by the process. "I can't say this is what I was expecting when I heard that you and Baby were together again." The clown finally noticed him and looked from his work.

"Oh, hey! You're just in time for the show!" Ennard greeted. So far, he was the only one of the three who didn't sound like he spent the night before in a destroyed pizzeria visiting haunted memories of the past. Either that, or he was excited by the hefty amount of work he had agreed to. Marionette only had a second to brace himself before an arm scooped around him and pulled him in. "Glad you're here too, cause I'm gonna need your help. You're gonna stand riiight beside me while I work and make sure I don't kill her."

The Puppet gave a light chime of amusement. The amalgam didn't return the motion; he was dead serious. Marionette's amusement switched to an uneasy look.

"Yeah, I meant it," Ennard chimed in. "You're on soul patrol, ha ha! Or something like that."

"You do realize I could hear that, don't you?" Baby asked from the other side of the room.

"It's Ennard. I'm pretty sure _Scott_ heard that," Mike added in.

It was only now that Charlie noticed the other animatronic in the room and just stared. From the back he looked like nothing more than tangled wires that were only barely set in a pattern. It astounded her that he was standing at all and she had to believe there was an endoskeleton somewhere underneath all of it. She couldn't imagine what he could've looked like back when he was a complete animatronic- if he ever was. Baby noticed that she was staring and recognized her alarm. It was the first time Baby had been amused in days, if not much longer.

"Charlie, that is Ennard. I'm sure I've mentioned him to you before. I can't imagine not warning you," she said, muttering the last part.

"Yes, we talked on the phone once. He just had Scott's voice we did," Charlie answered. As though suddenly realizing he was being talked about, Ennard looked back and she was able to see the mask. She wasn't even sure how to react to the thin attempt at a disguise. He was obviously not a clown, despite what his unsettlingly high-pitched voice suggested.

"Hey, she does look like you! You two could be a couple of twins!" Ennard pointed out. He then proceeded to move in to get a closer look. "Well, hello again! I'm guessing ya don't recognize me, but I remember you,~" he reintroduced. He offered out a wire hand which the Security Puppet slowly shook. "I'm Ennard. I'm sure Baby's told you all about me."

"As hard as it is to believe, you are not the center of my world," Baby corrected.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ennard apologized with faux sincerity before looking back to Charlie. "I'm sure Baby's told ya all about _Fritz!_ What a shame he ain't here to join in on the fun, but we don't need too many cooks in the kitchen." He went to put an arm around her like he did to Marionette. "Let me show you what we've got-."

"That's enough," Baby dismissed as she nudged his arm back with her claw. He was briefly confused by it, glancing between to her questioningly, but then caught on.

"Right, right. Enough of that! The stuff's over here, Charlie, so let's get started. I hope you brought paint, cause all Scott's got are these watercolors and they ain't sticking to nothing," Ennard explained as he returned to the washer and dryer. Charlie followed and he showed her the finished plates. "I've just got one last one to touch up and then they're all set and ready to go!"

They wouldn't be too hard to paint. If not for the fact that Baby was insisting she alone did this, they could've been finished with this rather quickly. Speaking of Baby, Charlie could hear her rolling up behind and looking between her and Marionette. "You remembered what I wanted?" she asked. The Puppet was almost startled by how anxious she suddenly sounded, with his smile faltering at hearing it. It was the first time that she had sounded fearful in front of him. Charlie and Ennard didn't seem to have noticed it.

"I still have my mental list, but you'll be able to see it before we work. I'll match the rest of your face once you're… You are going to be asleep for this, right?" Charlie asked unsurely as she looked back to her.

"No. I intend to stay awake so I may watch every movement and feel plates being welded to me" Baby answered. Her sarcasm had little energy behind it. "Of course I'll be asleep. Or shut down. Whichever will be quicker." Her eyes flickered over to the other clown. "You know how to s _afely_ shut me down and turn me back on?"

"Course I do!" Ennard assured her. He then pointed past to Marionette. "Besides, we've got him in case anything goes wrong."

Baby and Marionette exchanged a brief look but said nothing as they both looked forward to watch as Charlie opened the box of paints. She began to take out the supplies, including a few tubes of paint. White, pink, red; Baby was quietly pleased with the color choice and watched silently. Her claw tapped with nervousness that she would never admit to. Not to being shut down, but to the risk of her waking to something much worse. Though her interest was stolen when she saw Marionette reaching out for one of the brushes.

"Can I help? I'm not doing anything but standing here anyways," he offered. Baby was immediately suspicious as she watched him choose a plate. "The base is white, right? I can start there."

"Why would you want to help?" Baby asked with that same doubt now on her voice.

"Why not?" Marionette responded with a light chime. "I've painted plenty of faces- usually my own- so I know what I am doing. Both of us working together will take less time." He turned to face her. "You don't mind?"

"…No. That's fine," Baby agreed. She turned away and quickly rolled to the other side of the garage. His behavior was odd, making her wonder how much he knew about the night before. Though if he did know then she was confused to why he didn't confront her. This seemed like the sort of thing someone would demand answers about. She continued to dwell on it as to not dwell on her impending shut down.

Ennard wrapped up before the puppets had finished painting and announced it with a simple, "All done!" He then turned away from the makeshift table, looked around the garage, and fixed his eyes on Mike. Mike knew as soon as they made eye contact that he had unintentionally gave the amalgam the go-ahead to engage, if said amalgam's brisk walk over to him was any indication. "Well, hey there! You're not gonna believe the night I had last night- unless you saw the news. And I checked, it was on there," he began as though he and Mike had ever engaged in a conversation like normal people.

"Scott cued me in on it. He said that someone broke in and you straightened them out?" Mike guessed. He got a small smirk, "I almost feel sorry for them. Out of all the houses in the city and they hit this one."

"I know! How lucky could I get?" Ennard said with a low chuckle. Mike simply raised a brow at the morbid suggestion, not even remotely surprised. "It was those guys who were breaking in all over the place, so I did the neighborhood a big favor. Cops couldn't get these guys- big guys, one fifty to two hundred pounds- and I take all three down in a couple of hours. If someone breaks into your house and you get a free pass to bag 'em and tag 'em, you know."

"Huh. I'll remember that the next time someone tries to break in. I've been needing some batting practice," Mike remarked. He did keep a bat in the bedroom for a reason. This roused louder laughter from the amalgam and he inwardly apologized to Scott, who probably heard that through the bedroom wall.

"Ha ha, I like that!" Ennard complimented. He then beckoned the human "I'm going to make some popcorn. Come with me and we'll snark." Mike wasn't entirely sure what 'snarking' would involve but went along with it. It wasn't like he had much else to do except hear about this alleged event the night before and eat popcorn.

With them gone, it was down to Baby and the puppets. Other than the occasional quiet talking between the puppets, the garage was mostly silent, with Baby almost patiently waiting for her time to run out. She had a horrible feeling that she wouldn't wake from this and she wasn't sure if that was because of what she discovered or not. Suddenly, a second death was a very real option, and she certainly didn't want to see what the end would look like. Especially since she had a glimpse of it right in front of her in the form of a mound of plates.

There it was, the remains of her band and her past body, laying on the ground in a forgotten heap. She knew now that she truly was the only one left. There had always been a thin sliver of doubt that maybe Ennard was just faking his sentience and that it was them contorting his body, but after the night before it was clear that wasn't the case. Ennard had proven that he had the means to be compassionate; nobody in the band had been capable of that. Not even her, she realized as she thought of her past victims. Not including the little girl who she had been, but the technicians they had dealt with in their attempts to escape.

To think that she thought she had a chance with Fritz after what happened with that last technician.

"We're done, Baby. Do you want to come look at these?" Charlie called back. Baby snapped out of her thoughts, knowing she had been lost in them longer than expected. The thought of looking at her new face made her wires twist.

"No," she abruptly decided. "…I don't need to. I trust you. I will look at them once they're on." She was rather curious, but she refused to turn away from the plates she was eyeing. She almost felt stuck in place. "When do we start?"

"As soon as the paint dries." Charlie looked to Marionette and noticed how he was watching Baby. "I'll go tell them we're done," she volunteered to him quietly. With silent look of encouragement, she left the garage and left them alone.

Marionette waited a few moments before trying to approach Baby. He always moved so silently, but she could feel him approaching and chose not to look over when he stopped behind her. He tapped his dark fingers together while trying to figure out how to go about starting a conversation of this magnitude. Finally, he dared to begin. "Baby-."

"I don't want to talk about it," Baby interrupted. Marionette was promptly put in his place, falling silent, watching her with growing apprehension. "I already know everything you are going to say," the clown pointed out. "I don't need to do this, looks are not important, the risk isn't worth the reward- I've already made up my mind."

The Puppet silently dropped his head and continued hovering there. That wasn't what he thought she meant, nor what he was going to say. He wasn't sure how to branch the topic of her humanity after being shot down for something so much easier to say.

But Baby noticed his silence and turned to face him. Her eyes seemed to glow in curiosity. "That was what you were going to say, wasn't it?"

"…Not exactly, no," he confessed. It was a great deal more difficult with her staring at him. She looked even more unhinged than usual and he didn't want to be the one to make it worse. It could wait; there were more pressing matters at hand. "I was just going to say that it will go fine and to not fear the worst. I know it seems difficult to believe, but Ennard knows more about our mechanics than he lets on, Charlie and Mike have done their fair share of repairs… And I will be here as well."

While she said nothing, her tense posture seemed to soften. He noticed her tightened claw loosened and her eyes drifted off towards the pieces laying out drying. It seemed like his words must've done something. He almost considered reaching for her but decided against it as he remembered her reaction to Ennard grabbing for Charlie. She liked her space and he would respect that. Even if there was still that part of him, somewhere deep inside, that wanted to believe that affection might draw out the sister who he could barely remember.

"But in any case, I think you made the right decision not looking too closely at the pieces," Marionette said with his smile returning. "You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

"I'm not too fond of surprises anymore…If I wake up looking like Ennard, heads will roll. Starting with his." Baby bluntly said. This roused a chime of laughter, relieved laughter. Maybe she was just feeling out of sorts because of all that was happening, but she decided to not shoot down his mood. They then fell into a silence that lasted until the others returned to the garage. It felt surprisingly comfortable; though, then again, anything with them not directly insulting each other.

"Let's get this show on the road! It's gonna take me a few minutes to get all that off, so we've got time for the paint to dry," Ennard said, punctuating 'all that' by waving a hand in the general direction of Baby's face. It was a shame that she felt totally unable to talk and could only watch as he knelt on the edge of the tarp. "Baby, come on down! You're the next contestant on _the tarp_ , and you've got a lucky chance to win a _brand-new face!_ "

"I'm calling it now, all he watches are soap operas and game shows," Mike muttered to Marionette. The Puppet gave a weak sort of chime. The human looked him over and noticed how he was rubbing and wringing his hands. It was amazing how unbothered his smile looked when he was suppressing his concern. Without another word, Mike reached out and took his wrist, both as a comfort and to stop the assault on his hands. Marionette now looked at him out of the corner of his eye and his smile briefly faltered, smaller but more believable, and eagerly laced his fingers with the human's.

"How are you going to do this?" Charlie asked Ennard as she knelt on the other side of the tarp. She watched as Baby approached and lowered herself onto the floor as well. The tarp did little to cushion the concrete floor of the basement and the bright light above wasn't pleasant to stare into. She laid her arms to her sides and forced herself to be still.

"This is actually a funny little trick. All of us have this thing in our neck that shuts us down like that," Ennard answered, making a motion like snapping his fingers without the sound. "Even those ones that turn from suit to bot have it. It's right in here…" Baby felt Ennard reach for her neck. Surprisingly, he was moving slow and his wires were gentle as they slid through hers. "Best way is to just unplug, but you've gotta find the wire-."

And the world blacked out.

And then the world came back, but Baby was no longer in the garage. She instead recognized a different, metal ceiling high above. The light flickered as though it was being blocked off by a fan, and it was through this familiar lighting that she realized that she was back in Afton Robotics. The Scooping Room specifically.

She wondered if they had shut her down and brought her here instead of fixing her. Maybe the whole plan had been a ruse. Though what was funny was that she could still feel the tarp underneath her fingertips. Maybe they had used it to move her. Before Baby could question it further or even get worked up about the deception, she noticed a peculiar dripping noise to her right. She turned her head to look at the source of the noise, and immediately froze still.

There was a body slumped against the wall. Not just any body, either. It was _him_.

The technician was still in his uniform, but it was torn and soaked in his own blood. He was slumped forward, which obscured his face and barely managed to shadow the gaping hole that she knew was stretched open on his abdomen and currently dripping out his fluids onto the floor. His innards were nowhere to be seen and yet Baby knew that they weren't inside of him. He was just an empty husk, like an empty suit, slumped alone in the corner.

But he wasn't supposed to be here. _Something wasn't right. His body wasn't supposed to be here, and neither was she. She clawed at the tarp and tried to move, but other than her fingertips she found herself frozen. A strained noise came from her chest as she tried to regain feeling in her body. She was still staring at the corpse of the technician they had gutted._

 _Then the body raised its head. Baby stopped her struggle immediately as she looked at its hollow face. Empty block holes replaced his eyes and its mouth hung open in an obscene mix between a smile and a gaping scream. It lurched forwards and started to crawl across the floor. Its limbs wobbled as it dragged its empty body towards her. She could only stare upwards as the betrayed body leaned over her and stared down. The empty black pits of its face continued to leak its viscous liquids as he spoke. His voice echoing through him like booming through an empty auditorium._

" _ **It only hurts for a moment.**_ _"_

 _All at once, Baby regained her ability to move, letting out a shriek she didn't know she was capable of. She swung her claw at the corpse and snapped it closed, just barely missing the husk as it yanked back away. She continued lashing out in a panic when something caught her by the wrists and pinned them down. She was about to fight them of when she looked up and saw that-_

Marionette was the one pinning her down.

All at once, the Scooping Room was gone. She was laying in the garage, on the tarp, with Marionette leaning over her, Mike leaning over his back, and Charlie still kneeling on the ground beside her. She snapped her head over towards where the technician's body had been, but instead found Ennard who had pulled back against the wall to dodge her attack and was only now daring to lean in again. It had all been some sort of dream or hallucination, or terrible living nightmare.

"It's okay, Baby. You're safe. It's all done," the Puppet above her calmingly assured. "Ennard was working on you. Can you remember?" While she was still in a partial state of being stunned, ignoring a lingering numbness in her face that she only just noticed, she managed to stiffly nod. Marionette began to slowly release her hands and got a hesitant smile. "When you said you were going to take off Ennard's head, I assumed that you would wait until you saw the results."

"Yeesh, and ya went straight for the neck!" Ennard said as he rubbed at his neck. Then his head snapped up and he looked past to Charlie. "See? I told ya, if you're looking to take out an animatronic you go right for the neck. Baby knows it." The Security Puppet looked torn between amusement and disturbance, but also looked down to Baby.

"Hey, Baby. It went great," she reassured. "But everything only just cooled down, so you probably shouldn't move too much. I'm not sure if this is going to hurt."

"Give her about an hour," Ennard remarked. Charlie's mask managed to mold into unamused look, but he didn't see it as he stood and headed off to the washer and dryer. "Where'd we put that little mirror?"

"It's here," Mike answered as he took said mirror off a nearby shelf. It was a small one on a simple stand where it could be angled, but the dust caking on the edges suggested that it hadn't been used much until now. At least the mirror itself had been wiped clean. He handed it down to Charlie who then lifted it in front of Baby for her to see. She nearly gasped when she saw what looked back at her.

Instead of the broken exterior that she had come to expect, her plates were all intact and painted well enough to disguise the new from the old. The base was a simple white with soft pink cheeks. Her lips here mismatched, with the upper right and lower left sections being pink and the upper left and lower right sections being red. Her nose had been repainted this same red and her eyebrows were a reddish orange, now matching some of the strands of her wiry hair. The blue above her eyes, resembling eyeshadow, had been redone in a softer blue. Everything else had just been retouched and brightened.

The lack of broken pieces, holes, cracks, smudges, and full paint made it all look brand new. It looked beautiful; she looked beautiful.

Baby was stunned by it. She slowly started to raise her hand towards her cheek, but then hesitated as she saw it in the mirror, afraid she would damage her new face.

"If you're worried about the paint, then don't be. It dried before we put the plates on… And you can't even tell where we had to touch up afterwards," Charlie said. It was clear that she was happy at Baby's reaction from the smile. Even with the lingering silence, it wasn't hard to tell that she was in awe of the results. "What do you think?"

"I…" Baby was at a loss for words. Then she was beat to it when Ennard popped up above her, leaning over her and peering at her upside-down.

"Well I think you're looking lovely, Baby Doll!" Ennard praised. She looked past the mirror at him as he jokingly added, "Most charming clown this side of the state! Except maybe me, but I'm a tough act to follow!" He laughed in unrestrained delight, no doubt floating on his success and proud of his work "Ha h- _ah!_ "

Without warning, Baby grabbed him by the wires on his chest and yanked him down towards her. He barely braced himself to not fall on her and instead landed on one knee half over her. Baby only pulled him closer and reached up with her clawed arm. To his shock, it looped around the back of his neck and pulled him tightly against her chest. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was not in a headlock, but in a hug- one which would've been better given if he hadn't been upside-down, but a hug nonetheless. The only time she had ever showed him affection, or maybe showed anyone affection.

She didn't have to say anything. This was everything he needed to have the effort be worth it, and he didn't have to be human to give it to her.

* * *

 **Mable: In all seriousness, getting a facelift from a clown in a garage carries a ton of risks and should only be attempted if your doctor or technician gets angry at you for going after his girlfriend. Remember to be safe!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Mable: Hello there! First thing's first: Toasterwitch has done a gorgeous picture of Baby with a fixed face on Deviantart. Go check it out, because it is a great reference- great enough that I will be referencing it to everyone I can. XD As I can't remember what else I was going to say, and I don't want to take any longer, I will now go ahead without further ado! Enjoy!**

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty_

" _-The three suspects; Roger Ganley, Doug Hanson, and Wayne Nevelson have been released from the hospital and are now in police custody. All three are continuing to claim that they were attacked by a man dressed as a clown, but witnesses at the scene claim their injuries were due to a brawl between them and several other unidentified men. If you have any information on the identity of the other suspects involved in the robberies or fight, please contact Hurricane Police Department."_

"That be Ennard."

Jeremy slowly looked over at Foxy, who was sitting on the couch beside him. Since the pizzeria was closed and being renovated for the time being, he had invited the captain to stay with him. So far, it was going as well as usual, until the news just happened to come on and this bizarre story had begun to play. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I bet me booty on it. That be him. Whole story don't make any sense unless ya got a crazed clown on the loose," Foxy pointed out. He looked to Jeremy and noticed the other's stare. "…Me gold, Lad. I meant me gold."

"Really? I had no idea," Jeremy playfully answered. Even through the shock at the news, he still managed to get a teasing smile. "I thought you were taking that pound of flesh thing really seriously. I mean, you already don't have a tail, but what the heck, I'll take that bet!"

Foxy scoffed and leaned back on the couch. "That's one way in me pants."

It was only right after this that Foxy realized that was probably not the best joke to use, because something awkward started to creep over the room. He slowly looked over at the human with a single, gold eye. Jeremy had his lips pressed into a tight line, seemingly just as unsure how to react. Well, that was one sort of reaction. The pirate decided to salvage them from what he created.

"Get me the phone? Let's call up Scott's an' see what he's gotta say 'bout all this. Knowin' him, he prob'ly ain't even know yet," Foxy directed. He averted his gaze back to the television and played it cool.

"Right. Good idea. Right on it, Captain." And Jeremy- who acknowledged the comment was just a joke- tried to pretend he was totally unflustered by it. Somehow, he managed to keep from stumbling on his words as he dialed the number. A voice that sounded like Scott answered the phone. "Hey, Scott! I was just calling to see if, I don't know, maybe you saw the news and-."

He was cut off by the voice abruptly changing. "Why, hello Jeremy! Fancy getting your call. It really is a Freddy's reunion today."

"Mari?! Uh, hey! I didn't expect you to answer the phone…" Jeremy covered the receiver and sent a panicked whisper towards Foxy. "Mari's at Scott's! It _was_ Ennard!" Foxy could just stare back in shock, eyes widened, and ears perked. Jeremy raised the phone to his ear again, "Y-Yeah, I'm still here!... Foxy? He's right here… Sure thing. Hold on a second." He looked to the fox and offered the phone. "He wants to talk to you."

"Course he does," Foxy remarked as he took the phone. He looked back at the muted television as he said, "So, were ya plannin' on telling me 'bout this or did ya just hope I'd never check the news?" This got an almost nervous chime on the line. "I'm taking that as a never."

"No, no! I was planning on calling, I just got caught up with some things… Some things I'll explain if you give me a moment," Marionette said, cutting off Foxy before he could speak up. "…So Ennard was right, it was on the news?" he asked hesitantly. Multiple airings were slightly concerning considering the circumstances.

"I knew it was him. Only bloke in town with enough loose wires to try somethin' like that…" There was a long silence as Foxy began to suspiciously wonder why his brother was at Scott's at all. "…Saw that they were all alive, just tied up and bruised a bit. Ya wouldn't think that Ennard'd restrain himself like that. That be somethin' fer someone with patience, an' who knew 'bout tying a good knot."

"I know what you're getting at and no, I didn't go play vigilante bounty hunter with Ennard. In fact, I spent most of last night with Mike trying to beat the most infuriating video game level in existence, so I have an alibi," Marionette playfully defended. "If not Mike's word, then the pieces of carpet I yanked off the floor."

"Then I believe ya… But only cause I know you'd _never_ go runnin' off, fightin' thieves and plunderin' their goods, without yer captain, yer partner, the _literal pirate_ ," Foxy said matter-of-factly, clearly angling for something. There was a response of silence. "…Alright, yeah, yer off the hook. Iff'n it ever comes to it, call me."

"Foxy, you know I would. Nobody knows how to tie a Bowline Knot like you do, nor would be as willing to full body tackle someone twice their weight," Marionette playfully chimed.

"It all be in the shoulder. Right in the belly and right to the ground," Foxy answered braggingly.

"But… There is something we need to talk about. Partially about Ennard, but mostly about Baby. See, Baby decided to have her face fixed today! It went wonderful, but last night…" The Puppet hesitated briefly. "Something happened last night."

"Uh huh," Foxy coaxed. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back, looking casual even though he knew they were about to sail into some rocky waters. Taking this as a sign that all was well, and still rather curious, Jeremy sat down on the other side of the couch.

"Last night Baby went to her old pizzeria to find her old body, but… Instead, she found something a bit different… She started remembering things, Foxy. She remembers being human."

"What?!" Foxy sat upwards abruptly in alarm. "What? You sure?"

"I don't know the full extent and I haven't talked to her about it yet, but Scott said she remembered her death and… Well, I can believe it from how she's acting alone. She's not been nearly as aggressive as she used to be. She talked to me like a real person." The striped one looked towards the garage door before lowering his voice to a whisper. "She even hugged Ennard. She actually _hugged Ennard_."

"Ya sure she wasn't just stranglin' him?"

"I thought that too at first, but it was definitely a hug, and Baby used to hate Ennard! Something changed last night."

Though while Marionette sounded elated, Foxy couldn't ignore the feeling of dread that started to crawl down his spine. Something about Baby, stubborn and frustrating Baby, remembering that she was Elizabeth, spoiled and fussy Elizabeth, left him feeling almost claustrophobic. Neither his last memories with Baby nor Lizzie had been good ones, and though he knew they were one in the same, her remembering it herself was pressing. It made him uneasy.

"That's… That's great, Lad. That's what we wanted, yeah? She's comin' around. Maybe she won't act like a salty tavern wench now," Foxy said in a forced joking tone. "But don't go gettin' yer hopes up."

"I know. Mike already forewarned me. I'm prepared for the worst, but I haven't been disappointed yet," Marionette pointed out. "But I haven't directly confronted Baby with the fact that we're siblings… I thought maybe you'd want to be here when I did. After all, you are the one who remembers her best."

"I, uh… I don't think that be a good idea." Foxy started to feel nervous. As though a dark shadow was looming over his shoulder even though nothing was there. The only thing waiting to haunt him were memories he preferred to block out. He swore he was beginning to have tunneled vision but couldn't imagine why that could be. It was just talk about their sister, nothing else. "Not until she's got herself back together. Best if ol' Foxy don't get involved."

"Foxy, what are you talking about?... I know you and Lizzie weren't exactly close, but I do know you loved her," Marionette pointed out. Foxy's hand tightened on the phone as his hook scraped down the couch. "You're the only one who can remind her of who she was, and while I'm not sure if she's ready for that, maybe it would be a good thing to lay down the groundwork. I know Baby's difficult, but all you need to do is just show that you're here for her," Marionette tried to coax gently. "So… Would you do it? Could you come see her?"

He was persistent, so Foxy gave his answer.

"I can't."

He then proceeded to hit the button to end the call and tossed it on the couch between him and Jeremy. The blonde stared down at it as the pirate slumped back on the couch and dropped his head.

"What do you mean you can't?"

Foxy's head shot up and there was Marionette suddenly hovering in front of the couch. He had teleported over instantly and without a sound. It was so abrupt that the pirate jumped back with a cry.

"Fer Freddy's sake, Lad! Give a fox some warning- I ain't as young as I used to be!" Foxy scolded. The Puppet was entirely unphased by it.

"Why can't you?" Marionette asked. He understood why Foxy wouldn't want to and would've accepted that answer or any that just involved him not trusting Baby. The way he said it though- "can't"- suggested something more than simple reluctance. "Something's wrong, Foxy. I can tell when you're hiding something."

"Don't go making a big deal outta nothin'! Who'd really want to go spend time with _Baby_?" Foxy challenged. Yet as Marionette watched him, the pirate began to slowly cave under his gaze. He was always terrible at bottling up his emotions. "It ain't anything big, I just… I didn't get along with Baby an' I didn't get along with Lizzie. Me bein' there ain't gonna do her any good," he reassured as he continued to keep his gaze at the coffee table, hunched over on the couch.

"Is that the truth?" Marionette prodded.

"The truth?" Foxy twitched lightly. "Yeah, that be the truth."

"Foxy, I know when you're leaving something out. I don't want to push you and I certainly don't want to force you to see Baby, but…" He had to recompose himself to keep his worry from showing on his mask. Briefly he looked to Jeremy, who looked equally concerned by Foxy's peculiar behavior. Then the striped one reached out and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "But I would like you to at least be honest with me, _please._ We've spent too much time keeping things quiet until the bubble up and pop out at the most inopportune time."

Ironically enough, that coaxing was enough to cause the exact reaction. Foxy abruptly straightened, hand still on his shoulder, and decided to be brutally honest if it meant getting out of the corner he was backing into.

"Ya want the truth? Fine. The truth is that I don't want to see Lizzie," he bitterly snapped back. "Ya prob'ly don't remember, but Lizzie was always Dad's lil parrot. She picked up all those _nice things_ he used ta say and threw 'em round whenever she wanted somethin'. Always got her way, always got all of _Daddy's_ love, always got me in trouble. She was a spoiled, selfish, heartless little brat."

There was a long pause as Marionette and Jeremy just stared at him. They were startled by the outburst. Foxy wasn't finished either and only hesitated to reign in his emotions. He knew how it looked and the last thing he wanted was either of them thinking that he was still bothered by past events. He was stronger than that.

"Don't get me wrong, I loved Lizzie. Still do, always would, and I'm glad she be gettin' another chance… But I got me life back together, Mari. I ain't plannin' on tearin' it all down to reminisce with Baby," Foxy explained.

"Oh…" The Puppet's voice was soft, and his mask showed sympathy. He understood and seeing that look was enough to make Foxy look away. "Foxy, that's okay. I… I wasn't thinking. I should've considered how difficult this would all be before pushing you into it. I was just got a little carried away." He regained his smile and patted his sibling's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I can talk to Baby. You just enjoy your vacation before we're back on the clock!"

"Err, yeah…" Foxy shifted slightly. "Thanks, Lad. Sorry I ain't much help."

"Don't be! Trust me, I'm already risking any progress trying to push Baby into bonding as it is. What a shame too, I used to be so patient," Marionette chimed. "But speaking of time off, perhaps we should take this opportunity to spend more time together. Today is pretty much called for, but maybe tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it fer the world, Lad," Foxy assured with a happier tone. Happier, but not fully happy, and caving after the Puppet said goodbye to both of them and dismissed himself with a spin before he vanished. All at once the pirate slumped again with a low grumble. He noticed Jeremy out of the corner of his eye. "Yar. Didn't really want ya to hear all that, but Mari brought a spring 'round his cable an' put me in a bind."

"…He what?... No, it's fine! You said it yourself, and you were honest," Jeremy assured. He reached out to awkwardly pat his back before daring to take a guess. "But I'm going to go out on a limb and say from your look alone that maybe it wasn't all the truth?"

It took a few moments before Foxy managed to shake his head. "Nah. There be somethin' else."

"Well… Do you want to talk about it?" Jeremy asked. Again, Foxy shook his head. "Oh… Well, okay. As long as it's not going to bother you…" There was an uneasy silence. "You… Want to turn up the news and see how much damage Ennard did?"

That was why Foxy loved Jeremy so much; he always knew how to find a good distraction.

Meanwhile, Marionette reappeared back in Scott's house. It was still as he had left it, with Ennard off somewhere and Mike still returning the tools to the hardware store. He could hear Charlie and Baby in the garage and started to approach. Spurred on his talk with Foxy, he knew he needed to go ahead and tell Baby what he knew. He let himself in quietly.

Baby was leaning against the washer on her folded arms. This was the closest she had gotten to showing weariness. Perhaps to not look weak she decided not to sit down, even though she was probably still feeling uncomfortable. It was hard to explain the sensation of having parts replaced, but it usually bordered between numbness and pain. At least Charlie was keeping her distracted, or at least talking her out of rushing into any more immediate repairs.

"But I don't know, I think you should really consider it before you commit to a wig. I'm sure we could find one that felt close enough to human hair, but they're not exactly durable," Charlie remarked. She was sitting on the washing machine and looked over to the garage door as it opened. "Hey, Mari. Did Mike get back?"

"Not just yet but any moment now," Marionette answered as he approached. "Charlie, would you mind if I spoke to Baby for a second?" Baby turned her head slightly in curiosity, showing that she was listening.

"Sure. Should I step out and give you two a minute?" the other puppet offered. He swore that he could see Baby's claw twitch. Not aggressively, maybe in uneasiness. She had to know what was coming, especially after her questioning earlier. It seemed like the more comfortable thing if Charlie stayed- at least it would make him more comfortable. She would be able to replace the spot he wanted Foxy to fill.

"No, stay! It's not about anything secret. At least, not something that I'm aware we're keeping secret or anything like that." Now he was rambling. A terrible place to start as he stiffly turned towards the clown. "Baby, I was hoping since you're… Since the stress is over, I thought maybe we could talk about what happened last night."

What followed was the same, long silence that had been on the phone. Though Baby broke it quicker than Foxy would've. "About me going to the pizzeria…" she asked, voice low, "or what I remembered?"

"What you remembered. We don't have to talk about the more painful memories, but I was wondering how much you did remember about who you used to be," Marionette coaxed. He rubbed at his arm uncomfortably while Baby's claw twitched with distress, both uncomfortable.

Charlie, meanwhile, knew absolutely nothing about what had happened. She caught on quickly- it wasn't difficult to pick up on Marionette's hints- but was still taken off-guard. Baby and she had been talking since she had been willing to set the mirror down and not once had she even hinted that she had memories return. Though Charlie knew Baby well enough to know she was capable of pretending problems didn't exist and avoiding disputes.

"What is there to talk about? I'm sure whoever it was who told you said already. I remembered how I died," Baby said mechanically. She, also like Foxy, kept her eyes low and refused to look at him. "I was a foolish little girl who got too close to something I didn't understand. That's all it was."

With her reluctance he started to consider letting it drop, but he still pressed on. "But was there anything else you remembered? Your name? Maybe your family?" Marionette lightly coaxed. This was when Baby would have typically become defensive. Even now she considered shutting down his pressing questions. What stopped her was a vague memory, not from the pizzeria but from a more recent time.

"When that man tried to burn us, he called me something," she recalled. Her eyes darted across the top of the washing machine as she mentally searched through that hazy recollection. At the time she had only been paying half attention in her shock and so only did she find herself unsettled by his words. The man had known she had been that girl. "He called me… Elizabeth?" She made a scoffing noise. "But he said many things. You could tell he loved to hear himself speak."

"Oh, I won't argue with that," the Puppet agreed with a light chime. He briefly looked towards Charlie and noticed her watching Baby with a mix of empathy and inquisitiveness. She had no idea that the man they were talking about was her grandfather. That just wasn't a bridge he wanted to cross. For now, he had enough with Baby. "But yes, it was Elizabeth. That was your name."

"…So, you did know who I was." Baby's voice quieted to nearly a whisper. There was something akin to dread in her voice.

"I did," Marionette agreed. "You were my sister."

Baby's external reaction was minimal, but her lack of a response was telling. Her eyes flickered slightly and raised to Charlie's, though dropped as she realized the other was looking at her. She wasn't sure what to think or what to ask, or if she even wanted to know what he could say to her. After the night before she wasn't even sure if she wanted to know more about the girl who literally haunted her. They were both staring at her; she had to say something.

"You are my brother," she echoed, and he nodded. She almost felt like she knew that and silently wondered if he had told her before. Maybe that man had said something that she couldn't remember. "I can't remember you…" she admitted.

"It's alright. I can't remember much of our history either. I think our memories just were lost to time," Marionette suggested. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he intended on abandoning her. "…But I didn't know whether to tell you or not. It would've been a hard thing to believe without the memories to back it up… Though Foxy remembers you well. He's our older brother."

"So, he knew too…" Baby murmured. "Everyone knew except me."

"I'm sorry you had to find out like that. I should've told you myself, but I didn't know if you would even want to remember. That's not an excuse-."

"What else can you tell me about who I was?" Baby asked. Her voice didn't exactly sound interested and her gaze was still downwards, but he accepted the question as a good sign. He smiled and tried to remember what he could through Foxy's less than impressive descriptions.

"Well… You were fond of the color pink. Your entire bedroom was covered in pink. Ask Charlie, she's the one living in it." He chimed it out so easily, seemingly ignorant to when Baby sent Charlie what might've been a confused look. "You had this take apart foxy toy that looked like Funtime Foxy. Or, at least, I remember it being in your room. I think…" He hesitated as the slightest of memories started to trickle back. A mental image appeared of a girl in front of a plastic dollhouse. "You had a dollhouse that we used to play in together."

"What kind of a dollhouse?" Charlie coaxed. Marionette looked to her in confusion. "Following a train of thought can sometimes lead to further recollection. You know, retracing your steps, just on an internal level."

"Let's see…" He crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I remember it was big enough for fashion dolls, because Foxy used to get on my case about me playing with them. Funny how I can't remember large portions of my childhood, but I can still remember that," Marionette remarked with a chime. "Now I do remember that your favorite was this princess doll and she was the only one you wouldn't let me touch. Very soft hair, I think she was supposed to be Rapunzel." The odd tangent about toys was cut off by the sound of the front door opening, which announced that Mike had returned.

"I suppose that means our time is up," Baby remarked. This time there was definite disappointment in her tone. The Puppet wasn't yet ready to give up, not when he was getting spotty moments of memories.

"He'll be fine without me for a moment," Marionette assured. Before he could even dare to go on, the garage door opened, and Mike stepped inside. "…That must've been at least a moment."

"I would hate to see how you two get when you have to spend more than a day apart," Baby remarked. It almost sounded like a partial crack at them, but she was at least finally looking in his direction.

Marionette decided to take a playful tone as he threw an arm around the human's shoulders. "Oh, we get all out of sorts! I come unwound, Mike drinks all the coffee in the house, and nobody's sound of mind enough to wind the clock in the hall! Next thing you know, we're getting twelve rings every hour on the hour."

"And then Grandfather Clock becomes Grandfather Firewood," Mike added in without missing a beat. He then glanced back to Marionette. "Did Ennard ever turn up?"

"No, but I don't think he went that far. I think he just went to check on Scott," the Puppet answered quickly.

"Explains why he disappeared for over an hour then," the man quipped. He got the slightest bit of a smirk as the striped one sent him an unenthused look. "I don't know if he wanted us to stick around until he got up. I'm fine with it, but I'd like to know if we're looking at leaving in an hour or leaving at two in the morning."

"Right…" Marionette hesitated with uncertainty. They had been there for hours as it was and yet he felt like he needed more time. Thankfully, there was one possible solution in mind. "Mike, could I speak to you for a second?"

" _God, that can't be good."_ Mike didn't let this immediate thought show and instead agreed, "Yeah, sure." They stepped out of the garage and into the kitchen. _"I know that look,"_ he thought as he recognized Marionette's pensive expression. _"Yeah, this is going to hurt."_

"I don't know what to do… I told Baby that I am her brother and we tried to remember some memories, even if it was a little difficult to do… But I don't know what to do about the warehouse. I don't want to be the one to send her back there…" He gave a tentative look to the security guard. "…Do you think we should offer for her to come home with us?"

"I think we both know that's going to be a disaster," Mike flatly answered. He kept his voice low enough that nobody else would overhear. "Baby's not going to become a different person now that's she remembers what happened to her. Hell, I'm shocked she's not having a total breakdown right now… Then again, maybe that was whatever happened when she woke up and attacked Ennard, but I digress. The point is that I don't want you getting hurt." Marionette nodded in solemn agreement and Mike gave a tired exhale. "That being said, if you really think we should then it's alright with me."

"What?" the Puppet looked to him in surprise. "You just got finished saying it was a mistake."

"Yeah, but that didn't stop me from making tons of other terrible decisions that I later lived to regret. Every twenty or so I stumble on one that turns out good, and most of the time it's the decisions involving you that do. So, I'm leaving it up to you." Mike meant every word and so he ignored the alarm bells at the mere thought of living in close confines with Baby.

"…Then alright. She can stay with us. I don't see Charlie having a problem with it." He tapped his fingers again; it was almost turning into a nervous tick. "How should I ask Baby? She might get defensive."

"Don't overthink it, just go in there and ask her up front. Or I'll do it. I'm not afraid of offending her," Mike offered. Marionette slightly perked at this suggestion. "Alright, then I will. Let's get this over with." With a slow exhale he headed to the garage and leaned inside. He cut off whatever conversation Baby and Charlie were having without shame. "Hey Baby, we're taking off soon. You want to come with us back to the house?"

"No," Baby answered without a thought. Charlie looked to her in surprise while Mike gave a shrug.

"Suit yourself," he simply said before turning back to Marionette. The Puppet looked positively baffled, wide-eyed and lips pressed tightly together. He snickered lightly, "That look alone was worth it."

Inside the garage, as soon as Mike stepped out, Charlie turned her attention back to Baby. She was startled by her quick response. "You want to go back to the warehouse?"

"No," Baby answered a little less abruptly.

"Then why don't you come with us? There's four bedrooms, and I can move out of yours and sleep somewhere else. You would be able to stay in a real house. Your house," the Security Puppet insisted. "Don't you want to see your home again?"

"Absolutely _not_ ," Baby vehemently denied. She finally made eye contact and though she couldn't emote well Charlie could see the panic. "I can't imagine what I would remember if I went into that house. I was only in my pizzeria for a short time before I had to relive _that terrible moment_. My death… I think I preferred it when it wasn't me who was crushed inside that clown."

Charlie was at a loss for words. She understood it as much as she could without context- ignoring the crushed in a clown comment- but on the other hand it seemed strange. After her change she had wanted nothing more than to go home, even if her home wasn't entirely welcoming. To think that Baby was so afraid of remembering that she refused a ticket out of the warehouse was a telling one.

"I understand. I didn't mean to push you into anything, I'm sorry." Charlie dropped down from the dryer. "I guess I'll go see what they're planning on doing."

Baby's pupils contracted in alarm and she straightened from the washer abruptly as she realized what that meant. Charlie leaving, then Marionette and the security guard getting the signal to leave, with Ennard nowhere to be found and Scott asleep- Baby would be alone with herself. She wasn't ready to be alone with herself with minimal distractions. Looking at her new face would only go so far, and eventually she would be back thinking about that dollhouse, dreading the moment she some faded glimpse of the past would slip by. Whether it be of dolls, of the house, or something much more dreadful.

There were things she didn't want to remember, which was why she wouldn't dare ask Marionette about their father.

"You're not leaving yet, are you?" Baby blurted out. She turned to face the other animatronic while trying to not look too desperate. Though when the Security Puppet looked back to her it became apparent that she had failed. "Or go. I can't stop you. Nobody would choose to stay out here with _that_ ," she said, gesturing her hand towards the mound of old plates and parts. She leaned against the washing machine again, propping her head up with her hand tiredly. Her fixed plates felt so smooth and complete under her fingertips, almost as smooth as silky ice cream.

Yet before Baby could get stuck in a cycle of ice cream thoughts- which in hindsight was a great way to avoid thinking of anything else- she was drawn out of her thoughts by Charlie leaning on the dryer in front of her. She was giving her a small, friendly smile, though Baby could see the playfulness, the slightest bit of a smirk.

"Oh, don't look so smug," she said with a huff. Charlie gave a jingle of humor and patted her claw.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Scott wasn't sure how long he had been asleep. The only reason he woke up was because someone was walking around beside the bed. He assumed Ennard, who probably came to make sure he was still breathing. A glance out of the corner of his eye showed that it was still light out, so he hadn't slept too long, and thus justified closing his eyes again to drift off.

He was just about to fade out when he felt metal brushing over his arm through his sleeve. Someone trying to rouse him, and he knew who it would be. "Ennard?"

So, he never expected it to be _Baby's_ soft voice answering him with an enticing, _"Hello, Scott.~"_

In an instant, Scott shot upwards, grabbing the hand on his arm and slowly realizing that it was made of wires. He felt over it to make sure before realizing he had been had. "Okay, very funny. I know it's you." The act dropped immediately with Ennard giggling and playfully ruffling Scott's hair. The man exhaled tiredly, "But I don't know if Baby would find that as funny."

"Not like she's gonna notice. She's too busy poking and prodding her new face to care about that!" Ennard pointed out. "She's looking great, by the way. Record time too! You slept way longer than she did."

"You're already finished?" Scott was slightly surprised as he looked back. Ennard was leaning over him, positively beaming through his mask and nearly trembling in excitement.

"Hell yeah, I did!" Ennard exclaimed. "Ha ha, didja have any doubts? I'm the best technician in this city!"

"I don't doubt that. That's- I can't really remember exact times, but that's faster than any of the technicians that worked at Freddy's. They used to drag it out for weeks… Then again, they might've been paid by the hour." Scott laid back down on the pillow and reached down to pet the cats that had curled up in a line beside him. "So, she's alright now?"

"Yup! Just showing off to the puppets and all that good stuff! You're not gonna believe what she did after she saw her face…" Ennard paused a moment as he noticed Scott's movements slowing back down. "Hey, I see what you're doing there. Come on, don't fall asleep on me." He began to poke Scott in the arm again. "I'm not done with you yet, Cupcake!"

"…Cupcake?" Scott was answered by a cold bottle being nudged against his hand. Glancing down he realized it was a bottle of water. He accepted it and started to sit upwards. "Thanks. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's not like I didn't sleep at all last night."

He certainly didn't drink enough if his sudden thirst was any indication, chugging down the water like his only lifeline. As soon as he lowered it for air, Ennard was back to poking him in the arm, but now with a granola bar. Again, Scott accepted it, and unwrapped it as the amalgam sat on the edge of the bed and attentively watched him.

"So… How are you feeling about all this?" Scott asked. Ennard talking would be a little less odd that him sitting there silently and watching him eat. "Working on someone else?"

"I feel _great!_ I can't remember the last time I tinkered around with a piece of hardware that wasn't me! Had to be Funtime Freddy, unless those plates out there count… Nah, it doesn't count if there isn't danger involved," he began to ramble. "And I actually made her look _good._ I couldn't even do that with my Halloween costume last year, ha ha!" He then looked back to the man. "But I wanted to come check up on ya since you've been sleeping sounder than the dead, cause I love ya that much.~"

"Thanks, I needed this." Scott rubbed his face tiredly. "I'm never going to sleep tonight."

"Aww, sure ya will! And if ya don't, you can just stay up all night with me and Baby watching the _tumultuous and desperate affairs of an undead monster and his passion-swept lover._ " Ennard briefly switched to the voice of the narrator of the soap opera. As usual, it was a spot-on impression. "As much as you gotta put up with me, at least I'm not draining all the women in the suburb, eh? Ha ha! Love ya."

"So, wait, Baby's not going back to the warehouse?" Scott asked. Then he paused as he realized that he still had the van. "Uh, well I guess not if I have the van and I'm still in bed. What time is it?" He leaned back to look past the clown and at the alarm clock. "…Six?! Okay, I know I'm not sleeping tonight." He exhaled in quiet acceptance and looked at Ennard.

Ennard was quietly staring back at him. It was as though he was waiting for something.

"Is something wrong?" Scott asked. There was a delay in the answer.

"With me? Nah! Nothing's wrong! I guess I'm just pretty tired too. It's been a really long night," Ennard insisted. Then his voice lost a little bit of its mirth and grew more serious. "I love you, Scott."

It was only at that moment that Scott realized that he was repeating that for a reason. He was trying to get Scott to say it back. Up until now it had just gone straight over the man's head, both through tiredness and because the amalgam had dropped it so casually. In fact, he had been saying it very frequently, and it was only at this moment- where there were no threats or distractions- that Scott began to wonder why. Maybe he knew it was an emotionally charged phrase because of TV and used it to show how much he cared, not grasping the full extent of what it meant.

To which Scott suddenly remembered what Ennard had said the night before about him always dismissing the amalgam as feeling like a real person. If he said it, whether it be a parental or friendly way, then he obviously meant it. The simple solution was to just say it back. He had done it last night so easily, accidentally, so he should've been able to say it now. Except something was stopping him. Something was wrong and Scott didn't know what it was. Something just felt different.

"Yeah. I, uh…" Scott swallowed thickly as he slowly worked the wrapper down further. He started to raise the granola bar and rushed out a few words before taking a bite. "I love you too."

He braced himself for Ennard to probably pull him into an uncomfortably tight hug, but not the delighted, vibrating hum that coursed through the other's wires. It was almost like some sort of strange animatronic purr; perhaps that most inhuman thing he had done all day. Scott wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but he was too distracted on the strange rush of heat and embarrassment that came immediately after saying those words.

" _It's not that big of a deal! I said it yesterday without problems,"_ he told himself. Then was caught off-guard by another fleeting thought: _"When was the last time someone told me they loved me and actually meant it?"_ William certainly never meant it. He would occasionally say it when he needed something, but Scott knew even then that they were empty words. At least he knew that Ennard meant it.

Ennard gave another light laugh. "Aww, I didn't mean to turn ya all red there! But maybe now that I got your blood going ya won't start conking out on me again," he playfully quipped. Just when Scott thought he was in the clear and began to chew at the granola, Ennard swooped in. "Come 'ere!" Then came the tight embrace that he was expecting. Wires nearly cutting off his air supply as he heard the faintest ' _squeak_ ' from somewhere. The amalgam with in another fit of giggles, sounding near delirious from the thrill of everything. Yes, he definitely meant it.

And it was while Scott tried to take another bite of the granola, trying to work around Ennard's comforting but smothering grip, that he suddenly realized he meant it too. Maybe that was why it was so hard to say, because he truly did love Ennard. Maybe a little too much. Maybe in a way that Ennard wouldn't understand, more than just a companion or friend. In a way that would break the laws of nature.

Maybe Scott was going to go to hell for this.

He dropped the bar in his stunned state, unsure what to make of the jarring realization. Then he slowly turned and returned Ennard's embrace. He knew it was wrong to feel tremors down his spine at the return of the humming, or to feel so comfortable in the sinful warmth of wires that weren't even supposed to feel warm. Ennard innocently held him close, innocently love him and cared for him, and would innocently assume that the shaking from the man was normal. All the while, Scott just relished in the feeling of being loved again.

He was definitely going to hell.

* * *

Foxy didn't usually have a problem being alone. Sometimes he even preferred it, especially when trapped in the tight confines of Jeremy's apartment. His many mini-tronics were constantly underfoot and climbing what they could, so quietness was a relief. Indeed, now should've been comfortable, as most of them were off distracting themselves in the bathroom. He wasn't sure what they were doing, but perhaps that was for the best. All except Max who was stuck in front of the television as he usually was, dictating what they were watching with the remote under his control.

Jeremy had only left a half hour before to go meet up with Fritz and Natalie. He wasn't sure if he was going to try the technician and his girlfriend about everything that happened, but chances were that they saw the news and assumed that it was Baby who went on a rampage. Jeremy would straighten them out. He was good at talking people down, as long as they weren't his relatives. This meant that Foxy was alone. Again, this would normally be fine, but now he was thinking of his earlier talk with Marionette. That and of Baby, of Elizabeth, and about the things he had said to his younger brother.

As usual, Jeremy had been right. There were some things that Foxy had not said to Marionette and now they were eating at him. Gnawing at his insides like the Minireenas had climbed into his suit to poke around at his endo. It was that familiar ache of guilt, because he had lied to Marionette. Or he left out way too much of the truth. Though that still made him as manipulative and heartless as his father in his eyes. All those things he had to pick and choose to say about Elizabeth, scorning her at pent-up frustration that was more at himself than at her, were shameful.

What he had said about Elizabeth was mostly correct. She would call him names and get him in trouble constantly. She was their father's favorite, the golden child, while he had been the forgotten mistake who never got so much as a shred of his parent's love and affection. She and had been an annoying and frustrating little sister that made him feel terrible.

…But she had been a wonderful _big_ sister.

When he was grounded or punished for bullying Marion in his youth, it had been because Elizabeth had told on him. Their father ignored Marion the most, nearly forgetting his existence on multiple occasions, but when his precious favorite drew it to his attention then he would do something. She effectively made Gabriel's life a nightmare by using their father against him, but usually it started because of something he had done to Marion first. If he would steal his toy, Elizabeth would find a way to get back at him, if not get it back for him. If he mocked him in front of his friends, she would brutally repeat her father's cold words in public.

Elizabeth and Marion played together too. She shared some of her toys- even if she did tend to be bossy when he was using them- and frequently invited him in on her games of make-believe. She had always been the better sibling, even when she sometimes treated Marion more like a playdate than a brother, because she still was there for him.

Now that Baby remembered being her it was only a matter of time that she would remember everything else. Then Marionette would remember their time together. The two would bond in a way that Foxy and he couldn't, as he had been the tormentor, forgiven but never forgotten. Foxy could already see it: he would drift back into the role as the unwanted sibling, the black sheep, and they would go on happily without him. It wasn't fair, but neither was he. Everything he had done had been of his own volition. Even now he was willingly lying to his brother, risking that bond they had rebuilt.

So, here he was, laying on a couch and moping while Marionette played the role of the good brother. The brother he should've been. He was going to lose him.

It was then that Foxy realized he had to do something. He sat upwards, staring ahead almost vacantly, and stood from the couch. Max glanced over in his direction but went ignored, with Foxy approaching the phone. He braced himself as he lifted the received and tapped out the number. Hopefully Jeremy wouldn't be too disappointed. He always was the more understanding one. It wasn't too long before there was an answer and the pirate greeted with faux cheer.

"Heya Lad! It be me, ol Foxy! Look, uh, things round here be pretty crowded an' I don't want to get Jer'my bored with me yet, so… Mind if I come stay with ya fer a couple of days?"

He needed to go home.

* * *

 **Mable: Don't worry, Scott's not going to break into a rendition of Hellfire anytime soon. XD Though I wouldn't put it past Ennard. He really goes straight for the dramatic. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! Enjoy!**

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-One_

Foxy deciding to suddenly move to Mike and Marionette's was unexpected. Especially when they had anticipated Baby to call any day and ask to come stay with them. That did not happen. Instead, Baby stayed at Scott's- more successfully this time- and Foxy returned to the Schmidt-Afton house.

The night Jeremy drove him over, Marionette had greeted him with open arms and then proceeded to spend the night awake with him, challenging infuriating video games and playing off one another like they were performing some sort of routine. Mike suspected it was the closest thing they had to some sort of practice rehearsal, and he wouldn't have been surprised if some of the exchanged quips ended up on a stage eventually. In short, they were having fun.

A week later and the fun was still going. Jeremy stopped by occasionally and usually offered for Foxy to come back to his apartment before leaving, but the pirate didn't seem willing to go. Instead, he pretty much made himself a fixture in the house. Not that it really bothered anyone. The only negative thing he possibly did was influence his brother into staying awake into the early morning. Once or twice Mike awoke at four or five in the morning to Marionette slipping into bed and curling up against his back. He was half surprised Foxy didn't follow him in considering how clingy the fox had been.

It was what had become the typical morning. Mike got back from a run at about eight-thirty to find Foxy back on the video games. This time he moved to the older system to take a whack at the game that Mike and Marionette had pretty much given up playing entirely, the cripplingly difficult one. Now the only joy they got from it was through getting others worked up trying to play it. From the way Marionette seemed to be watching Foxy more than the game, that might've been the exact intention. He had only just started so Mike knew he had enough time to shower before the real fun began.

Mike had only managed to get as far as stepping into the bathroom when the phone started ringing. He hesitated with the faint hope that someone else would get to it. Marionette considered it, going so far as to start to raise up when Foxy caught him by the wrist with his hook.

"Nah, Lad. Sit back down an' let ol' Foxy handle it," the pirate offered. He then leaned back and turned his head towards the hall.

" _OY! SCHMIDT! THE PHONE'S RINGING!"_

Foxy then turned ahead and unpaused the game, continuing on as usual. Marionette just stared at the older in silent disbelief as Mike returned down the hall.

"It's probably just Scott finally calling to unload Baby," Mike dismissed. Of course he would be getting calls when he was looking forward to showering off. Not to mention that it was rather early for anyone to call, especially Scott unless- jokes aside- something did happen and he had to get rid of Baby quickly. He answered the phone with, "Hello, hello."

"Hello, hello to you too," a dry voice answered. "It's me, Detective Burke. I was calling about the memorial this afternoon. I'm sure you've seen it on the news or in the paper."

Mike immediately cringed at the man's voice but struggled to sound as neutral as ever. "Uh, no. I sort of tuned the news out after they ran that story about the psychotic clown prowling the streets," he excused. It wasn't a lie either. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to ask for clarification on the memorial, but he did, in vague terms. "What's going on?"

"The Magictime Theater investigation has been closed. Dave Miller's toxicology report came back and the evidence is undeniable. We know exactly what happened that night."

" _Maybe not exactly,"_ Mike thought to himself. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or smug by it. Considering the delicate circumstances, relief was probably the safer bet.

"It's just for us to get accurate information out there and to ease the mind of the public. They're still understandably scared about the circumstances. While this isn't my idea of handling it, it's looking like this is what everyone needs to recover… And it was requested that you were there, since you're still seen as a hero in the case."

"Gee, that's great. But are you sure? I thought I was still the big suspect, because even though I went there to save a couple of kids I'm still held accountable for being a concerned citizen without blind belief in the police force. And because my name is Mike," Mike remarked. He hadn't wanted to let the bitterness through, but there it went. Mostly because he didn't trust the detective and could've easily believed this was some sort of trap. "What changed on that front?"

"Your background check went through and your alibi checked out. You've been, for the moment, cleared of any suspicion. Though if you did have anymore information, we could still use it," the detective goaded. Yet instead of being relieved, Mike found himself offended and defensive. He didn't even want to know how much of his past and family the delved into just to make sure he wasn't related to William Afton.

"Well, of _course_ my alibi checked out! What else did you think I was doing at Magictime?! I was fist-fighting Dave pretty much the whole time!" Mike vented. Suddenly the living room got very quiet. He realized that Foxy must have paused the game and now both he and Marionette were listening, cued in on something being amiss.

"I'm not talking about at the theater," Burke clarified. "I was talking about your alibi at Freddy's."

Even though he refused to show it or admit to it, a chill ran through Mike. It was unsettling hearing the detective talk about Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, even though he knew they were still looking into it. "Right. Sure."

"Mr. Schmidt, I understand why you are upset. Honestly, I do, but you must know why we had to look as close as we did. Both you and Dave were connected with two establishments where children went missing." Mike gave another dismissive "Right" as an answer. "You're not obligated to come and you not coming isn't going to make you look suspicious. I'm sure you want to get on with your life and your restaurant, but I think you should be here."

Mike huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered saying 'no'. He wanted nothing to do with the detective, but regardless of what he said, it would look odd if he didn't go. "Alright, what would I have to do?"

"It's at the courthouse and it'll be starting at ten on the dot… And wear something nice. It'll be televised."

"What does that mean?" Mike asked in a mutter.

"It means I've seen you in the same uniform jacket every time we meet up. Halloween and funerals shouldn't be the only time you change." It almost sounded like amusement on his voice, but Mike was less than impressed by the sudden display of a joke. "Thanks for doing this. I'll see you then." The phone call ended shortly afterwards, and he hung up the phone.

"Should've been Scott," Mike muttered as he turned away towards the living room. He immediately noticed both Marionette and Foxy looking over the back of the couch. "…So, that was my parole officer calling to check in," he said sarcastically.

"What the bloody 'ell was all that?!" Foxy asked in disbelief. Then he suddenly perked, head snapping to Marionette as he had an epiphany, and gravely added, "It be that detective again, wasn't it? Blast that lead-legged landlubber."

"I don't have any clue what that's supposed to mean, but yeah, it was him. Calling to badger me about going to some sort of ceremony or memorial that's going to be-…" Mike started to gesture towards the TV when it finally clicked. He smacked his hand to his face. " _Christ,_ he's going to have me get up and talk in front of a bunch of people. I just knew it, knew there was some reason he would want me in there. "Ease the mind of the public"- what a sham." He came up to the back of the couch and looked down at the Puppet. "He wants to use me as a figurehead to show that the system works!"

"What?" Marionette asked in confusion with a tilt of his head.

"Think about it: he wants to ease the public and get them to stop asking questions, just like everyone wanted with Freddy's. So, he gets me up there to show that someone was able to stop Dave Miller, thus making people feel safer if they believe some random guy has their kids' back. And in the end, it just makes the cops look better because people stop asking why they didn't notice something was up beforehand. It's genius!" Mike gave a frustrated glare at the paused game on the screen. "You know what I should do? I should get up on that stage and remind everyone that the Purple Man's still on the loose."

Foxy's patch flew up and he turned on Mike. "Ya do that and I'm putting my hook straight through yer-!"

"I'm not actually going to do it!" Mike exclaimed with a roll of his eyes. "Burke isn't worth sabotaging the business for, but still you get what I mean."

"Yeah… Yeah, ya got a point…" Foxy agreed as he looked away. He grumbled lightly. "He let him walk over an' over again. Let Dave walk too." At this, Mike looked back to Marionette.

"Hey, but Burke said they got his toxicology back. That means they wrapped up his autopsy. Maybe someone could tell me what ended up killing him," he pointed out. The Puppet looked slightly thoughtful about it, if only because he was still unsure whether he directly led to the man's death or not. "I'm going to take a bet now and say he was flying like a kite."

"Won't that seem suspicious if you're asking people about how Dave died?" Marionette doubtfully asked. "Just because Burke is claiming that you're not a suspect doesn't mean that you really aren't. For all we knew, he invited you so that he might watch your reaction to the news and read your responses."

"…Thanks. That makes me feel a lot less nervous," Mike remarked with the slightest bit of amusement. "I have no doubt that's his plan, but he's not getting anything from me. He wants a figurehead? I'll be the best damn figurehead he can get. I'll be a model citizen for however long this last, and all it'll do is look good on the business." He accepted it like a challenge, as though Burke directly said that he believed he would do something incriminating. "Now if you excuse me, I need to go hose down and find something normal-looking." He sent Marionette a wink before turning to head down the hall.

The Puppet leaned over the back of the couch and called after him, "Just try not to get yourself in too deep!" As soon as the bathroom door shut, he looked to Foxy. "I'm concerned."

"Why? Man can't crack open a briefcase, let alone a murder case. Couldn't put Dad away and he left his stuff all other the place," Foxy pointed out. He started the game back up and began to play, with his patch still staying up so that he could watch with both eyes. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes and noticed Marionette still watching down the hall. "I don't know what yer thinkin', but don't think it. I see that look in yer eyes."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about me." Marionette got a more playful smile. "You have your hands full already." He continued to watch the game.

Time moved unfortunately quickly, and soon enough Mike was forced to leave and head to what he was now convinced was a publicity stunt. Determined to go or not, the true challenge was dragging himself out the door and into the car. A perfectly nice and sunny day poured through the windows, but he was brought down by the matter at hand. Not that he had anywhere else to go anyway. He had already called and informed Fritz and Jeremy and both had agreed that this sounded like a bad idea, but at this point he was stubborn enough to go.

Or maybe he was just still riding off the high of Magictime Theater. He could believe that too, even if he didn't want to admit to it.

The courthouse was conjoined with the police station. It was a somewhat unimpressive building that could've gone easily unnoticed. Mike himself had driven past it numerous times without knowing it was there until recently. Usually the parking lot was rather barren, but today most of the spaces were taken, causing him to park down closer to the police station. He took only a moment to brace himself before stepping out of the car and walking down towards the courthouse.

He was halfway there, mentally reciting anything he needed to remember to leave out, when he noticed something moving out of the corner of his eye. There were narrow columns along the front of the courthouse, and he swore, just for a moment, that he saw something dark move behind one. Suspicion crept up as he squinted through the bring sun.

"Mari?" Mike took a few steps to the side until he could see behind the column. There was nothing there, and he looked around quickly, then back towards the car. No sign of anything and he started to consider that he might've been seeing things, as he hadn't felt that familiar twisting sensation when the Puppet teleported nearby. _"Great time to start hallucinating,"_ he thought as he turned and continued into the courthouse.

There was an uncomfortable chill in the building as Mike approached the front desk. He wasn't sure to make of it other than a feeling of discomfort. The clerk looked up to address him and he got straight to the point. "I'm here for the…" He promptly blanked on a proper title for what he was going to. It didn't help that the only thing that came to mind was: _"HCPD PR stunt."_ Eventually he spat out, "Magictime Theater Memorial?"

"Right down that hall, third door to the right," the woman said as she pointed it out with a friendly smile. He had a feeling that this was the only genuine warm welcome he would be receiving. Still, he followed the directions and found the room.

The room looked packed, but it was only because the room itself wasn't even as big as the pizzeria's dining hall. As expected, there was a camera crew already waiting in the front and off to the side. Mike could see Detective Burke talking with others in the front and decided not to get his attention and instead sat in the back row, as far from anyone as he could. It took ten minutes before the memorial began. Any longer and Mike would've considered sneaking back out.

Unsurprisingly, Burke was the one to take to the podium. Even from in the back Mike could hear the soft clicking of cameras snapping photos. Burke looked as grim as could be, draped in a dark suit as he looked out over the seated onlookers, barely acknowledging the cameras watching him.

"For months, our city has lived in a fog of fear. Parents afraid their children won't come home after school. Children afraid that the monsters they thought were under their bed are out on the street, ready to attack in broad daylight. Well, they were right. There was one monster, and even though he is no longer a threat to himself or others, Dave Miller lingers as a reminder that no city big or small is without its demons," Burke began. "But what happened at Magictime was a wake up call for us all. Since then, we've been looking closer, we've been scared, waiting for it to happen again. Today I am here to tell you that the nightmare is over."

There was some shuffling in the seats, maybe a low cough, and Mike watched silently with his arms folded across his chest.

"We have finally closed the case on Magictime Theater. We've found that Dave Miller acted alone, and while his motives are still unclear his toxicology reports alone show that he was a very sick man. Dave Miller became a terror to all, but it was the drugs in his system that made him like that. While we cannot condone or excuse his behavior, this too should be a wake-up call. If not for his vices, Dave Miller could've just been a normal man. Under the right circumstances, anyone can become Mr. Miller." He paused for emphasis. "But we can't fear him anymore. He's gone and we must find a way to move on."

This almost sounded like a good thing. For a second, Mike started to agree with the man. Or, at least, saw this announcement as a positive thing. Maybe this could do well for the community.

"But unfortunately, Dave Miller's actions brought light on a tragedy that we have been trying to recover from for many years: the missing children of Hurricane City."

Or maybe this was about to sink Foxy's in a terrible way.

"Years ago, multiple children went missing at or around local restaurants Fredbear's Family Diner and Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. These children were never found, and during our investigation we found out that Dave Miller was a worker at one or both establishments. But due to the timing of the disappearances and alibis, it is not possible that he could've kidnapped these children… Which means that even though Dave Miller is gone, there may still be a threat on the streets," Burke announced. "…But we cannot continue to live in fear. The missing children case has been reopened and I promise you now, I will bring their kidnapper to justice, come hell or high water."

" _Hell is right, Burke. That's where you're going to have to find him,"_ Mike remarked. Though his jaw then clenched tightly. _"We are so screwed. They're going to find out about what happened with Chance-."_

A crackling static noise briefly appeared. As soon as Mike heard it, it seemed to disappear. He straightened and quickly looked over the back of his chair. There was nothing there and he leaned to try and look under the seats. Again, it sounded like the familiar sounds of the Puppet, but it had been so abrupt that it could've been a mistake. Either he was hallucinating, or Marionette was here but hiding extremely well. He slowly turned ahead again, paying attention to the detective again.

"Back when we first investigated these disappearances there was little evidence to go on. Now we will be looking back into the other employees at the restaurant, including those who may have been close with Mr. Miller. We are not saying that we believe another employee may have been connected to these disappearances, but it is now clear that unless we find out the truth about the past it will repeat itself in the future. It is our goal to get to the bottom of this so that we may protect the community, so that you may sleep safely at night," the detective explained. "If we can take a moment to remember the missing children-."

" _Mike."_

The sudden voice echoed in his head. Mike's eyes popped open at the strange sensation as he recognized the voice. "I knew it," he murmured under his breath. He looked around to make sure nobody else noticed. Considering that he was alone on the back row and nobody was in the immediate seats in front of him, he wasn't heard. He continued to look ahead as to not look suspicious. "I knew I saw you out there."

" _I want to show you something."_

"Now?" Mike was in disbelief, especially with how strangely cryptic the other's voice sounded. He couldn't imagine how he could be shown something in front of everyone. He was answered by dark hands suddenly sliding around his head and covering his eyes. All at once he was struck by a strange feeling of disassociation. He could vaguely hear the detective still speaking and could feel the chair underneath him, _but it was foggy._

 _Slowly he started to see something else through darkness. He couldn't make sense of much except that he looked like he was staring into an office. Inside were two men; one was obviously Detective Burke while the other looked, surprisingly enough, to be Henry. They both were younger, and he deduced quickly that he was seeing a distant memory. He couldn't look around at the room as the vision seemed to be stuck at a single angle. He could just sit there and watch._

 _Then came the voices, just loud enough to eclipse the background noise of the detective's continued speech._

" _William? No. No, William and I go back far. He was there for Sammy's birth. He's running this pizzeria with me for goodness sake! I know he wasn't involved," Henry said in a protesting tone. From what Mike could see and hear, he looked exhausted even through the fogginess of the vision. "And he went home early that night. It couldn't have been him."_

" _We've spoken to everyone who was in the pizzeria and the only one who can't be accounted for was Mr. Afton. There are also some… Rumors about his behavior. He's been acting strange since the disappearance?" Detective Burke pressed further. "One of the workers said he hasn't been back to the pizzeria since then."_

" _That's not true. William is taking this just as hard as I am. He just doesn't handle things well. He's… Been spending time down at the bar. God knows I would be too… but I can't even sleep. Not until we find Sammy. Then I'll sleep." There was a long pause between the two men._

" _Henry, I know that this is hard for you, but I can't rule him out as a suspect. Unless someone can verify that he was at home, we're going to continue with the case with him as the primary suspect. There is nobody else," the detective insisted. Henry got this look of horror for a moment._

" _You're going to waste time going after William, my business partner, when the man who kidnapped my son is still out there?!" Henry's despair quickly changed to anger. He hesitated a moment as the detective's silence answered him. Then he got this strangely calm look. "…William called me from his house. I know he was home because I could hear his children in the background."_

 _Mike wasn't sure what it was but somehow he knew Henry was lying. Maybe it was the abruptness or the added details or the strange shuddering feeling through his back. Henry was covering for William. Though he was looking down and away, hands tightened, and looked extremely suspicious. It wasn't believable. Nobody could possibly believe this._

"… _If you're certain you could put him at home, then maybe there has been a mistake. I'll need the time of the phone call." Bizarrely enough, maybe because Henry was the father of the missing child, the detective did believe him. Mike wondered if he had ever investigated William after that, or if that was why he was investigating Afton Robotics now. "We will find your son," he promised just as easily as he was now on the stage. Henry tiredly covered his face, as though he was already regretting what he had done._

 _Then, for a split second, Mike saw a seizing bear suit standing in Henry's place._

And then the illusion was ripped away as Marionette drew back his hands. Mike had a painful pang in his head that lasted only a few seconds before he was back in the room, listening to Detective Burke, sitting in the back and trying to comprehend what he had just seen. He was given a few seconds to recover before he felt one of the hands wrapping around his wrist and heard the Puppet's voice. Compared to the vision, the telepathic words were little more than a tingling in his head.

" _I don't hold it again Henry, I don't hold it against the detective or police… But in the end, they let us down, and him trying to make up for it can't change that. It can't-…"_ Marionette cut off abruptly and only gave a single warning. " _He's talking about you."_

"What?" Mike paid attention to the detective again as Marionette released him and seemingly disappeared somewhere behind the chair. He was right though, as the conversation had turned to the night guard.

"-And to know that one man risked his life to save these children is an inspiration to us all. If he would be willing, I would be glad to step aside so that Mr. Schmidt may say a few words." Even though he put it such sugary words it confirmed Mike suspicions about him being there to talk. He stood from his seat and started heading to the front.

" _What am I supposed to say after seeing this? Or better yet, after that long tangent on Freddy's? These people probably know all about Foxy's. If they don't, I'm sure he'll bring them up to speed."_ Mike felt more uncomfortable as he stepped up to the podium. His heart pounded so hard that he was beginning to feel the slightest bit out of sorts. He fought back what started to feel like growing anxiety. _"Pull it together, Mike! You don't know who's going to be watching this."_

He stood at the podium and looked at the people watching. They were only a fraction of those who might be watching on television- though considering the time of day, he could've also believed that nobody would be watching. This would still be undeniable recorded evidence of whatever he was going to say, so he needed to watch his words.

Or that was the plan before he spotted a single child in an audience of adults.

It was the youngest child who had been kidnapped. The toddler was being held by an older woman who looked just old enough to be his grandmother with an equally aged man seated beside them. The boy seemed to be awake but was hugging onto her and resting his head on her shoulder as she patted his back. He looked positively exhausted, but it was a relief to see that he wasn't crying.

And suddenly Mike realized why Marionette really showed him that memory: because history _was_ repeating itself. All it took was one's man's dismissal to let everyone involved off the hook. Maybe they could've caught William early if Henry hadn't said anything, maybe not, but the fact was that nobody had been found accountable.

Nobody would've found those children at Magictime. If Burke wanted him to say something then he would say something, and he wasn't going to sugarcoat it.

"I walked down into a basement and found three children being kept in a dirty room with nothing but a mattress and some garbage," Mike said matter-of-factly. "Me, I, some random guy who was only there because a girl was snatched right in front of me, walked down into that basement and found those kids who had been missing for weeks. I knew about the disappearance near Magictime, I was aware people were searching the desert, but all I had to do was walk down there. It was that easy." His deadpanned delivery began to wane as apathy turned to anger. He tapped his fingers on the podium and clicked his tongue. "Why'd it take that long?"

There was a foreboding silence on the room. "Why if the last kid disappeared at Magictime Theater, a small building with- from what I know- only three staff members, did it take _me_ to find them? I'm not a hero. To be frank, I'm a direct competitor with Magictime Theater. I should be glad they're closed, but I'm not, because I've got to live with the fact that if that little girl didn't get taken, I would've never stepped in." That wasn't entirely true, considering his and Marionette's plan to go down there, but he wasn't foolish enough to blurt any of that out.

"And let me say something about Dave Miller. All of us pretending like Dave had us fooled- I don't know how many of you met Dave Miller, but I was with him for five seconds and you could tell he wasn't all there. To think that nobody looked at this strung out man and had the inkling of a suspicion- or even checked the basement of that building- is _ridiculous_. I don't know what the owner could've said that was so convincing that nobody thought to look. But let's go reopen that old case that also didn't get solved. Maybe there's a basement there we can go check."

Mike now decided to rein himself in. Anger was covered by a painfully fake smile. "But hey, the kids are safe! Why worry about what might've been now, am I right? I thank God everyday that those kids are safe. Sure, maybe it should've never gotten to that point, and maybe we're all going to have to live with the nightmares, but it could've been worse. It could've been worse."

With that, Mike stepped away from the podium, down the steps, down past the chairs, straight out of the conference room, out of the courthouse, and back to his car. Not looking back once.

It was only once he was sitting in the car with the door shut that he collapsed against the steering wheel. He thumped his head against it slowly to try and quiet the mental scolding he was giving himself. _"What in the hell did I just do?! I was supposed to be subtle- how was that subtle?! If Burke had a target on my back before, he's coming out for blood now! One job, Mike, one job! Say thank you and walk off stage- what even was that basement comment?!"_

He was cut off by a familiar hand reaching from the backseat and laying on his back. "Well, I did it this time. We're screwed," Mike pointed out. "I just made a big scene and made Foxy's a big-ass target for the police."

"Maybe…" Marionette hesitated a moment. He knew very well that this could've triggered the ire of the police force, but on the other hand he wasn't sure if it wasn't already there. "…Or maybe you said what needed to be said."

"That detective's had it in for me for months. That's the only reason he wanted me down here was to spring on that Freddy's investigation and then drag me up in front of the cameras," Mike complained. He raised his head up with an exhale. "Foxy is going to tear me to shreds when we get home."

"That might be a possibility, but we aren't due home for a while.… Maybe we can go somewhere else?" Marionette suggested. He continued to comfortingly pat the man's back. "I think that I'm more than capable of staying out of sight. If I can do it in a room of people, then I should be able to do it… In a movie theater? That should be empty this time of day."

"Are movie theaters even open this early?" Though there was a better question to ask once Mike realized how odd it was that they were talking about going to the movies after what he had done. It was almost like the Puppet was entirely unfazed. He looked back at Marionette in disbelief. "This is not the reaction I was expecting. I'm still waiting for you to lose it."

"And you'll be waiting quite a bit longer," the striped one playfully answered. He seemed to be smiling a little too brightly. Mike narrowed his eyes suspiciously and Marionette chimed lightly. "It's a shame that you weren't able to see Mr. Detective from the back of the house-." Mike swore and dropped his head again. "-Because the look on his face when you very clearly questioned his investigative work, or lack thereof, was _pure gold_."

"Oh yeah? Think Henry would find it that funny?" Mike muttered.

The Puppet chuckled and gave him another reassuring pat. "He would find it _hysterical._ "

"…You know, I always assumed I was the bad influence of the relationship. Turns out you can give just as much as you can take," Mike said matter-of-factly. He drug himself upright and looked back towards him. "So… movies?"

Marionette agreed eagerly. They needed something to celebrate this momentous occasion. Perhaps it would put them in a worse position, but it was worth the cathartic buzz trembling through his strings. The consequences could come later.

* * *

There was soft and quick knocking on the bedroom door before it started creaking open. "Oy, Charlie?" Foxy quietly called in. He leaned further into the room. "Lass, ya awake?"

The Security Puppet roused slowly and turned over in bed. "What time is it…?" She noticed the alarm clock and was disappointed in how late it was. " _I can't keep sleeping in like this. Starting tomorrow I'm setting the alarm._ " She then looked up and saw Foxy in the doorway. "Morning, Foxy. Is something wrong?"

"Aye. They be talkin' 'bout you on TV." Charlie's eyes widened in surprise. "Didn't know if ya'd wanna see it or not but I wanted to give ya the chance."

"They're talking about me?" she asked in surprise as she climbed out of bed. She climbed out so quickly that she wobbled on her legs, something she hadn't done in some time. "Is it something about what happened at the theater?"

"Yeah. Some sort o' press thing. It ain't been nothin' special… Except Schmidt tryin' his hardest to sink Foxy's ship." He added the last part as a mutter under his breath as he led her down the hall.

It wasn't until they were in the living room that she realized they were alone. "Where's Mike and Mari? They can't still be asleep," Charlie asked.

"Told ya, out at this thing. Schmidt was on ten minutes ago making my life more difficult. Got the evidence all on tape," Foxy explained as he dropped onto the couch to watch the television. Charlie went to sit down beside him. "An' Mari went into his bedroom an' never came back, which means he's prob'ly in Schmidt's car waitin' this out." He muttered more to himself with a shake of his head, but then faded off when it looked like something was happening.

" _-But to have a life filled with promise cut so short is a tragedy that will scar this city for years to come,"_ Detective Burke solemnly wrapped up. Just seeing him looking upset was an uncomfortable change. Charlie couldn't help but feel strangely uncomfortable in her own skin. _"Now one of Charlotte's closest friends is here to say a few words."_ He stepped aside and a familiar, young man stepped up to the podium.

Seeing John after so long made something tighten in Charlie's chest. It felt like gears and springs getting twisted together, but she couldn't look away, frozen on him as he set a paper down on the podium. Probably a speech he had written in advance. Foxy glanced towards her with the intention of asking about him but decided not to once he caught one glance at her leaning forward and staring intently. He remained quiet and she watched as John sent a small smile towards whoever was watching in the audience. He looked so somber and just like Burke it was hard to watch him, but she could handle it.

She really believed she could handle it.

" _Charlie had a beautiful smile,"_ the young man began. _"I know that might sound like such a small thing to start with. Everybody smiles… but nobody smiled like Charlie. Subdued, honest, full of warmth and care. She could light up a room in seconds. She was our candle, lighting up the darkness wherever she went. She was bright too- forgive my pun there. She was studying robotics in St. George, and we all just knew that she was going to create something amazing. We were just waiting for the day when she was going to change the world for the better…"_ His smile started to fade, but he forced it to stay. "… _It's hard to believe that she's gone."_

Black fingers dug into the edge of the couch. Charlie couldn't look away, even as something warned her in the back of her mind that it would only get worse. She could just stare and listen.

" _Everything we were going to do together, the lives we were going to share, its all gone. In one night, we all went from knowing she would be there to never being able to see her. To not getting to hold her one last time. There wasn't any warning, nobody could've told us that our lives would be shattered, and now they have. There is a hollow crater left where she once was. To think… To think that we will never see her smile again, or hear her voice ever again… It's hard to come to terms with. We haven't come to terms with it… I haven't come to terms with it. I'm still waiting for Charlie to come home. I'm still waiting to see her again."_

Foxy could hear the low clinking and clanking echoing through the chest of the animatronic beside him. He looked out of the corner of his eye, watching her carefully.

" _But Charlie's death wasn't in vain_ ," John managed to pull himself together enough to say. _"She saved a little girl's life that night at the cost of her own. That… That was the Charlie I knew. The Charlie I knew would've given her life to protect an innocent, and even though we lost her she will survive through that, through our memories, through the smiles and laughs that we shared together. She's not really gone. She's still the candle, the flicker of hope that keeps us going. And in that way… Charlie isn't really gone. She will forever be a part of us."_

That was what did it. The Security Puppet suddenly was hit by a wave of dysphoria. All at once all those things she was fine with- losing school, losing her friends, losing her future- all came back with a vengeance. Another wave of mourning swept over her. She didn't feel like a part of her body. Realizing that she couldn't handle anymore, that she had to pull herself together, she stood from the couch.

Foxy's ears perked as he turned to look at her. "You alright, Lass?"

Her voice wasn't going to work, she knew that already. She answered with a dismissive raise of her hand and turned to head towards the hallway. She had only taken a few steps towards her room when it suddenly dawned on her that it wasn't really her room. This wasn't her home, this wasn't her body- she really wasn't Charlie at all.

John's words were a cold reminder that they were right; warm, smiling, lively Charlie was now sitting in a cold box under the dirt. She was dead to them, and she was pressing on with nothing to live for. She felt like she was the hollow void, filled with strings and gears, puppeteering herself to be like a human.

And suddenly Charlie couldn't hold it all back. It rushed forth with a broken tune and an outpour of blue paint rushing down her face. She started weeping on the spot.

In a second, Foxy had sprung from the couch and rushed to her, trying to pull her into an embrace. She briefly fought him, trying to keep herself turned away and not wanting to embarrass herself further, but he was persistent. She finally gave in and was pulled tightly against him, but by then she just allowed herself to slump against his chest and cry. She cried until she wasn't feeling anything and even then, the tears weren't stopping.

"It's okay, Lass. It's gonna be okay. Let it out. Let 'em all out," Foxy coaxed. He turned his hook around to rub her back while his hand held and patted her back through her jacket. He now regretted waking her to show her. He should've anticipated something like this, but on the other hand there was part of him that knew he had to show her. Though that part was starting to slowly rethink itself after this sort of reaction. "Lemme just… Shut that off?"

"No, I'm fine," Charlie choked out. She started to draw back and tried to wipe at her face to stop the blue paint from dripping down. Then she made the mistake of glancing back towards the television just in time to see her aunt stepping up to stand alongside John. "Please, yes, just shut it off!"

She covered her eyes to try and stop the tears as Foxy snatched up the remote and turned off the television, ignoring the fact that he was still technically recording with the VCR. The tears weren't like human tears; if she was still human she would've been able to withhold herself, but these continued to flow like it was a function she didn't know how to control. A faucet she couldn't shut off. Yet there was the pirate still trying to assure her like they had it under control.

"There. It's all off, Lass. All over with." Foxy continued trying to comfort as best as he could. "I'm real sorry. I shouldn't of even pushed ya into it."

"I just thought it was going to get easier," Charlie crackled out. "How am I supposed to get anywhere if every time I see them- Look at this!" All at once her anguish turned to horror at the amount of blue. She looked to him and noticed the paint down his front. "Look at you!"

"Aww, don't worry 'bout that. I'm used to a lil paint now and then. Usually in purple," Foxy shrugged off. He tried to rub at it with his hook but only succeeded in spreading it. "Eh. It'll burn off eventually."

"I got to get this cleaned up before Mari and Mike get home. I can't let them see this," Charlie insisted. She was flustered, desperately clinging to any sort of distraction. Think of the paint, think of how to clean up, and don't think about anything else. Don't think of the ache and maybe the tears wouldn't come back. She couldn't afford to leave anymore stains than she was. "I don't even think we have fabric cleaner."

"Calm down, it be under the bathroom sink. Lemme go get it. You just sit down." Then, considering that once it dried it would be much harder to get off, Foxy made a mad dash to the bathroom. Charlie was left alone and collapsed on the armrest of the armchair, staring down at the stains on her chest and lap.

Even crying wasn't the same. Every part of this body was different, inhuman, and while she had gotten used to it that didn't mean that she had gotten used to all of it. She had been that warm person before, who got a racing heart and butterflies in her belly when John and she would share those intimate moments, those fleeting smiles. Now she felt the metal twisting inside, strings in her arms coiling and mechanics inside tightening, and had become so used to it that it was hard even imagining how it used to feel. Even remembering what it was like to breathe felt so strange.

Then came a creeping fear as the Security Puppet thought back on those fading sensations. It was almost like she never felt them at all; like life didn't exist before. Come to think of it, Marionette had never explained how he had moved her soul into this body, and she wasn't even entirely sure how a soul would function or work. Suddenly more uncomfortable questions were coming forth. She was always too curious for her own good.

It was then that Foxy returned. He squirted the fabric with the cleaner, ripped off a few paper towels from a roll tucked under his arm, and began to rub at the paint. It had to work. The bottle looked old enough to have been there before Mike was, which meant it was probably the go-to when cleaning up less innocent messes. He knelt on the floor and continued to scrub aggressively.

"See? Coming up fine," he offered to her. "And that's sayin' somethin', if'n ya count all the stains hidden under these pillows. Never go flippin' 'em, Lass." There was no answer and he continued working, hoping that she just needed some time to think. He couldn't have even guessed what question was about to come seemingly out of the blue.

"Am I really Charlie?"

The question was enough to catch Foxy off-guard and he looked back to her. "What?"

"What am I now? Am I really Charlie in a different body, or am I just an animatronic who thinks I'm her? Is it just programming?" the Security Puppet asked. She looked down at her blue stained hands and watched her flexing fingers. "There was so much programming in Baby that she couldn't even remember who she was. What if I'm the same way just in reverse? I just believe that I'm Charlie when I'm not," She gave a sigh and a twang in her chest and dropped her head into her hands. "I can't even remember anything after seeing those headlights."

"Lass, don't go down that road. Yer workin' yerself up 'bout nothing," Foxy encouraged. It didn't seem like those words did much to help. With a patient sigh of his own, he set the paper towels aside and went over to her. He laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She let her arms drop and looked up to him. She reminded him so much of Marionette. Maybe that was why he was already going so soft. "I can't tell ya what happened that night. Even if I could, I don't think ya really wanna hear it. Some things be better off left unsaid."

"But how can I ever be certain?" Charlie pressed. "Something feels wrong, Foxy. I might feel upset, but I don't think I'm the same person John was talking about on that stage." She sent a somber look back at the television. "I'm sure he would agree if he saw me now…"

"That's cause ya ain't. Nobody stays the same, 'specially not when we're switchin' bodies. Ya grow into it," he reassured. He then leaned on the back of the armchair. "…I don't know about all this soul stuff, but I've seen 'em with me own eyes." She looked surprised and he tapped his hook to his chest. "Cross me heart, dead men tell no tales. Once this body's been broken down ya start seein' some weird things. Ya don't see bots and bears and bunnies. Ya see _humans._ Don't know if they choose what they look like er if it's the _aye_ of the beholder, but they be humans in these metal bones."

"So, you've seen others…" Charlie hesitantly accepted. She had no reason to doubt him, even if it seemed so shockingly unbelievable. "Have you seen Mari?"

"Aye. I've seen him an' me friends."

"Could you see me?" she asked a little more desperately. He hesitated, not wanting to disappoint her, and then patted her shoulder.

"Tell ya what. Next time I get all battered up, come find me an' I'll tell ya what I see. I'm due fer some sorta disfiguring accident one of these days." He saw the slightest glimpse of hesitance, with her not too fond of the idea of him getting battered. He knew that he probably wasn't helping as much as he wanted to. "The point is that yer Charlie… And considerin' all that's going on, yer doin' just fine."

"So, chances are that I am Charlie… Just not the one I used to be," the Security Puppet rationalized as she looked back to her lap. "That should make me feel better." But it didn't. Everything John had said was going to loom over her, like clouds that refused to clear. "…I think I was in love with him."

In response, Foxy put an arm around her and pulled her into half of a hug. "Figured as much. Just take it one step at a time," he encouraged. "One day at a time."

After all, that's how he did it… Or was doing it. He could only hope he was helping.

* * *

 **Mable: Because the first thing you want after being pulled off a suspect list is to antagonize the cops. Maybe Mike is the bad influence. XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Mable: Okay, so… Really rough week. I'd rather not go into the circumstances, but everything came to a standstill and that's why the chapter is so late. I won't delay it any further. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-Two_

It turned out that the movies were a good idea. The theater in town was small, but opened at ten in the morning, meaning that the place was empty except for the staff. Alone in a dark theater with nothing between them except a bag of popcorn; it was the closest that Mike and Marionette had gotten to the stereotypical date. The movie was moderately better than the fair on television, a basic comedy, but the thrill of it was knowing that at any second they might've had the smallest chance of being caught. Probably a foolish risk considering that Mike had just been broadcasted over the air to who knows how many people.

Though as soon as the film was over, they mutually decided that the smartest thing was to head back home. If only to get through Foxy's blowup without him calling around. It was only after they drove away from the theater that Mike realized he had never turned his cellphone on that morning, which got an almost nervous chime out of the Puppet. As though he was already imagining the pirate blowing steam. In fact, he waited until Mike was opening the front door before teleporting inside. They entered almost at the same time, and Foxy was already waiting for them.

"'Bout time you two got back," the pirate muttered. He had his arms crossed and was giving them the most disgruntled look he could. From how he looked, they could've believed that he was standing there for hours, but it was more likely that he had just heard the car pull in. Though what was confusing was how suppressed he was. "Where'd ya go, the pizzeria?"

"Just around town. Nowhere too exciting," Marionette dismissed. He'd tell Foxy about the movie later, he knew that his brother already knew that he had went to the memorial but wouldn't clarify how far inside he went. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, nothing's wrong," Foxy said with his right ear twitching like it did when something was wrong. "Just saw some o' that on TV is all. It ain't fun." That almost explained it. It would've made sense that he was upset about what Mike said on TV, but he wasn't acting like that was what was bothering him.

"Just checking… Where's Charlie?" Only now did the Puppet realize her disappearance. Foxy pointed his hook back at the couch.

As though summoned by the voices, Charlie straightened up on the couch so that she could be seen over it. "I'm here," she said. Her voice almost sounded weak. As soon as she wasn't looking, Mike and Marionette exchanged a look, then he looked to Foxy. He knew from the fox's gaze alone that he found the source of his distress. The striped one turned his attention fully to the other puppet and approached the couch.

"Afternoon, Charlie! I hope you slept well," Marionette greeted. His gaze fell to the photo album opened in her lap. "What are you up to?"

"Not much, really. Just looking at some of these old photos…" the Security Puppet tiredly answered. Her head was nearly hanging as she looked down at the rows of photos. They were mostly pictures of a younger her with other children playing or posing together. They were the same children, so it was clear that they were her friends. "I just got a little nostalgic," she added. There was an obvious somberness that he picked up on immediately. Before he could ask, Foxy took his shoulder.

"Lad, I was thinkin'. Why don't ya get that old, unholy Freddy game out? I ain't turnin' that game back on until I get this crick outta my wrist." Foxy punctuated the statement by rolling his hand. His wrist gave a light squeak of protest. "An' I be bored as sin. Go get it, wherever it is."

The Puppet was positively stunned by the suggestion. He was prepared to question it when Foxy gestured his gaze down towards the Security Puppet, as though signaling something about Charlie. Maybe he wanted to get her away from the photo album. Come to think of it, that might've been a good idea considering how somber she sounded. "That sounds like a great idea! I'll go get it. It's in my bedroom," Marionette simply answered before starting towards the hall.

Charlie noticed him leaving and her head snapped up to him. After a second of consideration, she set the photo album aside and stood to follow. "Wait. I'll come with you," she offered after him, hurrying to catch up in the hallway. They disappeared into the bedroom while Foxy watched from the couch. Mike came over to him and leaned against the back of it.

"That was probably a mistake. I don't know if you remember, but once you start one of those games it never ends," Mike pointed out. Foxy gave a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"That? Nah… Ya know what the real mistake was?" Suddenly, Foxy blindsided Mike by spinning around and jabbing him in the bicep with his hook. The security guard shirked back with a hiss as the pirate bellowed, "Letting ya get out the door w _hen I knew you were gonna do something stupid!"_ He took another swing, just missing Mike who ducked out of the way." _What the hell was that?!_ Why didn't ya just smack him across the face and demand a duel, ya bloody fish head?!" Refusing to let Mike get away, he grabbed him by the shoulder and pointed his hook at his chest. "As soon as ya hear anything 'bout Freddy's, ya walk out!"

"Yeah, because that's not suspicious," Mike retorted. Though he immediately backtracked once he considered his position. He raised a hand in defense and used the other to push down Foxy's hook. "Look, I know it was stupid, but I couldn't just stand there while Burke pretended like he was swooping in to save the day. Mari brought me up to speed on how great he really was during the Freddy investigation."

"What investigation? The whole lot of 'em gave up days after starting the case," Foxy muttered. He then gave an exhausted huff and released Mike from his hold. "A'right, Schmidt. This one time I'm letting ya off the hook… Literally." He lifted his hook and spun it around. "But only cause I got the look of that landlubber's face on tape." Mike covered his face with a low groan and regretted it all over again.

In the bedroom, Marionette quickly retrieved the boardgame while Charlie stood awkwardly beside him. She found questions that she wanted to ask but found unable to broach the subject, delaying until the Puppet rose from the floor with the box with a chime of, "Here it is! Let's go get this set up before Foxy comes to his senses."

"Good idea," Charlie agreed. He started to pass by when she finally made the decision to find her voice. "Wait, before we… Before we go out there. There's something I need to ask you." He turned to her attentively and she proceeded to freeze up. There was no easy way to ask what she wanted to. To blurt out something like _"Why do I exist?"_ didn't even sound sane in her head. "I was just wondering, umm… If you ever thought about what we were going to doin the future… About me, I mean."

"…What?" Marionette tilted his head with a funny smile. "You mean where you would be staying?"

"No… Well yes, but not just that." Charlie fiddled with the strings on her jacket. "Do you think about what we're- what I'm going to do about… Me? My lifetime plans are pretty much not applicable anymore. I'm kind of just coasting?"

"I assumed that you would be staying here with us, of course! The rest of everything can come in time. Why worry about tomorrow when we have tonight?" Marionette offered with a reassuring smile. It was clear to see her distress and he hoped it would comfort her. He reached an arm around her and gave her a pat on the back. "Anything could happen! Prepare for the best and worst but expect things to not go according to plan."

"That would make a lot of sense in this context," Charlie agreed. She still had pressing questions, but his friendliness caused her to back off, unwilling to damper the night. She needed to go back to properly distracting herself. "Thanks. I guess I just needed to hear that." It wasn't entirely a stretching of the truth either. There was a comfort in knowing that Marionette and Mike wanted her there as much as she wanted to stay- and she did want to stay.

"Is there anything else bothering you? You can tell me if something's on your mind," Marionette coaxed further. She was almost tempted to do so but admitting her concerns wouldn't fix them. It would just worry him and throw a wrench in their plans for the night. She preferred a distraction right now, lest she lose her compositor again in an embarrassing display.

"I know… The game will help. Let's just do that and have a normal night. Mike probably needs it," Charlie said.

"Yes, and he also probably needs us to pull Foxy off him before he gouges his tongue out. Though I'm not hearing any smashing furniture, so he might still be holding his own," the Puppet quipped. He dropped his hand from her shoulder to her wrist and led her out like he was guiding a child.

Thankfully, Foxy and Mike weren't fighting. It had sounded like they were raising their voices earlier but must've straightened it out on their own. Which was for the best for the current circumstances, being Mike and Charlie being stressed and Marionette wanting to stay in a good mood.

The boardgame went about better than usual. Both Marionette and Foxy were putting on an especially bright front for Charlie, who they knew was still having a rough night. She could tell but thankfully Mike was acting entirely normal, much more distracted with his inability to get around the board to worry about anything else. He had gotten four 'go back' cards and made sure to announce it every time, much to everyone else's amusement. It almost seemed like the day was out of surprises.

But it wasn't, if the car pulling up in the driveway was any indication. By then it was evening and the boardgame had been long over. Foxy and Marionette were now talking over plans for the pizzeria at the dining room table. Foxy was tilted back in a seat rattling out ideas while Marionette scribbled down sketches and ideas into his sketchpad. Mike was starting dinner and chimed in every now or then, adding his own additions to the conversation. Charlie just sat between Foxy and the window and listened to the ideas with silent interest.

That was why she was the one who heard the car pulling up. Charlie peered out through the blinds and noticed the vehicle parking in the driveway behind Mike's car. "Someone just pulled up," she forewarned. Foxy and Marionette looked over abruptly in interest. "They turned their car off and are getting out. They're planning on staying."

"Is it a six-foot-tall curly haired detective with an arrest warrant in one hand and a noose in the other?" Mike asked tiredly. _"And here he comes, right on schedule."_

"No, actually. It's a woman," Charlie said. She leaned in to peer closer at the lady getting out of the car. She got a better look as she moved to the passenger's side to take a bag out of the seat. "Maybe in her forties, dark hair, looks a little short…"

"Mike," Marionette said as he abruptly turned to face the man. "It's _your mom_."

All at once, Foxy slammed down his chair and darted out of the room and down the hallway. A few seconds later there was a loud slam of his bedroom door.

"But he didn't even move when he thought it could've been the detective. Glad to see that Mom still strikes terror into all those in her path," Mike remarked. He then looked to Charlie. "She knows about Mari, so if you want to stick around then it won't be a problem. She'll love you. She pretty much loves anything she can throw gifts and homemade dinners at."

The offer was tempting at first. "Okay, if you don't think she'll be shocked by me being here." But as Charlie continued to think about it, peering out at the woman getting her things out of the car, anxiousness started to kick in. Something about being spotted by the woman and having to answer questions- and her seeing the Security Puppet move and act human- was slowly starting to unnerve her. She only became more uneasy as Marionette rose and headed to the door.

The moment she heard the lock unclick something triggered inside.

"Never mind," Charlie blurted out. She then stood from the table and dashed off after Foxy. Both of the others watched in surprise as she disappeared out of the room. They let the abruptness sink in a moment. Then Marionette turned to Mike.

"I didn't know she could run like that," he said. "She must've gotten practice spending time around Baby." He then proceeded to turn back towards the door and open it for Isabelle.

Charlie could hear the woman coming in from down the hallway. Marionette was chiming and trilling so much that it almost fully erased his voice and greeted her with a warm welcome. As he said, she seemed to know him and from greetings alone didn't sound any more dissuaded by him being an animatronic. Still, Charlie was reluctant to approach, and she didn't know why. She considered herself a social person, so it was odd that something inside was telling her to stay away.

What cinched it was the moment she heard, "I saw you on TV earlier!" That was the final nail in the coffin.

"Foxy?" the Security Puppet quietly called through the door. She started to slowly open it. "It's me. Can I come in?"

In a quick motion, she was pulled inside and the door was swung to a sliver, stopping on Foxy's hook. He slowly and carefully shut the door so that they wouldn't be heard. He then leaned against the door and crossed his arms.

"Looks like we be stuck here, Lass," Foxy mumbled to her as quietly. He rubbed a hand over his muzzle. "Iff'n I knew she was comin', I woulda drug the TV in here. Didn't even call." He gave a low groan and continued to lament.

"…It's going to be dark soon, so I don't think she's going to stay long," Charlie said and looked to the thickly covered window. Little light made it through the throw blanket that had been nailed up. "I think we can handle ourselves for a few minutes to give Mike some time with his mom." Foxy hummed and nodded. Even if he didn't want to be confined to this room he did sympathize. It wasn't like he wouldn't have put anything aside for his own mother. He could wait.

Isabelle stayed for two hours.

During that time the visit was pleasant. She only focused on Mike's television appearance for a short time, with an excited pride that seemed to entirely ignore the true repercussions of what he did. She just seemed so happy that he was back on television and that he had said made such a powerful speech. It became clear that she thought he had planned on al of that and he made no move to correct her. It slightly made him look better. Other than that, she helped make dinner, she handed out gifts, and she was as loving as ever. It was stress-free.

Until a few minutes before she left when Isabelle decided to randomly announce, "Becky's birthday's coming up in a few days." Mike knew the second that she said it that she was leading into something. There was no other reason to randomly drop the comment into the conversation.

"Whose Becky?" Marionette curiously asked with a tilt of his head.

"One of my little cousins. She's turning… What, three?" Mike asked.

"Five. She's growing up so fast! You wouldn't believe it, Mikey, she's just a little angel," Isabelle gushed. "Last year she spent her birthday in bed with the stomach flu, so this year everyone's pitching in to do something really special for her." She paused for a long moment as though waiting for something. When nobody took the bait, she added, "And since the restaurant's still closed, I was hoping maybe we could 'hire' Foxy's to come to the party. It would mean a lot to everyone."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Mike tried to dismiss. "We'd have to take the van and drive all the way down there, and that would mean getting Foxy in and out of the van. Plus, Becky's pretty young. Chances are Foxy's going to be a little scary. Heck, I work with him most of the day, and I find him terrifying."

"Well I think it's a great idea!" Marionette volunteered much to Mike's chagrin. Unfortunately, the striped one seemed unconcerned about the risks of taking a job for close family. "Foxy and I are out of practice. We could use a party to stretch our performance muscles before the reopening."

"I thought we did have a party scheduled before then," Mike tried to excuse, knowing good and well that they didn't and hoping the Puppet didn't remember.

"Not to my knowledge, unless Fritz had something lined up," Marionette smoothly dismissed. Then he looked to Isabelle with an eager to please look. "I'll ask Foxy but I'm sure he'd say yes too, and if he doesn't then I would always be happy to perform alone. We'll even provide gifts. We can even give you the family discount." Mike had a sneaking suspicion that he was about to offer to perform for free. Isabelle beat him to it.

"No need! The money's already been set aside. Grace was considering a clown originally, but then she heard this awful story on the news about a crazed man dressed like a clown attacking people on the side of the road. You can't believe the stuff that happens in this country!"

Mike and Marionette exchanged a look; the former with a raised brow and the latter with amusement.

"But I really appreciate this from you both. The kids are going to love it, and I know Patrick was really excited to see you and Foxy in person," Isabelle insisted. Mike furrowed his brows as she stood to gather her things. Something about hearing his uncle's interest made him wonder if he knew more than he was supposed to. A look towards Marionette showed slight strain on his mask's smile. Concern, he was wondering about it to.

" _Nah, Mom wouldn't do that,"_ Mike finally decided. _"Patrick's just interested in them because of their history. I'm reading too much into it."_

"I should be going so I'm not on the road too late," Isabelle said. Mike turned to stand and she caught him off guard by swooping in to kiss him on the forehead. "Thank you for doing this for us. I'm so proud of you." She then moved to hug Marionette while her son was left wondering why she was praising him so much over agreeing to a single party. It was only as she was stepping out the door that he suddenly realized what was going on.

Without a word, he stood from the table, hustled over to the door, and called out, "Becky's not Isaac's kid, right?"

"Yes! Love you!"

"Good to know," Mike answered, trying his hardest not to make any comments while his mother could still hear them. Thankfully, she didn't notice the tense look on his face. "Drive safe, Mom. Love you." He shut the door quickly and let what just happened sink in. Then he began to slowly clap. "And just when I think I can't possibly talk myself into another disaster that happens. Twice in one day. I've really outdone myself."

"I doubt your uncle would make a scene at his own child's birthday party," Marionette assured as he watched the security guard start heading towards the hallway. He didn't answer him. "…Would he?"

"No. He'll make sure to pull me off to the side before he really starts going," Mike called back. He headed down to Foxy's room and knocked on the door. "Mom's gone." Within a few moments, Charlie and Foxy came out, with the pirate stretching stiffly and popping as he moved his joints.

"Blimey, I must be gettin' soft. Used to be able to stand fer hours fine an' now gettin' all rusty from a couple of hours holdin' a door shut," the pirate muttered out. He turned his head almost all the way around and cracked his neck.

"It's a good thing you did though. You know how Mom is: breaking down doors and tearing through houses," Mike said with no enthusiasm. He had used it all up during the visit. "Mom asked if you and Mari could perform at my cousin's birthday party- You're starting to weird me out with that. You look like you're going to break your neck."

At this, Foxy's head finally snapped ahead. "We got a gig?"

"Yeah, for my little cousin. Listen, you don't have to agree to this-."

"What good pirate would turn down a party?" Well, there went Mike's excuse to his mother that Foxy couldn't perform. Then again, even if the fox would've declined, it would've been harder detaching Marionette from it. "I'll do it. When's it?"

"A couple of days from now." Mike shook his head and started back down the hall. "I don't know how I keep doing this to myself. I roped myself into a family reunion- I'm really on a roll tonight!"

"Eh, stop bein' a drama queen. A couple a days be more then enough ta plan. Mari, get yer sketchbook back out! We're back on the clock!" Foxy yelled down the hall and into the kitchen. With that, suddenly he and Marionette had something to plan again, and Charlie knew she would return to listening in.

…Or maybe she could come up with an idea or two on her own. That didn't sound like too bad of an idea.

* * *

The day of the party, Mike, Marionette, and Foxy had to get up and ready at the crack of dawn. For some unknown reason, the party was going to be in the late morning, and that mixed with the drive and set-up time meant they had to get on the road early if they wanted everything to work out.

This time Charlie was ready. She had her alarm clock set and got up at the same time they did. Originally, the plan was just to see them off. Then she could use the rest of her time trying to figure a few things out. It was time that she sat down and really thought of what she was going to do. As it was, if something happened to Mike and Marionette, she would be homeless, and that co-dependence uneased her. However, something changed while watching them get ready and listening to Foxy and Marionette already going through the motions of preparation. Maybe she just didn't want to be alone, but she wanted to go too.

"Can I come with you? I won't take up much space," Charlie asked. Mike, who was trying to make breakfast out of a half a banana and a cup of coffee had just given a shrug and a 'sure'. Thus, she joined the party.

Fritz appeared shortly afterwards in the van and they loaded up before leaving. Jeremy, who was also coming along, drove in his own car. Which was the sane decision, as they wouldn't have fit anyone else comfortably in the van. As it was, Foxy was stretching out on his side and taking up as much room as he could to get comfortable. It was only once they were driving that Mike became awake enough to talk.

"How's everything going? You've been pretty quiet recently," Mike began, looking to Fritz in the driver's seat. "This isn't about that thing with Burke, right?"

"No. That's-… I'll admit, that was bad, but I've just been wrapped up in my own thing. Some house repairs, hanging out with Natalie, crunching numbers constantly; I'm pretty much up all night worrying about the pizzeria reopening," Fritz admitted like it was no big deal. Then he got an oddly hesitant look. "Uh… Has anyone heard from Baby?"

"That's what it is? You've been worried about Baby?" Fritz almost seemed to sink into his seat, as though ashamed by it. "I think she's still at Scott's. That would be my guess since Scott's not asked to borrow the van," the security guard said. He then through the mirror into the back. "Charlie, you've talked to her, right?" he asked.

"I did just the night before last. She's still over there," Charlie answered. Marionette and Foxy were listening in with equal curiosity, neither knowing that she had done so. "There's not really much to say. She sleeps during the day and is up at night. She sort of flip-flops between tolerating Ennard and getting annoyed by him, but they haven't killed each other yet. I don't think she knows where she's going next." She didn't vocalize it but inwardly added, " _I know that feeling."_

"Good. I was just…" Fritz trailed off a moment. "…I was a little harsh with Baby at the warehouse. I had to do it, she was acting crazy, but I could've… Probably been a little smarter with my words."

"Yeah, she probably hates you," Mike pointed out. Fritz sent him a frown. "Hey, considering the alternative I think being hated isn't the worst place you could be in."

"…No, I guess not," the technician admitted as he looked at the road again. "Still, Natalie was asking about her. She was upset with Baby too, but I didn't tell her the extent of everything that went down, so she still thinks Baby was just confused."

"That be one word fer it," Foxy scoffed under his breath. Marionette proceeded to nudge him lightly with his elbow. "'Bout time she got outta that warehouse. That place be more cursed than the set o' poltergeist and have more skeletons than Davy Jones' locker. Buried gold-." The striped one began to nudge him harder and faster, now with a more frantic look, and Foxy cut off. "Ya get what I mean."

"I think she likes Ennard more than she let's on," Charlie added. To Marionette's relief, she didn't take Foxy's comments as anything more than an off-handed joke, and thus didn't ask any further questions. "For starters, Baby pretty much acts like she hates everyone. She just seems too emotionally invested in him to outright hate him. Maybe there's a part of her that likes him but just doesn't want to admit to it."

"Yeah," Foxy agreed. He then nudged Marionette with a glint in his gaze. "I'd bet she don't like Ennard as much as the Phone does."

Mike and Fritz exchanged a slow look before turning on the radio and deciding to end the conversation there.

Eventually they arrived at Uncle Isaac and Aunt Grace's house where the party was going to take place. It was an unimpressively suburban styled home that looked like all the ones surrounding it. They pulled up into the driveway and prepared to get out and start setting up.

"By the way, keep an eye on Jeremy," Fritz randomly said before Mike could step out.

"Why? What's wrong with him?" the younger asked in confusion.

"Not sure. Maybe nothing, but he seemed a little off earlier. Could've just been tired," the technician dismissed with a shrug. He didn't seem too concerned by it. "It might just be me, which was why I wanted you to see what you thought."

That seemed to make enough sense. Mike kept it in mind as he climbed out of the van and moved to the back. He was opening the doors by time Jeremy 's car caught up and pulled up behind him. He was distracted with the animatronics inside and watched as Foxy shuffled to the back of the van. "Let's get you two into the back while the coast is clear," Mike guided as he pulled out and set up the puppet stand.

By time Foxy was standing outside the van, promptly lowering his head and looking like he was in a 'powered down' state, Jeremy finally walked up. "Hey," he quietly greeted. He took Foxy by the arm, placed a hand on his back, and made it look like he was steering the pirate around the vehicle and towards the back. The whole time his head was lowered just like Foxy's. Mike knew instantly that Fritz's suspicions had been right but returned to the task at hand as Marionette slid closer. The Puppet quickly wove his strings into the stand and finally exited the van.

Mike started to shut the back before hesitating when noticing Charlie. "Are you going to be okay back here?"

"Me? Sure," Charlie sounded surprised. "I can see some of the party from here, so I'm just going to do my own thing and keep an eye out." She got a smile and added, "I think I can handle it."

"Great! I can't say the same about what I'm about to walk into," Mike joked. He then closed the back and led the stand around the van and after Foxy, Jeremy, and Fritz, who was carrying the party favors and gifts.

As downtrodden as Jeremy seemed, he was immediately caught off-guard by the party that had been set up in the back. It wasn't the first time that they had performed at a house, but this was the most decadent of them. Most of the backyard was covered in stone, with matching stones stepping up to a wooden patio that led to a set of sliding glass doors on the back of the house. Only the furthest back corner of the yard had actual grass and it was currently covered up by a square shaped bounce castle. There was also a kiddie pool beside the patio that had been filled with plastic balls, like a ball pit.

Two foldable tables were pushed together and surrounded by folding chairs that had balloons tied to them. They had plastic, red tablecloths on them, but hadn't been set with anything else. A matching table without a tablecloth was against the patio right beside them and had a paper taped to it that said, "Leave gifts here." Probably set there so partygoers could drop off the presents as they walked in.

"Wow. They really went all out with this," Jeremy complimented as he looked around. "Where should I put you?"

"On the patio, Lad. Already looks like a stage," Foxy directed. Though he straightened and walked himself, with the 'guiding' looking less believable as he pulled Jeremy along with him. He leveled himself to be standing near the ball pit, assuming it would somewhat slow down the kids if they began to crowd. Then he turned his attention to the human. "What's wrong, Lad?" Foxy asked as he went as stiff as a board. "Somethin's up."

"Uh…" Jeremy looked back to see the others coming around the corner. He immediately decided against risking it. "I'll tell you later." Foxy understood and nodded, knowing they would have time on the drive home.

Meanwhile, Mike was bringing Marionette onto the patio. The man then looked over the backyard and whistled. "With all this, you'd think this was going to be a birthday she was going to remember. They should've saved the bells and whistles for a few more years."

The Puppet was a little more optimistic. "The reason kids don't remember all their birthdays is because they blend together. There's a good chance this will be remembered. Or that's what we were hired for. 'Foxy and friends make memories that last!' That's one of our slogans, isn't it?" Marionette asked with chime.

"I think that pretty much covers every slogan of every establishment. I think ours is something like, "Pizza, parties, and pirates: don't touch the fox"," Mike quipped back, rousing a light laugh out of Marionette. He then noticed movement through the sliding glass door. He lowered his head so that his speaking wouldn't be noticed. "Head's up, we've got company," he warned only moments before the sliding glass doors opened. He then got a forced smile and greeted, "Hey, Aunt Grace."

"Mike! I didn't think you'd get here just yet! Well, I guess since you don't have anywhere to be with the restaurant closed that it makes sense. Color me impressed!" Grace said it with honesty, even though her words could've been read the wrong way. Mike certainly read them the wrong way and just swallowed it down. Especially when he noticed the young girl wandering out behind her, wearing a puffy skirt and a plastic tiara. Both Foxy and Marionette noticed her too and perked. "The other children should be here pretty soon, so you can just start up your robots-."

" _Shiver me timbers! Mari, I think that be the birthday girl_!" Foxy suddenly exclaimed. It was so sudden that Grace jumped, and Becky stepped behind her legs shyly. " _And she be royalty! Welcome to yer party, yer majesty!"_

"Oh, uh… I didn't realize you turned them on yet…" Grace admitted awkwardly, and Mike gave a shrug.

"They've got a life of their own," he answered simply. "When does the party begin?"

"The children should be arriving in fifteen minutes. That should be enough time to set up, right?... Oh, what am I saying! You've already got your little bots set up. It's not like there's much more you have to do," she remarked. She then started to head back inside, taking Becky with her. "Would you guys like a drink?"

" _Depends on what kind,"_ Mike thought. "No, we're fine. Thank you." She shut the door behind her and head into the kitchen. Becky stayed at the glass door watching with her brothers, who both stood by the glass and watched as though they were already performing. He waved, they waved back, and he turned back to move the stand closer to Foxy.

It was about twenty minutes before the guests started to arrive- which Mike knew because he had checked twice. Once at his own curiosity and once at Fritz's request. Only once the first couple of children arrive did Grace let her children out into the backyard. The two brothers lost themselves in the party while the girl, Becky, was kept within Grace's reach. It almost felt like the party hadn't started by how the birthday girl herself wasn't engaged with it. At least Foxy and Marionette got a good reception, engaging with the children and waiting for the eventual cutting of the cake, when they stopped playing long enough to watch a performance.

It became clear to Mike, Jeremy, and Fritz that the three of them didn't all need to be there. Yet somehow Fritz and Jeremy had been so eager to come, which made it ironic that Mike was the one that had to be there. Jeremy was still uncomfortably silent but neither of the others had asked. They lost their opportunity once Uncle Isaac arrived. Judging on the time, it seemed like he was on a lunch break.

"Oh, here we go," Mike forewarned. "Watch this. Just watch what's about to happen." He kept his eyes trained as Isaac walked straight towards him. He thought he knew exactly what was coming.

And then Isaac put an arm around him and gave him a pat on the back. "Hey, Champ. Glad you could make it," he greeted in what sounded like a much too kindly tone. Mike's eyes popped open and he glanced back to Fritz and Jeremy. "I want to thank you for going all out with this. I know you probably had a hard time moving them all the way up here under short notice."

"No problem. That's what we signed up for," the security guard answered, completely confused in the change in behavior. "I'm glad to be here. Mom said Becky's last birthday didn't go well."

"We tried to do something small, but it wasn't the same. We're counting on this to make up for it." He patted his nephew on the shoulder. "I'm going to go see Becky and then I'll take a look at that fox of yours." Then he headed over towards the table. As soon as he was out of hearing range, Mike spun and turned towards the other two.

"What was that?" he whispered to them. "You saw that, what was that?"

"…Familial love?" Fritz guessed. A tiny, teasing smirk appeared. "I don't know what it was, but it was adorable."

"Don't even start with that. That was Isaac! That was the uncle whose made every visit a living nightmare, and he just acted like- He didn't act like family. That's for sure." Mike looked back with growing suspicion as he watched his uncle pick up his cousin. Good moods like this didn't seem natural, especially since nobody else would've heard him speaking to Mike. "I don't know, maybe he's angling for us to perform for free."

"Or maybe he's just trying to mend fences?" Fritz tried. Mike sent him an exasperated look. "…Okay, or better yet: maybe this party _is_ as important as he says and doesn't want to make a scene in front of everyone." This sounded more believable. After all, there were a couple of parents at the party and the birthday girl was already a little less than appeased, so this might've all been to smooth things over.

"He probably wants something." Mike and Fritz were almost surprised by Jeremy's input with how quiet he was. "People don't just change. Especially if they're family, because then they don't have to change. They get a free pass to do whatever they want and only come with regrets when they want something," the security guard said with a shrug. "And who knows! This nice? Might be looking for something more than a torn-up bill. He might want a handout, or be planning to drop a bombshell, or is going to wait until the last minute of the party and then tell you how disappointed he is, because then you've given him all he wants."

Mike and Fritz just stared at him. All at once, Jeremy's coldness turned to a slight meekness. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm just… Going to make sure the gift table's in order. Put Foxy and Mari's gifts on top…" He shuffled away quickly.

"Was _that_ what you were talking about earlier or was that new?" Mike asked. Fritz looked just as befuddled as he did.

"I think I would've noticed if that happened earlier," Fritz pointed out. He then remembered Jeremy's relation with his own family, which his knew was strenuous but didn't know to what extent. "You don't think-."

He was cut off by an enormous crashing sound.

The party had been going well so far, save one small detail that was bothering both Foxy and Marionette; the birthday girl's absence. Both could see her stuck beside her mother beside the table, but it was less clear if she was being forced to stand there or was just too shy to approach. She was currently looking at the bounce house with the most wanting look either had seen, and both had seen children ogling cake and presents plenty of times. Foxy waited until the children didn't seem to be listening before hooking the Puppet's stand and wheeling him in.

" _Which of us is gonna do it_?" he hummed through low frequencies. His eye darted around to make sure nobody was paying too much attention.

" _Do what?"_ Marionette asked hesitantly. Though he already knew what and was just hoping his sibling wasn't intending to risk anything.

" _Go get her away from that table. Look at her! She be as sad as a piece o' soggy bread,"_ Foxy insisted. Just seeing a child separated from the others watching them have fun without being able to have it herself was distressing. That wasn't what he was here to do; the whole point of them being here was to first and foremost make her happy. _"I'm going over there."_

"… _I don't know if that's a good idea, Foxy. Maybe if we were in the pizzeria, but here?"_ Marionette tentatively answered. _"We could scare her. We should just wait until she comes on her own."_

" _If we wait then she ain't goin' anywhere and the party be over,"_ Foxy argued. _"She'll remember the birthday party where she didn't have an ounce of fun cause she was stuck at the table. That's it, I'm goin'."_ He took a step towards the narrow set of stairs instead of crossing to the far side of the patio. Two steps spaced where three should've been and currently being used by a couple of kids who jumping off the patio into the ball pit. Foxy kept his eyes on the birthday girl and tried not looking lifelike as he moved in closer.

One of the children who had been jumping dashed up the steps and tried to duck around the pirate, only to accidently run into his hand. Thankfully not his hook or he would've been jabbed right in the head. "Watch yer head, Lad!" Foxy warned with a jolly chuckle as he moved to step aside.

And his foot kept falling.

Foxy didn't have much time to save himself. His body was still stiff and locked up, he was falling backwards, and even though Marionette tried to move in he couldn't stop the pirate. Foxy's arms reached out for anything, but there wasn't even a railing to stop him as he fell back and landed on the ball pit like a bag of wet cement. And he did indeed fall _on_ not _in_ as his limbs sprawled out, his legs were awkwardly cocked out, his head and neck were bent in, and the balls that weren't knocked out merely crushed underneath him. It was by sheer luck that the children were out of the way.

But that luck ran out on Marionette's side. As Foxy fell, his arm had missed Marionette but caught on the string attached to his arm, which was now weaved into the stand. The stand and puppet were promptly yanked down with him. The stand hit the ground, partially propped up by the patio, while the puppet landed heavily on the stone, just barely missing hitting his mask. In only a few seconds the performing animatronics went from delighting children to laying on the ground, unmoving, both in equal mortification and embarrassment.

Everyone was now staring, including Mike and Fritz.

Marionette proceeded to go completely limp while Foxy tried to lift himself out of the kiddie pool. "Of all the- bloody- for the love of-," the pirate muttered, repeatedly silencing the intense desire to swear like a sailor. He tried to right himself, only to find his one arm held back by Marionette's tightened wire and his body wedged in the too tiny pool. "Forget it," he finally muttered. He also went limp as he waited for an even more embarrassing and pitiful rescue attempt. It was just too awkward of an angle to right himself.

"Christ, here we go again!" Mike said through clenched teeth before running over. Jeremy saw the scene and followed, leaving behind Fritz who looked around and noticed that the party had come to a standstill. Everyone was staring; the kids, the adults, the actual family throwing the party. He doubted it could get worse than this.

Mike got to Marionette's side first and tried to lift his stand under the thought that it had just tipped over. This proved to be more difficult when he found the wire wrapped and tangled around Foxy's wrist.

"How did you two even do this?" he asked as he tried to untangle it while knelt beside the kiddie pool. Jeremy ran up at this time and Mike pointed him to Foxy. "Try to get him up. They're all wrapped up in each other."

"Got it. Alright, Captain. Let's just get you up," Jeremy coaxed as he crouched behind him. He started to slide him down to help him up, then got his hands under his back and lifted him a few inches.

It was then that Foxy heard some nearby voices. The children had been ushered back but the few parents, including Isaac, had come in closer to see what had happened. He could hear an unrecognizable woman's voice give a condescending, "How embarrassing!" Of course he had heard it and he fought the urge to cringe. Because it was mortifying to think that he fell like a mindless machine would've and now couldn't even struggle or else raise suspicion. He knew Jeremy heard it to. Jeremy heard him fall and now Jeremy heard the light mocking. He expected that maybe later Jeremy would nurse his wounded pride.

What he never expected was that Jeremy would drop him the few inches he lifted him, turn himself all the way around, and address the comment head on.

"We're handling heavy equipment in an uncontrolled environment. What do you expect?" Jeremy suddenly snapped at the woman. "But I'm sure someone wasting their day at someone else's kid's birthday party would be a great judge." It was as though Foxy was getting helped to his feet by Jekyll and or Hyde, and he stayed completely silent as Jeremy started to lift him again, now with a sour frown on his face. Mike looked just as startled by the outburst but was snapped into action when Jeremy snapped again. "Are we going to do something about this string? I can't get him up unless they're not together."

With Mike untangling them again and Jeremy going through emotional fits, Fritz was stuck staring at the party with an aghast look. Mike's aunt and uncle looked especially disturbed- more by the outburst than the fall- and them being the ones that hired them made it so much worse. This could lead to a further fight, to complaints, so a sliding slope of drama and negativity that he was exaggerating in his mind. With the children still not being entertained- and he didn't count Jeremy's behavior as being anything beyond unnerving- he knew that they needed a distraction.

It hit him quickly that there was only one possible option and he sprinted to the van.

Charlie hadn't been able to see what was happening beyond Mike and Jeremy running off, so when Fritz sprinted to the van, she knew something must've gone wrong. Within seconds he threw open the back doors of the van.

"Uh, hey!" Fritz greeted with a strained smile. "I know this is sudden, but I think I'm going to need your help."

* * *

 **Mable: I want to apologize in advance for any mistakes I didn't pick up. I have a suspicion that there's ones I haven't noticed. Hopefully the next week will be easier and I'll be able to update quicker. Again, sorry about the delay. I hope you enjoyed!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! Not too much to say this time, though I do have a poll on my author's page that's been up for a few weeks and I totally forgot to mention. Just a small thing but it's there! Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-Three_

Charlie had never been the performing type. It wasn't that she was against the idea, it had just been something that passed her by without much interest. Even though she was the Security Puppet now, an animatronic made to perform, she didn't expect this to change. So, Fritz's sudden request caught her off guard. Especially since Foxy and Marionette were still technically at the party and wouldn't be incapacitated forever.

"I don't know… I've never done anything like this. I'm not a singer, I don't have any material, and now I ring constantly," Charlie admitted doubtfully. She slightly turned away while adding, "Especially when I'm nervous."

"I know and I don't want to put you in this position, but if you could just try for a couple of minutes, just while we get Foxy and Mari back on their feet, then I would owe you big. Anything you want, I swear, but I'm in a really tight jam and we could really use your help," Fritz was nearly begging. "You don't even have to sing or anything! Just being out there will distract the children."

"…Alright." It wasn't for the favor, but for Marionette and Foxy. She couldn't imagine what they got tangled up in if it was taking this long to get them up on their feet. "Do we have a box, or do we have to use the stand?"

Fritz raised a finger to signal a pause and then went to get something from behind the van's shelves. He pulled out a piece of thick cardboard and began to unfold and open it, revealing a box that almost looked like Marionette's except of cheaper quality, or maybe it just looked that way because it was collapsible and less sturdy. He also brought out a base with wheels, set it on the ground, and then put the box on top of it before opening the flaps.

"It's not the best box we have, but as long as you're in it it's not going to collapse," Fritz assured. He considered adding in 'I hope' and bit his tongue to resist it. "And you won't have to come out more than halfway. Think you can do it?" She hesitated and he added. "You don't have to."

"No…" Charlie quietly agreed as she removed her jacket. "…But I'm going to."

She climbed out the back of the van and stepped and lowered into the box. She pulled the lid closed, with her fingers barely holding the flaps, as Fritz wheeled her around the van and over the stone towards the backyard. He placed her between the table and the fence, where the children would have to turn away from the other animatronics to see her. It looked like Mike had gotten the string unwrapped, but only by removing it from the stand and having to weave it on again. They wouldn't need much longer at all, but he still tapped on the top of the box.

Charlie didn't pop out of the box like Marionette would've. First, she raised up the flaps the smallest bit and peered through at the outside world. Her eyes glowed a curious green and something started to wake inside of her. She felt so attentive and focused, like for a moment she was a real animatronic, and it emboldened her enough to open and raise from the box. Some of the children started to approach, watching her with interested eyes, and yet she felt calm. She knew it had to be programming or some sort of built in instincts into the body. Considering the circumstances, she embraced them gladly.

"Uh… Hey there, Kids!" Fritz greeted them. "Put your hands together for-…" He promptly blanked for a few seconds once he realized that he didn't have a name on standby. 'Security Puppet' was too odd for kids, 'Puppet' would be confusing', just calling her 'Charlie' might raise suspicions with the adults, and whatever name he used had a random chance of sticking, he just knew it. He rushed through a blur of names involving bells and strings, masks and stripes, and drew a blank. Finally, he winged it. "For, uh… Lottie, here!"

" _Lottie?"_ Charlie only slightly turned her head in confusion. She supposed it could've been worse and she wasn't in the position to protest, so she just looked back to the children. Fritz headed over to try and usher more over- and away from the scene with Foxy and Marionette- and she was left to perform. So, she started by speaking to them and greeting them.

Though it wasn't words that came out, she made sure of it. Charlie decided to force the ringing and while comprehensible words weren't made, the bells trilled enough that they vaguely sounded like a greeting. The children seemed to get it and continued watching like they were waiting. It was now that she realized that her presence alone wouldn't cut it. She would have to perform in some significant way.

" _So, when I talk, I ring… So, if I did try to really sing, would it work too?"_ There was only one way to find out. Bracing herself, she thought of the first child-friendly song she could think of, 'My Bonnie lies over the Ocean', and tried to 'sing' it. To her relief, the ringing bells that emanated from her chest began to vaguely start resembling the song. They were not as easy to control as she had hoped and it certainly wasn't as natural as singing used to be, but she found herself slowly starting to adapt into the role. She could do this; she could distract for a few minutes.

…So why didn't it feel like enough? Something felt like it was missing, like she was supposed to do more. Like she _wanted_ to do more. Charlie decided to try and multitask, even though she knew it would take her focus away from the bells, but she started to focus on projecting her normal voice. She began to hesitantly sing.

" _My Bonnie lies over the ocean...~"_ Charlie hesitated for a moment. It sounded good so far. The bells' slightly out of rhythm ringing was easier to ignore with her voice accompanying them. _"My Bonnie lies over the sea. My Bonnie lies over the ocean, so bring back my Bonnie to me.~"_ They were paying closer attention now, but she ran out of lyrics. So, she began to improvise. _"I-… Yo, ho, blow the man down. Where there was a smile there's now a frown. It would be a folly to be so jolly when my dear is out to sea. So, bring back my Bonnie to me.~"_

It was only now that Charlie's voice grew loud enough that Foxy noticed it. He had his head lowered in shame but raised it quickly and turned to look in the Security Puppet's direction, with his eyepatch raising in surprise upon seeing her. He looked towards Mike and Marionette, who were both obliviously distracted. He looked back at Charlie before subtly moving his arm and firmly nudging Mike in the lower back. The security guard grunted lightly.

"What was that?" he muttered as he looked to Foxy. "What, are two kidneys too many?"

The pirate didn't even look at him and instead pointed over at the Security Puppet, and it was then that Mike noticed her. He was immediately shocked to see her out of the van, let alone half in a box and performing to children. He patted Marionette's arm and pointed over, to which the Puppet also looked, and now he saw what was occurring. It was a struggle to keep his neutral smile when his mouth wanted to drop open in shock.

"Look at that, Marion! Our lil parrot's takin' her first trip outta the nest!" Foxy whispered. Though he then had an epiphany. "…How pathetic do we look that she felt bad enough to come out 'ere?" Jeremy got a slightly awkward smile but that answered him well enough. "…Get me up quick."

"No, wait!" Marionette quietly halted. He hesitated a moment before offering a strand of string to Mike. "We should take this carefully. I might get tangled again." It was obvious what he was really wanting. Mike picked up on it and began to stall. Giving Charlie a little longer to perform, smiling a little as he watched her.

Charlie got about ten more minutes to perform, but she wasn't aware of the passing time. It all just felt like a blur of excitement and endorphins, neither of which she should've been feeling. There was no self-consciousness and not a shred of shame; she just felt good. She rung in delight as she continued singing. _"My mother got stuck in the crow's nest. My father was sent to the brig. Our captain fell into the ball pit. My stars, what a fix I am in!~"_ Their tiny giggles were worth every moment of being watched.

But eventually it came time to blow out the candles and cut the birthday cake. The children were drawn away by the promise of dessert and Charlie was finally given a moment to rest. She didn't realize how drained she felt until she retreated to her box and sat in the semi-darkness. Foxy and Marionette then stepped in, returning to the patio beside the table, and began to perform a routine to entertain the eating children. She could hear when they began to sing and recognized the song- "Let's Eat"- as a redone version of a Freddy's song.

Now she knew why they preformed: it felt wonderful.

Outside of the box, the party was continuing like normal. Seeing that he had a moment free, Mike headed over to the puppet's box and knocked on the top.

"Charlie? It's me," Mike said quietly. He made sure to keep an eye out on the rest of the party. The only person watching was one of his cousins, and he doubted he would tell anyone that he was whispering to an animatronic. Slowly the box started to lift open and Charlie peered up at him through the crack. He smiled down at her and complemented, "Congrats on that earlier. You did great."

"You really think so? I was really just going with whatever I could since I drew a blank on birthday songs," she said with a smile and a quiet ring. Just seeing Charlie look so enlivened reminded Mike too much of Marionette. It was amazing how similar they were even when ignoring how they looked.

"Don't sell yourself short. You did well under pressure and saved whatever was left of Foxy's dignity… Mine too. You'd think I'd be a little better with strings." Mike got an amused smirk before getting to the point. "Thanks for coming out here. I know you didn't sign up for this, but I appreciate it."

"Oh, it's fine…" Charlie looked down quietly. He couldn't imagine what she was thinking of that had her so lost in thought. "But I'm glad Foxy and Mari are back on their feet. I think I need to rest for a little bit. My chest feels a little weird from all the ringing. Like the feeling when you have a limb go to sleep, it doesn't hurt." She placed a hand to her chest, almost wondering if she could feel it from the outside.

"Want me to take you back to the van?" Mike offered.

"I- No, I'll be fine here. Might be nice to peek out at the party now and then. As long as nobody sees me and comes over expecting another song," she said with a playful tone. Even though it was obvious there was a lot on her mind.

"Alright, then I'm just going to close you back up here. If you need any of us, then just whistle… Just don't be surprised if it attracts a hoard of children." With that last joke, Mike shut the box lids and turned away to look at the party. Now it was a matter of finding something to do while the party continued. It didn't take him long to notice the birthday girl sitting at the table, swinging her legs, looking around bored while a recently cleaned plate sat in front of her. She wasn't even paying attention to Foxy and Marionette, but perhaps that was because they were so far away.

" _Maybe she might be a little more interested if she had one to herself,"_ Mike thought as he concocted a new idea. _"After all, she is the birthday girl."_

Between the cake and the gift opening, there was a short window where Foxy and Marionette stopped performing. Mostly because Fritz and Jeremy were going to get the gifts, Grace was trying to fussily pick of plates, and some of the children had slipped away to go return to the bounce house, ignoring the discomfort of jumping around on a stomach full of sugar. He knew he had to be quick; there was a chance Aunt Grace would be too coddling to let him do this if she was paying attention. He hurried onto the patio and took the Puppet by the stand.

Marionette tilted his head in curiosity as he was wheeled over and carefully lowered down the steps. It wasn't until Mike started to steer him towards the table that he realized where they were going. He gave a delighted chime as they closed in on the birthday girl and glanced back at Foxy, who was watching closely. He then looked excitedly.

"Hey Becky, someone wanted to come say hi," Mike said as they walked up. Becky looked up at them and slowly got a look of shock, with her legs slowing to a stop and her attention fully on the animatronic. Mike introduced him. "This is Mari."

Marionette, feeling more playful and eager to please, gave a partial bow while hanging from his strings. He gave a welcoming chime, musical and friendly, and the girl began to look more curious than afraid. He offered his hand and she reached out to give a tiny shake. It was now when Aunt Grace walked up with a gift in her hands, but Becky was still quite distracted by the Puppet in front of her.

"Oh, I thought we were doing gifts now," Grace quietly said. She looked over the scene almost hesitantly.

Attracted by the voice, Marionette turned his head in a mock stiff motion and looked to the present. He boldly reached out and took it, still moving sluggish enough to look like an animatronic, and then started to lower himself. His strings extended and lowered him onto his knees on the stone. Then he offered the present to Becky with a pleasant trill. She eagerly began to tear the wrapping paper off even as he held it.

It was now that Grace leaned in close to Mike and whispered a fussy, "Its been cleaned, right?"

" _Here we go."_ Mike fought the urge to roll his eyes. "…Yes, Aunt Grace. I wipe him down nightly." It was then that he noticed the woman standing on the other side of the table. "Oh hey, Mom. I didn't see you there."

Marionette largely ignored what was going on around him and instead focused on the girl. He watched as her face lit up upon seeing the boxed gift underneath the wrapping paper. She squealed, babbled thanks to her mother, and started to tear off more of the wrapping paper. An immediate transformation from earlier. He didn't think he had too much of a hand in it, rather he believed that he had just gotten over to her at the right time. She just needed the extra attention, someone to slide past the carefully created barrier her mother had created. As it was, Mike had pretty much become the barrier between Grace snatching Becky away again.

That was the turning point of the party. While Mike was now stuck into wheeling Marionette around with Becky, she finally was able to leave the table. Neither were sure if it was her or Grace that kept her there, but whatever leash had been cut and they kept careful eyes out. She was rambunctious, even though she had to stop and catch her breath every now and then. In these moments Mike would push Marionette closer and would watch as he tried to entertain her. It was almost admirable how good he was with her; it wasn't too long before she started reaching up to hold his hand.

The party eventually started to wind down. The other adults left and took their children with them, and a few cars pulled up in front of the house, called or honked their horns, and slowly started to pick up the rest of them. Things began to wind down until mid-afternoon, when only Isaac and Grace's children remained. Now Foxy and Marionette were able to focus their full attention on them for the final duration of their stay.

It was now that Isaac decided to approach Mike. It was quiet now, so he was half convinced that the man was about to say something uncomfortable, but he didn't. "I wanted to thank you again for coming all the way out here. I think she really had a good time," his uncle said. He watched his young daughter hop around in in the bounce house. "She's been stuck inside so much this past year that she hasn't gotten much time to get out around other kids."

"We were happy to come. Not just because we're closed, but to make this special for her. Maybe it's a family thing," Mike said with a lower tone at the end. After all, Isaac had been the one to throw his family back in his face. He expected Isaac to take the bait, but instead his strange behavior returned.

"I know I've been hard on you, but you really pulled through for us this time. This close to hiring a clown and then some whackjob comes out of nowhere and scares everyone. I never thought I'd have to give my kids the 'don't approach strange clowns' talk," he said shaking his head. He seemed too collected compared to usual, and Mike couldn't help but notice that he didn't take the 'family' bait.

" _There's something definitely going on here. Isaac's stubborn, he sticks to his guns, and he knows we're charging at full rate, and suddenly now he decides to play supportive uncle? I don't buy it,"_ Mike thought to himself. _"Probably waiting for me to say something about it… Maybe I should. Maybe I should just get it over with and just call him out on it. Party's over anyways and this- whatever this is- is killing me. He's hiding something."_

Right as he was about to speak though, he was cut off by Becky falling into a fit of coughing. Both men looked over in time to see her crawling to the opening of the bounce house where Foxy reached in to help her out, then sat her down on the edge. She coughed a little longer as Marionette reached out to pat her back. Neither animatronics seemed to care that Isaac was watching and he himself seemed more focused on his daughter. She stopped coughing after a few seconds.

" _Yar, here's one fer you, Lass,"_ Foxy began. _"What did the ocean say to the pirate?... Nothin', it just waved!"_ Cheesy jokes aside, they seemed to be distracting her and she seemed to be warming up to her. He hadn't seen them be so attentive with a child in a while. Usually they were friendly, but not this hands-on in their approach. Maybe it was because she kept needing to rest. In fact, looking at it now Becky had been stopping to rest a lot, and nobody seemed surprised about the coughing spells that she kept going through.

" _Becky's sick,"_ Mike suddenly realized. _"Grace wasn't just being clingy by keeping her by the table. It doesn't seem like it's anything new to them… Which could mean that maybe last year's birthday party wasn't just a simple flu."_ It all started to fit into place. Even Foxy and Marionette's behavior made a little more sense now as he realized, _"They know."_ The way they fussed and protected her they had to. Suddenly Isaac's out of character behavior had an entirely different context to it. Suddenly it was starting to all make a little more sense, and now that he knew he could ask him.

…Except that the second he was about to he realized he couldn't.

" _If I ask him then he's going to get defensive. If he wanted me to know then he would've told me,"_ Mike decided. His thoughts grew a bit sourer. _"Who am I to even ask questions anyway? I'm pretty much a stranger to Becky. If I ask, he's just going to point out how I left again. I can just ask Mom… Or maybe not. Maybe I don't need to."_

Isaac now spoke again and interrupted his thoughts. "I heard about what happened on TV with the police force. Let me just say that it's about time someone stood up and said something. All those bleeding hearts running our country-."

And now he was trapped because he wasn't going to dare interrupt now with his suspicions. Mike just let his eyes glaze through it and pretended like he was listening. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so distant.

But Isaac wasn't the only one who was hiding something. Jeremy's behavior was still an elephant in the room, but nobody had been bold enough to confront him about it. Or, that was, until Foxy could step out of character. It was right before they were leaving, and Jeremy was escorting Foxy to the back of the van. Charlie had already been put inside and Fritz was sitting in the driver's seat in the air conditioning. Mike was still back showing Marionette off to Patrick- all while exchanging the occasional amused look to Isabelle, as though both were in on an inside joke.

Jeremy was opening the van door when Foxy reached out and pushed it back closed. The blonde blinked and stared at the fox, who now held it closed with his weight. "…This is about earlier, isn't it?" he meekly asked.

"Ya better believe it," Foxy answered. He then got an almost smug look of amusement. "As much I loved hearin' ya boomin' 'bout on a couple a parents, this ain't like you." Jeremy looked down almost sheepishly. Foxy softened a bit and added, "Somethin' ain't right when me first mate is biting back more than his captain. All alright, Lad? Somethin' on yer mind?"

The man looked around in paranoia. Nobody was watching and they were protected between the house and the gate, but the road was still nearby and if anyone passed now they may notice something amiss. Not to mention if someone like Mike or Fritz heard his explanation. And that was if he wanted to give the explanation, which he didn't. Though it was clear that he wouldn't get out of this without something.

"It's nothing, it just… I just had another fight with my sister. This one was a little bigger than last time, so I- Things have been weird. I've had a lot to think about," Jeremy admitted. Foxy felt a slowly growing panic as he stared at his companion. All at once he flashed back to that emboldened yelling match that he had on the phone.

"Was it about me?" Foxy bluntly asked. Guilt was already starting to creepy up on him. Jeremy looked confused, then understood, and then shook his head.

"No. She was upset about you, sure, but that wasn't it. It was about-… I really don't want to talk about what it was about. Except it wasn't you or about me dating a guy or anything like that," Jeremy assured. He turned so he could lean back against the door. "I'll tell you later, I promise… I just don't want to think about it now or I'll get angry again, and I drive terrible when I'm angry. I'm all over the road dodging stop signs and stuff."

"A'right…" Foxy agreed. It wasn't hard to see that Jeremy was much more distressed than he let on and he knew from experience that forcefulness didn't help. If it was important enough for him to know then Jeremy would eventually tell him. Or Max would, but he didn't have to know that. Instead, he offered, "…Ya want me ta ride home with ya? I won't be askin' questions, I just know iff'n its good if yer alone."

"Well, I'm not totally alone. Balloon Boy's in the car," Jeremy pointed out.

Instantly Foxy's head snapped over and, sure enough, there peeked out a familiar, unsettling smile on an equally unsettling face. Balloon Boy was barely covered by a sheet and peering out from between the seats. Foxy could already imagine Balloon Boy laughing as he watched him slide down into the backseat and disappear from sight. He would be the second death of him one of these days.

Jeremy forced a smile and a more easy-going tone. "I'll be fine! The whole point of driving myself was so we wouldn't get cramped anyway. I'll be fine. Maybe I'll even- Do you think they'd mind if I came and visited tonight?" He rubbed his neck awkwardly, blue eyes hopeful. "I wouldn't be able to stay the night or anything."

"Sounds good to me, Lad! Spares me the 'joy' of havin' to distract 'em alone," Foxy reassured as he too perked up. "Just stay close an' follow us right back… And then drop of BB at yer house before ya come in." Jeremy gave a chuckle as he seemed to ease up a little more. It was then that the fox heard footsteps approaching and his ears perked, distinctly hearing too many footsteps and knowing Mike wasn't alone. Without a word, Foxy tore the back door open again before diving into the van. Without missing a beat, Jeremy started to shut the door behind him, but was stopped before he could close them all the way.

"Hey," Foxy said as his leaned out the back with that mischievous tone in his voice. "Ya know, if it makes ya feel any better… Yer damn near _gorgeous w_ hen yer mad." Jeremy's face started to turn pink and Foxy gave a suppressed laugh. "And ya look even better when yer red!" he added. He then pulled Jeremy in with a single arm, nuzzled into his shoulder quickly, and then released him to hide again.

The blonde staggered briefly as Mike came around the corner with Isabelle and Patrick. Marionette was still on his stand and acting dormant, remaining still as Mike opened the back a small bit and began to undo his strings. Jeremy fixed his glasses and was about to head to his car when he was caught off-guard by Isabelle.

"Oh, Jeremy, hello! I didn't know you were here!" she greeted warmly and proceed to fuss on him. "Did you get some cake to take home? There's plenty left, take some cake! You're skin and bones!"

"Only on the inside and outside, Mom," Mike chimed in. He couldn't help but watch in both sympathy and amusement as his mother turned her coddling onto the defenseless young man. He turned away only to hoist up Marionette and set him inside the doors. He set the puppet and stand near the doors and closed them quickly, knowing he would move himself. He brushed off his hands. "Okay, Mom, it's time for us to go. I know how much you want to keep him, but Jeremy's going to have to come with us."

"Alright, alright. I won't push," Isabelle agreed before turning to hug Mike. "Be careful driving home and go slow, okay? Love you, Mikey."

At least she was able to make him feel fully welcome. He still couldn't fathom why being welcomed by Isaac had made his distance stand out so much, but he still felt it, and hugged him back. "Love you too, Mom."

They said their goodbyes before dispersing. Foxy could hear them walking away from the doors, straightened a bit, and then turned to face Charlie who was sitting in the back of the van across from him. He perked up and gave a rousing cheer. "Good job out there, Lass! Captain Foxy saw yer performance and- blow me down- ye be good! Better than good!" The Security Puppet beamed, unable to deny that the compliment was a relief, but was about to modestly decline. She was beat to it by Foxy adding in, "Brace yerself."

All she had time to do was get a confused look before none other than Marionette practically sprung across the van and threw his arms around her. She would've toppled over if he hadn't been holding her upright. His voice was lost to excited chimes, positively oozing pride, and it wasn't until he pulled back that he made cohesive words.

"You did wonderful! And on your first time too!" the puppet trilled. "I never expected you to do it. You willingly went out there in front of all those children- Ah, I could burst into confetti!"

"Please don't do that while we're driving. Pretty much nothing in this van is tied down," Fritz joked back. He then looked to Mike who was climbing in the passenger side. "I have nightmares of that stand careening through the air and stabbing right through the back of my seat," he admitted. He then shook his head and started to back up. "Guess it could be worse. They could've made us pay for that kiddie pool."

"Yar, that kiddie pool be g-arr-bage. Me hook went straight through the bloody thing! They ain't makin' things like they used to

"Yeah, who would've thought an eight-inch deep wading pool wouldn't handle a metal fox that weighs half a ton," Mike added in. Fritz gave a slight snicker and Foxy grumbled disparagingly. "Oh, come on. You and I both saw that pool after you were in it. You crushed all the balls."

"Only cause it be flimsy, shoddy plastic! Ya wouldn't see that in a real ball pit!" Foxy challenged back. He paused a moment and then scoffed. "Kiddie pool full o' plastic eggs. Who heard such a stupid idea? Thing be a health hazard."

Marionette gave a slight chime before his attention returned to Charlie once again to ask, "So, how did it feel?" Obviously he knew how it felt, but he wanted to know what it felt for her. To which it certainly was different.

In all honesty, she didn't know how to feel about it. It had been a strange mix of sensations. Anxiousness, excitement, a mix of shame and delight. She was still a human on the inside, so she wasn't supposed to enjoy this as much as she had. She wondered if it made her less human, but then decided that she was overthinking it.

" _This doesn't change anything. I was just helping out. It's a one-time thing," s_ he assured herself. This comforted her enough to face him with a smile and give an honest answer. "It felt good. I didn't expect to have that much fun with it."

The Puppet seemed happy with this. She hoped that he didn't think this would lead to her performing further on. Again, this was just to help him out. He wouldn't need her assistance anytime soon so she wouldn't be expected to perform again. It had been a nice experience and now it was over.

And yet Charlie couldn't stop thinking about it.

 _The pizzeria was filled with faceless children. Figuratively faceless, as they had features but to the puppet, they were nondescript. There were simply too many children to count wandering around the present box. The puppet wanted to come out of its box and peeked out at all the happy faces before starting to raise itself. It opened the flaps of the box and started to climb out, to which the children didn't seem to notice. They were too busy gathering around an arcade machine beside the front. The puppet began to approach curiously and peered over the top of their heads._

 _The game looked to be a Freddy themed one, with Freddy walking around in a pixelated forest. The puppet found nothing odd about it and instead just watched as what looked like a tree or an arrow fly out of the side of the screen and hit the bear. The bear exploded in a cartoonish burst and then a game over screen came on, showing a pixelated burning bear and the words "Insert Tokens" underneath it. Suddenly all the children turned back to the puppet and began to chatter. All their voices blended into one and they offered out their hands with need, requesting tokens._

 _Thankfully, the puppet had tokens, and opened its chest. Tokens gushed out in a fountain and the children grabbed for them with wide faces. The puppet laughed in delighted rings and continued to pour out the coins, unconcerned that so many were coming out. In fact, it would have kept going, but it then noticed that one of the children was not taking tokens. Instead, he or she was standing at the window, staring out into the parking lot. The puppet closed itself and approached the child before tapping it on the shoulder._

 _The child turned back and only then did the puppet recognize the blond haired, blue eyed girl. She looked up at the puppet and then simply said, "Freddy's outside." The puppet looked outside the window._

 _The parking lot was a blackened abyss. The only thing visible was a single lamppost on the far side that illuminated only a small area. There, standing under the light, was Freddy. It stared back at the pizzeria unmoving._

 _Alarmed, the puppet looked back to the arcade cabinet only to find that Freddy was no longer on the game over screen. Nobody had put in a token inside and Freddy had escaped. The puppet turned to tell the children, but when it opened its mouth all that came out was a musical reedition of 'Hot Cross Buns'. It was because the puppet lost too many tokens. It looked back out the window to see that Freddy was now gone._

" _He's gone!" the girl screamed. She turned and ran to the door in a panic. She was so scared that she was going to run outside and get lost in the darkness. The puppet grabbed her to stop her, but as soon as this happened the multiple other children swarmed to run out. As much as it tried, the children rushed out of the pizzeria and into the darkness. Within seconds, they could be seen running underneath the streetlight in the distance._

 _The puppet had to go after them. The girl was still trying to get away and it was clear once she got out that she would never be found again, so the puppet carried her over and tossed her into its box. Then the puppet returned to the door and headed outside before hurrying across the parking lot. It panted as it sprinted across the asphalt towards the single light. Everything smelled like exhaust and smoke, and there was a honking noise, coming from the streetlight._

 _The children were gone by time the puppet made it to the streetlight. It stopped underneath the light and looked around but couldn't hear anything because of the loud blaring of honking. Eventually it looked up to see where the noise was coming from, and only then did it notice that the streetlight was not a streetlight at all, but a pole with a car tied up to it. It was the cars own headlights that replaced the actual lights._

 _And then it fell._

Marionette was roused out of his sleep, opened his eyes, and found none other than Charlie leaning over him. It took him a few seconds to realize that she was there, fully awake, and capable of realizing that he was in bed with Mike. He shot upright abruptly and quietly insisted, "This isn't what it looks like."

But she didn't seem to care. She seemed bothered by something- she had to be if she was waking him at what felt like three in the morning- and simply pointed off towards the door. He knew she was signaling him to come with her and slid out of the bed. He tried to keep his compositor as he hurriedly followed her out into the hallway and shut the door behind him.

"I'm sorry to wake you up this late, but I needed to talk to you about something and I don't think it can wait until morning," Charlie scrambled. She seemed just as anxious as he did and awkwardly shuffled from leg to leg.

"It's not a problem… But just for the record, that wasn't- Sometimes I want to stretch out somewhere that isn't my box or my bed," Marionette scrambled. His usually comfortable smile looked awkward and embarrassed, and the light chime on his voice sounded like a nervous chuckle. "And I was tired from today, so I wasn't thinking and I must've somehow gotten confused and went into the wrong room. Mike didn't even know I was there…" He trailed off as he noticed her tired look. Right, late night talk of importance that couldn't wait. "What was it?"

"It's about the girl who was at Magictime Theater," Charlie said quietly.

"You mean Chrissy?" Marionette asked with a tilt of the head.

"Yes, her. I just… I had a dream and she was in it, and I realized that I never really asked about her after it all. And I know she's fine. I know all the children are fine and probably just trying to move on with their lives, but I just- I don't know. I guess I was wondering how she was doing and if you've seen her recently." She crossed her arms uncomfortably. "I guess that party today must've reminded me of her."

"Chrissy comes by the pizzeria frequently. She's our best customer," Marionette explained with a sympathetic smile. "I would be surprised if she wasn't there for the reopening."

"That's great. I'm glad she's alright. I guess I was worrying over nothing…" Charlie hesitated a moment as she considered a new idea. "…Do you think maybe I could come in for the reopening? I'm fine staying in a box or in the Prize Corner, and I don't want to scare her, but I think I'd like to see her again."

"Sure! We would be glad to have you!" He expected her to follow up with something, but she stayed silent. He watched how she fidgeted and knew there was more than just this. He had a suspicion that the dream wasn't as innocent as she made it out to be. He knew what that was like and how the mind could play tricks. His voice became gentle as he coaxed, "Do you want to talk about the dream?"

No, she didn't want to, but she was going to anyway. "I was in a pizzeria and there were children running everywhere, and tokens- those old Fazbear tokens- were literally pouring out of me. Then Freddy appeared outside, and all the kids ran out, and Chrissy was there, and…" Charlie trailed off briefly before smacking a hand to her face in frustration. "I'm tired of seeing Dave's car in my dreams!"

That was the last thing she had wanted to say but it felt good to vent. It had gotten to the point that it was more irritating and embarrassing than depressing for her. Marionette was sympathetic and reached for her free hand and gave a comforting squeeze. It was easy to empathize when he had gone through the same things, though usually involving a purple man and a golden bear. She slowly slid her hand down her face and looked at him with an exhausted look.

"…So, yeah. That was my night," she finished. He gave a light chime and her a sigh. It helped to talk, and Marionette's hand felt familiar and comforting. "But thanks… I really think I need to see her again. Even if that means spending my day hanging out in a box, but it would just be one day." She tried to not think about being in the Prize Corner surrounded by children. "I'm going to try to go back to bed. Again, sorry for waking you up."

"It's never a bother. That's what I'm here for," Marionette said. He then hesitated before releasing her hand and slowly moving past her and down the hallway, while still watching her. "And since I'm awake anyways, I'm going to just head back to my own room. That way Mike will never have to know that I was even in there," he said slightly nervously. She decided not to tell him that she could straight through his fib.

She wondered if he could see through hers. It wasn't until she returned to her bedroom that she realized the irony. There he was pretending that he hadn't been willingly sharing a bed with Mike and here she was pretending that the only reason she wanted to go to the pizzeria was for Chrissy. It made her feel guilty using the girl as an excuse. Though she did want to see her and was concerned about how she was doing, she knew there was another reason she was looking for an excuse to get into the pizzeria. It was the same reason she got butterflies in her chest while singing at the party.

Charlie wanted to see Chrissy and get closure. The Security Puppet wanted to perform once again. As though her life wasn't already complicated as it was.

* * *

 **Mable: I know this is so weird to say, but I'm really excited for something about to come up. This next arc sparked quite a bit of inspiration. ^-^ I almost wish that I already had it to present, but alas, no dice. Coming soon though, so keep your eyes peeled! I hope you enjoyed!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Mable: Here we are with- I can't believe it- the first time I posted on Thursday in way too long! Hopefully this is a sign that I am finally back on schedule. (Let's go with that.) Anyway, let's begin. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-Four_

Under normal circumstances, Scott would have eaten up this opportunity given to him. His brother and his wife seldom went on any sort of vacation, even if it was just for the weekend, but when they did, they looked to Scott to watch their children. Even after his accident, even when he had exhibited behavior that others would think strange, they had relied on him. For a few days Scott would turn his house into a home for his nephews and do his best to be the greatest uncle he could. He would spoil them, entertain them, delight them, and they would make him feel like a father.

But that was before Ennard had come to live with him.

Due to his brother switching jobs and business at home, Scott hadn't been asked to watch his nephews in quite some time. He had gone to visit them so he had seen them, but he hadn't had to worry about what would happen if they wanted to come by. Until now when he was blindsided by a call from his brother, who was asking him to watch his nephews while he and his wife went to a cabin up in the mountains for the weekend. It was a standard request and Scott wouldn't normally have a problem, except, again, now there was Ennard.

But Scott still felt reluctant to turn his brother down. He loved his nephews, he loved his brother, and he wanted to make them happy. After all, they were always so supportive. It was his brother who came to help him right after his accident and he would do anything to repay that. He swallowed thickly and forced a smile, as though his brother could see him through the phone. Then he gave his answer.

"Sure! Of- Of course they can come by for the weekend! This Friday?... Yeah, sure, great! Great. Everything will be ready for them, so… See you Friday? I should probably go… Get the house straightened up."

Or get rid of the animatronics in his house as fast as possible. It would be one thing if it was a small one or one who could teleport or hide, but this was Baby and Ennard. They couldn't be around children, they wouldn't hide well enough, and trying to sneak them out of the house already required a vehicle that he didn't have. He hung up the phone and gave a shaky exhale, rubbing a hand over his face. This was going to be a difficult conversation.

Scott stepped out of the office and approached the back of the couch hesitantly. Ennard was stretched out on the couch and flipping through television channels. He had no idea what was about to be dropped on him.

"So… My brother just called," Scott began almost meekly. He rubbed the back of his neck, but then stiffened as the clown looked up at him. He hesitated a few seconds before continuing. "He, uh, is going to be going on a trip for a couple of days and he asked if I could watch my nephews for the weekend… Here… At the house… And I said yes."

"Aww! That's…" Ennard trailed off as he realized the problem. "That's gonna be a problem with Baby being in the garage, ain't it?"

"Well, yeah," Scott nearly squeaked. At least he seemed to be taking it well enough. "I don't know how she's going to take it, but I'm going to have to tell her because they're going to be here on Friday… I can't really get out of this one." He didn't really want to either. Though he didn't want to upset the household, he did love his nephews and want to see them. "I'm going to just go tell her now. The sooner the better, then we can figure out what we're going to do."

Scott headed to the garage and let himself inside. It was dark, as it usually was during the day when Baby preferred to sleep, but he could see her against the back wall. She was sitting on the ground with her knees bent in front of her, her arms dropped at her side, and her head tilted forwards. She looked so serene, which was strikingly different than the air she normally carried. That being said, Baby had been a better guest this time than last time. It might've been her new face that had inspired her to be a little more patient, but she seemed less willing to vent her anger constantly.

Though now he was expecting a fight. Mostly because he knew how defensive Baby could get. No doubt she could take his concern the wrong way and it would lead to a dispute.

"Baby?" Scott tentatively roused. She gave a full body twitch before her eyes began to glow with alertness. She looked up to him attentively as he shuffled almost nervously. "Hey… We need to talk about something."

"Something happened," Baby guessed with an almost exhausted tone on her voice. "Will you turn the light on?"

"Yes, sure." With a click of the switch light filled the garage. It already made the conversation leagues more comfortable, though being watched by Baby still made it difficult. "And you're right. Something did happen. My, uh… My brother called to ask me if I would watch my nephews this weekend. I've done this before and he wants to take his wife on vacation, and it's only a few days-."

"I can't be around _children_ ," Baby firmly said. Her claw tightened at the thought, or perhaps just from the word alone. "I don't care what Fritz told you about my programming, it will not work." She turned her head away and said it almost like a stubborn child. She would've been frowning if she could've.

"I know…" Scott admitted. "…You can't really stay here."

Baby snapped her head back. He swore she looked shocked even if she could barely emote. Her eyes were back on him in disbelief, as though he was kicking her out. First Fritz and now him.

"It's only for a few days! Then you'd come back as soon as they leave. It just would be easier for all of us… And by that, I mean me _and_ you. I don't want to keep you locked in a garage like a-… You know. I don't want to keep you locked up," Scott insisted. Her eyes lowered down as she tried to process the abruptness. "But as soon as they're gone you can come right back and it's really like nothing's changed."

"Yeah! It's just a couple of days!" Ennard chimed in. Scott had only vaguely noticed him walking up. "It'll be like a sleepover! Except you're doing it to get away from kids." He sounded so carefree about it and for a moment Scott was relieved.

"Exactly," Scott agreed. "And I can't really say no to my brother, so I really appreciate you doing this. I'll make it up to you, but it really is the best option for you than staying here." He almost thought that this was going to work. Him and Ennard could maybe assure her that it would be fine, and she hadn't started yelling or anything like that. This could work.

"And it's not like you're gonna want to hide in here with me for the whole weekend," Ennard pointed out in amusement. "Heh, we both know ya come in here to get away from me! Two or three days stuck in this room together'll kill us!"

Then the dread returned, because apparently Ennard had somehow gotten the entirely wrong idea. Scott clenched his teeth and looked more nervous than usual, which Baby noticed. Her eyes then darted over to Ennard with a tired sigh.

"I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but I don't think he meant that you were going to be staying while I left. You have the same problems I do," Baby pointed out matter-of-factly. "Does it still sound like a sleepover when you're also being pushed out the door?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not-!" Ennard looked to Scott who looked back with a pathetically guilty look. He immediately knew what that look meant, that Baby was right. "Uh…" For once, the amalgam was rendered speechless. Then he got an awkward tone. "Uh, right? I'm not- _I'm_ not going, Scott, right? I can control myself around kids! You remember Halloween!"

"Ennard, I… This is more than just you being around kids," Scott slowly tried to explain. "This is you being in a house with two boys who are old enough to know that something weird is going on if they find out that Uncle Scott has a clown living in his garage. They're not young children, and it's going to be three days. They'd notice something." He knew immediately that his words were falling on deaf ears if that frenzied twitching was any indication.

"But- No, wait! We can make this work! Just lock me in here! I can handle a few days of that!" the amalgam protested. He clasped his hands together as though prepared to beg. "I can be as quiet as a mouse, not a peep, I swear!"

"We both know you wouldn't be happy staying out here. Eventually you'd let yourself in- No, you know you will," Scott corrected as Ennard tried to interrupt in protest, cutting off his efforts. "It's not right to ask you to lock yourself out here. How's that fair? It's not fair. You'd be miserable." It was clear that, even though beginning to falter, Ennard didn't look anywhere near done pleading his case. It almost startled Scott to see how frantic he was. He couldn't understand it; Ennard had never been so panicked over something so trivial.

But before either of them could continue the disagreement, a third voice chimed back in with her own opinion.

"Ennard, you're making a scene," Baby spoke up. Ennard looked to her attentively even as she turned to look away. His panic was still evident as she became calm. "Don't keep pretending to be ignorant just because you think you can deny your way out of this. You know that we cannot stay here. They _can't_ see us. The longer you protest then the more comically desperate you look."

It was weird to hear Baby being the rational one. Maybe that was why it was so effective. Ennard stared at her for a few moments before giving a choked chuckle.

"You're right," the amalgam admitted with light amusement. He glanced to Scott out of the corner of his eyes. "You're right, Scott's right, you're both right. It's just a couple of days! Cut out all the reruns of the Immortal and the Restless and it's pretty much just _fifty-one_ hours. I can do that! I can live with that!" His eyes stared forward partially unfocused, making him still look just as unstable as before. "Ha ha, I can live with anything- I survived the night shift!"

"I don't think you have much of a choice, so your optimism is a good thing. Even if it we can all see straight through it," Baby remarked. She gave another sighing noise. "…I need to call Charlie. When do we need to be gone?"

"They'll be here Friday around noon, so there's no reason to rush. We'll figure something out before then," Scott assured. He looked between them. It had been a long time since he saw Ennard so nervous, even though the clown willingly snuck out of the house whenever he felt like it. Baby, meanwhile, sounded both mentally and physically drained. Neither looked directly at him. He reached out to rub Ennard's shoulder and spoke to them both. "Look, I… I really appreciate you two going through this much trouble for me. I know how hard it is to uproot yourselves from your home-."

"This isn't my home," Baby corrected as she stood on her skates. She hesitated a moment, staring at Scott, and then added. "…But you have been courteous to me and I won't forget that. I will call Charlie and figure this out."

"Thanks. I'm going to go finish up work in the office…" Scott looked back to Ennard who had still been silent. "Are you going to be okay? I know this is sudden and I never wanted to put you into this position, but, I mean, we've talked about this. We knew eventually something like this would happen." Not these exact circumstances, but they had vaguely once discussed what would happen if they had to hide Ennard out of the house. Though then it had been a vague fantasy instead of a concrete reality. The clown perked and looked to him, and he covered quickly.

"Me? Oh yeah, I'm gonna be fine! Ha ha, Scottie you're acting like I've never left the house! I think I can handle three days, right?" Ennard hated admitting it, but Baby was right. Even he knew that wasn't convincing. Scott was only pretending that he believed it. "Go finish up quick and then we'll do something. We need to get in all the fun we can before the big day!"

The man agreed and started to head back towards the office. Baby gave another weary sort of sigh as she started to approach the door. It would be embarrassing asking Charlie for another favor, but anything was better than getting stuck relying on Fritz. She coasted to the living room phone and quickly dialed the number she knew as hers. After a few moments, Mike answered.

"Hello. I need to speak to Charlie," Baby said curtly.

"Alright, hold on." Mike pulled back from the phone and called towards the living room. "Charlie, Baby's calling for you." He then waited for her to come over, all while Baby waited on the other side of the line. She noticed that Ennard was creeping in closer, slowly, and knew he was watching her. She ignored it as Charlie's voice came onto the other line.

"Hello? Baby?" Charlie's voice was welcoming.

"Hello, Charlie." There was a long period of silence, one that Charlie almost broke, if not for Baby cutting her off by continuing. "There's been a change of plans. I need to return to the warehouse."

"What? I thought everything was going fine. What happened?" the puppet asked in surprise. She sounded worried and the clown almost liked the amount of concern, if not for her immediate belief that this was her own doing.

"Scott will be having a couple of…" Baby didn't want to say the word 'children'. It always seemed to irritate her programming and caused her mind to fill of relentless dessert thoughts. "… _Brats_ coming to stay for the weekend. I cannot stay here while they are here. I'll have to return to the warehouse." She gave yet another sigh. This one was more for dramatic effect. "Back to that dump of a warehouse… But I will need someone to bring the van over here, and it can't be Fritz. I thought you could pull your strings and have someone else drive me."

"Of course I will, but… I don't know. Are you sure you want to go back there? There's plenty of bedrooms here and I'm sure nobody would mind you coming by," Charlie boldly offered. Of course, she only did so because she had already been told that Mike and Marionette considered inviting Baby, so it was less like she was stepping out of line in doing so. "It might be easier, and I know it would be more comfortable."

"Because I've gotten used to staying with a masked fool and his human dolly? Yes, it might be easier, but no, I would feel safer back in the warehouse…" Baby's eyes lowered with her voice as her discomfort started to raise. She shivered as a she started to imagine what the house looked like. "I would rather not step foot in that house. You would have to shut me off and wheel me there unwillingly."

"…You do realize that Scott or Ennard might be able to hear that, right?" Charlie asked flatly.

"He's standing right behind me. He would have to be deaf not to." Baby could hear a shifting of wires at being called out and was almost proud of herself. "He's also been told that he will have to leave. He's handling it as expected: barely."

"I really don't think that the warehouse is the best option, but if you insist then I'll ask and see who can come get you," Charlie said. She knew it would be a fool's errand to try and convince Baby, especially when she sounded so convinced and seemed so disturbed by the idea of visiting the house. So, Charlie's protests ended there, and her concern was minimal.

"Thank you." Baby could've just ended the call then and all would be taken care of, but suddenly she thought back to something said earlier. "Have you ever had a sleepover? Of course you have. You said you had friends. Friends have sleepovers." The comment more confused Charlie than anything else.

"I guess so?" she said quizzically. She knew Baby was leading into something, but she wasn't sure what that was. "…Do you _want_ to have a sleepover? You could sleep here for the weekend. We could make it an event."

"No, Dummy. I meant you at the warehouse," Baby clarified. She then realized that she had lost all tact in blurting that out, but she suspected that the Security Puppet was just being difficult. She couldn't have been clearer in what she was implying. "Just think about it. I have to go," she excused as she abruptly ended the call.

All Charlie got out was a confused, "Okay?" before the call was ended. In hindsight, Baby could've handled that one differently. Now she looked desperate when she was only inviting Charlie out of boredom, not because she couldn't stay at the warehouse alone or something infantile like that. It was over now and not like she could call back.

Baby turned around and proceeded to walk straight into Ennard. She gave a staticky sound of annoyance and shoved off his chest, rolling back away from him. "We have this entire house and you still breathe down my neck."

"Hah, sorry! I just- I guess I got a _little_ bit…" Ennard hesitated there, head tilted and eyes dropping down, and the ruse started to melt. He began to stare off distantly like he had before. Baby got her own glazed look, then raised her claw and snapped it closed a few times, making enough noise to jolt Ennard out of his daze. He then looked back to her and honestly asked, "Can I go with you to the warehouse?"

"Must you?" Baby asked. Though honestly, she didn't know why he was asking. She just assumed that he would be hauled off to the warehouse with her and that he would crowd in on any time she had, unable to entertain himself.

"Funny you should ask!" Ennard exaggerated uncomfortably. He laced his wire fingers together. "See, my backup is just going and hiding in the sewers, but I can't stay that wet for that long or I'd burn out like a soggy toaster. Not to mention that cause of me, the entire town's on the look for clowns, and if they spot a trace of me in the sewer- Oh boy- We're… Gonna have a horror movie on our hands, and the clown's always gonna die at the end. Trust me on that."

"You've been staying in the sewers. That explains some things," Baby remarked. Though her coarseness changed as she saw how uneasy he looked. "You're not pretending this. You really are scared. Of what?"

"Of what? Ha, ha! Of e _verything!_ " The amalgam grabbed at his own head. "C-Can't trust anyone in this town! Even the old guys are dangerous, and there's a lot of those leftover from Freddy's!"

"…Then fine."

"Huh?" She said it so quickly that it took him off-guard. Ennard looked to her again. "Okay? We go together?"

"Yes, but I have three rules. Follow the rules," Baby said firmly. He nodded in understanding. "Rule one: If Charlie does come, don't do that thing you do where you grab on her like you do to Scott. In fact, don't do anything you do to Scott to Charlie. Rule two: Do not draw attention to us. I do not want unexpected visitors and police. Rule three: You… We're leaving rule three open for now." She was almost surprised when he didn't argue.

It was so odd to have Ennard being honest. Most of the time he either gave partial honesty or some version of the truth, but this time he had been blunt. He was scared to be uprooted. She couldn't say she shared the sentiment, but she didn't enjoy the fact that she was being moved against her will. Maybe, even if she wouldn't admit it, she had started to become attached to this place. Maybe that was why Friday came so quickly.

It didn't help that almost every moment along the way reminded of the event. Scott had thoroughly cleaned the house, boxed the tapes and moved them into his bedroom, and bought extra groceries that were specifically for his nephews- Baby knew for a fact that Ennard was still sneaking and dipping into them. He seemed both antsy and excited, which was not shared with the animatronics. An equal feeling of finality and discomfort settled in as soon as they could hear the van backing up on the other side of the garage door. It was time for them to leave.

Scott stepped out into the garage and looked between Baby, who was standing by the garage door, and Ennard, who was pacing in the back of the room. Just looking at their behavior alone, the human was much more concerned for him than her. He approached Ennard while carrying what looked like a jacket in his arms.

"Ennard?" he gently began. The clown's head snapped to attention and Scott sent him a warm smile. "Looks like it's showtime! I uh… Here, I wanted to give you this. You know, in case you get cold one of these nights," he offered and handed it over. "And if you ever feel like it, you can call me. The boys go to bed around nine-thirty, so if you call me after that then I'll be free to talk!"

"I might take ya up on that offer," Ennard said. His voice sounded surprisingly humorless, though at least not too distraught. He eagerly slid on the jacket, which was just big enough to slide into comfortably. It smelled like fabric softener with the faintest hint of Scott's cologne. He could already tell that it would be a help. They were interrupted by a knock on the garage door.

"It's open!" Scott called over. In a few seconds, the garage door started to open. To Baby's relief, it was Jeremy instead of Fritz. Once he got the garage door open, he returned to the van to back up a little more. Scott took this time to finish up with Ennard. "Well, this is it! It's just a couple of days. It's going to fly by like nothing."

Ennard gave a noncommittal sort of mutter and pulled the jacket in tighter around him. He wouldn't make a scene, he wouldn't put up a fight, but in return he was too tired to even put on a false persona of being excited. It wasn't even as much that he was going away, but that he couldn't come back. Freddy forbid something happen to Scott's brother and he got stuck with the kids permanently. Or worse, Scott realized that life was easier without him living in the house. Scott reached up to fix his jacket and tuck in the frayed wires trying to climb out.

"There. How's that?" Scott asked. Ennard answered by taking him into a tight hug. The human returned it without a hitch, shocked when the clown didn't squeeze with all his strength. "I… I'll miss you. It won't be the same without you," Scott admitted. He bit his lip as he considered something else he could say. He knew it would help, even if only the slightest bit. "And I love you."

There came the squeeze that was more typical to Ennard. It was more of a relief than Scott could've expected.

On the other side of the garage, Jeremy started to open the back of the van. Baby didn't expect to see that Charlie was already inside, wearing her typical jacket with a bookbag resting beside her. They hadn't spoken since their phone conversation, so Baby had just expected that it would've been forgotten.

"I didn't think you'd come," Baby admitted.

"I haven't had a sleepover in years and thought this might be my last chance," Charlie answered with a smile. "And you're welcome."

Baby willingly climbed into the van alongside the puppet. It took a good deal of the pressure off the situation to have someone else there. Not counting Ennard, as she expected him to be a wreck. Charlie must've noticed it too as she spotted him climbing in and her smile faltered. The amalgam willingly closed the doors behind him before shifting against the wall, pulling into himself and pulling himself further into the jacket he was wearing.

"Is he okay?" Charlie quietly asked. Baby turned to glance over at him.

"He'll live," Baby said simply. The Security Puppet was a little less capable of brushing it off. She hadn't remembered him being this quiet, and from what the female clown had said about him this seemed to be out of character. Though she was now looking at the puppet expectantly, seemingly displeased that her attention was elsewhere.

It was now that Jeremy got into the van, started it up again, and began to drive out of the driveway. "To the warehouse we go!" the driver said. He seemed to be in a good mood, or perhaps overcompensating for nervousness. "…I've got to be honest. I don't know why you didn't just go to Mike's house. You know he has four bedrooms, right?"

"Really? You learn something new every day," Charlie joked. "No, I offered but the warehouse was too tempting." It should've been left there, but Jeremy decided to continue with his small talk.

"I get it. It's weird staying at someone else's house, but in this case- I don't know if you guys know, but the warehouse used to be super haunted. It's not anymore, but just thinking about staying the night there…" Jeremy shuddered at the thought of it. "I'd take a warm bed or a comfy couch over that anything." It was this sentence, not the haunted one, that caused Ennard to slowly raise his head.

"Unfortunately, that will not work for us. The warehouse will. It's not as bad as where we used to stay," Baby quickly excused. She was lucky to have Charlie coming as it was and couldn't afford someone else trying to talk her into going to that house. She was only more reluctant and stubborn at their persuasion. She seemed to be the only one as she noticed Ennard moving to shuffle by. "Look what you've done. You got him riled again."

"I what?" Jeremy asked in confusion. He stopped at a stop sign and turned to look into the back. He didn't expect to find Ennard looking out from between the seats and gave a startled choke. "Gah!"

"And now we're going to wreck," Baby lamented as she crossed her arms. She pouted like a child.

"Uh, I thought you were still in the back," Jeremy forced out to Ennard. He turned back to the road to keep driving. Ennard always made him uncomfortable- though he couldn't say he had really spent any time with Ennard since he dropped his Baby disguise. In fact, it might've been the fact that he pulled off the Baby disguise so well that made him so nervous.

"Ha, ha, no problem! Didn't mean to scare ya there, Jere!" Ennard chirped with his tone returning to his usual one. Baby knew instantly that this meant something less than innocent and sent a knowing glance to Charlie. "So… Mind telling me more about that warm bed? Four bedrooms, really? No exaggeration?"

"Uh, no! None at all. Foxy's got a bedroom, Mari's got one, Charlie's got one, and then there's the master. They're all pretty nice. It's a nice house," Jeremy explained. Baby made a digging motion with her claw to Charlie, who caught it after a few moments. "I've stayed over there a few times for one reason or another. Not as much anymore since I've got my Minireenas and all. You remember them, right?"

"Course I do! How could I forget? I gotta see them one of these days, ha ha!" Ennard leaned in a bit more, looking a little too excited considering his previous mood. "But first, I just got a crazy idea."

It was a typical afternoon, which meant that Mike was about two seconds away from throwing the game controller into the television. He would get Foxy one of these days for getting him hooked on this awful game again, but not today. Today he would waste his time trying to get through a game that he knew was cheating. He vaguely heard a vehicle pulling up outside but didn't realize it was someone at the house until there was a knocking at the door. Unfortunately, Marionette and Foxy were both back in the hallway, and Mike wasn't at a good place to pause.

"Hold on a second!" Mike called. The knocking began to grow steadily more panicked in response. The security guard exhaled and paused the game, knowing he was right in the position to lose a life as soon as he started it again. Still, he made his way to the front door and tried not to let his frustration show. "I'm coming, I'm coming! I'm right here."

Mike unlocked and opened the front door. Before he could even check who it was, a tarp covered figure slipped in, hunched down and letting itself by. Behind it followed Jeremy, who tried to scramble out an awkward explanation. Mike assumed that it was Charlie who just came in until the covered figure stood to full height and dropped the tarp back to reveal that it was _Ennard_.

No wonder Jeremy was at a loss of a real explanation and had to rely on scrambling for words.

"Well, hello again!" Ennard greeted with a delighted crackle of laughter. Mike sent a questioning look to Jeremy who gave a half smile. "It's been way too long! How are ya?"

"…Pretty confused if I'm being frank," Mike replied. He still watched Jeremy, who was still standing in the doorway looking apologetic. "What, did something happen to the warehouse?" The blond started to answer but was cut off.

"Well, apparently it was really haunted which might've been "something". Sounds like a _ton_ of fun- glad I missed it!" Ennard said with a boisterous laugh. He then tossed the tarp past Mike and onto the back of the couch. "Ac-tu-ally, I'm here cause Jeremy said ya had a bunch of free bedrooms and nobody to stay in them! I'm just gonna get between Baby bonding time at the warehouse, so I thought: 'Hey, I'll go see how Mike and Mari are doing!' And here I am.~" He looked down at Mike eagerly. "So, whaddya think? I can stay, right?"

The security guard was at a complete loss for words. Ennard had pretty much barged into his house and chatted his way into staying at the house. Hearing all of this, he wasn't surprised that Jeremy got stuck bringing him here. He didn't get a chance to answer- though didn't try- as Marionette and Foxy heard the voices and came down the hall.

"Ennard?" the Puppet asked in obvious confusion. He looked to Mike. Mike sent him a raised brow, showing his feelings. He looked to Jeremy. Jeremy gave that same lopsided smile. Then he looked back to Ennard and looked him over. He finally said, "I like your jacket. It looks nice on you."

"Actually, it's Scott's jacket, but I like it too! Ha ha, thanks!" Ennard answered with that same excitement. "You came at just the right time! I was just asking Mike here if you and he would like some company since you got all this room and nobody filling it."

Foxy looked to Marionette abruptly, anticipating the answer as much as Ennard was. Marionette looked to Mike and Mike looked back, and it was clear that neither of them knew how to answer. Both were waiting for the other to give the answer and neither knew how to respond. Ennard followed their gazes between them while Foxy continued to stare intently at his brother. Then the Puppet answered.

"Uh, okay?" Marionette tentatively said. He more was asking Mike then answering the question.

"Yeah, sure," Mike added, going along with whatever he said.

"Oh, that's _perfect!_ " Ennard cried in delight. "We're gonna have _so much fun!_ And I'm not getting stuck in a haunted warehouse, which is even better!" The clown exerted excitement and exuberance, even when on the inside it was just overwhelming relief. He managed to barely avoid being shelved away like a broken animatronic.

With that, Foxy passed by Marionette and headed to the back of the couch. "Foxy?" the Puppet asked in confusion. He watched the pirate grab the tarp and put it over himself. "What are you doing?" The pirate answered by turning towards him, giving a salute, and then heading to the door. He beckoned Jeremy on the way and disappeared outside without another word.

Jeremy looked back to the others who were all still staring, gave a sort of shrug and a wave, and then followed the fox out the front door. Foxy hurried to the van and started to open the back doors.

"Before you open that-," Jeremy started to warn, but didn't get enough time before the back opened and Foxy found himself staring in at Baby and Charlie. "…We didn't get a chance to stop at the warehouse."

Foxy and Baby exchanged a blank stare. Now that she knew who he was and he knew that she knew, things were even more uncomfortable than they had been inside of the house. Though Foxy wouldn't back down and climbed in without a word as Jeremy shut the doors.

"Hey Foxy," Charlie greeted to break the tension. "Didn't expect to see you… Going to Jeremy's or coming with us?"

"Jeremy's," Foxy gruffly answered. Jeremy didn't protest to it, so it sounded like that would be the plan. It only took a few moments to start the van, but it felt like an eternity of awkward silence, and Foxy didn't handle silence well. He had to fill it. "Ennard ran me out."

The silence returned and was just as tense as ever. Both Charlie and Jeremy could feel it, though it was the former who decided to try and break the ice. She went to clear her throat, completely forgetting that this wasn't going to work until she was rewarded by a strange, squealing sort of noise. She clasped a hand over her mouth, which was already too late as Foxy's head snapped to her.

"…The bloody 'ell was that?" he bluntly asked with alarm.

"The sound of someone who just realized they agreed to go live in a warehouse," Baby said lethargically. She just continued staring off at the wall. "It's a cry for help."

Charlie almost considered defending herself, even if it didn't seem worth it, but the Foxy gave a chuckle. That was one way to get them communicating, she assumed. In fact, the fox now looked at the clown and only now noticed the difference in her face. He hadn't seen her in person for quite some time, but the change was still very evident. Her features had been softened more than he could've expected. He swallowed his pride and averted his gaze to the front.

"Ya look good, Baby," Foxy admitted. "Gotta admit, Ennard did a fine job."

"Oh… Thank you. He did," Baby agreed, not expecting the compliment. She wondered what his angle was but had her thoughts interrupted by a nudge to her arm. She looked to Charlie, "What is it?" Charlie gave a nod in Foxy's direction, as though trying to coax Baby into doing something. Her bell rung as she moved her head. "…What is it? I thanked him," Baby defended. "I'm not complimenting him. He has a successful pizzeria. He doesn't need a compliment."

"…Yeah, thanks, Baby," Foxy said with faint amusement under sarcasm. Baby hadn't intended to compliment him. The fact that he read it as a compliment only returned her to her previous pouting, crossing her arms and looking back out the back of the van. Foxy didn't know how to feel about how much she was acting like Elizabeth.

The rest of the ride was a little less uncomfortable, even if they were both obviously avoiding the elephant in the room.

After Foxy and Jeremy's abrupt departure, the remaining three at the house stared at the door for a few long moments.

"You know, I get the impression Foxy doesn't like me all that much," Ennard said, catching the attention of the other two. "But his loss! We're gonna have a blast with just the three of us!"

He then looked between the two and remembered Baby's rules. Of course, then he remembered that technically Baby wouldn't be here, so the rules didn't apply anymore. With that, he reached out and with one fell swoop ensnared Marionette, who simply gave in and accepted it. Mike was harder to catch, as he tried to duck out of the way. The couch was what pinned him in enough that Ennard got him on the second grab. He yanked him in quickly.

"This is going to be _great!_ "

Mike and Marionette both highly doubted it and regretted everything.

* * *

 **Mable: Be careful who you let into your home. They might not leave willingly… Or drive you into a state of madness. That's the more likely outcome with Ennard. Mercy on their souls!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Mable: Twice in a row?! Goodness, maybe Thursday uploads truly have returned!... Seriously though, I'm glad I was able to supply the chapter on time. I've wanted to get back on schedule for a while, so I'm going to try and keep this up if I can. Anyway, I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-Five_

The warehouse was as it usually was. There wasn't much else to say about it other than that. It almost disappointed Baby as she and Charlie were shut and locked inside. She sent a bored look over the office as she stepped into it, one that then ended on Charlie, who dropped down on the office chair and set her bag on the desk. She began to open it up and take items out.

"So, I brought some things that we can look at if we get bored. It's not too much, but it's what I could get together on somewhat short notice. I wasn't entirely sure if I was coming down here until today… In all honesty, I assumed you would call and change your mind," the Security Puppet admitted. Baby made a dismissive noise. "You can't blame me. You make your decisions quick," Charlie said with a lightly teasing tone.

"I stand by them," Baby answered. She then rolled closer and watched as Charlie set out things on the desk. "And all this will last the weekend?"

"Are you kidding? We'll be lucky if this lasts until tonight. We're going to have to get creative. Thankfully, I'm an expert at that." She set down a few plastic bags with dice and tokens in them. "I brought a board game, but I had to take it out of the box to fit. There's a couple of books, some magazines, my photo album apparently- I didn't realize I packed that actually," she admitted semi-awkwardly. "Whatever I could think of quickly."

"I see." Baby tried not to seem too pleased even though she was. Not about the trinkets- they would get boring quickly- but in how excited Charlie seemed. Maybe someone really did want to willingly spend time with her, even if it was only because Charlie was as socially deprived as she was. Though a new question emerged considering the other's delicateness. "Did you think of where you're going to sleep?"

"All taken care of!" Charlie said confidently. "Mike said there's a box somewhere in the warehouse that goes to this body, so I'll just sleep in that. It shouldn't be too uncomfortable. I've done it before." It would be weird sleeping in an empty box, but she had become familiar with the concept of fitting into the boxes. Hopefully there were leftover plush dolls in that one too. Hopefully ones that weren't too molded.

"I thought you had a bed," Baby said. "No, excuse me. I mean, I thought you had _my_ bed." Something about the question made the self-consciousness return. Charlie had totally forgotten that to non-puppet animatronics, or humans, this would seem like an odd phenomenon. In hindsight, saying it out loud made it sound strange.

"I do, I just… I don't know. Sometimes I like sleeping in a box," Charlie admitted. Her voice lowered as she added, "It's comforting…"

Baby stared at her for a few seconds. "…That's precious." Whether or not it was supposed to be patronizing as it sounded was unclear. The clown tilted her head curiously. "What color is the box? I might have seen it."

"Purple and striped?"

"I know where it is." Baby turned to the office door without another word. Charlie stood and hurried after her to keep from being left behind.

The box turned out to be in the back of the warehouse down the final aisle, where the overhead lights were mostly broken and kept it poorly lit. The box itself was on the lowest shelf and Baby started to slide it out. The box looked as it was described; purple and black striped with a red ribbon-like pattern on the outside. It looked sturdy and just big enough to fit inside, so she could imagine that it would work. Though while she was watching Baby slide it out, she just happened to notice a door at the end of the aisle. One that looked like it had once been sealed up if the strange plaster around it was any indication.

"Where's that door go?" Charlie asked curiously. She could've guessed it was a back door, but something about where it was positioned made it unlikely. Baby looked over briefly before returning to lifting the box out. It was easy to move once slid out around the other items and she set it down beside them.

"That's where they keep the golden bear," Baby answered simply. She continued looking at the box and watched as she opened the flaps and looked inside. "What is this?" she asked as she reached in and pulled out an empty bag of chips. "It's full of trash. How quaint," Baby bitterly said with disgust. She boldly tilted the box on its side, barely giving Charlie a chance to get out of the way and leaned down to scoop out the trash. Meanwhile, Charlie could only stare at the door.

So that was where he was. She couldn't remember if she had asked about it, but there he was sealed behind a door. Or the body he had possessed was. Seeing that Baby was still distracted, Charlie started to approach the door with slow almost hesitant footsteps. She stopped outside of the door and reached for the doorknob. Then she hesitated, wondering if she really wanted to see what was on the other side. Her strings tightened in her arms and chest as she started at the door. All at once she reached out and turned the knob.

The door stayed shut tightly. It was locked. Charlie didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed as she drew her arm back. She continued to stand there, arms crossed across her chest, and waited at the door as though it would open. It was a few minutes after that when she heard the soft sound of Baby's wheels as she slowly skated up to her. The Security Puppet turned to look back at her.

"It's locked," Charlie simply explained. Her disappointment was evident. "…Did you know him?"

"The golden bear? No," Baby answered. "Why, did you?"

"…Yeah, I kind of did," Charlie admitted. She turned back to the door and stared at it, fighting down a low vibration deep in her chest of somberness. "He was my father."

"Oh." That was all Baby said at first. She wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to react. Obviously the other felt strongly about this in some way, but Baby was so out of touch with her own feelings that she wasn't sure what would be the appropriate response. "How tragic. Both of you ended up like this… Were you close?"

"Almost, but he had his accident when I was young, so I can't remember much about him. I only even remember his voice because I used to have a couple of toys and tapes with it…" Charlie hesitated and decided to open further. "My brother went missing when we were very little, and my mom left after my dad died. I guess it made it easier that I wasn't leaving them behind …" She snapped out of it as she realized what she was doing. "I'm sorry. Here we are trying to have a good time and I've got to bring up my broken family. Can we just pretend I didn't say any of that?"

"I can't remember my family well," Baby suddenly admitted. Charlie got a look of surprise at the statement. It only grew when the clown continued. "But I think my mother died. I don't remember anything else about her… I do remember my father. I remember I was his princess. He loved me… And then he abandoned me." Her hand and claw tightened as a low static rose in her chest before falling back into calmness. "This is why I don't want to go back to that house. If I went in there, I would only remember more of them. So far everything I have remembered has been unpleasant."

"I'm sorry," Charlie said quietly. She almost wished that she never brought it up. Though this brought up a new idea and she got a small smile. "I guess we're sort of in the same boat then. We're not so different, are we?"

"I suppose we're not." Baby started to turn around, but in the motion reached out to take Charlie's arm and with soft force turned her away from the door. "But now you've put a damper on our party and you're going to make it up to me."

"I am?" the puppet asked with growing amusement as she was led back towards the box. All the trash had been scooped out and tossed carelessly aside, and all Baby had to do was set it upright. "And how do I do that?"

"I want you to show me you in your box. Do puppet things. Pop out of it or something," Baby coaxed and waited in anticipation. With an amused ring, Charlie shrugged and started to climb into the box.

"Alright, but just keep in mind that I'm not like a real puppet. I don't do this for a living," she said as she knelt down and shut the lid. She tried to get adjusted inside, only to find a spot of something sticky in the bottom. "Ugh, I think something spilled in the bottom."

"It was probably a soda or melted candy," Baby excused. She glanced over at the trash pile and stared for a few moments. "…Try not to get it on you. It may be flammable."

"Yeah, noted." Another shifting noise. "Okay, I'm just going to pop out now. Just keep in mind that this is my first time doing this." Her prong's bell jingled as it lightly knocked against the lid of the box. It felt cramped without being uncomfortable- save whatever the stain was currently taking up the floor of the box. She considered how she was going to do this and eventually decided to ring out the trademark 'Pop Goes the Weasel' song to time herself down. It wasn't anymore difficult than at the party; if anything, it was easier in front of Baby than a crowd.

The song trailed down to the end as she braced herself for the pop at the end. Anticipation built in her chest as the ringing in her chest nearly caused her to tremble. The music continued to wind to the punch.

Then she popped out of the box. It was faster than she anticipated, and she thrust her arms out forwards out of reflex, like her body suddenly followed its own course. She gave a rich ring after popping out and then waited for a reaction. Though it was while in that pose, half out of the box, that she realized exactly when she was doing. She glanced down at her arms before lowering her hands to the edge of the box. Slowly she slumped down with a sheepish and strained sort of smile.

"I enjoyed that too much," Charlie admitted. "This isn't the first-time ether. I had to stand in at a party recently for Foxy and Mari. It was just supposed to be a quick thing, wasn't supposed to be anything at all, and then somehow I ended up enjoying it and since then I don't know what to think anymore." She tapped her fingers on the edge of the box before looking up at Baby again. "I think I want to perform again, but I shouldn't."

"Why not?" Baby simply asked. The Security Puppet was taken aback by the simplistic tone. "You have a perfect body; you just need practice. Your arms should go up when you come out of the box."

"It's not that simple…" Charlie said quietly.

"Yes, it is," the clown persisted. She then slowly raised her arms above her. "There, I've done it. Now you try," she said patronizingly.

"No, not the arms! I mean me performing. Me… Becoming this animatronic-."

"Do you remember what I told you when we left Chica's Party World? I know you do, it wasn't that long ago," Baby interrupted as she let her arms drop to her sides. "You can't live by the same rules as a human anymore. If you wait then you will just waste the time you have, and you shouldn't waste a body as new and untouched as yours." She looked over the other animatronic. She couldn't help but be envious, but it was different than the envy towards Funtime Chica or Natalie had been. There wasn't hate or anger, a somber regret. "All it takes is a single day and then you will never want anything else."

Charlie didn't really know what to say. Baby had a point in what she said, and there was no denying that she did want to at least try it again. Maybe giving into this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, even if she was embracing programming.

"I won't ever be able to return to a pizzeria now. Not just because of my body, but because I know what I was made to do. The influence runs so deeply that I don't know where it ends and I begin," Baby admitted. Her claw tightened for a moment at the thought, at the brief memory of her own pizzeria and the imaginary franchise she could've had, but then let it all go. "But that's okay…" Her green eyes raised to the Security Puppet. "Because I can live vicariously through you."

"…I appreciate your honesty, even if it is a little intimidating," Charlie said with that small smile. "Alright, I'll do it. Or I'll try it out again and see how it goes." She started to climb back out of the box only to have Baby's hand reach to her head and start pushing her back down into the box.

"Not yet. First, we need to fix your act. You can't go into a party like this," Baby firmly stated. She started to close the flaps until they were only cracked enough for Charlie to peek out. "Now this time keep your arms up so I can see."

This was going to be a long night and yet neither of them had been this enthralled in a long time.

* * *

While Scott had given small hints about it and Ennard had occasionally made remarks of it, neither Mike nor Marionette could've truly anticipated what living with the clown was like. It was apparent within only a couple of hours that they didn't know what they were getting into.

"Ha ha ha! Good one!... Wait, you're serious?!" Ennard asked in shock as he continued to manipulate the controller in his hands like he was an expert, even though both suspected it was his first time ever holding a game controller. "This? Hard? Ha, this isn't hard! Geez, Mike, ya work at a pizzeria with an arcade! I just assumed you'd be a little better at games!" he mercilessly teased. Especially since he was playing the game like it was nothing.

"Wow, you guys keep a lot of ketchup in here! Guess that means you won't care if I have one, right?" Ennard playfully quipped as he boldly stole a bottle from the pantry. He then started to open it right in front of them. "Scott pretty much never buys this stuff anymore. Which is such a shame, cause it's pretty much the best thing since mustard," he added, then proceeded to carry the bottle around and tilt it back whenever.

"Oh, hey! You know what _I_ was just thinking? I could make dinner for ya!... Don't get that look- I do it for Scott all the time! Or, you know, kind of. Trust me, Mikey. You're gonna _love_ it," Ennard assured before completely overtaking the kitchen.

And the entire time Mike and Marionette just watched it happen. There wasn't much else they could do but watch and occasionally cringe. Ennard was like a young child; excitable, energetic, and almost completely unstoppable. He just kept going; chattering on, finding things to do, and turning the house into his own personal playground. It didn't help that he was constantly seeking their attention too, which meant he was dragging them around with him. It didn't slow down in the evening either. If anything, Ennard was only growing more restless with each passing hour, frantically searching for distractions.

Eventually, Marionette decided that it was time for a more substantial distraction. Ennard was currently back in the pantry when the Puppet approached and tapped on his arm.

"I have an idea. Why don't we sit down and play a board game?" Marionette offered. Mike had to admit that it was genius, getting Ennard pinned into one place and forcing him to focus his constantly shifting attention onto one specific thing. Especially since the game would probably last over an hour. It would at least be long enough to have the ketchup dry. "It's a Freddy themed one."

"Eh, I don't know. Maybe," Ennard said somewhat dismissively. He continued shifting through the pantry. "You guys got any popcorn? My show's coming on soon." At hearing 'my show', another adequate distraction, Marionette sent Mike a smile that looked much too wide considering the circumstances. "Any reason why your pantry is cold and buzzing?" Ennard asked in confusion.

"Ignore that, it's just pretending to be the fridge again," the Puppet dismissed. "But your show? Wonderful! We could use something to watch." He reached out and took the clown's arm and pulled him back from the door. "Why don't you come get the game with me and Mike can make the popcorn for you."

"Sound's good to me! He can heat these up too," Ennard added. He grabbed a can out of the pantry and threw it at Mike without warning. "Hey Mikey, think fast!"

The security guard barely ducked out of the way as the can soared past and hit the front door.

"Just throw those in the microwave until they start getting steamy," Ennard instructed. He then hooked an arm around Marionette. "Lead the way!" The striped one was still staring at Mike but snapped to attention and led the clown to the hallway.

" _He is definitely trying to kill me,"_ Mike thought as he leaned down and grabbed the can. _"Keep it together, Schmidt. It's not that bad. Just make the popcorn and heat up some-."_ He looked at the can's label. _"…Fruit cocktail."_

Mike was in the process of opening the can of fruit when the phone started ringing. He finished and set the can aside before answering it with a simple, "Hello?" Mike was almost surprised to hear that it was Scott, considering that it was almost ten o'clock at night.

"Hey Mike," Scott greeted with what sounded like a worried tone. "Sorry to call this late, but I just got off the phone with Charlie and she said Ennard was with you?"

"You better believe he is," the younger boldly said. He then lowered his voice as he vented into the phone. "Scott, your clown is eating me out of house and home. He is literally devouring my soul." Before he could continue, he heard what sounded like rapid footsteps coming down the hallway. "And here he comes," Mike said with exasperation.

Ennard came around the corner almost as fast as Foxy would've. Mike barely managed to get out of the way as the clown grabbed the phone and lifted it. "Hello?! Scott?!... Scott! You called! Ha ha, I was hoping you would find me! How's it going over there? You guys having fun?"

Marionette came out of the hallway and headed over to stand alongside Mike, who was now pouring the fruit cocktail into a bowl to move into the microwave. The man glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as he put the fruit in and tapped twenty seconds into the microwave. "Hey," he greeted, turning towards him and leaning on the counter. "I thought you were getting Freddyopoly."

"That was the plan, but all I could find was the box and nothing in it," Marionette explained. He crossed his arms and had this strange look as he fell quiet. A few seconds passed of him watching his companion.

"You're looking at me like I did it," Mike pointed out. Instead of denying it, the Puppet simply gave him a questioning look. Perhaps even suspicious. "Yeah, I stole all the pieces and didn't get rid of the box. Genius," Mike added as he opened the popcorn bag. "Give me a little credit, Mari. If I got rid of the game, I wouldn't leave the box behind as evidence. I'd pretend it never even existed."

"Aww, that's great! I'm so glad!" Ennard could be heard gushing on the phone. "But I'm not surprised. Who wouldn't have fun spending the whole weekend with _Uncle Scottie?_ I know I do… Just waiting for my show to come on. You know that's pretty much half the reason I came here." He gave a boisterous laugh at that and hesitated as Scott said something. "No, no, no. I'm not gonna do anything like _that_. Ha, I think if I did _that_ I'd be back out on the street!" He then lowered his voice. "Besides, between you, me, and the phone, I'm pretty sure Mari's got that covered."

"What was "that"?" Mike asked. He noticed that the Puppet looked a little alarmed. "…That good? What was it?"

"Oh… Nothing, it's not important," Marionette excused quickly.

"Yeah, sure! You take it easy, alright? I'm going to be just fine, so you take care of those two kiddos and don't worry about me!" A low chuckle of laughter. "Love ya lots! Call me back tomorrow, alright? Alright!" Then the phone call ended.

For a few moments Mike was too focused on listening to the popping of popcorn to notice something was amiss. Then he glanced to Marionette and noticed that he was looking in Ennard's direction. It was only then that it became apparent how quiet everything got after the call. The clown was dead silent as he stood there and stared at the phone he just hung up. If not for the grandfather clock chiming out the hour shortly afterwards, Ennard might've just continued standing there in an uneasy silence.

"Ten already, wow! Guess time flies, huh? Come on, Mari, the show's gonna begin momentarily," Ennard rattled out with less enthusiasm from before. As though the call from Scott had just deflated him on the spot. It clearly concerned Marionette, but Mike was just relieved that he wasn't having things thrown at him. Marionette waited and took the bowl of freshly popped popcorn out with him, leaving Mike with warmed fruit that Ennard suddenly had no interest in.

Mike didn't know if it was cruel fate or a bad joke when Ennard put on the same, cheesy, vampire soap opera that he himself had watched on occasion. Usually out of a twisted sense of humor in the sense that it was so bad it was almost comical, so one episode wasn't a big deal. It turned out that the clown intended to watch as much as he possibly could, and the episodes just kept going on into the night. Most of the time, Ennard was quiet, but Mike couldn't tell if that was his typical behavior while watching the show or not.

Eventually Mike and Marionette had gotten the cards out to play and distract themselves. At first this worked like a charm and the time generally passed easier. Then the Puppet slipped up once with a card. Then he fumbled a little with them. By time he was starting to slow down, the human realized that this too wouldn't last much longer. It was still early, not even midnight, but it was clear that the striped one was worn down.

"You okay?" the security guard finally asked as the puppet clumsily shuffled his cards.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. I just didn't sleep well last night," Marionette admitted. "Usually it's not a problem, but with Foxy…"

"…Keeping you up all night every night, you haven't been catching up?" Mike guessed. While he didn't want to blame his brother, the striped one eventually nodded in agreement. The problem was that Foxy really didn't need much sleep at all and Marionette had wanted as much time as he could get, knowing that the pirate could up and leave at any time. Which he did. "Why don't you go get some sleep?"

"…You don't mind?" Marionette asked hesitantly. He briefly glanced towards Ennard, who was still watching the television. "It's still early. I'm fine." He started to deal out the cards between the two of them. Halfway through he hesitated, stared at the cards he had began to divide, and then looked to his companion. "What were we going to play?"

"The 'go to bed' game," Mike answered unenthusiastically. "Mari, come on, go get some sleep. We'll survived one night without your if it means you getting a little rest," he assured, reaching out to push down the hand that was holding the deck of card. "I can even come wind your box if all this 'excitement' out here is too much to let you sleep."

"No need. I think I'll hit the pillow and that'll be it," Marionette said. He rubbed over his mask as he gathered the cards and set them down, patting Mike's hand. "Don't stay up too late."

"I'm not looking to pull an all-nighter. I'll be in a little later," the human assured. The Puppet rose and looked to Ennard.

"Goodnight, Ennard. Sorry I'm not a better host tonight," he apologized.

"Nah, you're good. Scott would've been in bed by now and Baby pretty much doesn't get up until the crack of midnight," Ennard casually answered, still watching the show. "But you're gonna miss out. I think this is it. I think this is the episode where Vlad and Clara finally call it quits. She just found out that he's been fooling around with the guy who cleans neighborhood pool, whose her boyfriend from high school, but Vlad doesn't know that. It's all coming down tonight!"

"I'm afraid I wouldn't be in the state to enjoy it. I'll have to catch a rerun," Marionette dismissed and then started to head down the hall. He was obviously tired from how quickly he headed towards the bedroom. Mike watched him go before looking back to the television. Almost immediately he felt the boredom start to sink in. Ironically enough, he was starting to regret Ennard's more subdued state. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Ennard was entertaining, but since the phone call he had been largely silent and subdued.

All that Mike could do was watch the show, and after so many episodes he was starting to become groggy and disinterested. He wasn't even really tired and yet he was so bored that he was considering going to bed.

" _Clara, it was just a one-night bite! I needed the blood from somewhere, and he was so delicious."_

" _When was the last time you called me delicious?! You don't care about anyone but yourself!"_

That pretty much did it. Mike had almost made it to midnight, but he was just too bored to stand it. Though not bored enough to risk asking Ennard if he wanted to do something other than watch the show and clean popcorn out of his own wires now that the bowl was empty.

" _I'm going to need all the sleep I can get. Chances are, Ennard's going to be just as riled as tomorrow as he was today… And I'd bet anything that most of tomorrow is going to be us tearing the house apart to find that game,"_ Mike reasoned with himself. With a sigh, he stood from the couch. "I think I'm going to turn in. Are you going to be okay if I take off?"

"Ha ha, yeah! Why wouldn't I be?" Ennard question as he glanced towards the security guard and watched him stretch his back. "Like I told Mari, Scott would've been in bed by now. I can handle myself! Just cruising through the _rocky shoreline of Vlad and Clara's tumultuous love life."_ In the last part his voice changed to mimic the narrator's on the show, and it was punctuated with a giggle. "It's not like you've gotta watch me or anything! Where am I gonna go?"

It was only then when the clown specifically said that Mike felt paranoid. Until then the thought hadn't even crossed his mind that Ennard might try to sneak out. He had gotten too comfortable with Foxy as a guest, since he knew that Foxy only slipped out under specific circumstances, and usually with Marionette. Ennard, however, had a specific problem in sneaking out, which he knew about because Scott had mentioned it once or twice in passing. If not for Ennard directly mentioning it with provocation, he wouldn't have even given it a passing thought. But where would the clown go?

"Back to Scott's?" Mike guessed. He sent the amalgam a flat look and he stared back. It was a few seconds before Ennard gave a response with light laughter.

"What sense does that make?! Why would I go home in the middle of the night when Scott's nephews are still there? I'd just have to walk all the way back!" Ennard defended. He looked back to the television while scraping at the bottom of the popcorn bowl, trying to find any remaining pieces amongst the leftover kernels. "You worry too much! But I get it- gotta keep an eye or two on your houseguest!"

"Yeah, something like that," the human vaguely agreed. His tone betrayed his continued suspicion, but he headed over to make sure the door was locked anyway. He made sure to discreetly slip his car keys in his pocket too. "Just have to double check. With all the cops prowling the street you can't let anyone out anymore." He started to head to the hallway. "Take it easy. Don't stay up too late."

"Aww, you care about me!" the clown chirped teasingly. He chuckled again as he turned to look after the human. "But for all you know, maybe I don't sleep at all! Now _that's_ a scary thought!"

" _No arguments there_ ," Mike thought. In all honesty he couldn't tell if Ennard was being truthful or not, but he usually aired on the side of caution when it came to the clown. Best case scenario was that he was considering it but wouldn't actually do it. He just had to hope that Ennard knew how devastating the consequences could be if he was caught out on the street.

Still, Mike left the bedroom door open a crack in the hopes that he would be able to hear if anything happened. He changed quietly, making sure not to wake Marionette, and then got into bed.

And out of all nights, this would be the one when he couldn't sleep.

Maybe it was Ennard being in the house or maybe having Charlie and Foxy abrupt missing that threw him off. Maybe it was because he was more bored than tired, as the pizzeria being closed had completely thrown off his sleep schedule. That would be a nightmare trying to work through. Trying to get to sleep early could've helped him with that, but by time the clock struck midnight he was still awake. By time it struck twelve thirty, he had his arm around Marionette, was tucked comfortably under the warm blankets, and was still absolutely wide awake.

Paranoia about Ennard decided to rear its ugly head right about now. Especially since he hadn't shut and locked the bedroom door. Regardless of his changed behavior, Mike was entirely sure how much he trusted the clown. Maybe a little more than Baby, but not enough to bet money on or feel comfortable around. There were just too many things that were kept hushed and too many times that Ennard outright attacked them. Sure, Marionette had attacked him once, but that had been when he was confused and scared. He could've forgotten the first time they sparred with Ennard, but he hadn't forgotten the second.

Ironically enough, even knowing this Mike was somehow more afraid that the clown would accidently set the house on fire than hurt them in their sleep. Or perhaps that worry too was just a product of a restless mind that wouldn't shut down. It eventually got to the point that he turned over to check the clock, saw that it was twelve thirty-five, and decided that he was going to have to get up and go check. Maybe get a drink, maybe stretch his legs, and maybe then he would be settled enough to take a second crack at this whole sleeping thing.

Mike carefully slipped out of bed and out of the bedroom before heading down the hall. He got just past the bathroom before he noticed that while the TV was still on, Ennard was nowhere to be seen. His eyes widened and he hurried to the front door only to be caught off-guard by the door still being locked. He paused a moment before looking into the kitchen. The popcorn bowl was currently in the sink.

" _Huh… Did he go to bed already? I knew he was bluffing on the sleep thing, but I didn't think he would go to sleep this early."_ Midnight was a second wind for animatronics, though he didn't know if that applied to Ennard. Even if he didn't, he could've never anticipated that the other would've called it a night at this hour. Mike wasn't entirely convinced and before doing anything else he headed back down the hall. He carefully pushed open the door to Marionette's bedroom, where Ennard was supposed to be staying, but didn't find the bed occupied. _"And he's not here… Maybe he's in Foxy's."_

Chances were, Ennard could've avoided what Marionette offered and just slept wherever he wanted. Mike wouldn't have put that past him. So, he closed the door and moved on towards Foxy's. He opened the door to find the bed also empty.

" _Maybe Charlie's,"_ Mike guessed as he started to close the door. Though he stopped right before he closed it all the way. "…Wait a minute," he muttered as he pushed the door back open. "Is that…?"

The window was open.

"You have got to be kidding me," the man snarled as he strode over. He looked out the window and saw nothing in the backyard, but the evidence was already there. "That weaselly son of a-." He cut himself off with the window closing. For a second, he considered waking Marionette, but then thought against it. _"There's no point. I already know exactly where he's going. Couldn't have been gone that long, so maybe I can still catch him in the act."_

He slipped into the bedroom only quick enough to pull on a different pair of pants and his shoes, then grabbed his jacket on the way out the door. Within a few minutes he was driving towards Scott's and eyeing the sides of the road as he did so. He didn't know whether it was fortunate or not that there wasn't any sign of the amalgam. It wasn't too long before he pulled up in Scott's driveway, shut off the car, and then just decided to wait in ambush. He wasn't sure how long it was- it felt like an hour but was probably closer to fifteen minutes- but he finally caught sight of something.

A figure moved around the back corner of Scott's house and disappeared behind it. Even with only a glimpse caught it was obvious who it was. Mike rolled down his window, thrust his flashlight out, and proceeded to flash the light on and off towards the back of the house. After a few seconds of this, the figure slowly started to lean out from beside the house. It was obviously Ennard and Mike gave him the flattest look he could manage before shining his light on him. As soon as the light fell on him, the clown disappeared behind the house again, and this time the flickering did not lure him out.

Mike was frustrated beyond belief as he threw open the car door and stormed right after the clown. He circled the entire house, almost wondering if Ennard went back over the fence and checking around with his light to make sure he wasn't missing anything. When he got all the way around to the far right of the house, he turned the corner and found Ennard trying to look into Scott's window. The clown looked over at him slowly, staring with that same empty, caught look.

" _The one night I don't have a taser,"_ Mike thought as he strode up to the clown. He then demanded, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I know this looksbad," Ennard defended with an awkward sort of tone, "but I just had to come peek at the kids."

"Yeah, well now it sounds bad too," Mike said, unimpressed with the answer.

"I just- I don't know! I wanted to see them! It's not a weird programming thing or anything creepy like that. I just wanted to see if they looked like little Scotts," Ennard excused as he peered in the bedroom window. He looked around in the dark. "But I don't see them. I see Scott, but I don't see them anywhere."

"They're probably camped out in the living room," the human said with exasperation. At this, the animatronic perked, turned to walk around the house, and was immediately grabbed by the arm by the security guard. "No. We are not playing this game tonight, Ennard. You're going to get us both caught creeping around like this."

Ennard got this strange look where his eyes shifted down as though lowering non-existent eyelids in a condescending or exasperated way. "Mike, I've walked across this entire town in the middle of the night at least five or six times and I've never gotten caught. I even walked all the way to the warehouse, and it was pretty much sunrise when I did. I didn't even need the sewers for that; nobody in this town notices anything."

"Maybe not, but you better believe the one time they do would be the one time you were my responsibility," Mike affirmed. Ennard made a discordant static noise.

"Okay, okay, you win. Let's make a deal: you let me just see the kids for a second, so I know what they look like when Scott's talking on the phone, and then I get in your car and we drive home and everything's all good!" Ennard suggested as rationally as he could. "I wasn't planning on staying, Mike. I can't hang around when there's nowhere to hide. You just saved me the hike back."

Mike exhaled tiredly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright, make it quick."

"Thanks!" With that chirp, Ennard started around the corner of the house with Mike following behind him slowly. The clown moved to the front windows and tried to see through. Thankfully, Scott had opened the blinds since Ennard was gone and he had visitors, so he could see into the house rather easily underneath them. He soon spotted both nephews. He couldn't see them well, but one was laying on the couch with a thick blanket and pillow while the other was on the floor in a sleeping bad. "I see them over there in the dark!" he whispered back to the human. "…Can't really get a good look though."

"You're not going in there, if that's what you're leading to," Mike pointed out. "You got a look and you saw Scott. Let's go before we wake them up." He turned and started heading to the car, not liking that they were standing right beside the road. He hesitated when he wasn't followed and looked back. "Ennard, come on," he said more firmly.

The amalgam made an impatient humming noise and did as told. The man was completely unsurprised when the clown climbed into the passenger seat like it was the most normal thing in the world. Though he then decided that he didn't care enough to correct it and instead just climbed in and started the car. Soon they pulled out of the driveway and were driving back towards the house.

"I still can't wrap my head around the fact that you pretty much walked out of the house the second I went to bed," Mike pointed out. "You could've at least waited an hour."

"That would be wasting a perfectly good hour! I gotta give myself a buffer zone, or I could get stuck outside all day. The places I've had to cram myself to hide- Ha, never again!" Ennard looked to Mike out of the corner of his eye, arm resting on the window, and overconfidence in his tone. "I'm not like the others. Ya don't have to teach me a lesson twice."

"So, next time you'll wait a little longer before you split, or you just won't leave at all?" Mike asked flatly. He noticed the other turn to stare at him alertly. He glanced over and asked, "What's that look?"

"You just... You ever get that feeling… Liiike you're living something that happened before?" Ennard asked as he pointed to Mike. "I dunno, something here feels like this happened before? What's that called?"

"Déjà vu?"

"Bingo! Yeah! Just got this feeling of déjà vu, but I know we haven't been in a car cruising before!" The amalgam seemed a little more excited in his tone. "We should! We should hang out and do things like normal people sometime!"

Mike considered making a comment about the situation or Ennard's behavior, or how he wasn't out here willingly, but he decided not to. He instead looked back to the road and continued driving home. Ennard fell back into that strange silence, reminding him of the time after the phone call. He gave a weary exhale.

"Look, I get it," Mike said. "I know you miss Scott and you want to go home. I totally get that, and I'm the last person who wants to start acting like everyone's dad. This was stupid and risky, but I've done stunts like this all the time. You just have to get your mind off Scott for a while and try to cruise through this weekend. Trust me, it's not a big deal." Ennard turned away to look out the window but said nothing. He had gotten him. He had somehow managed to figure him out. Mike kept trying, "There's got to be something you want to do but can't do with Scott around. Take advantage of your free time."

For a few seconds this seemed to fall on deaf ears. But then, Ennard started to slowly perk. His eyes stared out at the world as though it was suddenly opened to him. He could do whatever he wanted. Excitement pulsed through his wires.

"Well, there is _one_ thing I've always wanted to do, but I didn't want to stress Scott out, you know?" Ennard led into slowly. His head turned just as stiffly as he looked at Mike, with that eagerness bubbling in his voice. "Come to think of it, you're kinda the perfect guy to help me out! Fritz, Jeremy, those other guys- I don't think they know, but I notice they all get flinchy around me. Not you though. You're not scared of animatronics or Freddy's, or anything like that! Whaddya say, you think you'd be willing to do something just a little crazy with me? I've gotta feeling you're really gonna go for this."

"Depends on what it is. I don't like signing up for something with all the details. I worked at Freddy's," Mike pointed out. He noticed how much Ennard was leaning in and didn't know how wary to be. "It doesn't involve anything illegal, right?"

"What? No! Nothing like that!" Ennard chirped. "It's just this one thing that I've been thinking about and I kinda want to see if I can do it, but I can't do it alone. I really could use your help in this!" He was trembling in excitement.

"…Alright, you've got me curious," the security guard almost begrudgingly admitted. "What do you want to do?"

There were a few seconds where the clown just stared at him. His blue eyes literally brightened as he stared at his ticket to whatever he wanted. Only now did Mike realize that he might've given the amalgam too much power, but never did he expect what was about to be requested from Ennard.

"I want to find out what happened to the technicians down in Afton Robotics."

It was then that Mike realized it was going to be one of _those_ nights.

* * *

 **Mable: You got to love Ennard's unpredictably… Unless you're the one caught in the crossfire. Looks like Mike's got a decision on his hands, among other things. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you have a Happy Easter!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Mable: So, I managed to get the chapter done and I decided to update it a day early to thank everyone for being so patient with my erratic schedule. ^-^… I know this still kind of makes the schedule erratic, but I consider a little early way better than two or three days late. So, here you are! I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-Six_

There were plenty of ways that Mike could've reacted to the strange request dropped in his lap. Ennard was a clown animatronic who liked soap operas, sneaking and prowling the city, and when given the opportunity to do whatever he wanted without Scott having to know, he wanted this. He wanted to dig up information on the old workers at Afton Robotics. Specifically, the technicians who had been tampering on the animatronics that he was made up of. He expected Mike to help him find out about them and the security guard reacted accordingly.

"What?"

"Yeah, that's about what I expected," Ennard said with a giggle. "But yeah, that's the plan! You're the one with all the connections and phone numbers and info, so you're the one whose gonna have to get this ball rolling!" Seeing that the human was still confused, he leaned back in the seat and began to explain. "See, when you pretty much hear about all this stuff that happened but never saw it, you get pretty curious. They've gotta be out there somewhere and I'm betting that Freddy's or whoever's got all their info hidden in plain sight.

"Is this some sort of elaborate revenge scheme?" Mike bluntly asked. "You pretend this is all innocent and really it's to get the addresses to these guys' houses so you can go do to them what you did to those guys who broke into Scott's place. Ennard, I wasn't born yesterday. I know how you work." The amalgam pulled back, almost looking surprised by the accusation. "Nobody just gets curious about the workers at Freddy's."

"No! I wasn't- That's not the reason at all!" Ennard protested as he slid back into the seat. "Okay, I'll admit, that's a pretty great plan, but I don't want to track these guys down. Why would I? They didn't do anything to me."

"The shocking and the whole locked up underground thing?" the human pointed out.

"That was Baby!... And Ballora and the Funtimes, but that's all stuff they told me. By time I was hearing and seeing stuff, all the technicians were gone, and Afton's was pretty much empty. Just knowing that there's a bunch of stuff I don't know is eating me up inside. All I want is to find out all I can about these guys." He hesitated a moment before his voice lowered, slipping out of that upbeat tone. "A lot of stuff happened to this body before it was mine… It's scary not knowing what it did." For a split second there was a depth that Mike hadn't expected. Then Ennard reached out and lightly hit him in the shoulder. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"What exactly is fun about- I'm not going down into ARI," Mike finished flatly. _"If that's what he's leading into…"_

"Course we aren't! All that info and paperwork is probably up here somewhere. Probably won't take more than one night and both of our curiosity is all sated! And I know you're just as curious as I am," he pointed out with a wild giggle. "So, whaddya say? You and me playing good old fashion detective to find out what happened to a bunch of guys who big bad Afton probably burned up in a furnace?"

This screamed of being a bad idea. Mike hadn't even considered looking into ARI again after their problems with Detective Burke, but to have Ennard spurring it on seemed even worse. Though frankly, now that he brought it up it was a little curious that everyone involves with the place had pretty much vanished. The closest thing had been Chance, but even he had to buy his way into the business. Yet there was his own insatiable curiosity starting to crawl up his back and whisper into his ear, reminding him that when he didn't know something it would come back to get him.

He was sure that Ennard was smirking at him in his own way. The clown had him snared.

"…Yeah, sure, what the hell," Mike agreed. His willingness almost took himself aback but was partially inspired by the fact that he knew exactly where they needed to go. Chances were, Ennard was correct about this only lasting a single night. "There's a file cabinet in our bedroom that has a bunch of information about Freddy's in it. It might have something in there worth looking at." He paused before giving a huff. "This is crazy. It's the middle of the night, you just made me drive halfway across town, and chances are you're going to get me in over my head."

"Okay, how about this?" Ennard offered, that tiny bit of exasperation appearing again. "We check these files you've got and if we don't find anything then you go to bed, I do whatever, and we call it a night. Trust me, I don't want to get in any trouble either or Scott's never gonna trust me out of the house again. I just want to see what I can find out, and it's not like Baby'd ever talk."

"Did you ask Baby?" Mike asked in confusion. Ennard hesitated before nodding slowly. "And she said?"

"She went on this long thing about how Ballora, Freddy, and Foxy betrayed her and that they were backstabbers, and yadda yadda, and it ended with "I don't want to talk about it". She couldn't even tell me about who owned the place, or the shows they did, or what the place even did. I kinda think they rented out animatronics, but how does that even work? You can't keep a business afloat with that!"

"Fazbear Entertainment was like a corpse; there was no brain activity whatsoever, but you better believe it floated," Mike pointed out matter-of-factly. Immediately Ennard burst into loud, rousing laughter, nearly doubling over. The human sent him a small, amused smirk. "Geez, Ennard. It wasn't that funny."

"But it's so true! That freaking place- Even I can't remember the place and I know it was pretty much hobbling around on no legs! All gutted out and stuffed with money from nowhere!" Ennard laughed a little bit more before he doubled over. He grabbed at his head. "That was a mistake. I shouldn't have said gutted. Here comes the _programming._ " Mike watched in disbelief as his wires trembled on his back.

"Oh yeah, this is a _fantastic_ idea," he remarked as he looked back to the road. Ennard gave the slightest snicker from his new position as the security guard continued towards the house.

Once they got inside and had the front door locked, Mike led Ennard back towards the master bedroom. He raised a hand to stop the clown outside of the door, then slipped into the bedroom and quickly approached the dresser. Marionette was still fast asleep, and Mike wanted to keep it that way, not willing to give the striped one another sleepless night. He wound the music box and the soothing music began to fill the room. After a few moments he turned to the door.

"The music box's wound, come on it," he called out. The clown peeked in the gap in the doorway and the human pointed to the light switch beside him. "And turn on the light so we can see. I want to do this as fast as possible."

"You sure this is going to work?" Ennard asked as he hesitantly flicked on the light.

Mike crossed over to Marionette and checked to make sure he was still fast asleep. The Puppet was entirely undisturbed, and Mike petted his head before pulling the comforter over his head. Just to make sure that the light wouldn't bother him any further.

"Wow, he's really out, isn't he?" the amalgam asked in disbelief. To think that a music box could do that- then again, he knew what programming could do to an animatronic's body. "Aww, you do care about him!"

"Something like that. As long as that music's going, he's going to stay asleep, but I don't want to abuse that privilege for more than a few minutes." Mike turned and headed to the closet. He opened it, pushed the clothes aside, and directed the amalgam to the file cabinet before kneeling in front of it. "Let's see what we've got…"

He started to pull open the top drawer and quickly fingered through the many files and papers crowding the cabinet. Ennard leaned over to watch and his eyes caught on a blueprint that he quickly tugged out. It was just a standard Chica, but he looked over the blueprint with curious fascination, wondering if the Afton animatronics had blueprints in here as well. He plucked out another out to look at, a Freddy, and then scanned over it. He mimicked a whistling.

"Would ya take a look at these. Really is impressive work!" the amalgam pointed out. He studied Freddy's endoskeleton. "This is like the stuff you'd see in a real pizzeria, like they're really made to entertain kids and not do whatever they were supposed to do." He looked to Mike curiously. "You don't have any of ours, do you?"

"As a matter of fact, somewhere in here I've got… Wait a minute…" An unfamiliar slip of paper caught his eye and he pulled it out. He must've looked it over hundreds of times before, but only now did he notice the name of a bank on it. He pulled it out and scanned over it quickly. "Application for safe deposit box, signed by Fredrick Fazmann," Mike muttered. He then looked to Ennard and clarified, "Who would be one William Afton."

"…I could think of about twenty names better than that," Ennard pointed out. Apparently, the man's meaning went straight over his head. Or it did until he added, "You think he'd have files in there?"

"Him putting evidence of his questionable businesses into the hands of a federal bank system? Doubt it," the man corrected. Though he then looked back to the paper. "So, what did he put in there?" It was only then that something else clicked together. "But Fredrick Fazmann is legally dead, so this safety deposit box would've been thrown into the estate, right? Which means that one of us would've gotten it, Fritz or I." Which meant that Fritz had the contents of this box and had never said anything. Maybe it was the late night and the lack of sleep, but Mike felt a slow welling of suspicion.

"So… Fritz has it? Huh, wonder why he didn't tell you," Ennard said casually.

"Yeah, I wonder… _Wonder if Fritz's still up._ " Mike checked his watch. Odds were that the technician wouldn't be awake, but he was riled and willing to take the risk. "Change of plans. I'm driving over to confront Fritz about this. You want to stay and keep looking or are you going to come with?" He didn't know why he offered other than him doubting they would find the papers and him not trusting Ennard to not wake Marionette. The clown immediately perked up.

"Oh, heck yeah! Ha, forget all this boring paperwork- I'd love to see you confront Fritz!" Ennard tossed the papers back on the file cabinet and turned to Mike attentively. If his mask could move it would've probably been stretched in a much wider smile. "Lemme tell you, if you two get into a fist-fight then you're gonna make my night."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Mike flatly stated. He then shut the closet and headed to the bedroom door. He hesitated for a moment before looking back to the clown. "But for the record, if Fritz and I got in a fist-fight I'd win." Ennard crackled in amusement, gorging on imagined drama like it was popcorn, and shut the light off as he followed the security guard.

It didn't take long for the two to drive all the way to Fritz's house. Mike pulled up behind Natalie's car and turned off the car quickly before pulling out his cellphone. "I'll give him a warning call first and see if I can get him up," Mike explained. Ennard gave him a sort of thumbs up gesture as the other dialed and waited. It took two calls before Fritz finally answered the phone.

"Ugh, hello?" the technician groggily answered. "Who is this?"

"It's me and I'm sitting outside," Mike remarked. Considering the flat bluntness, at first Fritz didn't sound like he believed him, thinking it was an out of place joke.

"Uh, what?" Fritz asked in confusion. "Wait, what, you're outside? Mike, it's the middle of the night. What's going on?"

"I'm on a quest for information and I just found out about the safety deposit box you never told me about." The other was either silent in thinking or silent in guilt. "You there?"

"Yeah, I'm just… Here, let me let you in. Give me a second to get something on," Fritz finally agreed. He seemed exhausted and was only barely was willing to step out of the room to see what Mike wanted. He hung up the phone and started to get himself ready to shuffle out to the front door.

"He's coming now," Mike told Ennard as he hung up the phone. "You should probably just lay low out here."

"And miss the fight? Ha ha, not a chance!" the amalgam chirped. The security guard was about to insist again that he and Fritz weren't about to fight, but he was beat to it. "Can't say I'm crazy about Fritz anyway, you know?"

"You don't like Fritz? You pretty much don't even know Fritz," Mike pointed out. He then got an unenthused look. "Let me guess, the Baby thing? Like when a couple breaks up and you've got to choose which side of the friendship you keep?" It hadn't been a hard choice between Fritz and Dinah, but he could only hope that he wouldn't wind up in the same position with Fritz and Natalie.

"Why would I be mad at someone for breaking up with Baby? I broke up with Baby!... Sorta? She kind of ditched me after you and Mari took me apart a long, long time ago. She can be a little _intense_ , but I think she likes me just a little bit more than she lets on!" After that somewhat forced chuckle, he slid down slightly in the seat and looked away. He seemed a little irritated. "I did a pretty darn good job working on Baby. If Fritz would've done that, everyone would've been raving about him being such a good technician. Me? Nah. Ennard just got lucky."

That was interesting. _"I didn't even know he could get jealous, let alone over something like this,"_ Mike thought. He then defended, "Nobody thinks that. We're all just shocked Baby didn't take your head off."

"I'm a good technician," Ennard said almost defiantly. "I really am. I can do the same things that Fritz can do. Heck, I can do it better- I got the tasers built in now!" Without provocation, he raised a hand and a quick spark jolted at the tips of his wire fingers. Out of reflex, Mike leaned back quickly against the door and decided not to get any closer while the clown was spraying sparks like a live wire. Ennard stared at his own hand for a few moments before lowering it down and turning to look back out the window again.

"I'm not like the others, Michael. I know I'm not. Something's different…" Then he made a static noise at his own comment. "And everyone acts like I'm gonna go psycho and kill everyone!"

"You kind of have a track record," Mike pointed out. "And don't call me-."

"But that's the thing! I think I've done good! I've really been trying, and I know Scott notices but everyone else-!" The amalgam hesitated for a moment, staring out of the front of the car. Then he slowly looked towards Mike. "I know you get it. You said it earlier," he pointed out. He then mimicked Mike's voice with, " _You pretend this is all innocent."_ There was a lingering pause as the security guard sat upwards in his seat again, somewhat taken aback by the other's surprisingly serious tone. "You know a lot of this is a show. You know I'm not stupid, I'm not crazy. I think and feel just like the others do."

"I know," the human agreed. "I get it."

"Yeah, you. You and Scott. Nobody else. Like that old man said: _a malformation, shameful husk, masking itself and running the streets-_ …Okay, he was right about that last part."

"Ennard-."

" _Broken mess stumbling around_ \- I'd like to see him work on the bots I've worked on," Ennard bitterly hissed. His voice started to dip out of its Freddy cover into its more broken state. "I-I'd like to see him tr-try to live in a bo-dy like this. Always hungry, always want wires."

"I wouldn't put too much stock in anything Chance said. He had the hands down most convoluted suicide-murder plot since Golden Freddy tried to take everyone down with him," Mike vented. Ennard was watching him down and seemingly listening. "You want me to be honest? Yeah, Fritz and Jeremy are scared of you. But they're no more scared of you than they were of Mari. They were terrified of him and they got over it." He looked back towards the front door. "Just give it more time and try to forget about Chance. Up until you brought him back up I almost did." Ennard was silent but seemed to be listening.

Mike gave a slow exhale and added, "He's gotten enough time. Let's go." The amalgam nodded and started to get out of the car, but then hesitated in the doorway. He then gave a low chuckle and the human raised a brow. "What?"

"I wasn't gonna tell you this, but this is way too funny to keep to myself," Ennard remarked. "The whole plan about me going and stopping those three guys? I got that from you." He pointed to the security guard who looked confused. "Don't believe me? Whole plan was yours! ' _Go at night- knock him down a few pegs- file an anonymous tip so it doesn't get back'._ " He spelled it out using clips of Mike's own voice. Slowly the man got it and stared back with a blank look. "You gotta be careful around me, cause I'm always listening!"

With that, he exited the car and hurried to the front door, only briefly checking to make sure nobody was out watching in the middle of the night. Mike paused a moment before following. There was no way he would take credit for that.

When Fritz finally opened the front door, he got the shock of his life. There was Ennard staring down at him. He nearly towered over him with his eyes glowing. The technician's grogginess was dashed as he looked up at him.

"What's wrong, Fritz...? You look like you've seen a ghost…" Ennard slowly muttered. He then stepped into the house and began to lean in over the technician. His voice slowly lowered dangerously. "Baby _sends_ _ **her love…**_ "

And just when Fritz was about to totally panic, Ennard only inches away and looming over him, a voice spoke from behind the clown. "…Are you done? Because I'm still standing out here."

It was Mike. Before Fritz could do anything more than get a befuddled look, the clown suddenly burst into laughter before nudging him just hard enough in the chest that it almost knocked all the air from his lungs.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it! But could ya blame me? What with that spooked look you got!" Ennard teased with another light crackle. He moved out of the way so that Mike could step into the house as well and shut the door behind him. By now, Fritz realized that this wasn't just an elaborate trick to get Ennard into his house. Mike really was here to ask about something, unbelievably accompanied by a different animatronic than usual. "You should've seen it, Mike! The look on his face was priceless!"

"I wasn't- It's the middle of the night. I'm not even awake," Fritz defended himself. This only continued to amuse the clown and so he sent a tired look to Mike. "I probably shouldn't even ask, but could this have waited until morning?"

"Could it? Yes. Should it?... Probably yes, but I'm already awake and need something to do," the security guard insisted. "So, long story short, Ennard and I were trying to look up the old technicians from ARI." Fritz slowly looked to the clown with the same suspicion Mike had, though more subdued. "And then I came across this receipt for a safety deposit box… Which I stupidly forgot to bring," Mike continued as he reached into his empty pockets. "It was Fredrick's."

"Yeah, I know. I have it. Or I have what was in it," Fritz agreed. He beckoned the man with him and started to the stairs. "It's down with the storage stuff, but don't get your hopes up. It's not much."

"I'll take those chances," Mike agreed. His disappointment already started to show as he followed Fritz. Ennard, however, was far from disappointed as he looked around at the house.

"Look at this place! Can't say this isn't what I expected when Baby described it! No wonder she never wanted to leave!" the clown gushed as he looked around. "Natalie is one lucky gal!"

"I'll tell her you said that… If she didn't hear it herself," Fritz said with a stifled yawn. "Down here." He beckoned them and started down into the lower floor, with Mike and Ennard following closely behind. He flicked on the light and led them to the underside of the stairs where he opened into the small storage space. He reached onto a shelf and pulled out a shoebox before handing it over to business partner. "This was all they gave me, so I hope you didn't get your hopes up."

Mike sat down in the armchair and began to open the box, with Ennard leaning over the back to look at what was inside. To equal surprise and confusion from both, there wasn't much inside. Some jewelry- probably his William's wife's- a small box of collectable coins, a small box, and a keyring with two keys on it. It was the keys that drew Mike's attention while Ennard looked through the tiny boxes with his own curiosity.

"You can see why I never mentioned it. I kind of just stuck it in there and forgot about it… Even after we learned the truth about Fredrick. I just didn't even think about it," Fritz admitted almost sheepishly and somberly. It was obvious that there was still a sore spot there. Though Mike was focused on something else. Specifically, a feeling like déjà vu, where he swore he knew what the keys went to.

"Oookay, this guy really was a psycho," Ennard remarked as he flashed Mike the box. "These are kids' teeth."

Mike's head snapped over in alarm and Fritz gave a resounding, "What?!" in shock. Though once the security guard saw the teeth, his eyes glazed back over. "False alarm; they're baby teeth," he affirmed. The other human gave a relieved exhale and rubbed his eyes with one hand. He was certainly awake now. "Never thought he of all people would be sentimental enough to hang onto his kids' teeth… Considering that he couldn't even hang onto his kids." He looked back to the keys and then held them up behind the chair to show to the technician. "Two keys. Where have we seen something that takes two keys? Because I know we have, I'm just blanking on it."

"That's a needle in a haystack question, Mike. Those keys could go anywhere. Probably to something long gone by now," Fritz pointed out. While dismissive, he then hesitated and came over. Now more awake, he lifted one of the keys and narrowed his eyes at it. "I think they're padlock keys. Something like that."

"That's it," Mike said with a snap of his fingers. He sprung up from the chair and passed off the shoebox to Ennard before facing the other human. "Back in Freddy's a long while back there was that locker that we broke open, back in the sealed room? You remember that? I mean, there was nothing in there…" He hesitated a moment. "…Except something about the joy of creation that, in hindsight, might've been a clue if I was paying attention."

"I guess it could be for that locker. Though, I mean, that wasn't exactly a rare locker or anything. That was standard fair at Freddy's. There could be plenty of lockboxes just like that."

"So, if these keys don't go to that one," Mike started, shaking the keys. "Then they could go to another one, right?" The technician shrugged and then agreed. Before either could lead into anything further, the animatronic took charge.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Ennard asked before nearly throwing the box into Fritz's arms and turning to Mike. "Let's go back to Freddy's and see if there's any more of those boxes hiding around!" He turned and began to stride for the stairs. "There's our next lead! Next stop, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza!" He was nearly at the stairs when the security guard followed after him.

"Wait, wait, we don't even know if there's anything left in Freddy's," he pointed out. Ennard paused long enough to look back at him. "They were supposed to demolish the place and then the cops got in there, so anything that was there is probably gone. And if it's not then it's hidden somewhere we aren't going to find it." He checked his wristwatch. "Now it's one-."

"Which means we have plenty of time to look!" Ennard exclaimed. He took Mike by the shoulders and gave him a light shake of excitement. "I can pretty much twist my way into anything, we've probably got a crowbar around here somewhere, and nobody's going to be here at this time of night. We oughta just check while we're out here." He then splayed his arms with a carefree shrug. "Come on! How often do the two of us get to go out solving mysteries?! Pretty much never."

This was a stupid idea and Mike knew it. _"It's not like there's going to be something about Afton's in a box at Freddy's anyway,"_ he said to himself. Yet the clown looked so eager and he couldn't deny that the keys were heavy in his hand. He looked down at them and then gave a weary exhale of defeat. "Alright, fine," he agreed. Then he pointed at the clown firmly. "Last place, I swear."

"Cross my heart!" Ennard chirped, raising one hand and crossing his chest with the other. He then turned and headed to the stairs, going around the corner and bounding up a few steps-.

And then coming face to face with a half-awake, pajama wearing Natalie.

It was unclear which looked more startled. Ennard went completely still as Natalie recoiled back. She choked and gave out an alarmed, "Baby?!" The amalgam reacted accordingly.

" _Hello, Natalie,"_ Ennard answered in a perfect mimic of Baby's voice. Natalie's eyes widened in horror as he continued. _"I came for_ _ **my man**_ _…"_

"He's bluffing!" All at once, Fritz dashed over, got himself squeezed behind Ennard, and pushed him back to get between them. He frantically waved his arms to Natalie and tried to calm her down, as though she was panicking as much as he was. "He's bluffing! It's just Ennard! Mike's here, Baby's not."

As this was happening, Mike stepped up and Ennard leaned to the side towards him. He quietly- the human didn't even know he could do quiet- asked, "Too far?

Seeing the technician's flustered behavior and Natalie's confusion over fear, Mike gave a simple, "Eh, maybe a little." He then followed Fritz and Natalie up the stairs. "We're heading out to Freddy's. I'll call you if we see anything," Mike said as he went to pass by to head to the door. He was unexpectedly stopped by Fritz's voice.

"Maybe I'll come with you," he offered. Both Mike and Natalie looked surprised by the suggestion and he looked between them. "I don't know why you're both looking at me like that. Technically they're my keys." The other man nodded in understanding and had no arguments, but the blond seemed a little hesitant. Not just because of Ennard- though he was unsettling the way he was currently staring her down- but because of the thought of Fritz again running around in the middle of the night trying to solve mysteries. She had to say something this time.

"I'll come too!" That wasn't what she intended to say, but it was better than nothing. Fritz certainly seemed surprised by the suggestion, as surprised as she had been about him offering. He looked to her and she sent him a half smile. "I mean, why not? I'm already up and I'm just going to be waiting for you to get back. Why not drive over there with you?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Nat. We don't even know what we're going to find," her boyfriend pointed out. The last thing he wanted was for her to be involved if the cops appeared. Not only would he get her involved with all this mess, but they would then all need Jeremy to bail them out. If he could, if the cops didn't happen to find Ennard. It was then that Mike cleared his throat to catch their attention.

"You both do realize that if we don't find anything I'm heading home and going to sleep, right? Ennard and I have a pact; this is the last call," Mike said, pointing a thumb back at Ennard who was quick to back him up.

"Yeah! This is the final act of the evening, folks, so you're gonna want to jump on in while you still can!" he chirped as he grabbed the security guard's shoulder in a 'friendly' way. The human glanced down at the hand with a flat look.

"That wasn't exactly what I meant, but I guess the same thing goes. Except that you should also remember that we'll be walking into what might be an active crime scene. You may be concerned about that, _Sam_." Fritz got an uncomfortable sort of look and Mike smirked a little bit. "But hey, it's nothing worse than anything we've done before."

"I'm in," Natalie boldly volunteered. "I've been working at Foxy's for a while now and I think it's time I got in on the escapades too." She grabbed her keys off the table and pulled on her jacket, not even caring to change. "Let's roll."

"Hold on, I've got to throw on some clothes… Nat, would you mind just coming into the bedroom with me for a second?" Fritz asked. Natalie seemed confused but nodded and followed him into the bedroom. They could hear someone turned the TV on before he slowly shut the bedroom door. "I don't know if you want to get caught up in this. If we don't find anything then it's a waste of time, and if we _do_ find something… It's William's, it's going to be bad."

"Come on, Fritz. You can't protect me forever. I've pretty much got all the second hand information already and I'm not afraid to look at a couple of skeletons," the blond insisted. "Besides, four sets of eyes are going to be better than three if we're looking for something... Or how many Ennard has out there. Three?"

"Three or four. I try not to stare," Fritz said as he started to ease up. He changed into different clothes and Natalie pulled back her hair into a loose ponytail before they returned to the living room. "Okay, we're ready."

Ennard clicked the TV back off, currently standing only a foot in front of it and flying through the channels so fast that it was unlikely he distinguished them. Mike pulled himself off the couch and started towards the door. Soon they were in their separate cars and driving towards Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

The building had declined rapidly since the last time any of them saw it. It almost looked like they had begun demolition on it and had been forced to stop after only a single wall had fallen. Police tape was now crisscrossed over the front entrance, which was missing its doors, and the larger front windows, but it was barely capable of keeping out anyone who wanted to get inside. Mike drove to the side of the building and shut off the car.

"We'll take the back door. It'll be less noticeable," the security guard said. He then turned to the clown beside him. "Here's the deal, you're going to have to be very quiet. There's apartment buildings just over that fence back there and I wouldn't be surprised if they were told by the cops to keep an eye out. This could be a hotspot for vandals. Not that there's anything left to vandalize."

Ennard made an 'okay' gesture with his hand and got out of the car. He then followed behind and allowed himself to be led to the backdoor. Mike kept a careful eye out on their surroundings. He noticed that Fritz hadn't pulled up behind them and could only assume that he had decided to park somewhere else. The backdoor was just as it always was, and he tried it only to find it locked. He pulled out his keyring and shuffled through it, but to his dismay realized that he no longer had the spare key. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered taking it off and putting it in the kitchen drawer.

This meant they were going through the front. Or it did until he remembered that he wasn't alone. Maybe he wasn't like Marionette but maybe Ennard could still get him inside.

"Think you can get this open?" Mike asked as he took a step back. The amalgam started to step in a little quickly when the security guard added, "As quietly as possible." Again, Ennard gave an 'okay' gesture and wrapped his wire fingers around the doorknob.

Then proceeded to break it off with a quick crack. Ennard then opened the door as casually as ever and gestured for the other to head inside. Mike raised a brow and then stepped into the building.

Saying that Freddy's had seen better days was a direct understatement. This wasn't even Freddy's at this point, but a dilapidated building that vaguely looked like it. A large section of the roof had started to cave in. Grime brought in from past storms now caked the floor tiles. Pirate's Cove was completely dismantled, and the main stage looked to be sinking. The hallways to the office weren't looking much better. The smell had decayed along with it with the fresh scent of rot somehow getting watered down into a low, moldy odor.

"…This wasn't exactly what I was expecting from the great Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. You'd think this place would've held up a little better than this," Ennard pointed out. Keeping his volume down only made his disappointment more apparent.

"Let me tell you something. This place has been around for at least ten years-…" Mike paused, trying to figure out where he was planning to go with that. "…And it still hasn't lost that feeling of oppression and misery. That's a true testament to this place's staying power."

"It smells like a wet, soggy dumpster and the whole place looks like its gonna catch on fire," the amalgam complained. Mike rolled his eyes but also got a shred of a smirk, then began heading towards the bathroom hall. He was stopped by Ennard grabbing his arm and tugging him back. "Show me where you and Scott used to work!"

Oddly enough, he completely forgot that the clown would've been interested, along with the fact that technically this was where the Phone Guy had his accident. He didn't argue and merely beckoned Ennard before heading down the west hallway. He stepped into the office to find that it was in a similar state to the rest of the building. Though someone had removed the desk and monitors; probably the cops.

"Welcome to the security office. Or as we security guards like to call it: Hell," Mike introduced mock dramatically. "This is where the real magic of Freddy's happens. Where else can you get paid four dollars an hour to be stalked and mauled by such a loveable cast of hate-able characters? Not to mention the perks! A couple of nights of overtime and you could afford any soda out of the vending machines."

"Oh boy, sounds like my kind of place!" Ennard joked. He nudged Mike hard in the arm. "Hey, hey. Did you have one of those little hand unit things? You tap on them and they talk- like the one Fritz has, yeah!" He suddenly remembered as the security guard glanced up at him. "I'm sure you know this, but those things are so easy to tamper with that it isn't even funny… But you can make it funny! I once goofed one of them up so bad that it just started calling everyone Eggs and the keypad totally busted."

"Is that why you tried changing your name to Eggs Benedict?" Mike casually asked. Ennard looked almost alarmed that he said it, as though he didn't know how he knew. "Scott told me."

"Oh, gotcha! Heh, I kinda thought Mari told ya. That would've been weird, him watching me," Ennard said in a 'confident' tone, with his eyes flickering around uncomfortably. "And nah… Well, maybe. It's kinda my go-to when I need a food name. Put it in the right spot and it's hilarious _and_ delicious!" He curiously looked to Mike again. "Scott talks about me a lot?"

"Pretty much."

"Aww!" Ennard looked around the office a little more and tried to imagine Scott working there.

He could see him now: young with a bright and eager smile, wearing a silly purple uniform, chatting on the phone and staring at the monitor. Though he must've been a little afraid. He must've had an idea what was going to happen. Ennard's wires tightened as he thought about how terrifying this cramped office would've been if there were dangerous animatronics outside. Maybe he couldn't imagine the Fazbear cast, but he could see Baby and her band in their place. He could imagine Scott pleading and begging as they drug him away, swearing he would give them whatever they wanted if they didn't take everything.

Maybe he was getting better controlling himself, because Ennard was baffled that he was able to hold back the sudden wave of anger that tried to force its way through. He didn't have to ask if this was the room, because he knew it was.

"You okay? I don't think you've been that quiet all night," Mike pointed out as he noticed the pensive silence. It was just like earlier after the phone call, except it felt much more obvious when they were standing alone in the office.

Ennard was quick to cover it up. "Me? Sure! Why not? Ha ha, why be upset now? Scott's fine, Freddy's dead, and this place is a dump!" Ennard exaggerated as he spread his arms. "Nooot bothered at all by any of this! Just- Just thinking about how lucky I am to have him! Heh, or I'd still be down in those cold, tight vents. This place brings up some feelings."

"Hey, you were the one who decided that you wanted to go diving into the wet dumpster known as Freddy's," Mike pointed out. "This is the common fair for a normal visit. Only thing missing is an impending hospital bill, but tonight is still young and we don't know what animals are nesting in the back rooms. The source of this smell could easily be a six-foot-tall charred rabbit," Mike pointed out. This roused another laugh from Ennard; back to normal already. "Let's go see if Fritz and Natalie showed up. We can't hang out here long."

"Lead the way!" Ennard offered. The security guard stepped out into the hall and started towards the dining room.

The amalgam started to follow, but then hesitated in the doorway. He sent a hesitant glance back over the office one last time, then followed behind Mike.

He had a horrible feeling he would start seeing this office in his nightmares after this.

* * *

 **Mable: You know that feeling when you know 'this can't end well', but you still hold out hope that everything's going to be okay? That's pretty much the constant aura that comes out of a Freddy's office. Sometimes it's pretty appropriate…**


	47. Chapter 47

**Mable: Here we are! Trying another Wednesday posting since I got all my eggs in one basket. ^-^ I also failed to mention in the last chapter (I think?) that I finished another chapter of my book's sequel! It's a small thing, but I like to give progress on it as it moves along. Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-Seven_

Mike and Ennard made their way back into what was left of the dining room and found the others. Natalie was already standing inside while Fritz was carefully climbing past the police tape. The blond gave a greeting wave towards them both.

"About time you two showed up," Mike lightly joked. "Doesn't look like the cops left much. Let's hope they overlooked the saferoom." He then started to head towards the back hall, leading the others with him.

"We parked over at the gas station," Natalie explained as they walked. "Which wasn't my idea, since they're going to have our car on camera, but it's better than doing something silly, like parking right beside Freddy's." She sent a cheeky smile after Mike, who didn't have to see it to know it was there. They were at the opening in the wall before he could concoct a response.

Mike turned on his flashlight and shined it into the room. Slowly he started to lean in more and more, making sure that nothing was hiding inside and waiting to ambush them. Thankfully, the room looked mostly untouched, save for a few yellow, plastic markers placed on the floor around an old blood stain. The stain surrounded where Springtrap had been sitting when they found him, so it was apparent that the blood must've come from him. The police had clearly found the room and were now aware of at least one death, considering that there was too much blood loss for survival, even without the body.

"Coast is clear, and the box is still there," Mike said as he spotted the box left wide open on the other side of the room. After only a moment of hesitation he began to move through. "I'm going in. Come get me if anything drops from the ceiling."

"We're right behind ya!" Ennard chirped as he watched the security guard move through. "You can tell Freddy's and Baby's were working under the same guys. When we were over at Circus Baby's we saw a room just like this one. Except it didn't have such lovely decorating." He pointed towards the blood stain.

"I'm… sort of surprised you can see them at all really," Fritz admitted. "You're not supposed to. The usual programming-."

"I'm not even supposed to exist, and me breaking programming isn't anything new. That's just what makes me so amazing," Ennard interrupted, clasping a hand to his chest dramatically. "Then again, _of course_ I'm amazing! I was the one who fixed up Baby." He then proceeded to stare down Fritz, who just looked back in confusion, unsure if Ennard was finishing for a compliment or just bragging.

Mike stepped through the wall and knelt in front of the box, then lifted one of the abandoned padlocks. "Fritz, mind throwing me the keys?" he asked as he held out his hand. His response was the two keys being tossed to him and he began to try them in the lock. Curious, the clown watched the keys fly over and then followed them to Mike and stopped to stand behind him.

"Gee, I don't mean to interrupt your busy work," Ennard began. He leaned over him to look at what he was doing. "But I think _the box is already open_ ," he finished in a whisper.

"You really think so? I didn't even notice," Mike sarcastically answered. "I'm just checking the keys. The lock's busted, but if the key fits then mystery solved. If it doesn't, we can at least tell if it goes to a lock like this. Then we get to live in constant wonder of where that box went." He continued to check with Ennard over top of him.

On the other side of the room, Natalie was looking down at the blood stain when Fritz came up beside her. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say this is from that Bonnie animatronic you were talking about?" she guessed. He agreed and she made a hissing noise. "That's a lot of blood… Kind of makes you feel sorry for him, whoever he was. That couldn't have been a pleasant way to go." Ennard made a strange noise, like wires rubbing against each other, shuddering lightly. She looked back in his direction and considered asking. "Uh… The rabbit rings a bell, Ennard?" she tried.

"He rings a lot of bells. Alarm bells," Ennard clarified. "That guy _hates_ me."

"Foxy said you bit his ear off," Mike blankly added, still focused on the box.

"He hated me before that," the amalgam defended unenthusiastically. "Baby did something to him. She and her friends… Err, her and her _band_. They weren't exactly friends. She and them pretty much hated each other as far as I know."

"It's almost a relief to know it's not just me that got on Baby's hate list," Natalie joked with a slightly uncomfortable smile. It was almost unbelievable to think that she was more uneasy talking about Baby than talking to Ennard, who she still occasionally stared at in awe and confusion, still unsure how he was holding himself together. Before Fritz could assure her, Ennard chimed back in again.

"Hate? You? Nah! Baby doesn't hate you!" the clown reassured. He then looked to the technician beside her, splaying his arms towards him. "She hates Fritz!" She could've sworn that she saw Fritz's face grow two shades paler. Ennard either didn't notice or didn't care as he continued to ramble. "Which was great for me, cause I think she likes me now. Ha ha! You want Baby on your good side."

Fritz certainly knew that. The last thing he wanted was an animatronic who would attack on sight, especially since it usually was in a warehouse that they used frequently and was probably now also at Mike's. Especially since constantly moving her required the company van, which was in his possession. This was a new kind of situation with Baby, one that he didn't know how to deal with and thus didn't. He hadn't spoken to her since he told her since the incident didn't foresee himself approaching her anytime soon. From what Ennard was saying- though he could've been exaggerating- this seemed like the best plan.

He was somewhat roused out of his thoughts by Natalie putting an arm around his back and sending him a sympathetic smile. Silently encouraging him that, for now, everything would be fine. For now.

"Okay, so good news and bad news," Mike interrupted as he stood. He spun the keyring on his finger. "Turns out that these keys do go to a box like this. Same size, perfect match, just not to these locks. They go to a different box." He stopped the spinning abruptly and caught the keys in his palm. "And we are never going to find that box," he bluntly added.

"You mean there's not… What about the warehouse?" Natalie asked and looked to Fritz. He shook his head. "No boxes in the warehouse at all? Well… Isn't there anywhere else?"

"Yeah, ARI, but it's swarming with cops and probably better security systems," Mike answered with a disappointed exhale. "This is the end of the road once again. The second time we struggled to deal with this box and got nothing from it."

Mike had forgotten how much he hated that feeling of being left in the dark. He had been spoiled by the surplus of information he had managed to get ahold of and had ridden off that high for a long time, but here he was at another dead end. Somewhere there was a lockbox with something just important enough to hide the keys to. Probably at Afton's, maybe confiscated by the cops, but nowhere he was going to find it.

"That sucks," Fritz admitted with a breathy exhale. "I was just hoping it went to that, then we wouldn't have a mystery box floating around… And we're going to have to leave. This-." He pointed a thumb back at the yellow tags. "This shows that the police are keeping tabs on the place. Partial pun intended."

Mike nodded in agreement and Natalie started to head for the door. "At least we double checked," she assured them. "Hey, you know, this would be a good time to grab anything that's not nailed down and not wrapped in police tape."

"Wait, wait! You're just giving up?!" Fritz and Natalie were out in the hall and Mike stepping out of the saferoom, but all looked back at Ennard's cry. He looked shocked, as shocked as he could with the mask's smile, and his eyes flickered between them. "You're just- It's just over? Like that? There's gotta be something here! A secret passage, a hidden vent, another boarded up room- It can't just be this, right? It's Freddy's! There's- There's got to be something else!"

"There was something else, that Spring Bonnie suit," Fritz pointed out. "That was pretty much the big secret of this location. Fredrick had him sealed up in this saferoom and then… Kind of moved his projects elsewhere. Trust me, I checked the place top to bottom when I took Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy out of here. Other than this saferoom, everything else is already gone."

"Yeah, the place's been gutted. You just got here a couple years too late," Mike said as he did a quick scan of the room. He then added in with a mutter of, "I know that feeling." He exhaled somberly before noticing the clown was watching him and could see his disappointment. "Let's go, Ennard. The sooner we get out of here the less chance we have of getting arrested."

Now, finally, the amalgam started to sluggishly follow. He was quiet, but willing, with his eagerness to act like 'one of the humans' overtaking his need to tear the building apart looking for something. As they passed into the dining room, he looked at the walls and the molded and messy posters that were peeling away. He had always imagined seeing Freddy's like Scott had described it. Seeing it like this was a huge disappointment, especially when he was no closer to his goal. With a frustrated staticky noise, he followed the others out and returned to the car with Mike.

It was clear that both were equally frustrated with the situation. They kind of just dropped into the car and lingered in an unsettled silence as Mike started pulling on his seatbelt. It was only because Ennard despised lingering silence that he willed himself into, again, a falsely cheery tone of optimism.

"At least when we get back, we can check the files again, right? You said we had to get home, but ya didn't say we had to stop looking! Besides, what was the chance of Afton employee records being in some lockbox anyway? They're probably in your house!" Ennard insisted confidently. "You don't have like a desk or something or a computer?"

"No, we just have the file cabinets. I think there's another one in the basement, so we can check that and see-…" Mike trailed off. Then he realized what he said and opened the door, raising a finger. "One moment."

"Uh, okay?" Ennard asked, tilting his head in confusion. Mike climbed out and ran around the building. Thankfully he managed to catch Fritz and Natalie as they were walking down the sidewalk towards the parking lot. He whistled after them and they both looked back in his direction.

"Back to my place! We're checking the basement!" the security guard called after them. After a few moments, Fritz gave him a thumbs up to signal that they were on board, and he hurried back to the car. Now to escape before anyone noticed him, since he had just announced his presence to anyone in the area. He jumped back in the driver's side and started the car, then brought Ennard up to speed. "There's a secret basement under the pantry. That's why it's cold, hums, and takes out the phone service occasionally. Now I've looked through that basement before, but not hard, and not looking for something specific."

"That- That's great!" the clown exclaimed almost shrilly. He seemed overly excited. "There used to be secret passages and doors _all over_ ARI! Ha, heck, there's like a direct secret passage between ARI and the sewer, they're everywhere! If we're gonna find anything from there, it's gonna be locked up tight in a lockbox, in a secret basement, in Afton's own house!" He laughed in delight while the security guard was oddly silent.

"…There's… There's a secret passage from the sewer- Never mind. I don't want to know," Mike said definitively. "I already know too much about Afton. I don't want to know this."

"Ha ha. No. _You don't_ ," the amalgam reassured.

The rest of the drive was silent but didn't last long at all. The car pulled up into the driveway and parked while Fritz and Natalie were still tailing down the street.

"So, I didn't bring the tarp-," Mike began. He was cut off by Ennard throwing open the door and running across the yard and around the house at speed that rivaled Foxy's. He could only stare after him before giving a simple, "Well damn." And then, "Well, that makes my job easier."

He got out of the car and let himself inside the house, leaving the door cracked open for Fritz. Then he headed over to the pantry, opened the door, and started to take out the bottom shelf to get to the basement entrance. He could hear the thumping on the other side of the house from Ennard letting himself in before hurrying down the hallway and popping up behind him.

Mike looked back at him nonchalantly. "Huh, you're still here?" he joked. "I would've guessed you went home by now."

"Ha, long time no see!" Ennard played along. "How's Mari doing?"

"He's doing good. Been sleeping a lot since you left. The usual this time of the night." It was now that Mike got the entrance opened and almost started heading down when the front door opened.

"Hey…" Fritz hesitantly shuffled in and shut the front door behind him. He looked around uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "So, Natalie's just going to wait in the car…"

The other man raised a brow at him, glanced over his disheveled appearance, and then simply asked, "…You know Baby's still in the warehouse, right? She's not here."

"Oh! Heh, that's a relief!" The technician nearly sunk against the door. "For a moment I thought-… Yeah, that's not important. This probably isn't going to take too long though, so I guess I'll just let Natalie chill out for a couple of minutes."

With the three of them there and ready to go, Mike started down the stairwell and began to approach the door. "Suit yourself. Alright, let's go."

"Right behind ya!" Ennard chirped before following. He got down a few of the awkward steps before suddenly coming to a halt so fast that Fritz almost walked into him. "Whoa!" He froze in place as Mike looked back to him. The amalgam's eyes seemed to be focusing strangely, shifting uncomfortably, and his wires slowly tightened. "…Oookay, no I'm not," Ennard slowly said as he began to back up a step. "Nope, not going down there."

"What?" Mike asked in disbelief. "What, is it the stairs? It can't be the stairs. What is it?"

"I… I don't know. I just don't want to go down there," Ennard defended. He gave a motion like a wince and looked away uncomfortably. Mike gave him an unconvinced look.

"You don't know," he answered. "Give me an idea: are you having some sort of flashback, is this a claustrophobia thing, or a spontaneously reoccurring memory thing, or something else that you're not saying?"

"I'm not hiding anything if that's what you're getting at," the clown defended as he sent Mike that 'half-lidded' unenthused look again. "There's a funny ringing noise down there. I can't stand it; it's scrambling my servos."

"A ringing," Mike repeated. He was about to point out that Marionette had come down into the basement fine without there being an issue, but then immediately bit his tongue, because- _"Mari didn't hear the ringing from Lefty either."_ Suddenly Ennard was much more credible, and he didn't want the amalgam anywhere near a suspicious noise. He and Fritz would have to find the source. In the meantime, he gave a shrug and changed his tune. "Fine, just wait up here. We'll go through what we find and if there's anything on Afton's technicians I'll bring it up. Alright?"

"Ha, thanks!" Ennard chirped as he totally backed out of the pantry. "I just don't trust those sorts of noises. Not after the walk-in oven incident, which still haunts my nightmares."

"Same here. Let's go, Fritz," Mike volunteered and continued down. The technician sent a last look at Ennard, who returned it, before hurrying down the stairwell after him. It wasn't until they were at the bottom and Mike was letting them into the room, and he thought they were somewhat out of the clown's audio range, that Fritz whispered to him.

"So, what's going on? Ennard's trying to find out about the workers at ARI?" he asked hesitantly. Mike agreed and Fritz only looked more uneasy. "Why?"

"I don't know. He's not really being completely honest with me. Unless he's doing this on a whim, which I could easily believe, there's something he's not saying," Mike admitted. Just saying it out loud made it sound worse.

"I don't want to be the person who points this out, because Ennard could still be listening in on us, but this could be a bad idea. He could want anything to do with these workers. What if he's looking for their addresses to pop in on them, and then one of them calls the cops, everyone finds out about the clown from Afton's, and Burke blames us since Burke blames everything in the free world on me," Fritz explained with obvious concern. "One way or another, Ennard can be dangerous." It was then that Ennard decided to call down the stairwell.

"Mike! I was just thinking: scrambling, Eggs Benedict- That was like a pun and I didn't even realize it!" Ennard then proceeded to laugh wildly as though it was the funniest thing in the world. "I'm always on when I'm off the clock, I'll tell ya!"

"…Let's be honest, if Ennard's a threat to anyone then it's himself. He's been making cracks like that all night and a lesser man might've scrapped him for it," Mike defended. "But I've been living with Foxy for weeks."

"We've both told worse puns than that. Don't think I missed that 'cracked' pun," Fritz volunteered. Then he slowly raised his brows, "…You don't think he thinks _he's_ one of those technicians, do you?" This was answered with silence. Somehow, this convinced the technician to cave in. "Alright, fine. Let's just see what we can find down here."

"That's the spirit," Mike answered with a pat to the shoulder. He then pointed towards the dresser. "Ignore that. It's got a deconstructed puppet inside of it, so we're not going to find any lockboxes or papers in there." Though as soon as he started towards the file cabinet, Fritz leaned over behind him and opened a drawer enough to peek inside.

The file cabinet had been glanced through once or twice, but with nothing specific in mind it hadn't been worth much. Now Mike knew what he was looking for and began the meticulous task of looking through the files. It wasn't too difficult, considering that there weren't too many in the cabinet. A lot of the paper stuck in the cabinet were either newspapers, fliers, or schematic that weren't important to the job at hand. He patiently continued to sort through them.

It took a few minutes of looking before Fritz noticed something underneath the desk. He leaned down in front of it and looked at the object, seemingly appearing to be a box with a pillow case shielding half of it and trying to disguise it. While he was pulling it out, he realized that it was a metal box and knew it was what they were looking for even before getting the pillow case off.

"Found the box," Fritz announced. Mike's head shot up and he looked towards the technician abruptly.

"What, already? Where?" he asked. He was still watching as Fritz pulled the case off to reveal the box underneath. "Huh, I should've just dragged you down here after I figured out this room was down here. You've got the eyes of a hawk."

"And the ears of a bot apparently. That buzzing noise is coming from modem over there," the technician pointed out and gestured towards the corner. Paying close attention, Mike could hear something akin to a humming coming from it but hadn't expected that to be the noise that the amalgam had been so disturbed by. "What is that?"

"I don't know. That's our next project, because it's probably running up the electric bill," Mike pointed out before crossing over and kneeling beside his partner. "Alright, moment of truth. Either we open this and find something, and that makes up for the last box being a complete disappointment, or we find nothing."

"And I blame you for yanking me out of a warm bed to drag me down to this ice-cold basement," Fritz finished with an amused tone. He pointed to the box insistently and Mike started to unlock the padlocks. As soon as one of the keys fit, both found themselves leaning in with growing anticipation.

"It actually fits. This is actually the box," the younger said in disbelief as he took off the second padlock. He set both and the keys aside. "Okay, here we go…" With a deep breath, he rested his hands on the box's lid. "Please don't be a body."

Fritz was about to jokingly ask how a body could fit in a box that small, but then clammed up as soon as he realized what kind of body would fit. He just watched as Mike lifted the lid and revealed the contents of the box.

Neither were expecting what they found inside the lockbox, because at first glance they just looked like clothes. Small clothes that could've fit any of William's children were shoved into the box until they were nearly overflowing. A pair of sneakers, a green shirt, a pair of jean shorts, a small dress, a fluffy white hair tie; they were just clothes.

"…And we've got stuff?" Mike said almost awkwardly. "Not what I was expecting, but…"

He started to fall silent as he stared inside the box. A creeping feeling of dread started to climb up his spine as he started to piece together the reality of the situation. William wouldn't have locked away his own children's clothes like this.

Taking his silence as disappointment, Fritz reached into the box for the green shirt. "At least you got a new wardrobe. Maybe we can donate them to Jeremy's little-." He lifted the shirt and unintentionally revealed a large, brown stain down the back of it. Fritz's smile dropped as Mike's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The technician forced a thick swallow and quietly choked out, "That's blood."

Mike knew that he was right. "Fritz." He tried to stay as calm as he could. "They're from the kids. They're trophies."

The technician dropped the shirt with a panicked gasp and immediately stood from the spot. He promptly began to rub down his hands on his shirt desperately, trying to get off the unclean sensation even when he couldn't. He swore more under his breath in those few moments than he had in the entire time Mike knew him. The entire time Mike was silent and still just staring into the box. He regretted even looking. This was exactly why he knew not to look.

He turned away from the box as he heard Fritz moving around behind him. "You're not going to split, are you?" Mike asked with slight desperation. He looked back to find Fritz beginning to pace with his hands folded on his head. He wasn't handling it well and, honestly, the security guard wasn't doing much better considering that the thought of the older leaving him down here made him seriously uncomfortable. "If you're going to freak out, at least go through the files while doing it. Two birds with one stone."

"I can't believe I touched it," Fritz nearly whined as he headed to the cabinet. He began to search through the papers. "Why did I even think this was a good idea?... How are you staying so calm?" He looked to the younger in disbelief. "How do you even know what they are- about trophies and- and-."

"TV," Mike admitted honestly. He looked towards the floor vacantly. "I don't know. I don't even know how to react to this." Part of him realized that he was in shock. It was the first time in a long time that he felt that.

Accepting this, Fritz turned and leaned against the file cabinet, staring down into it as he tried to even his breathing. Then he finally blurted out, "We don't tell Natalie. Or Ennard. You- You can tell Mari if you want."

"I can't," the younger responded. He slowly looked back into the box. Just the thought of telling Marionette about this scared him. He could recover from this, but the Puppet wouldn't, which meant he would have to hide it from him. He would have to hide it from him even though he promised he wouldn't. _"I'll figure something out. That's not important right now,"_ he tried to convince himself. _"…Then what the hell is?! What am I even going to do now that I know this is down here?!"_ Anxiety tightened at his throat and a twisting filled his stomach, like butterflies but much worse.

Slowly he reached out and started to poke through the box. He wasn't sure why he did other than some sort of feeling like he had to. He wondered which ones went to which children, numbly looking through them. Only stopping once his fingers brushed leather. He thought it was a belt until he took ahold and realized that it was a wallet instead. He pulled it out and flipped it open, half expecting to see William Afton's visage staring back from an identification card he had disposed of once changing his name. Instead, he was met by the license of a young man who only somewhat resembled William.

Then he saw the name: **Michael Afton.**

" _Well, that backs up the Michael is Spring Bonnie theory. If Will had his wallet then he's dead,"_ Mike thought to himself. It was the lesser shock of the evening, and he started to go through the wallet. There were a few business cards, a social security card, some cash, and a single folded picture of Michael and another, smiling young man. He lingered on the picture, if only because Michael was smiling in it and looked so much like Fredrick facially that it was uncanny.

"I don't know how much we can trust a handwritten note, but I think this might be a list of the workers at Afton's," Fritz said as he turned back. He hesitated as he saw the wallet. "Oh great, another one. What's that?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Just Michael Afton's wallet, nothing new," Mike said with forced sarcasm as he tossed the wallet atop the clothes. He then stuck the picture from the wallet in his jacket pocket. He would stick it on the edge of one of the other frames and reunite him with his siblings- photo-wise, at least. Then Mike stood and came to Fritz side to look at the paper. There were names, addresses, phone numbers, dates, and ID numbers written in a list. "Looks like Will was keeping tabs on everyone he had working for him. Probably to hunt them down if they ever squealed. You recognize any of them?"

"No. Nobody who transitioned out of Freddy's," Fritz replied. He then began to read through the names. "Rudy Mills, Hubert Malone, Ben Hansberry… Michael. No last name, just Michael." He sent his companion a cryptic look. "I didn't even know Michael worked at ARI. These dates- I don't even know if William was still around then. I think he had changed his name and identity by then." There was still no denying between them that Michael must've been working at Afton Robotics, but why was anyone's guess. "Still doesn't explain how he got into Spring Bonnie."

And it was only then that Mike remembered the secret he had stashed under the television. The one that Marionette had insisted for him to put away and the one that had struck uneasy and fear into all who watched it.

"Hey…" Mike slowly began. "I think there's something you need to see." Fritz looked over in surprise at the uneasy tone, with the younger averting his eyes as long as he could. "But it's disturbing."

"Any more than that?" Fritz asked as he pointed a thumb back at the box.

"Close, but I don't know. This is sort of in a league of its own. You'll just have to see it." Mike took the paper and headed for the door with Fritz flicking off the lights behind him. Both had a feeling that they wouldn't be back down there tonight. "I'm going to take a guess and say that calling these numbers are probably going to be a dead end, but we can always take a whack at that after the video."

"It's a video?" Fritz asked in confusion as they headed up the stairs. Before he could be answered, Ennard popped up at the pantry door.

"There you guys are! Didja find anything?" he excited asked. Mike silently handed him the paper before continuing into the living room. "What is- Oh, WOW! This is it! These are all of them, aren't they?! That's- That's amazing! _Great_ job!" He began to scan through the list. "Kind of was hoping for pictures, but this is good enough. Huh, this name kind of sounds familiar."

"It should, it's mine," Mike chimed in as he knelt in front of the television. "Ennard, you might not want to watch this. I showed it to Mari and animatronics don't really do well with it either." The clown tilted his head with a 'huh' while Fritz came to stand at the back of the couch. After getting the video ready, Mike stood and backed to the armchair to sit down. Then they watched as the video began. As he remembered, it started slow, without much to show.

"What is that? Is that Freddy's?" Fritz asked in confusion as he squinted at the screen. The security guard nodded. "It's like security footage, but I was pretty sure Fredrick erased it all." The security guard stayed silent and waited as the time ticked past. Just when the older was about to question if something was going to happen, the figure appeared on screen. The corpse-like, limping figure revealed itself. "…What… What is that?"

Ennard leaned over the back of the couch to look closer. "I think it's a guy, but he's looking pretty-!" He was already giggling, thinking it all looked so comical and goofy, even though the body was walking so strangely and looked so peculiar.

Yet those giggles died as soon as the body came further into view, and as soon as he realized that it almost moved like it was empty or missing most of its mass. Its purpled skin showing the decay of skin and the staggering way it limped along gave it the appearance of being _hollow_. A hollowed out, scooped clean body that was barely struggling to whatever soul was left. In the back of his mind Ennard felt the prickling of familiarity and horror. He knew exactly what he was looking at as his fingers dug into the back of the couch. He knew exactly what happened to the man. He swore he could feel that rotten skin stretched around his wires.

Tearing skin struggling to fit over a matt of wires before it was fully abandoned once it became too damaged to save. Ennard knew exactly what he was looking at.

"I think it's Michael," Mike admitted. "And not just because it says his name on the tape either. Though that's a pretty big clue." His attempt at humor was just to keep him somewhat sane, even if it was less humor and more stating the obvious. "That paper says Michael was working down at ARI and then he somehow ended up inside of Spring Bonnie. This must've been right before them. I don't have exact dates, but that at least looks like a date that would've lined up. Even though he already looks like he came out of Spring Bonnie… That must've been what he looked like when he went in."

He looked back at the two as the tape stopped. "So, here's the big question: what exactly happened to him down in ARI?" Mike then proceeded to look straight at Ennard, who was staring almost vacantly at the television. The list of names crumpled underneath his fingers, which Fritz noticed and looked to him.

"Uh… Ennard?" Fritz asked warily. He almost looked ready to run, because he now suspected the same thing as Mike; the animatronics in Afton's had done it. "Ennard?" he asked again, noticing a lack of response. "He was a technician...?"

Slowly the amalgam glanced from the television to Mike. Then towards Fritz to his side. He looked at these two men with complete silence as he continued to grip tightly at the couch. Slowly he turned towards the technician at his left, but he almost seemed to be looking through him. He looked distant as he gave a strange sort of seizing through his back. Without warning, he lurched forward.

Fritz only barely managed to step back and avoid the torrent of wires that burst past his teeth. They spilled to the floor, hanging from his mouth as the bottom plates of his mask were forced open.

"What the hell?!" Mike blurted out as he stood. Ennard clung to the back of the couch with one hand for a moment before failing and dropping to his knees. Wire fingers clawed at the floor as his body shuddered and forced out more wires onto the floor. There was a wheezing noise and any voice was smothered by static and breathy groans of pain. Mike ran around the other side of the couch and watched as wires in his back slid out of place and out to the floor. He scrambled for something to do and eventually looked past to Fritz, "Fritz, do something!"

"Do what?! What is this?!" the technician choked back. "Have you seen him do this before?!"

"No! Of course I haven't seen this!" Mike called back. He then looked back down and watched as Ennard rejected another bundle of wires. Slowly he was unraveling and already looked thinner, and Mike wasn't sure if the wires would go back on if they were somehow detached. "Okay, okay, Ennard? Ennard, you need to try to calm down," Mike tried to rationalize as he knelt beside him. The amalgam's eyes glanced up in his direction for a minute, then he shuddered as the wires slipped out further, slower now. That distant look returned as he stared past Mike at nothing.

"Mike?" Mike looked up to see that Marionette was behind them and knew he must've been woken by the yelling. The Puppet had a look of horror on his mask. "What's going on? What happened to him?" he asked.

"I don't know! I was showing him and Fritz that 'Michael' video and he just started spewing out wires all over the place!" Mike explained. Before he even had a chance to ask Marionette if he knew what was going on, Ennard collapsed.

Marionette rushed in to the opposite side of Ennard, sliding in between him and the couch, and kneeled on the floor. He rested one hand on his shoulder and used the other to grab some of the wires.

"Mike, help me get him up," the striped one directed. Mike didn't need to be told twice and started to lift his chest from the floor. "Carefully, not too much… That's enough, thank you." Marionette kept his voice low and soothing as he scooted in closer. "Ennard, can you hear me? I need you to try and pull your wires back in," he coaxed. He raised the wires to his mouth as he used his other hand to open the plates more. "Please just try. It's okay, you're safe. Just pull them in."

Slowly, the amalgam started to tug them in a little further. Fritz breathed a sigh of relief and pinched the bridge of his nose, Mike lightly rubbed Ennard's shoulder with an exhale, and Marionette got a tentative smile.

Until Ennard suddenly seized and wires were forced out. They dropped onto and draped over the Puppet's hands, much more coming out then going in.

" _ **DOn't Fit! Get th-m OUT!"**_ Ennard pleaded out in his broken voice. He seemed confused as he clawed at the floor desperately, as though trying to move himself forwards.

"Shh, it's okay. I need you to calm down, Ennard," Marionette tried to coax. He tried to lift the wires to his mouth once more. "Let's try again, alright?" The clown turned its head away in refusal. Now the Puppet was becoming more concerned. "Ennard, please. You're falling apart," he nearly begged. Still the other resisted and more wires slid free, with him now looking up at Mike again. Marionette looked up at Fritz with silent question, but he could only give a worried shrug.

Mike attempted to step in since Ennard was looking at him. "Look, Ennard, you're going to have to try. You have to try and put these back in." The clown still stared vacantly. Mike snapped his fingers a few times, holding him up with only one shoulder. "You still with me? I need you to look at me, not through me."

" _ **I'm Here,"**_ Ennard simply said. He didn't sound there from that vague comment alone.

"You sure are, Buddy," Mike said flatly. "Come on, Ennard. Please." In response, the amalgam shuddered and refused another clump of tangled wires. " _Please_ ," he repeated, more firmly and desperately.

"Fritz, would you please go call Scott?" Marionette asked, still trying to remain calm. It was becoming clear that the severity of the situation was starting to get to him. Fritz headed over towards the phone without protest and quickly dialed the number.

"We were over there earlier. Scott's already asleep," Mike pointed out. Marionette looked to him in confusion. "Long story short, you went to bed right before the party got started. The chances of Scott being awake are nonexistent."

"Hopefully he has his phone by his bed," the Puppet murmured lowly. He looked towards at Ennard's vacant look again, then back up to Mike. "What _happened?_ "

"Ennard wanted to know about the technician's at ARI. Then I found out about a safety deposit box that led me to Fritz's, who gave me a key, that led me to Freddy's, that led me back here to the basement, that went to a box, that had Michael Afton's wallet in it, that went along with a paper that said Michael worked at ARI, that reminded me of the Michael tape, that we watched that caused Ennard to freak out," Mike listed out. He then gave a tired exhale and sardonically added, "That worried the cat, that killed the rat, that ate the malt, that sits in the house that Afton built."

"It sounds like a terribly long night," Marionette sympathized. He was more curious, but this wasn't exactly the time to worry about it. He could ask later. "And Ennard only just started this?" Mike nodded in agreement and the puppet sighed, looking down at the clown. He gave a somber chime and rubbed his arm with comforting circles.

When Fritz came back over without saying anything on the phone, it was clear that he didn't have good news. "Scott isn't answering… He's just going to keep losing wires like this. We're going to have to do something." He inhaled deeply as he considered the only option. "…I've got tools at the warehouse. I don't want to go over there, but I don't think we want to know what happens if he becomes completely unraveled. He might not be able to twist himself up again."

"It's probably our only shot," Mike agreed. He looked up at Fritz questioningly and asked, "What about Baby?"

"…This is more important than my problems with Baby," he shakily answered. "Just don't leave me alone with her… Which is fine, because we'll probably need to start working on him as soon as we get there." He moved to crouch down in front of the amalgam and started trying to collect his rejected wires. "Let's just get him moved."

This was easier said than done. Ennard was entirely silent and unable to cooperate, and even without all his wires his frame was heavy. While Mike and Marionette tried to lift him up, Fritz felt something strange in the wires and pulled his hand back to see red paste.

"Mike there's- there's blood on his wires!" Fritz gasped as he yanked his hands back and stared at a clotted, red mixture on them. Marionette leaned over to look at it.

"No, that's just ketchup," the Puppet assured.

"For Freddy's sake, Ennard," Mike muttered. He tried hoisting the clown's arm and part of his torso over his shoulders. Fritz came forward and took the Puppet's place on the other side, trying to help lift him.

"We're going to get you fixed up," he insisted before looking to Mike. "Can you take him in your car? There's stuff in my backseat and I can't spend the time getting the van." Mike responded by sending him a thumbs up, to which Fritz nodded back. They then started to move a little towards the door.

"Wait a second," Marionette blurted with his hands reaching out. Now behind Ennard, he was able to see something unsettling. The clown's left leg had lost most of its wires and was barely attached by a few and wrapped around by only one. "His leg's starting to come off. If you drag him then he might lose it." Mike swore under his breath. "I can help carry the back."

"Someone might see you. It's going to be hard enough trying to get Ennard out uncovered…" Fritz said. Though he then snapped his fingers. "Natalie's right out there. I'll go get her and we'll carry him out. Ennard, I'm going to need you to just hold on to the couch here and I'll be right back." He moved Ennard's hand to the back of the couch where it grabbed on weakly, more from a reflex than the suggestion. Then Fritz hurried out the front door.

Marionette moved in, ducking under Ennard's arm and resting it over his shoulders. Now both he and Mike were somewhat holding Ennard up and he tried to assure the clown once more.

"It's going to be fine, Ennard. You're among friends. We'll put you back together again." Marionette tried to say every comforting thing he could think of. Ennard trembled slightly in their grasps and then responded.

" _ **J-Just waNT to go h-home."**_ He was nearly pleading.

Mike and Marionette exchanged a look, and both knew that this long night would get only longer.


	48. Chapter 48

**Mable: Hey! Today we have a question from a guest reviewer!**  
 _"Heya, quick question. I remember at one point in the story that Mike kept getting fired and rehired back at Freddy's, so he must've stayed past the original 7, right? How many nights did he stay there? Unless you've mentioned it before and I didn't notice."  
_ **To be entirely honest, it would be a little difficult to calculate the exact number of days, but he did return after that first week. I'd say that if we tallied up all the on-again off-again days then in total he probably would've worked for Freddy's for about three months or so, but the schedule was so flip-floppy that the longest he probably stayed in connected days were only a couple of weeks.  
Anyway- without further ado- Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-Eight_

Any hope that Ennard would spontaneously recover was quickly dashed as the three humans moved Ennard into the back of the car. He was heavy and his body was less than cooperative, with it threatening to lose limbs at every moment, but they got him into the back seat. The entire time Ennard had been quiet. Mike had thought he was in shock, but it wasn't until they were driving to the warehouse, when he could hear the clown's weakened groans of pain, that he realized it was more than that. Confused or not, losing his wires was physically affecting him. Just as it would if he was losing blood.

Marionette stayed in the back with him and watched the streetlights pass outside the window. He kept himself together well even though he was becoming more concerned every moment. He occasionally reached to pet his arm and tried to comfort him to little effect. The drive to the warehouse felt obscenely long even though it wasn't.

In the warehouse, Baby was completely oblivious to what was about to happen. She was currently slumped on the floor, back against Charlie's puppet box, and one look at it showed that she was still sealed inside. Then Baby heard the voices and was yanked out of her sleep state by the commotion at the doors. She finally stood to her feet before quietly skating down the aisle, peering through the shelves.

It was then that she saw _him._ Fritz was naturally the first thing that her eyes locked on, but they then scanned over the actual scene at hand. Specifically, him, Mike, _her,_ and Marionette trying to drag in what looked like it had once been Ennard. It was Ennard that yanked her out of her stare on the technician. He was in terrible shape; wires hung loosely, especially from his mouth, and he seemed entirely limp and barely reactive to being carried along.

"Where are we going to put him?" Mike asked as he looked around. There was nothing but shelves, boxes, and hard floors. "We really need to get a couch or something in here. Mari, can you throw that curtain down right there?" He gestured towards one of the old Pirate's Cove curtains left folded up on a cardboard box.

The Puppet nodded and headed over. He found a tarp as well and threw it down first before spreading out the curtain. It wouldn't be much, but the group still maneuvered Ennard onto it. Mike brought over a folding chair to set up alongside Ennard and sat down beside him to keep watch.

"I'll go get the tools. Nat, would you come with me?" Fritz asked. He was slightly uncomfortable about wandering around alone but knew he needed to get the toolbox. Natalie nodded in agreement and followed along with him. With them wandering off, Baby started to slowly move in and came up behind the security guard.

"What happened to him?" she asked. Mike jumped at the sudden question while Marionette just gave a somberly off-tune sound.

"He started coughing up wires unexpectedly and now we can't get him to stop or put them back inside. He's slowed down a bit, but he's not any better…" Marionette explained as he looked to Ennard. The distant look was still there, but now it was much more akin to near unconsciousness instead of confusion or delirium. "I've never seen him like this."

"I have, but not willingly," Baby remarked as she skated around Mike and looked down at Ennard. He was just being difficult, she decided. He knew that all he needed to do was take his wires back inside and yet he wasn't doing it. "Ennard."

He flinched back to alertness and looked up at her with terror that she should've been used to but didn't expect. Then the clown lurched, and more wires fell through his teeth. They were starting to grow taunt and the wires left on his body were the bare minimum to keep his limps all together, leaving him with an anemic frame. He shuffled back to lean against the corner between a shelf and the wall. She didn't know if he was too tired to stay upright or if he was moving away from her.

" _ **GoiNG ho-me?"**_ Ennard questioned. _**"C-ming home w-th mE?"**_

"You can't go back to Scott's now. There are children there," Baby reminded firmly. Then her tone became huffier, "If you're just pretending all of this to get back to Scott's, then you have gone too far. You would kill yourself with your pretending." Wires slid further out. "Did you try to get him to eat the wires?" she asked Marionette, not looking away.

"I did and they came right back out. It didn't work," he explained with concern. This concern only grew when he noticed her claw tighten. "Baby?"

"Then you weren't trying hard enough," Baby affirmed. With that, she reached her claw down to grab ahold of his shoulder and hold him in place. Then she reached down into the wires laying on his lap. The second her fingers started to wind in the wires, he began to writhe. "Stop fighting. You've done this before. Just take them back inside."

Baby tried to lift the wires and force them back upon Ennard. He tried to turn his head away. _**"Wo-on't fIT!"**_

"They are you, Ennard. They will fit. We will make them fit," Baby insisted. His hand grabbed around her wrist to stop her and there was a brief struggle. "Don't make this difficult."

"Baby, I don't think forcing Ennard is going to work. They'll just be refused again," Marionette said to intervene. "Baby, please."

"Okay, not working," Mike finally did intervene. He jammed his arm in between the two to break them apart. "You're just getting him more worked up, and when he gets worked up-."

Sparks of electricity suddenly began to crackle on Ennard's fingertips, cutting Mike off and catching Baby off guard. Her fear was immediate, and she dropped everything to yank herself out of his grasp and move out of his reach. Not that he reached after her, and the static sparked out quickly as he slumped a little further.

It had been so long since Baby had been afraid of Ennard. Though technically she wasn't afraid of him, but his ability to electrocute so easily and the familiar burn of controlled shocking. She just stared at him in general unease until she felt the Puppet's hand tentatively rest on her arm. She didn't shrug him off or look at him, but she did release an angered hiss at Ennard.

"Fine then. If you won't fix yourself then just lay there in your wires, all taken apart," Baby spat with irritation. Ennard stared at her for a few moments before looking down at himself. He lifted some of his wires in his fingers and stared at them like he didn't know what they were. Slowly he looked towards Mike who was still sitting beside him.

" _ **Feeels like s-someth-ng's wrong,"**_ he said as though suddenly realizing his situation.

"That's an understatement, but at least you're finally getting up to speed," Mike remarked with a pat to his shoulder. Ennard shuddered at the touch but thankfully resisted refusing more wires.

It was then that they were alerted to the sounds of approaching footsteps. Both Mike and Marionette looked back to see Fritz and Natalie stopping in their tracks. Baby did not have to look back to know the technician was there, and when an awkward silence commenced, she decided the best thing to do was ignore him. Charlie would be so proud of her restraint.

"You get the tools?" Mike asked, to which Fritz nodded and lifted the heavy toolbox. "Then maybe we can figure out what's going on here."

"Ennard rejects damaged wires by ejecting them out," Baby spoke up. She forced her eyes away from Ennard and slowly looked down towards Mike. "That was how _they_ ejected me from the body. Damaged wires come out the same way, but too many wires are being rejected. It may be a programming error causing him to refuse so many."

"I mean, I could believe it. Ennard's definitely not all here with us," the security guard agreed. "And we get them back in by-?"

"He eats them again. This can't be fixed with tools and tasers, he has to cooperate." Baby still spoke firmly, but then her voice softened just the slightest bit. If only because she understood the severity of the situation. "He has been broken before, completely unwound, but he survived."

"This is concerning. It's not like him. It's not like him at all unless the wire loss is confusing him," Marionette pointed out. He looked to Baby and asked, "When this happened before, how did you fix him?"

 _Baby was positively boiling in anger. To think that a perfectly good body had just walked out was eating her up inside. He had been her ticket to freedom, but between the Puppet's protection and the amalgam's incompetence he had walked out the door, bleeding but alive and untouched by them. He wouldn't be coming back; they didn't work here, and they wouldn't find a reason to return._

 _It was by sheer determination that she made it back into her broken body. Her wires were still settling, and her claw was still feeling numb, but she could move on her own. She let herself into the Scooping Room through the main door and looked through the windows. To no surprise, he was still struggling to pull himself together. She was disgusted and angry and pressed down the button for the intercom._

" _We could have had a new body. We could have left this place, hidden ourselves, and lived out amongst the others. I should have done it myself, and now you held me back," Baby bitterly blamed. "Look at you. You're nothing more than a broken mound of leftover parts that nobody wants. Not even me. Our partnership is over. You can stay down here alone. Forever."_

 _Ennard seemed to shirk into himself. His head was lowered like in shame, which seemed appropriate. She had the upmost confidence in her abilities, so it had been his wobbly body and reluctance that caused them to fail. That much was obvious._

" _Try not to let anyone find you. Anyone would scrap you if they saw you," Baby finished. She then turned away and left the room, leaving him on his own once again. He hadn't even said a word._

"…I didn't," Baby admitted. She wasn't sure why the memory resurfaced now, nor why it was so upsetting in hindsight. He had been the reason they failed so her scolding had been appropriate, hadn't it? It was just seeing him like this that made her feel strangely guilty. She silently looked down at Ennard as she let more similar memories replay themselves.

"Then we'll need to figure out something else. Ennard is not like the typical animatronic. He'll need special care," Marionette explained as he turned to Fritz. "Maybe I could help you? I feel like I have to do something."

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," Fritz agreed as he came over. Baby rolled back out of the way to let him by. He leaned in briefly to whisper to the Puppet, "Maybe you could make sure I don't kill him." He then crouched down beside Ennard, with Marionette following a brief pause to kneel beside him. They then tried to figure out a way to get the wires back together.

In the meantime, Natalie- who was trying to avoid any direct interaction with Baby- drew a second folded chair up beside Mike's. "You know, when you were warning us that something was going to go wrong, I thought you were bluffing. Either this is a common thing or you're psychic, and I don't know which scares me more," she said with light playfulness. Mike got a slight smile, still watching the two fumbling through the toolbox. "Hey, it's going to work out. He's in the best hands we've got."

"No disagreeing with that. Now we're just onto the waiting game portion of the evening. Could last anywhere from three to five hours…" Mike paused a moment. "So, in the meantime…" He turned to look at Baby, finally making up his mind. "What happened to the technicians from ARI?"

Green eyes flicked to him abruptly. "Excuse me?" Baby asked with light surprise.

"That's what started this. Ennard wanted to know what happened to those technicians and ironically enough it was a tape of what might've been one of these technicians that set him off," Mike pointed out. His eyes narrowed in slight suspicion. "And funny story, but this technician was pretty much a walking corpse. It looked like a sunken out zombie."

"Oh…" That was all Baby said for a long moment. Mike was still staring with that suspicion and she was growing defensive. "…I won't take the blame for what they did. It was a means to an end. We needed to escape."

Natalie was confused by this comment, but Mike wasn't. "You mean the old scoop and stuff. You scoop out a body and stuff yourselves in it. How many technicians did you do that to?" the man questioned. His eyes then widened. "I'm hoping not everyone down there. That's serial killer level of death for a skin suit."

"No, of course not. Whatever they did I will not account for, but the Scooping Room… We took two into the Scooping Room," Baby admitted. She didn't know why she was being forthright. Maybe because Mike already knew, or maybe because she herself was starting to realize why Ennard was acting like this. It was something worse than just bad programming. Mike raised a brow questioningly and she continued. "The first body didn't work and failed afterwards. The second did."

"And it got up and walked around on its own?" the security guard questioned in disbelief. Natalie looked positively horrified beside him. It almost amused Baby, except that she was effectively incriminating herself.

"We didn't kill him; we just needed his body. We knew he would live like we lived. We-… Hmm." Baby turned away with a hum as she suddenly considered this. Now that she knew she had died before, suddenly the concept of a human reanimating itself was a bit more questionable. Suddenly she was questioning her desires again, and there wasn't programming to assure it. "…In any case, he didn't die. He lived long enough to reject us."

"And how did he do that?" Mike questioned. Baby responded by looking down at Ennard, who Fritz and Marionette were trying to wrap the wires into. The security guard glanced over. _"Huh, looks like we're starting to come full circle."_ He looked back to Baby, raising his hands to accentuate, and asked, "Let's say this was a technician from ARI that somehow survived an entire band of robots squeezed into his body-."

"You can never tell Charlie about this," Baby interrupted. Mike, still with arms raised, stared back at her. "She was a human longer than she was an animatronic. She wouldn't understand what it's like, the nightmares we were forced to live through, the reasons we did it. She would see it as you do, as a human would, but we didn't see it like that… We were desperate." Her voice lowered somberly. "Can I trust you not to tell her?"

Mike responded by just glancing somewhere behind Baby. She knew immediately what he was looking at and slowly started to turn her head around. As expected, there stood the Security Puppet, listening for an unknown amount of time.

"Oh," Baby simply said. "…It's not polite to sneak up on people."

Charlie looked positively shocked, with her eyes wide and a small flat line for a mouth. Before she could fully react though, they were interrupted by Fritz giving a shaky exhale.

"So… Here's the deal: I can't get the wires back in," he admitted. Everyone's attention landed on him. He had his hands on his head again, like when he was down in the basement, while Marionette was hunched over with equal disappointment. "Ignoring the fact that he had these tied and weaved just right and it is a nightmare to replicate it, it's just not working in right. There's more wires outside than inside now."

All at once, Marionette raised from the floor and announced, "That's it. I'm getting Scott."

"Scott wasn't answering his phone. He's asleep," Fritz pointed out. The striped one turned to him with a fiercely determined look.

"I will _wake him up_ ," he said, static crackling on his voice. Fritz decided not to disagree with this, and he turned to the others. "I shouldn't be too long. Just… Keep him comfortable until I return. Scott can fix this." Or at least, he hoped that he could. In an instant, he teleported away.

"There's nothing I can do," Fritz admitted pitifully. "I don't even have my Handunit. I'm practically useless here."

"…It's on the dresser, right?" Natalie asked as she started to stand. Mike sent her a confused look while Fritz looked back in surprise, knowing what she was leading into. "I'll run home and get it. It's worth a shot, right?"

"You don't have to do that, Nat. It's the middle of the night, we don't even know if it'll work… Or I could go get it," the technician offered instead. There kicked in that urge to both stay busy and get away from the warehouse, to avoid any sort of issues with Baby. Yet Natalie dismissed it quickly.

"You need to stay here in case he gets worse. Besides, no offense, but you're not willing to go over the speed limit, and I'm not afraid to lie my way out of a ticket… Especially since 'family emergency' isn't technically a lie if I word it the right way," Natalie tried to convince him. "It'll be quicker if I go. You keep an eye on him," she said, pointing to Ennard. Then she turned to Mike and added, "and you keep an eye on him," and pointed to Fritz.

Mike gave a nod and Natalie headed out the warehouse door. Now they were down to five of them, but even that was going to lower further. As soon as she stepped out, Fritz patted Ennard's leg and stood. "I'm going to go see if I have anything in the office. Maybe I'll get some ideas if I keep my blood pumping," he volunteered. Mike had a feeling it was more to keep him awake than anything else and just continued sitting there.

After only a few moments, Baby discreetly rolled back away from the deconstructed clown and started to make her way towards the office. The door was shut to a crack, but she could hear the technician moving around inside. She wasn't sure what she would do once she caught up with him. She wasn't sure if she would destroy the office with him in it or grab him in her arms and beg him to change his mind. Either was very possible, and she was too numb to tell which she was closer to. Right when she was about to reach the door, when she would corner him, a hand grabbed her by the shoulder.

Baby didn't even have to look to know that it was Charlie holding her back. She slowly turned to face her as the puppet released her shoulder. She had an unreadable look, almost as unreadable as Baby's own. It didn't take a genius to know what this was about, and Baby decided to get to the point instead of feigning dumb. "You heard what I said about the scooping."

"That's what you call it?" Charlie asked with a breathy, almost panicked tone. Baby could hear a ticking low in her chest and could tell she was anxious. Just as she had predicted, the puppet was not handling the news well. "Why did you do it?"

"They were torturing us. We had to leave and that was the only way they would let us. We tried to escape in our own bodies, but they wouldn't let us. They were just as at fault," Baby denied. The other only looked more fearful and for whatever reason that upset the clown more than her current issues with Fritz. "They used to electrocute us constantly. I can only hope you will never know what that feels like, Charlie, because it hurts much more for an animatronic." Yet the defense didn't make her feel any better. Between Ennard and Charlie, she was only feeling much worse about all of it.

"I don't even know how to react to this…" the Security Puppet admitted. "You were gutting people."

"It was wrong," Baby said.

"Do you really think that?" Charlie nearly demanded. "I need you to be honest with me, Baby. About everything. I want to know everything."

"I know it was wrong now. I didn't then. To us, they were all faceless people shocking us and ripping our pieces apart and trapping us. Now… I don't know what I think now," Baby confessed. She looked down with actual shame instead of usually simulated kind. She couldn't even say she felt badly for their tormentors. Oddly enough, all she kept thinking of was her treatment of Ennard. It just kept creeping up on her. "I would never do it again… I'm tired of being a source of misery."

"…I believe you," the puppet said. Her tone and features eased, but she wasn't done. "…Will you do something for me?"

"Of course. You are my friend," Baby answered. "You are my… Only friend."

"I don't know about that," Charlie denied. She glanced back at the office door. "I need you to go apologize to Fritz and then to Natalie when she gets back. Don't argue with me on this, I'm just asking you to do this. If you can." The challenge was what did it. As baffled as she was at it, Baby knew this was a test, which meant she would have to go through with it. Charlie could be so troublesome.

"…Fine," Baby agreed. She turned towards the office door. "But I don't know what this has to do with anything, unless you believe I planned to scoop him too. Which I didn't." Maybe it was her exerting her power over Baby, which she apparently did have. Baby wasn't entirely sure when she got her strings wrapped around her like this.

It became clear that Fritz wasn't going to find anything. Part of him knew there was nothing in the office to help him and that it was more so a matter of getting a moment to breathe. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into; Ennard was falling apart, he had no idea how to fix him, and they were relying on the slim chance that Scott somehow knew how to put him back together. He certainly was the best chance they had of Ennard willingly eating the wires again. After he caught his breath, Fritz turned to head back out.

He hadn't even heard Baby following up, yet there she was blocking the doorway. His eyes slowly widened as he considered the delicateness of the situation.

"Baby…" Fritz began hesitantly. She stared at him with bright, green eyes. "What are you-."

"Don't say anything. It will be easier if you just listen," Baby directed. Fritz seemed startled by the bluntness and clamped his lips shut again. Such adorable mannerisms; they still got to her. It was a shame that she would have to embarrass herself in front of him. "…I went too far. I should have controlled myself." Not groveling yet, but she was getting there. "…I am over you. I won't try to pursue you any longer… And… I'm sorry… That I did it." She then promptly slammed the office door.

There, done and done. Maybe not the pleading that someone might've intended for her, but an apology still. She returned to the Security Puppet quickly, who had obviously been listening. "I did it. Are you happy?"

" _I guess that was better than nothing,_ " Charlie thought to herself. She knew the other wouldn't have done it elsewise. "I really am… I know you're trying, Baby, and I can tell that you're changing. You wouldn't have done that a couple of weeks ago." Then again, she wouldn't have done that without the unsaid threat, but still. "So, I'm just… We're going to let the past stay in the past. What you're doing now is what's most important."

"…I didn't expect you to say that," Baby said with quiet surprise. Charlie wasn't naïve, especially not after past events between them. She was observant and questioning, seeing easily through Baby's behavior. Which Baby should've hated but instead was the reason she found Charlie so interesting in the beginning. How she could trust Baby after something so basic as a flimsy apology was shocking.

"I still don't know what to think about this. What you did- what they did, why you were so desperate in the first place… There's so much to think about. There's so much more to it." Charlie decided to leave it there. Mentioning programming and confusion would only give Baby an excuse for such gruesome acts, which was not her intention. "Let's just worry about Ennard right now. He's not holding out so well… And your apology to Natalie, which should be at least two sentences longer."

Baby must've changed; she would've never tried this hard to appease someone down in Afton's.

On the other side of the warehouse, only one remained with Ennard.

Mike had been alone with Ennard many times that night but had never been as uncomfortable as he was right now. Sitting on his chair and watching the amalgam occasionally shift and spill wires, which wriggled in his lap, was unsettling. Along with the clown's unrelenting quietness. It should've made sense with a mouthful of wires, but animatronics didn't exactly used their mouth for talking, and it wasn't like Ennard was purposefully in-character. The security guard tried to ignore it and hold out, waiting for anyone to come back, but his mind started to work.

All the facts were loosely linked together. Ennard wanted to find out about the technicians, Michael was a technician, Michael was scooped, and Ennard reacted to what might've been Michael's body by coming literally undone. That was it, but there were still so many questions. Such as why Ennard would panic upon seeing the body, or why he was so interested in the technicians in the first place.

" _Wait a minute…"_ Mike slowly started to sit upwards in the seat. _"But he must've known that was a scooped body. He would've had to remember him getting scooped."_ He looked over at the amalgam slowly. _"…But Ennard said he wasn't around then, didn't he? That it was the others and he came in after the fact."_ Blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. _"…He knows more than he's letting on."_

 _S_ lowly, Mike started to slide down off the seat and into a crouch. "Ennard?" The clown's head snapped up with an almost fearful glint in his eyes, so the man made his voice gentler. "Hey, easy. It's just me," he coaxed. He gave a long sigh and then a tired smile. "It's been a long night, hasn't it? You nearly ran me all over town and somehow, you're the one that fell to pieces. I'm glad I'm not in the emergency room, but at least there's a vending machine there."

Ennard gave a weak hum and tilted his head further against the shelves. At least he was listening.

"Ennard, you've got to be honest with me. I know you know more than you're letting on. It's just like we were talking about in the car, except this time I don't think you're pretending. I know this isn't pretending." Mike knew what he was about to do was going to open a pandora's box that probably shouldn't be opened. Just seeing those blue eyes twitch back at him, looking up at him with stunned fear as the clown bit down harder on the wires between his teeth. "You're freaking out and your programming went off because you saw that thing on the camera and knew it was a scooped technician like Baby did."

Slowly, the clown's eyes lowered down to stare blankly at Mike's chest. That was already a confirmation. He couldn't wait for Scott to get there, he had to ask. So, he lifted the other's head again until those eyes returned to him.

"Look, I don't care what you did back then. Or if it even was you or one of the others. I just need to know what's going on and I need you to be honest with me," Mike coaxed.

There was a low whirring in Ennard's chest as his wires squeaked together. His eyes stared up at Mike, now focusing on him and no longer twitching or shifting. He had this empty look in his gaze. Mike had a feeling that he would continue to resist and refuse to answer, even as the wires were continuing to slip out of his teeth.

"Ennard, please. You're dying on us. You need to give me a sign or something," the security guard insisted. "What do you remember about the scooping?"

" _ **IT HURT."**_

It took Mike a moment to process the answer the broken voice had given. "What?" he asked, voice diminished to a whisper.

" _ **It HuuRT,"**_ Ennard repeated. He shivered and his eyes focused, as though seeing for the first time since the wires began to spill. One of his hands weakly grabbed into his loose wires. _**"Th-y D-DiidN'T Fit."**_

All at once, Mike had all his answers. Unsurprisingly, they were more than he wanted, and they explained things he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. He wiped a hand over his face, his palm already sweating, and breathed to calm himself down. It didn't work.

That's why Ennard wanted to know about the technicians. That was why Ennard was different, and how he suddenly appeared in the body. Every joke and behavior, from the cracks about the Handunit to him bragging about fixing Baby, it all held a new context to it that was hard to swallow. Because all Mike could see in his mind was another purple clad night guard.

Eventually Mike got stable enough to speak, but all that came out was, "Oh my God." Ennard slid down further and stared off into nothing again. "…That explains some things," Mike added.

The warehouse was suffocating and silent. The only noise- other than down by the office- was Ennard eventually sliding down and landing face first on the ground with a small 's _queak_ '.

"This is no time for jokes," the security guard tried to jest. He ran his fingers through his hair in quick, erratic strokes. "Why didn't you s _ay s_ omething? How long have you known?" he asked more desperately. Ennard didn't respond and was instead just laying there on the floor. "…I swear if you just died after telling me that, I will forcibly bring you back. You aren't dying before I get context."

There was a quiet groan from the amalgam as he pressed further in the curtain. From here, Mike could see his emaciated back and that his limbs were only barely connected. All the wires were just laid out around him and occasionally twitched. The man reached down for him and started trying to pull him up and prop him against the shelf again.

"Come on, Ennard," Mike tried to bring the clown back around. Maybe this was a psychological thing. In which case, maybe he could ease him up. "You keep unraveling like this and you'll be 'pasta' point of no return." The amalgam just stared at him. "I know, I know… Bad joke. Still better than whatever you were doing with egg jokes earlier, so the joke's on you." Considering the circumstances, he could've done a lot worse. "… _Yolk's_ on you." Such as just then.

The amalgam shuddered and gave a crackling noise. A fit of broken laughter started to make its way through, sounding distorted in this voice. It still somehow seemed to work in easing the amalgam as Mike noticed that more wires weren't sliding out. He got the smallest bit of a relieved smile, mostly at the absurdity of this entire situation.

It was then that Ennard started grabbing around his shoulder for Scott's jacket, only to realize it was gone. With his mind slowly coming back he was able to remember that he had removed it and left it on Mike's. Now he was regretting it, even though it kept the jacket safe from harm he was unable to cling to his slender lifeline. He was somewhat caught off guard by a purple jacket being offered to him. He took Mike's jacket slowly and pulled it over himself, trying to cover his exposed wires. He didn't like looking at the exposed wires. They didn't feel like a part of him when they were like this.

The two sat in silence for a little longer, with Mike starting to wonder what was taking Marionette so long. Then, suddenly, he heard a car peeling into the parking lot. He looked towards the door and muttered, "Sound's like Burke finally caught up." One last joke for the evening in case it was the cops.

Ennard perked as he heard a commotion down in the office followed by incoming footsteps. He desperately clung to the hope that it was Scott until he could see him coming. Scott looked like a mess wearing whatever he could throw on, hair bedraggled, and looking half exhausted; he was a sight for sore eyes. The same couldn't be said for Ennard. While it took Mike a closer look to see how gaunt Ennard looked, it took Scott only an instant to notice it, and that was before he had even lifted the jacket. Mike started to stand to offer him a place to sit, but he quickly and politely declined.

"No thanks, I'm- I'm going to need to be down here," Scott assured. He knelt beside the amalgam and forced a smile. "Hey, looks like you got yourself in a little trouble," he said gently, soothingly. "It's okay, Ennard. We're just going to do what we did last time, okay? We're going to put everything back where it should be. Let me just look."

" _Last time?"_ Mike wondered. He could hear Fritz coming up beside them but didn't look at him. He instead watched as Scott pulled down his jacket and could see the brief look of shock. He expected panic considering the man's nervous disposition, but surprisingly, even with those few seconds of horror, he recovered.

"Ennard…" Scott said with a patient sigh. Ennard shifted slightly and reached for the human's wrist which he then guided towards his wires. Silently coaxing the other to help him. Scott's smile returned and he reached forward with shaking hands and took some of the higher wires. They twitched from the warmth of his touch. "We're just going to take this slow and easy, alright?" he assured as he guided some of the wires up that were hanging from Ennard's mouth. "Open."

This time there was hesitance without resistance. Ennard parted his teeth and slowly the wires started to pull back in. Scott continued to guide them inside as the two watched with near disbelief. After repeated tries and failures, the Phone Guy- who pretty much stayed as far away from most animatronics as he could- did it like it was nothing. Though there was a slight hiccup. Ennard shuddered and let out a pained sort of mechanical whine, a sign that he was preparing to eject wires again. Scott noticed too and stopped the wires from sliding in, instead moving to rub around his neck.

"You're doing really good! Let's just slow down for a second. We don't need to rush," he coaxed. The amalgam gave a contented hum as he calmed down again. "See, sometimes Ennard has a little trouble getting them back in. It, uh, I think it's a failure of the mechanism to replace wires. The body gets confused, because he's putting in wires it deemed unfitting, even if we know they're fine. It's almost a relief to see that animatronic bodies can get as weirdly confused as ours," he added with slight amusement. "You've got to make sure to go slow and wait if there's trouble. Just to make it easier for him."

He began to raise the wires again. "Let's try a little more." Again, Ennard willingly started to pull the wires inside. "Heh, this was pretty much me trying to get something other than junk food into the kids tonight. I think I'm a little more in tune with your tastes then theirs." Scott chuckled warmly and continued to work the wires inside. Though then hesitated and slightly turned to Mike and Fritz. "You don't put the wires in. You just help him take them in easier… Just telling you in case something happens and I'm not here when this happens again. You'll remember?"

" _If I forget any of tonight it would be a miracle._ Yeah, I think we can handle that," Mike answered as he leaned in slightly to watch. "You said this happened before?"

"Once, but… Not this much," Scott answered worriedly. Ennard glanced down with what could've been shame or embarrassment, which the man noticed. "But it's okay. It happens and we know how to handle it." He continued feeding the wires as he used his other hand to rub at his shoulder. It was concerning to see so many wires free and even more strange that none of them could figure out how to get the wires back into the clown. Unless he was just rejecting them so fast. "…Do you know what caused it to start?"

Mike wasn't sure why he froze up on the truth. He shouldn't have had anything to hide to Scott, so maybe it was just how Ennard suddenly, desperately looked to him. It was hard to tell, but the clown's motions were that of someone nervous. Somehow Mike figured out on his own that Scott couldn't have known what he did. He didn't know about the scooping or who Ennard really was, and though he didn't want to lie it wasn't really Mike's place to tell him. He would take the fall for Ennard this time, even if he had put him through this whole night.

"We were looking at some things in the basement and some stuff on ARI. He must've gotten freaked out, but you'll have to ask him about what… Probably when he's fit to answer back. His voice went out when it all started."

With a nod of agreement, Scott looked back to Ennard and decided not to question him now. Not when he was still trying to get the wires in him. "Yeah, he… That happens sometimes… But that's no big deal. Ennard, try not to think about that. Let's think about something better." He went back to distracting as he lifted more wires. Wire fingers pet over his forearm in weak, affectionate pets. "I watched the show tonight. Can you believe Clara let him off again? You'd think after his father crashed the wedding and everything- a-and then after all that won her over with a taco. If problems were fixed that easy you know I'd keep more tacos in the house."

" _ **L-Lovvve y-ou,"**_ Ennard suddenly proclaimed. Fritz's eyebrows shot up, though Scott took care not to look at the reaction. Instead he focused on reaching up to pet the back of his head, with Ennard turning to nuzzle into his arm. _**"Sorr-ry…"**_

"No, don't be sorry. You can't control this," Scott reassured him. He paused the wire return momentarily as he returned to comforting him. The soft whirring in his chest showed contentment and read like a cat's purr. It was an indication that he was doing better, even if the man couldn't help but worry. He moved in carefully, making sure not to tug or lean against any of the wires, and took Ennard into a gentle hug. "I love you too. You don't have to worry about anything. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Ennard hugged back and he could feel the wires retracting a little quicker. They were on the right step to recovery.

Meanwhile, Mike and Fritz exchanged a glance, noticing how affectionate the behavior was. Fritz had his brows nearly raised to his hairline while Mike just looked as flat as anyone without any sleep could. Maybe they hadn't been too far from reality when they had wondered about the two being close like Mike and Marionette were. It was then that the security guard remembered that the Puppet was still gone.

"Where's Mari? Staying with your nephews?" he guessed. Scott pulled back slowly from the amalgam.

"Yeah, about that… He's staying with them for now, but if they woke up, he wouldn't exactly be able to… You know what I'm leading into. I can't leave Ennard like this. Could one of you…?" He looked between the two of them.

The two looked at each other once again. Then, after a few moments, Mike finally announced, "I'm not leaving."

"Gee, I'm glad you at least considered it," Fritz added sarcastically. "But I shouldn't go either. Not when Ennard might fall apart again." For a few seconds they seemed to be at a standstill. Then came the first answer they could cling to.

"Hey, I got the unit!" Natalie called as she walked up to the group. She noticed that they were all staring at her and looked around at them. "…Alright, what does that look mean?"

* * *

 **Spoiler Alert: It means Natalie's getting back in the car.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Do you know why we brought you here?**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Forty-Nine_

It felt like an eternity until Scott separated from Ennard, and even then he didn't leave entirely. He stayed by his side even after the wires were all securely inside once more. During this time, the amalgam was still remarkably quiet. He simply held Scott close and shuddered to himself. Whatever it was that upset him had not left his mind but was being dealt with more effectively.

Due to the hard floor, Scott did have to get up and stretch his legs occasionally. He had fallen asleep at some- a few hours of being pressed up against Ennard's warm wires could do that- but woke to find everything stiff. This time he walked outside to go check in on Mike and Marionette, who were out in the car. Fritz had already left by now, leaving his Handunit behind on the chair, and Charlie was back in her box. As for Ennard, he seemed to have shut himself down into a sleep state, having not reacted at all to Scott leaving his side. All was quiet and he was unguarded.

This was the perfect time for Baby to swoop in. There was nobody to stop her and nobody to notice what she was doing. Nobody would ever know she approached him at all.

Baby stood above Ennard and stared down at the top of his head. He had his mask closed again and his wires all in place, looking nearly as good as new- or as new as he could get. He had never had this much trouble getting back together. It was obvious that it was brought on by seeing the body too. Baby had been listening in and watching how he responded to Scott and knew that this was all psychological; broken on the inside, showing it on the outside. She could've mocked him about this but just the thought of it made her uncomfortable.

She never really considered how she treated Ennard. For a while now she had been aware that he wasn't the same as the bandmates who abandoned her in the most vulnerable state and yet she hadn't really changed her approach to him. Regardless of past tension, he had been considerably friendly with her, and even behind his phony chipper behavior she could feel a genuine attempt to form a connection. Still, even now, he intended for her to go home with him and Scott. Unless this incident caused him to reconsider a few things, which it could've if her suspicions were correct.

To her the answer was clear: all of this was caused by guilt over the scooped technicians. It only made sense, but it was an amount of guilt that Baby had never felt. Even now she couldn't honestly say she felt much for the technicians. Her only self-evaluation was based on her and him. She couldn't remember how many times she had put him down or even outright manipulated him. She had known he was afraid of her and used it to her advantage, because part of her feared him too. Now she wasn't sure what this felt like, but she had been concerned for him. Maybe he was starting to imprint himself on her.

Baby reached out slowly and lowered her hand on Ennard's head. Avoiding the party hat melded with his mask, she began to softly pet over him in almost soothing motions. She wasn't used to giving comfort. She wasn't used to apologizing either, but she had done that twice tonight. Once with Fritz's half-apology and a second time with Natalie. Though calling out "I'm sorry for you" while someone was walking out the door wasn't much of an apology. It was hard to get Baby to admit she was wrong without those extra strings attached. Yet here she was without Charlie doing something genuine.

It was then that she noticed the slightest twitch of a wire on his shoulder. For a moment she thought he was waking, but then Baby took in how still he was. He wasn't asleep at all; he was just pretending. He could feel everything and knew exactly what she was doing. His silence and lack of usual enthusiasm was almost more alarming than the fact that he knew she was going soft as unbaked dough. She hesitated for a second as she considered where to go from here.

She had done all she had to. She had approached him willingly, caressed him affectionately, and could leave with her dignity still barely intact. She did not. Baby decided that there was something that needed to be said.

"…I'm sorry… For earlier. I shouldn't have been so aggressive with you while you were in that state. If the roles were reversed, I might've gone for your throat without knowing it," Baby apologized. She tried to end it there, but the words didn't stop. "But I usually am, aren't I? I'm constantly difficult with you even though you let me come into your home… Even though you gave me a new face." She wanted to reach up and touch it, but that would mean removing her hand from his head. She wasn't ready to do that yet. "I think I'm sorry about that too… Because seeing you like that earlier was hard."

Ennard turned his head slightly as he recognized that Baby knew he was awake and wasn't just talking to his shut off body. He was absolutely shocked by her words but wasn't sure how to feel about them. Not after the things _he_ remembered. Still, this was a bigger step than even the time she hugged him, and it seemed like she meant it.

"I just wanted you to know that, because you aren't broken… Or you aren't anymore broken than I am," Baby said as she slowed her touches. "…And that I am glad you're alright again."

It was now that Baby noticed footsteps approaching and started to draw back her hand. Before she could escape though, Ennard's arm suddenly shot up and his hand caught her wrist. He then turned his head to stare up at her. She just stared back at him, a long moment passing, and then he spoke.

" _ **I f-forgive you,"**_ Ennard eventually said with a strange tone. Slowly, he released her arm again, watching her as he let it drop to his side. She could only wonder what he meant.

Scott was getting closer and both glanced in his direction for a moment before Baby turned and headed to the back of the warehouse. As she was going around the edge of the aisle, she could hear Scott's welcoming voice- "Oh, hey! You're up, great. How are you feeling?"- and part of Ennard's response. This voice garbled words so easily that she didn't hear much other than a positive affirmation or two. She didn't stay to listen and instead continued into the back and returned to Charlie's box. It was still closed, and she could've easily just passed by, slumped down, and waited for morning. Or later morning, more like.

Though it was then that she noticed Charlie's things left out. Or, specifically, a notebook that she had been writing in earlier, which was closed with a pen sticking out of it. Baby hadn't even bothered herself with it earlier and let the Security Puppet write without question, but now she was curious and looking for a distraction. It wasn't like it was a diary- nobody would use a notebook for a diary she was certain- so she doubted there would be much care. She lifted the notebook and opened it to the page that was held with the pen.

There she found a few blocky paragraphs rhyming every other line. Random lines were crossed out in certain places with replacements above them and some arrows pointed from one line to between others, showing efforts to rearrange the structure of the paragraphs. As though she was editing it as she went along. Though it was clear what this was: Charlie was writing a song. How cute.

Though Baby couldn't help but be a little offended that she hadn't asked for her advice. After all, she was the one with the built-in song databank. Though that was fine; she didn't need to ask. The clown flipped to the next, blank page and cradled it in the crook of her clawed arm. She took the pen in hand and clicked it on. A performer's introduction song had to be perfect, and she was going to make sure it was. It would be the song she never got to sing.

She would start teaching Charlie the tune when she woke up.

* * *

" _L-Look, you- you don't have to do this. We can just… Walk out of here. I have the keys, nobody else is here, we- let's just go!"_

* * *

Mike awoke with the rising sun somehow glinting through the jacket he had bunched over his face. He groaned in complaint and pulled it down before rubbing over his face. That was not enough sleep. Especially when he was sleeping in the slid back, tilted back driver's seat of an already cramped car. "What a night," he muttered as he started to lift his seat. One of these woke up Marionette who was curled up in the passenger seat. He stretched out his arms and back.

"The morning sun has vanquished the horrible night," Marionette quoted as he then stretched his legs. He already sounded much more rested because of his extra hours of sleep. Now Mike was regretting ever getting back out of bed. The Puppet looked to him with a smile. "Good morning, Sunshine.~"

"Exhausted morning, Stripes," Mike muttered back. He took ahold of the steering wheel for a moment before remembering why they were there. "Guess we should go check on Ennard since I almost killed him last night."

"Probably so," Marionette agreed as Mike started to open the door. "And when we get home, the first thing we do is burn that tape. If anything deserves to die in a fire, it's that," he lightly joked. As soon as he heard this, the security guard suddenly shut the door again, staring ahead blankly. The Puppet slowly tilted his head in confusion. "Something wrong?"

The human turned to him abruptly and lowered his voice. "I've got to tell you something, but this has to stay between us for now. Until I figure out a few things," Mike said. Marionette seemed surprised by the abrupt request but nodded in understanding. Mike looked out the back windows of the car and around to make sure nobody was listening. In his half-asleep state not piecing together that nobody would be able to hear through the car. He then looked back to the Puppet and was blunt, "Last night, Ennard told me that he was one of the scooped-out technicians."

The smile dropped off Marionette's face so quickly that it was almost like it wasn't there at all. Though he didn't look as surprised as Mike would've expected. "…That explains things," the striped one admitted. "…And Scott knows?"

"I don't think so. I don't even know how long Ennard's known..." Mike glanced towards the warehouse. "…Which is why if he does stick around at our place, I'm going to corner him as soon as we get home. If he's together enough to be cornered." He looked back to his companion and noticed how he was looking down with more somberness than alarm. "You didn't know, right?"

"I always knew Ennard was someone. We don't just come from nowhere, he had to have been someone… And I can't say I'm surprised that he was one of the technicians…" He anxiously rubbed his hand together. "I can't imagine what he's going through right now. It's not easy to swallow." Mike gave a half-snort of a chuckle and Marionette frowned. "No, that wasn't a pun."

"Sorry, I'm not all here. Let's just get in there and see how he is. I don't know, maybe he'll be outright with it. Maybe he told Scott last night. I don't know." He let himself out of the car. "Just as long as you didn't hear it from me."

But neither could possibly anticipate what was waiting inside. Mike stepped into the warehouse and Marionette teleported in, and they met up at the door and continued together. Ennard was still sitting where he had been, but was now sitting upright awake, petting Scott's head who was laying on the floor beside him. The amalgam looked over at the two who were approaching and then-.

"Oh, hey! Ha ha, I was wondering where you two ran off to!" Ennard greeted in a delighted chirp. Scott promptly jumped with a muffled cry, to which Ennard nudged him back down. "Whoops! Heh, sorry Scott. Got a little too overexcited seeing the guys coming in." The man started to turn over tiredly as the clown patted his shoulder, then looked back to the two. "Some night last night! I'm always up for a little excitement, but that? Ha! No thanks! Next time I'm staying home with my popcorn and my soaps." From the way Scott was looking at Ennard in disbelief, it was clear that the clown's sudden return to normal was a surprise for him too.

"I see you're feeling better?" Marionette asked in confusion.

"Waaay better! I can't even begin to tell ya- The whole night was just a total blur, and not a good one. It's like I walked into that walk-in freezer with stairs you guys call a basement and then everything just- poof! -It's gone like that!" Ennard splayed his fingers in exaggeration. He then looked between the two. "Sooo when do we head back to you guys' place?"

" _Our_ place?" Mike asked.

"You're going back?" Scott asked in equal surprise. "Ennard, I don't know if that's a good idea after this… We can work something out." He took his hand and held it in his own two, squeezing the wires comfortingly as he turned over into a kneel. His body and legs felt stiff and sore, but he ignored it to focus on his companion. "Maybe… Maybe we can find a way to keep you in the house until the kids leave-."

"You can't be worrying about me _and_ the kids!... I mean, ya can. You got a knack for worrying," Ennard playfully teased. "But you were right before. It just won't work, and it isn't gonna be fun being stuck hiding somewhere. So, you just worry about those kids of yours-." He reached forward to tap him on the nose. "And I'm gonna go rest up and Mike and Mari's! But I'm glad I got to see you. It isn't the same talking to you through the phone." He hugged the man to him abruptly and squeezed him in close, nuzzling into his hair affectionately. "Besides, I got to go get your jacket, right? I'll be fine! I got it all under control."

" _Oh, he remembers_ _ **everything**_ _,"_ Mike mentally confirmed with an unenthused look. He could just tell from how bluntly he announced that he didn't remember anything that Ennard was already concocting an alibi.

"Well… If you're sure. Uh, Mike, that's alright with you?" Scott asked, looking up at the security guard.

"Fine with me," Mike agreed with a shrug. He tried to hide his relief, because now he was definitely getting the opportunity to confront Ennard.

"Fine with me as well!" Marionette chimed. "I'm just going to check on Charlie before we go and make sure she's still planning on staying here." He started to head into the back where he had seen her leave to the night before. Mike followed a little way, but then fell behind once he decided he was too tired to possibly deal with Baby. Which he would've had to deal with, as Marionette found her standing outside Charlie's box when he approached.

"Good morning, Baby. Is Charlie awake yet? I wanted to ask her if she was planning on coming home with us or staying here," he explained pleasantly. Still floating on the relief that Ennard was safe. "The same question applies to you."

"Unfortunately, Charlie won't be able to go with you," Baby declined. She looked back into a notebook that she was clutching onto. "She needs to practice for her performance."

Marionette tilted his head quizzically and planned on asking what she meant but was beat to it by the flaps of the box slowly opening. "What performance?" Charlie asked in confusion as she leaned out of the box. "Morning Mari." Marionette chimed and Baby made a wheezy, huffy, impatient noise.

"The performance you're giving when you begin working at the pizzeria. I spent all night writing the song. It's perfect," the clown explained. She looked down at the notebook. "Any animatronic would be envious to have this song."

Yet Charlie's immediate focus was both on her decision to have her sing and, more importantly, the much too wide smile Marionette was giving her. She recognized that low chime of excitement he gave.

"I… Didn't agree to this," she defended herself to him with a fake chuckle. "It was just an idea. I didn't even tell her that I was going to be working at the pizzeria or anything like that. It's just a one-time thing," she continued trying to defend. He looked too excited; she couldn't handle both of them throwing themselves at her to get her to perform. "Baby's just-."

"Making certain that one day is worth it," Baby finished firmly. "One day. One song. You can do that. You s _hould_ do that. I saw the lyrics you wrote in your notebook and I know they were for a pizzeria performance." She paused only a moment and then added. "I also saw that you sleep with a stuffed rabbit."

If she could've, Charlie would've flushed at the comment. "You looked at me while I was sleeping?" she asked, absentmindedly pushing Theodore into the back of the box.

"I wanted to see if you were really asleep, which you were. Elsewise, we would've started last night. But that's fine, because I wrote the lyrics with the free time I had." Before either puppet could say more, she turned back to the box. "Now I will teach you the tune. Try to replicate exactly." Her internal parts began to whirr as she started to turn on the speaker that was supposed to play her background music for her songs. Instead, she was met with a wave of static. With little warning, she struck herself in the chest with her claw, hard, and the static sputtered before turning into crackling, fuzzy music. "Listen closely." She would have to if she planned on hearing anything at all.

"Well then, I should be on my way! I need to get Ennard home and Mike only has a few more minutes of alertness before we start risking him falling asleep at the wheel," the Puppet explained. Baby's music cut off abruptly.

"Ennard is going with you?" she asked. She sounded surprised in the usual flat, lifeless, Baby-like way. "Even after last night?"

"He insisted. Ennard covers very well when he wants to," Marionette simply answered. He then turned to leave, knowing Baby would know what he meant. "Good luck to you both!"

"We don't need luck," Baby remarked, pushing any feelings aside. "Now then, Charlie, repeat after me," she coaxed before beginning to play the music again. Charlie wondered if she would've been better off running after Marionette.

Marionette returned to find Mike slumped in the folding chair with the Handunit resting in his lap and Ennard clutching Scott in a nearly bone breaking embrace. He almost hated breaking them up, but he was aware that any later and they would risk getting caught. The earliness was the only reason that Mike could get Ennard through the front door while the neighbors were leaving for work. That, and Ennard crouched down enough that it was almost believable that he wasn't a towering animatronic. Once inside, the tarp was cast aside, and everything almost seemed normal for a moment or two.

Noticing that Mike was looking worse for ware, Marionette approached him with concern. "I think you should go rest for a few hours. I can wake you up later," he offered. He raised a hand to his cheek and caressed it tenderly. "I think you look better without the dark rings."

"I think I might take you up on that," the man agreed with a small smile. Though it was then that he noticed Ennard walking over to shut the pantry door that was left open, irritated by the noise. There was still something left unfinished. "…But before I do, how about you _go find_ that _boardgame?_ I'll _watch Ennard_ until you get back."

It didn't take more than a second for the Puppet to get it. He nodded in agreement before sliding his hand down to his chin and leaning in closely. "Be gentle, he's skittish." Then he pecked Mike on the lips before pulling back and heading down the hall to his bedroom. Mike wasn't sure if he was going to listen in or not, but it wasn't like he wasn't going to tell him regardless. Now the security guard turned his attention on Ennard, who was beginning to head to the fridge.

"What did you do with that cocktail? Is it still in here?" the clown asked as he peered in. He then perked. "You don't think Mari'd care if I had one of these cupcakes, do you? There's like twenty in here."

"He won't care. Knock yourself out," Mike answered as he came up behind the amalgam, intending to somewhat corner him between the fridge and the dining room table. "We need to talk about last night."

"Yeah, I was expecting that. Don't worry about it," Ennard chirped as he turned towards him. He eagerly peeled off the cupcake wrapper and 'licked' the icing off with a tangle of loose wires that slipped out from between his teeth. "That's happened before, ya know. I'm not exactly totally put together here. When you've got as many wires as I do, sometimes they get crossed and weird stuff happens! Ha, just be lucky I didn't start coughing up eyeballs or something!"

"I'm talking about what you told me last night about you being one of the technicians from ARI," Mike clarified. The other's eyes broke contact for a second; obvious nervousness.

"I said that? Wow, I must've been really out of it!" he denied smoothly. "You know, these cupcakes are _great_. Remind me to give my regards to the chef! Mari, right? Ha ha, I could see that!"

"Ennard."

"You know, I was looking into those technicians because I was bored. I must've got my lines crossed and somewhere in my head I thought- ha- _I_ was a human! Wishful thinking, maybe! Then I wouldn't be hacking up wires!"

" _Ennard."_

"But it was worth seeing Scottie! Lemme tell ya, I really missed him. Wouldn't be the first time he saved a night! And just think-."

"Ennard, I know you're lying," Mike forcibly interrupted. This time it got past the mindless rambling and managed to clam the other up instantly. "I know you meant what you said. I know that you didn't forget anything that happened last night, and I know that A: because you're not asking any questions, and B: because you're covering your ass left and right." Ennard just stared down at him, still holding the cupcake, looking blank and nervous at the same time. Mike gave a weary exhale. "So, I'm thinking last night was the first time you've ever been fully honest with me, and I know it's because you're afraid."

"I'm… I'm not afraid-!" Ennard struggled to defend, already trying to work up a fake, obnoxious laugh.

"You are afraid. Or at least you were last night. It _was_ that video that caused you to freak out and it wasn't until you were in pieces that you told me why. Only when you couldn't pretend anymore did you tell the truth," Mike rationalized. His voice lowered to a softer tone, taking the Puppet's earlier advice. "Pretending everything is fine doesn't make things go away."

There was a long pause. Then came the laughter, loud and uncontrolled, and undeniably strained. A wire hand clasped to his forehead and he staggered as though taken aback.

"Can't- Can't get anything past you! I- ha- I should've known that if anyone was gonna- it would be you! Ha, yeah…" Ennard slowly slid his hand down his face and over the grooves in his mask. "You got me." He slowly set the cupcake down on the counter before he slouched on it in defeat. It almost seemed like he wasn't going to continue, but he did.

"It just all happened so fast. Just these- sometimes these feelings came up and sometimes random words would make things… Funny? Familiar funny. These little moments when I'd get bits and pieces of 'hey, I think maybe this happened before!' But they _didn't_ happen before, because I didn't exist before. Me? A human?! No way! No, no, I would've remembered! That- That would've meant that I- that that guy in the video- that video- that guy in the video- cold, cold vent- and I saw that and I just remembered- I- I just-." He started to shudder and his wires twitched tighter. "Can't- _**Can't**_ \- _**CAn'T**_ -!"

"Hey, easy!" Mike grabbed his shoulder and shook him, trying to force him out of the moment before wires could spill out. Somehow, it worked. "Just take it easy. Let's just talk this out." All at once, the clown spun towards him, grabbing him by the shoulders in a vice-like grip.

" _You can never tell Scott!_ " Ennard nearly yelled. He was borderline hysterical, but his voice was back to Funtime Freddy's. "He can't know- I don't want him to look at me like that! Like you two looked at that body!"

"Okay, okay! I'm not going to tell Scott!" Mike insisted as he grabbed the amalgam's wiry wrists. "But you should. You can't keep something like this from him forever. Trust me, it'll come back at the worst time."

"I know," Ennard said in defeat. "I… I know that… I'm sorry." His hands slid off the security guard and dropped limply to his sides. He gave a low garbled noise, one of somberness and fear. "…If I tell you… You won't tell Scott?"

"…Ennard, I don't know what you think we've been talking about for the last ten minutes, but you already told me," Mike flatly admitted. This got a light chuckle from the clown.

"Ha, no, I know that…" Ennard's eyes darted to the side to check for Marionette listening in. "I meant… So, when I saw that guy on the video, I had this flash of a memory and just got stuck in it. Kind of like a nightmare but awake like a daydream… What would you call that, a waking nightmare? Just couldn't get out of it. It was like I was- like I was the TV! Forced to play through the tape, except the tape was this weird wake-mare." He gave a slight cringe. "I change my mind; I don't want to talk about it. It was disgusting. It _hurt._ "

"And you think you were remembering… Yourself getting scooped?" Mike guessed. Ennard gave a violent shudder at the word, but then nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry. Nobody deserves to live through that twice."

"Heh, I don't think people exactly _live_ through that, Mikey, but I get what you're going for!" The amalgam hesitated for a long moment. "I just- I don't want to think about it. I don't want to talk about it, because I felt so much. All at once, bam, every- every bone crunch and skin tear, and- and the _**VENT**_." This time he managed to rein himself in before he got stuck in another loop. "I just want to have fun and relax and pretend like that never happened and that everything's A-Okay." He sounded uncomfortably desperate. "Please."

"I think I can do that. At least, I'll do that after I kill a few hours laying face down in a hot bedroom," Mike assured. "I won't tell anyone but I'm going on the record now to say that you will eventually have to tell Scott. This is one of those things that he's going to want to know, even if he's bound to react to it." The amalgam nodded somberly. "…But you're not even going back to Scott's for a few days, so we'll just do what we should've been doing last night: surviving the weekend with as little damage as possible."

"Right…Hey! Before Mari gets back, maybe you could help me set that fun, fun game back up?" Ennard asked. The human gave no answer and looked flatly unamused. "Oh, come on! It's gonna be all kind of fun! What's a better cure for boredom than intense anger?!" the clown chirped as he hooked an arm around his shoulders, snatching the cupcake off the counter. "We're friends now, right? Even under all those grouchy one-liners and smart aleck comments, I know you like me! And now we've got the rest of the weekend to have a blast!"

"Kill me now."

"That's the spirit!"

* * *

" _I can take you home with me! You could live like a normal person! You'd have TV and books, and you wouldn't have to do anything you didn't want to, and I would protect you! Just please, please, PLEASE don't do this!"_

* * *

Keeping to his word, Mike didn't outright mention the incident for the rest of the weekend. Only once had he tried to bring up the list of names of the technicians but was met with immediate resistance from the clown. Eventually Mike decided to let it go, letting him and Marionette indulge Ennard in a few days of escapism. Even if that meant dealing with Ennard's eccentricities. Marionette pretended he didn't know about what the clown said, and Ennard pretended that he didn't know the puppet knew. It all worked out well for the three of them and by the end of it everyone was exhausted, but not like they were that first night.

The plan was to have Scott's brother come get his nephews Sunday evening or Monday morning, but instead he came with his wife on Monday evening and stayed a few hours to catch up. Not that Scott intended on sitting through a night on his own. Even if he probably needed the rest, he was calling Fritz by that evening and asking for use of the van. This time, Fritz willingly drove the van himself- though that could've been because it seemed too late to drag Jeremy out of the house.

"Well, there's my ride!" Ennard chirped as he heard the van pull up. He proceeded to throw a bowl of popcorn into Mike's lap and jump up from the couch as he pulled on Scott's jacket. "You know, we should do this more often! Maybe next time Scott can even come with me! We could be like a sitcom!"

"I could think of worse living arrangements and worse genres to be in," Marionette quipped as he followed him closely.

"Yeah, imagine us in a soap opera. We'd be swapping playthings every other week," Ennard pointed out. This got a moment of hesitation and a flustered look as the Puppet caught on to the meeting. The amalgam laughed and pulled him into a tight hug. "Aww, I'm gonna miss this! And I'm not gonna forget this either- Anything ever happens to the house and I'm totally planting myself on your couch and going nowhere."

"I appreciate the warning," Marionette quipped. Though he then returned the embrace. "Take care. If you ever need to talk about anything, you know I'm here, and you know I can come find you wherever you are."

"I know, and I'll be seeing you in my nightmares," Ennard remarked teasingly. Though from the tight squeeze there was real affection and appreciation. They then broke away so he could face the human and splay his arms. "Mike!"

"That's okay, you don't have to hug me," Mike smoothly declined and instead stuck out his hand. "Thank you for not burning the house down."

"No problem. I really appreciate you doing this," the clown replied as he took his hand. He paused a moment and then yanked the security guard in, pulling him into a tight hug. "Ha ha, you didn't think you were getting out that easy, did you?!" He giggled in delight at his own little trick and Mike rolled his eyes to himself, then gave him a pat on the back, watching as Marionette let Fritz in. "Hey," Ennard whispered, still crushing Mike against him. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem. It kept things interesting," he answered with the slightest of a smirk. He then proceeded to slide his way out of the grip on him. "Take care of Scott."

"I always do!" Ennard assured as he finally released Mike and turned to Fritz. "Oh hey! I didn't think I'd see you driving the van! How's my favorite wrench worker?"

"Can't complain. Just doing my civil duty for tonight," Fritz said as he moved to the side so Charlie could squeeze through the door. She took off the tarp and handed it over to Charlie. "Pretty typical night: moving machinery, eating tacos."

"Please tell me there's tacos _in_ the van," Ennard said with mock desperation.

"Sorry. All I've got left is a couple of packets of sauce in the glovebox."

"Good enough!" Ennard chirped and waved back towards his former hosts. "Catch you two on the flip side!" He paused for a few moments before looking to Fritz. "Aren't you supposed to come out with me, or do I just leg it to the van?"

"No! No, I'm coming. Hold on," Fritz hurried after him. He waved to the others and then followed out of the door, leaving the three alone in their home.

"We're not in the clear just yet. Scott might realize what he's taking on and send him back. I'd say if he keeps him until… Six? He keeps him until six and we're in the clear," Mike said as he went to drop down on the couch, relaxing fully for the first time in days. "And then we still have a three-day buffer period for a Baby refund."

"I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure Baby wore herself out working me like a stage mom," Charlie pointed out. She began to head towards her bedroom. "Let me go drop off my stuff."

"Okay! We'll be here," Marionette chirped after her. As soon as she was down the hall, he smoothly flipped over the back of the couch and abruptly landed on Mike. The man gave a small 'oof', which the striped one ignored as he promptly stretched out, folded his arms under his head, and crossed his legs. "Yes, right here. I forgot how comfortably lumpy this couch is."

"You dropped what little weight you have directly on my stomach," Mike said, hooking an arm around his middle. "Maybe having Ennard stay here was a bad idea. I think he rubbed off on you."

"I forgot how whiny the couch was too," Marionette teased.

"That's it." All at once, Mike snatched him around the middle and pulled him in. Fingers tracing along his sides until the Puppet was chiming in laughter, and then only responded by peppering his neck in kisses. As though apologizing when he refused to relent.

There were certainly perks to having the house back to themselves again.

* * *

Ennard knew that it was very likely that Baby would be returning with him to Scott's. He hadn't had a problem with this, especially not after how surprisingly sweet she had been that night in the warehouse. As far as he was concerned, them living together was only making things better over time. He wasn't afraid of her anymore, she didn't hate him anymore, and it almost felt like she was a friend- a reluctant one. He hadn't considered how awkward it was going to be seeing her after what happened. It almost made him the slightest big self-conscious, like a suit-less endoskeleton.

She must've noticed too, as she was watching him with those piercing eyes. Of course, she could see that he wasn't as excitable as usual, sitting quietly and minding his own business like he was.

"You're acting strange," Baby eventually said. Ennard decided to play dumb.

"Who, me? Heh, nah! Guess I'm just thinking about some things is all," Ennard turned to look out the back windows of the van. It wasn't like he could see much with it being nighttime. " _This is going to be a lot easier if you don't let her know what you know_ ," he reminded himself. He instantly perked up and returned to 'typical' Ennard behavior. "So, how was Ladies' Night with your girlfriend?"

"…There is so much wrong with that sentence that I don't even know how to respond," was Baby's immediate reaction. Though she then answered with a more honest, "Considering that she hasn't been a puppet for long, I think she may be ready for the stage already. She did very well in the limited time we had."

"Aww, that's great! And think, you could've been stuck over with me and Mari! Ha, I think I pretty much ruined any chance of anyone else getting to stay at their house. They're never gonna let anyone bum on their couch ever again," Ennard said in an almost bragging tone. "But I'm glad you came home with me. I was sort of afraid you were going to try and stay at the warehouse." She tilted her head slightly in confusion as though questioning him. Thankfully that silence lasted until they started backing into Scott's driveway. "And here we are! Home already!"

Fritz started to get out of the van only to get back in when he saw Scott already opening the garage door for him. The van was backed up into the garage just enough for Ennard to pretty much throw himself out and seize Scott in a tight squeeze. He then began to babble out pleasantries as he gushed over him. Baby watched briefly and only now considered how fortunate she was that he knew better than to spring on her. She looked over to Fritz as he shut the van doors again.

"I guess I'm taking off then. You folks have a good night, alright?" Fritz called towards the two. He then looked to Baby and for a split second their eyes locked. She felt those tiny sparks again even though she knew he didn't. "You take care, Baby. I'll see you sometime," he said. Maybe he was just trying to be nice and keeping this civil. Yes, that seemed like that was all it was, and Baby refused to read further into it.

As Scott led Ennard into the house, the cats came over to greet the amalgam and by rubbing on his legs. "Aww, it's the welcome party! I missed you guys too," he chirped. Scott couldn't help but smile as he watched him kneel to pet them.

It was good to have him home. Especially after that incident; Scott had been worrying about Ennard's episode for days. Yet here he was acting totally normal. Even the cats saw Ennard as a normal part of their lives, which made it only more apparent how impactful him being gone was. Scott stepped in closer and rested a hand on his shoulder. Those blue eyes looked up at him. So intensely focused on him, as they usually were. It was easy to get nervous under them.

"What's up? I mean, other than you," Ennard playfully asked. Such a far cry from the panic the other night and the man was so relieved.

Scott wordlessly leaned down while using his free hand to gently lift Ennard's chin. He didn't allow himself even long enough to consider the consequences of what he was about to do. He just pressed his lips to the top of Ennard's head, holding him close. This must've caught Ennard off guard. He let out a sort of hushed, gasping noise, wires twisting and squeaking together, and going still otherwise. Once he started talking it didn't get much more put together.

"Sc-Scott, I- Wow, I didn't think you missed me that much…" Ennard said in a wobbly voice. A low hum of delight rumbled through his chest while Scott pulled him into a closer embrace. "M-Missed you so much."

"I missed you too. It's good to have you home… I mean, Baby too," Scott added in when he noticed the female clown watching. She seemed only less than interested in their overly affectionate display and turned away. Scott then turned his attention back to Ennard, who had wrapped his arms around his waist. "But it just felt so strange not having you here. It's your home too, and it's not home without you."

It was something then that made Ennard get a strange twisting feeling in his wires. He didn't know if it was dread or relief, but it was accompanied by the realization that Mike was right in that he had to tell him, and that it could change everything. He couldn't imagine what would happen if Scott knew the truth. Maybe it would be the same, but he didn't want to risk losing this warmth. Scott was everything he had.

"Uh… Something wrong?" Scott asked with light concern. The clown snapped out of his stare and made his decision.

"Nothing!" Ennard denied. "Just _so_ happy to see you and be home!" At least he wasn't lying as he hugged onto him. It looked like the man believed him as he returned the embrace. For now, he was going to live in the moment, because he had finally gotten home. He was right where he wanted to be.

* * *

" _I'll help you, I promise. We're friends, right? I can help you. Just please don't do this…"_

 _For a moment it almost seemed like they were beginning to reconsider their plan. They were silent, watching him through the glass in their distorted body, and he thought maybe he got through to them. His palms were sweaty, saliva was thick in his throat, his heart was racing, and here he stood in this cold, metal room hoping he had offered just enough. That he could convince her, that she could convince them, that he could go home._

 _But then he heard the beeping that signaled the activation of the Scooper._

" _No!" he choked out. He backed up as far against the back wall as he could to try and squeeze back. "NO, NO! OH GOD, STOP!"_

 _All at once the scooper launched out and everything was blinded by white-hot pain. She had lied; it wasn't just a moment. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't speak, gargling on liquid that shot up his throat and tasted like melted copper. Slowly he slid down the wall and dropped onto the cold, unforgiving floor. Not that he could feel it past the unrelenting pain tearing through his insides. He gasped in a partial breath, but it was excruciatingly painful, and he slowly reached to his front._

 _Fingers felt over sticky clumps of hot fluid and hanging flesh. His eyes lowered to look at his lap and through spots he could see gore in his lap, what was not was surely in the Scooper. He choked and fluid poured through his lips; blood. Somewhere he could hear what sounded like the footsteps of conjoined body and knew she was coming._

 _He didn't want to die. He still hoped that he did before they got to him._

* * *

 **It's because we need you.**


	50. Chapter 50

**Mable: I can't believe that we've finally hit the midway point! I can't tell if it was quicker or slower than Can't Go Home Again, but it feels good to reach this point. ^-^ Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty_

Mike woke to his cell phone ringing. Still half asleep, he reached over and grabbed the phone before answering groggily. "Hello?"

"Hey! Glad that you're up. I thought I'd have a better chance on the cell in case you went out… Or were still in bed," Fritz joked. Before Mike could say anything, he continued to chatter on cheerily. "So, I was thinking; since tomorrow's opening day and the next couple of weeks are going to be a slog, what do you think about you, me, and Jeremy taking today to do that caving thing I was talking about?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Mike muttered as he rubbed his eyes. He was about to point out how early it was before looking at the clock and seeing that it was already ten and that he had overslept far past his intended wake-up time. "When did we talk about caving?"

"It was a long time ago. Like back when we went to see Glenn. I was thinking about trying it out and the three of us pretty much don't get to do much together unless its business, someone's dying, or someone's going to jail."

"I consider both of those last one's business too," Mike pointed out. "But why now? You'd think you'd want to take it easy today." Fritz made a disagreeing or uncertain sort of noise.

"Well, it's not-… Okay, you got me. This isn't as innocent as it sounds, but I'm probably still going to love this," the technician revealed. "I called Jeremy earlier and something's definitely still off. He sounded really quiet, and that's with Foxy being at his house. He should be through the roof right now and he's not, and I don't think it's just because Foxy's going back to the pizzeria. I think this is still whatever's up with him. So… I thought maybe if the three of us went on an adventure…"

"Or an ambush," Mike quipped.

"No, not an ambush… Unless we're attacked by mountain lions or something. I meant that we could have fun, Jeremy might ease up, and then he might willingly tell us what's going on, and then we know, and problem solved. It's pretty much the best plan I could think of and I already called him and he's in," Fritz explained. "So, what do you say, are you coming too?"

The thought of caving wasn't exactly appealing to Mike. Sure, he liked to be active and he loved that pump of adrenaline but caving just bordered that line between fun risk and guaranteed disaster. Though on the other hand, Fritz had a point about Jeremy, and it had been too long since the three of them did anything that didn't involve the pizzeria or a job. He also didn't want to be the one of them who got cold feet when Jeremy, notoriously skittish, agreed to it.

"…Sure, let's go climb down a cave," Mike agreed. "Let me just get dressed and eat something."

"Great! I'll come pick you up about eleven?"

"Sounds alright. I'll see you then." With that, the call ended. Mike wondered if he had already made a mistake but didn't plan on backing down now. With a sigh, he started to get out of bed. "I can see the headlines now: Foxy's Pirate Cove reopening delayed after all owners are crippled in a spelunking accident."

* * *

"What the bloody 'ell be spelunking?" Foxy asked matter-of-factly. He was grumpy, mostly because he was stuck with a tarp covering him up because it was daytime. Also, because Fritz was taking Jeremy away on what would've been one more day of them together. Not that he and Jeremy had any plans other than just hanging out. The human was more amused than anything by the fox's pouting.

"It's just when people go crawl around in caves. In a strange way it's kind of like hiking, since you're not really looking for something but just exploring it. I've heard about it, but I've never done in," Jeremy explained. He seemed to be in a good mood, perhaps excited about the trip.

"Uh huh." Foxy was more skeptical. "Fritz ever go down in these 'caves' of his?"

"…I didn't actually ask, but he knew a lot about it, so maybe?" He could hear Foxy give a low grumble of suspicion, as it was quite apparent that he didn't trust the idea. His impression of caves was that they were dangerous and that his first mate could get hurt just by climbing inside. Jeremy tried to reassure him, "But it's not like it's just a random hole in the ground. Fritz said they're mapped out and used all the time- too safe to even call it an adventure! Which I can't complain about."

"Climbin' down in a cave no bigger than a whale's blowhole- I could spot a few things ta complain 'bout," Foxy muttered from the back. This just got another chuckle out of the young man. Though he then perked as he had a new realization.

"Hey, this is going to be the first time you've seen the pizzeria since the renovations started, right?! You're going to be shocked how different it looks. Maybe it's good you're getting there a day early to get reacquainted with it," the man offered as they pulled into the parking lot and pulled around back. He pulled up close to the back door. "Let's hurry! I want to get a good look at the place before Fritz gets here."

To pick him up, he meant. Foxy was still less than enthused by the entire idea but decided to withhold these feelings. At least Jeremy would be getting out again. He had been so reclusive since his recent falling out. As the door opened, Foxy managed to slide out and into the back of the business, standing in the dark hallway. Jeremy hurried in behind him.

"Okay, you ready?" he asked excitedly, watching Foxy drop the tarp to the side.

"Ready as I'll ever be," the pirate answered simply. He wasn't expecting too much. Maybe new tables and a new curtain, but mostly an expanded dining room. Sure, he had given ideas to the others, but they didn't discuss anything concrete. He still expected Jeremy to get excited by it and stepped out as Jeremy turned on the lights.

As soon as he saw it, Foxy's patch raised and his eyes widened. Suddenly he knew what Jeremy was so excited over, and why he was watching the pirate's expression with such a wide smile.

"Blow me down…" Foxy murmured as he looked around. "I don't believe it…"

* * *

"-I brought the extra batteries and then only brought one flashlight," Fritz lamented. With a sigh, he shoved them back into the bag he had brought. "Well, at least that one light's going to stay on. We're just going to have to pass it around."

"We'll make it work. I have my flashlight with me," Mike assured as he kept his eyes on the road. While they were in Fritz's car, he had offered to drive to try and wake himself up the rest of the way. Fritz was in the passenger seat going through the bag while Jeremy sat in the middle of the backseat.

"I wish you would've told me before I left. I had a pack of glowsticks I could've brought," Jeremy chimed in. "…Cell phones will work down there, right?"

"They should, but if they don't and we get stuck down there I told Natalie I'd call her around three."

"And if she doesn't get a call, then she'll drive over, climb down into the caves, and get stuck with us," Mike chimed in. This got an unenthused frown from Fritz. "Oh, lighten up. We all know nothing's going to happen. Worst case scenario: we get scuffed up, dirty, and climb out feeling like we wasted an afternoon. Nothing worse than the usual nine to five job."

Fritz still frowned without disagreeing and pointed to the road. "Take a right up here."

First sight of the land around the cave backed up Fritz's earlier assurances. The area looked more like a small camping space than a random cave in the desert, even set with a dirt parking lot and an old picnic table. Unlike what Mike had encountered in Zion, the place was devoid of tourists, and hadn't been even as far to drive to as Zion was. It was surrounded by what was mostly desert looking land, showing that there weren't any campers hiding nearby, nor other cars.

The three got out of the car and found the cave rather quickly. It wasn't the typical cave portrayed in media- a gaping hole leading into a mountainside- but a pit tucked between some boulders and leading down into the dark at an angle. The entranceway looked only about two feet wide, cramped and rocky, but had been smoothed down by past visitors.

"Okay, so… Who's going first?" Fritz asked as he looked to the others.

"I thought you were," Jeremy pointed out. He was already becoming nervous.

"I have the bag, so I was going to go last. Unless you want to take the bag and I can lead in."

"I don't know if I want to be in charge of the bag with our emergency supplies."

Mike had a creeping suspicion that the two talking past him were actually working in cahoots. He noticed neither directly asked him, which slowly started to convince him that just maybe they were trying to push him into offering. Unfortunately, it started to work, and finally he got out his flashlight.

"While you two keep going back and forth, I'm going to go check it out," Mike playfully quipped as he started to kneel and then move inside the opening. "It's okay if this is too much for you. You guys can just wait until I get back," he continued to tease. Then he started to fit himself inside.

"No, we're coming. We just-… I'll go next," Jeremy finally agreed, accepting Mike's challenge. He tried to climb in too with Fritz following. Mike started to crouch and shuffle into the cave, which was no bigger than the average vent opening. That was, until the roof started to lower to the point when he would have to crawl through.

The security guard smirked slightly in amusement. _"Yeah, this is going to last for about two minutes."_ Shining the light around- he realized that the flashlight wasn't going to help much- he gave a small sigh. "You've got to see this."

* * *

"What is it? Did they not finish?" Marionette asked in confusion. Foxy covered any emotions very well so it was impossible to tell how dire the situation was. This could've been an elaborate joke or a complete disaster. "Foxy, can't you just tell me?"

"Nah, ya got to see this. It's… Look, Lad, ya gotta get over here. Just tell Charlie yer gonna be gone a while… Ya might not be getting' back soon."

"Foxy… Very well. I'll be there in a few minutes… I wish you would at least give me an idea of what's going on, but beggars can't be choosers." He waited a few more moments to see if the fox would cave and admit to whatever it was, but he didn't. Foxy was as stubborn as he usually was. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

He then hung up the phone and turned towards the dining room table. Charlie was sitting there writing notes down from one of her textbooks, as though studying up for a test that didn't exist. He couldn't help but smile as it; he admired her devotion to finishing her schooling, even if she wasn't going to receive a diploma at the end of it.

"Charlie, I need to go check on the pizzeria. Foxy's acting… Odd and his answers could go either way. Will you be alright while I'm gone?" he asked.

She looked up at him and answered without a shred of emotion, "I'll only cry on the inside." He proceeded to give her the same look that he would've given Foxy if he would've been there. She gave a light ring of amusement. "Well, what did you think I'd say? I'll be fine. I'm just going to be reading anyways."

"Just double checking. I shouldn't be gone long unless, heaven forbid, there actually is a disaster at the pizzeria. In which case I still plan to be home before Mike is," Marionette reassured with a returning smile. "Good luck with your studying. I'm sure you'll ace the exam," he teased. She looked confused and he chimed before teleporting into the pizzeria. "Foxy-."

"Close yer eyes," Foxy immediately commanded. He knew Marionette would be able to see through the darkness. "Quick, Lad." Confused but trusting, the Puppet covered his eyes.

"What is this?" the younger asked. Then he got a tentative smile. "Don't tell me- was this spelunking thing just a big excuse to throw a surprise party?"

"I wish," Foxy scoffed. He then clicked on the lights. "Turn towards the stage and open yer eyes, Lad." Marionette gave a light chuckle of amusement and turned towards the dining room, then uncovered his eyes. Just like Foxy before him, his eyes widened, and he stared in awe at their pizzeria.

Foxy's Pirate Cove was no longer just a slightly smaller Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. It had evolved into something extraordinary. The dining room wasn't too much bigger, but it was what had been done to the dining room that was so incredible. The main stage had a complete overhaul, with it now being double the size and set with small stage lights that pointed up where Foxy would stand. The curtain was open, but it too had been replaced, now being a silky blue with white 'sea foam' patterns along the bottom. There were now little barrel shaped stools around the stage as well for kids to sit and watch the show.

There was an important reason why it was the 'main stage' as well, as now- and Marionette had no idea that this was going to happen- there was a second stage located in the arcade area, against the same wall as the main one. The stage was smaller than the main one and had red curtains that were drawn closed. The arcade area was now pointedly marked with black and rainbow-colored confetti patterned carpet. It too had spread further and there were a few unfamiliar arcade machines now standing alongside the old ones.

The tables looked to be the same, but now they were all set with new tablecloths that were pale blue with grey anchors on them. The front of the pizzeria had a few improvements as well, such as the Minireena's stage now being raised higher to discourage children from grabbing them, and the Magic Puppet Box, Charlie's box, poised beside the front door. There were also a few other less important additions, such as a few gumball machines and a set of mechanical riding rockets. The most noticeable change was why it was so dark; black out curtains had been hung over the front windows. Probably to block anyone from seeing the animatronics moving around after hours.

Marionette looked to Foxy who was standing by the light switches. He was still stunned, and the fox simply pointed into the Prize Corner. Curious, the Puppet silently approached the entrance and peered inside, already noticing that they went ahead and widened the doorway into an archway. Most of the Prize Corner looked similar with only a few differences. Such as the number of prizes. They hung across most of the ceiling and shelves, which lined the normally blank wall across from the counter. Just seeing all the plush dolls had Marionette excited, even more so when he saw the larger ones hanging above, and especially once he saw the ones that looked like himself.

There was now a string of star shaped lights hanging above the counter and along the walls, illuminating it in a warm glow that it hadn't had before. A few shirts were mounted on the higher walls, which he had known about but looked so much nicer now finished. Figures lined the shelves underneath them. His box remained untouched, as were the drawings that he had collected on the wall behind it, and he approached it to find that his stash of collected tickets had been removed. In their place, there was a neatly folded note in the bottom of the box. He tilted his head as he lifted and unfolded it.

" _There's nothing I'm going to love more than seeing you up on your stage. Love, Mike."_

"Yeah, I saw that too. Thing's so sappy I'd though he'd wrote it on a candy wrapper," Foxy casually remarked. Marionette still warbled in delight as he held the paper close. Not just for the simple message, but the context of it all. As though the pizzeria was their gift. He almost got choked up just as Foxy came over and hooked an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Lad. Let's go take a look at _yer_ stage."

"Mine…" Marionette repeated with lingering disbelief.

"That's right, Lad," Foxy coaxed. He then guided the Puppet out of the Prize Corner and all the way to the arcade to show him the smaller stage up close. Drawing open the curtains, Marionette could see a cross already inside to attach himself to, along with the track above that led across the roof and past the curtain. He would be able to move himself without assistance. "Get up there and lemme see ya in action," Foxy goaded with a small push.

Marionette would've done so anyway and got onto the stage, lacing his strings into the cross, and then turned to face Foxy. He had been on stage with Foxy before, but something felt so much better standing here and knowing he was on his own stage. The red curtains hanging at his side felt comforting and the narrower size almost made it feel like a protective box. It was perfect and he beamed at Foxy, splaying his arms and asking, "How do I look?"

Foxy proceeded to break into overjoyed laughter, clapping his hand to his turned hook, finally letting his emotions through. "Ya look like ya own the place!" he exclaimed. Then he splayed his arms. "We did it, Lad! We finally outdid Freddy's!"

The Puppet gave a delighted chime and leapt off the stage to latch onto the pirate, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Foxy spun him in his arms, barely managing to keep from tumbling into an arcade machine, both laughing as they celebrated this victory. Once they broke apart, Foxy held Marionette by the shoulders and shook him excitedly.

"This be it, Marion! We finally be makin' the big leagues! And it's all ours!" Marionette agreed with trills and chimes, Foxy still laughing as he hooked an arm around him and pulled him in. "You ever think _we_ were gonna get a place this nice? Ol' Out of Service and his partner in crime, Scary Mari?"

"Foxy, I was pretty sure I was going to come over here and find the place still gutted," the striped one pointed out. "I didn't expect it to be like this! Foxy, this is _better_ than Freddy's! This is better than they ever were!"

"I'd drink to that! And we ain't stopping here," Foxy agreed as he pointed his hook over the dining room. "This just be the beginning. We're goin' all the way!"

* * *

"Yeah, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but this tunnel system goes on for almost half a mile before it opens up again. I am not kidding," Fritz pointed out. "So, it's not a matter of if we're turning around, it's when we're turning around." Mike's confidence started to waver just the slightest bit; roof still too low to look back at the other two.

"Yeah, well… Then we'll probably go about ten or twenty more feet. Whenever we find someplace to turn around. That good for you two?" he asked. Both of his companions eagerly agreed. "It's getting tighter up here, so keep your head low."

"I didn't really- oomph," Jeremy began as he belly crawled forward and bumped his head on a low rock. He reached up to rub the sore spot. "I didn't really think it was going to be this hot. Isn't it supposed to be cold and clammy in tunnels?"

"Maybe if we're twenty feet under the ground, but we're actually about four or five feet," Fritz pointed out. "We can still run into scorpions though, so keep an eye out."

"Gee, scorpions in the desert. You think?" Mike jokingly asked. Though his smirk began to fade. "…If I crawl into a scorpions' nest, you two better not leave me."

"Like you'd let us without throwing scorpions after us," Jeremy challenged with a light chuckle.

They didn't get too much further before the tight crevice began to open into a wider 'room' before continuing in a lower, tighter tunnel. It already began to return to the squeezing size of before, though now at an uncomfortable angle. Mike took a few seconds to look at the options, hunched over in the cavern, as he waited for the others to catch up. Jeremy climbed out next and squeezed into the open area beside him. He took one look at the next hole and bluntly said, "There's no way."

"Funny, because I see a way right there," Mike quipped as he pointed to the opening. Jeremy sent him a look of disbelief at his cheeky smirk. He then looked to Fritz for backup, but the technician was still struggling to get through the hole. Mike continued, "I'm not peer pressuring you into coming down with me. If you guys want to wait here, then this is a good turn around spot. I'll probably keep going a little way before coming back."

"Uh…" Jeremy looked to Fritz, seeing him managing to squeeze through. Then he looked around at the tight cave surrounding them. He didn't want to go deeper; it was claustrophobic and heavy. Normally he would've fell back, so it was unexpected when he gave his answer. "You know what? Alright. I'm right behind you." Mike's brows raised sharply. "Just… Not too much further, alright? I don't want to take too long to get out of here in case something does bite us."

Mike glanced to Fritz, who was half out of the last tunnel and looking back, and then nodded in agreement. "If you're sure. Just don't hold it against me if it doesn't get anymore fun than this." He knelt to climb into the next opening. "But I mean, compared to our usual hangouts this is a lot less dangerous."

"You- You want to know about a tight squeeze? Fritz, remember that time Chica got stuck in the vents at the old Freddy's? She was like lodged half through- and she kept flailing her arms like this!" Jeremy gave a goofy reenactment to which Fritz snickered and Mike had to crane his neck to look and see. It was worth it. "How'd you get her out in the end? Did you just take her arms off or…?"

"Chance and I got a jug of cooking oil and just yanked her out," Fritz answered. "I graduated technical school to oil up a chicken." Just the defeat in his tone sent Jeremy into sputters.

"What were we thinking even working there? We should've just walked out," he said as he rubbed his face. He then sighed and added, "Okay, uh… Back into this tight, suffocating hole I guess." With that, the blonde started to crawl after Mike.

Fritz got out of the first tunnel and moved into the second one to catch up. He shifted the bag up his shoulders and then began to climb inside, following the sound of Jeremy's chattering and Mike occasional snark. Maybe he had been wrong about Jeremy being upset about something; maybe he had just been reclusive because of all the animatronics in his house. In hindsight, maybe all his frustration at that party had been something involving him looking for a new home still. It could've been something so easy, which was why Foxy never vocally expressed his concern.

Even though they were about the same age and came from similar backgrounds as far as Freddy's was concerned, Fritz had always been a little protective of Jeremy. Ever since they had met back up, he had almost felt like an older sibling to him, but maybe that was just something that came from memories of the accident. That or Jeremy's deceptively submissive behavior. He might've been reserved but he knew the blonde could fight better than he could.

His thoughts were cut off when his progress ground to a half. Fritz was just trying to squeeze through a small, triangle shaped groove when he was suddenly wedged in. Partially because of his shoulders and partially because of his pack. He scrambled forwards, using his shoes to push on the ground just the slightest bit, and then found himself only more stuck. Only now the pressure was more intense around his chest. He hesitated there, blinking, watching as the cave grew darker with Jeremy and Mike's lights disappearing. He was getting left behind.

"Hold up," Fritz finally called out in defeat. He tried to pull again but still made no progress. Nervousness started to slightly prickle at him. Not out of fear for his life, but the ordeal that could occur if he didn't get himself out. He sighed lightly, "Guys, I think I'm stuck." That was all it took to have both the others stop and look back as best as they could.

" _What?_ " Jeremy choked as he angled the light back. "Please be joking. I'm going to kill you if you're joking at a time like this, but _please_ be joking."

"This is a joke alright, but not one I planned out. I'm completely pinned. I can't move at all." Fritz's shoes scraped at the stone as he tried to push further into the tunnel. "I'm seriously stuck here!"

"Okay, just stop trying to move. You're just going to get more stuck. It's just tighter up here," Mike forewarned. He looked around the tight confines of the tunnel. "Can you move back at all?"

"Tried that. I must be wedged under something," Fritz called back.

"This can't be happening. How can this be happening?" Jeremy asked in alarm. "I thought you said people came down here all the time! I thought you said this was a marked cave!"

"It is. Either I put on weight or really overpacked," the technician said, completely unconcerned by the other's outburst. "So, I'm going to need some help back here."

"I'm coming. Let me just figure this out," Mike said as he looked around. He soon noticed a slightly wider section ahead and crawled to it. It was flatter, but just wide enough to twist and work his body, trying to slowly turn himself. _"How does Mari do this?"_ The rock scraped his head and shoulder as he slowly turned himself around. His heartrate was beginning to quicken, but he got himself turned around and began to make his way back until he reached Jeremy. "Just move as far as you can against the wall."

"What? I can't, I'm on the wall!" Jeremy defended. He managed to squeeze a few inches further. "You're going to get stuck with me and we'll be stuck too!"

"We're not going to get stuck. Trust me, I rather dislocate my arms than have rescuers come down here and find me with my head between your legs," Mike answered flatly. Jeremy let a choking noise and the younger smirked. "Yeah, that mental image you just got? Imagine that on the news, because that's where it will be going."

"Please don't get stuck," Jeremy meekly caved.

"Don't plan on it." With that, Mike began to try squeezing past the blonde. It wasn't as tight as where Fritz was, especially with him more sliding beside the other, but it was still a slow job. During which the security guard was getting hotter, with sweat beginning to prickle his forehead and a burning sensation on his skin. He forced a few deep breaths, inhaled deeply, and climbed through the rest of the way. Then he finally reached Fritz and looked him over.

"…I'm assuming you never thought you'd be the one who got stuck?" Mike asked with a raised brow.

Fritz chuckled. "No. I kind of thought it would be Jeremy."

"Hey!" Jeremy called defensively. He could be heard shifting further. "I'm going to try turning around!"

"Do it slow," Mike yelled back. Then he looked to Fritz. "Alright, how do we do this?"

"Can you try to push me back?" Fritz asked with a small smile. To which Mike began trying to do so, to no avail. Then he started trying to pull him, which also did nothing at all, and even just trying to pry him out with raw yanking didn't help. "Okay, okay. That's it. I'm not going anywhere," Fritz finally said with defeat. He exhaled slowly and tried to think. "We need a better plan…"

But by now, Mike was starting to feel a little strange. His head was heavy with lightheadedness and suddenly the stone around him was much tighter, causing him to want nothing more than to stand. Only now did he consider how far he was in the hole, how tight it was, and how Fritz blocked his only way out.

"I'm stuck too!" Jeremy then yelled back. "I mean, not super stuck, but I'm not really moving."

"Good job, Jere," Fritz answered flatly. He then gave a tired sigh and lowered his head, only raising it when he noticed how silent Mike was. "…Hey. You okay?" It only took the technician a few seconds to realize something was wrong. Mike's eyes seemed unfocused, he was taking quick, uneven breaths, and his quietness was telling. "Mike?"

"I'm fine," the younger excused. Though he knew that wasn't the case. Only now did he recognize the flurry of sensations rising inside. He felt unfocused and distant even while a tight sourness began to fill his belly. He felt ill and hot, beginning to shake, and knew it was too late to stop it. This time he would be going through the whole routine _in front of Fritz and Jeremy._ "I'm just- Just give me a minute."

"Mike…?" Fritz asked in concern and confusion.

"Just give me a minute! I'm just feeling… Just a little sick. It'll go away," Mike defended. Fritz proceeded to go quiet as he watched the other rest his head on his arm and ride through this event. The embarrassment was almost as bad as the feeling of the attack itself. This wasn't the adrenaline rush that he had wanted at all, and all Mike could do was wait for it to pass. It wasn't passing fast enough.

Fritz and Jeremy were alarmed by the scene. Hearing and seeing it all, the latter calmed down enough to turn himself around and crawled back towards Mike. Both men exchanged a look at the somewhat unexpected meltdown, especially with Mike still shaking like a leaf, hand tightened into a fist and pressed into the stone. Jeremy reached forwards and slowly put a hand on his leg, only for Mike to jerk upright and slam his head against the roof.

"Ah, _shit!_ " Mike swore. "God, I'm going to die in this stupid cave! Why didn't I just quit while I was ahead!? Why do I always do this!?"

"Hey, easy!" Fritz reached out and barely managed to grab his wrist and forcing him to stop working himself up. "Just take a few breaths. Let's slow down and think this through." Mike dropped his head on his arm again limply. "We can figure this out. We're just going to have to get creative… Hold on." The technician got a new idea and started trying to bend his arm. "Maybe I can- ugh- get these straps off."

While he continued to work on trying to get the bag's straps off his arms, Jeremy continued to supportively pat Mike's leg, it being the only thing he could reach. Slowly the shaking slowed to a stop. The security guard was still silent, now out of shame instead of his attempt to reign in his panic. The tumultuous sensations reversed and left him tired and sore, especially where he had hit his head. It was then when Fritz managed to get one arm out of the bag's straps. He then turned slightly and worked out the other side a little easier.

"Okay, bag's off. Mike, hold the bag and I'll try to slide back. If we can just get it unstuck then I'll try to work myself backwards," Fritz instructed. Mike nodded and took ahold of one of the straps as the older started shifting himself. All it took was a little wriggling and twisting before the bag started to slide upwards. Tucking down further, he continued to work back until suddenly the bag came free, yanking at its hair as though trying to cling to him. Though he ignored that to give a triumphant, "I'm out!"

"Thank goodness!" Jeremy blurted out. "Now let's get the heck out of here _please_. I change my mine, I'm chickening out."

"That's the plan. Just don't come up on me too fast, because I'm going to have to back out of here." Fritz began to do as he said before Mike found his voice and pushed the bag after him.

"Take this thing with you. I'm not getting stuck next," Mike pointed out. The technician nodded and grabbed it by the strap before beginning to back out. The two followed behind him.

"Well, look on the bright side!" Fritz tried to rationalize. "You could've been the one who got stuck. At least you fit."

* * *

"I don't think I count this as fitting," Marionette pointed out. He wasn't sure how Foxy talked him into this, but here he was; legs bent and body jammed into the children's riding rocket near the front of the pizzeria. Still, he got into it, so that meant that he technically won the dare. "You could still try to climb on the back."

"Fraid not, Lad. I'd prob'ly break the blasted thing. Or at least fall off," Foxy pointed out with a chuckle. He folded his arms and leaned on the front of the rocket. It tilted downwards under his weight. "Good thing Charlie's gonna be by the door if kids are gonna be over here more. How'd ya manage to convince her?"

"Well, I didn't really. She seemed interested in coming by to see Chrissy after the party," the Puppet explained as he moved to stick his legs out. "Surprisingly, it was Baby whose been convincing her to come in and perform. Baby's not as afraid to pressure her as I am." At hearing this, Foxy almost seemed to slouch down with his ears lowering almost sadly. Marionette noticed the change immediately. "What's that look about? About Baby convincing here? I doubt it was only Baby. After all, Charlie only became interested after the party."

"That ain't it, Lad. It's somethin' else…" The pirate sighed and straightened up again, growing serious and somber. "We're partners, yeah Marion? We own this business, we be workin' together, we got all our games an' toys… So, we oughta be honest with each other," he finished with a sigh of defeat. "Ever since ya said Baby started rememberin' things… I've just been shakin' in me boots. Err, pants. Somethin'." He shuffled somewhat uncomfortably and dropped his head. "Guess I never really thought she'd be Lizzie again."

"Are… You afraid she'll remember her childhood? What happened to us?" Marionette tentatively asked.

"Nah. Well, maybe, but it ain't that," Foxy admitted. His yellow eye raised to his sibling. "I was afraid you an' Lizzie were gonna get all chummy again, just like ya used to be."

"Again? Foxy, we weren't exactly chummy," Marionette pointed out with a small chime. "I don't think I need to remind you the many trips to get ice cream that she got exclusively."

"See, ya say that, but I know ya don't remember it. Cause if ya did, you'd remember that you and Lizzie be hooked at the hip. You two'd be spendin' the whole weekend playin' together, and it wasn't cause she didn't have friends. Brat or not, she used to have a whole clique even before it was cool. Nah, you two played together cause you were close…" Foxy rubbed over his uncovered eye. "Guess I just thought- I don't know. It all sounds bloody embarassin' sayin' it now."

But Marionette knew exactly what he was saying. Slowly he began to raise up and out of the rocket machine, still looking to his older brother with concern, and then approached him. "Foxy…" he started gently. Deciding to follow his own example from earlier he took his brother into another tight hug. "Foxy, I do want to get Lizzie back, but that doesn't mean that she would ever replace you! Or that everything would go back to how it was before. Things are different now."

"I know, I know. T'was why I never told ya," Foxy admitted as he put his arm around the striped one and held him closer. "This is all me own problem. It ain't yers, ain't Baby's, and it certainly ain't somethin' to bring here to the pizzeria."

"If it was the other way around, I think I'd be worried too honestly. It's… Weird… For so long its just been us…" Marionette hugged a little tighter to his brother. There were just some things he didn't want to go back to, especially not now that they had all of this. He drew back with an assuring smile. "But it's still us! The only thing that's changed is the pizzeria and it's better than ever!" He gave a playful spin. "Captain Foxy and his partner in crime, Scary Mari; brothers in arms crossing the seven seas on a daring quest for treasure! Or crossing the dining room to pilfer pizza, your call."

Foxy chuckled and scratched his ear. "Ah, we're a couple of saps, Mari. Er, at least I am."

"I know. Doesn't really fit the pirate image, does it? You might need to prove yourself worthy of that captain title," Marionette said with coy, challenging smile. He made a finger snapping motion with the noise instead chiming from his music box. "I know! How about you and I do our jobs as good businessmen and go put impossibly high scores on all the machines?"

Foxy's ears perked at the suggestion and he gave a playful growl. "You sure? I'm warnin' ya now, Lad, I _always_ be toppin' the scoreboard, and I ain't goin' easy on ya just because I'm a sap."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," the Puppet chimed. He then playfully patted the rocket. "Now get in. I'm driving."

* * *

Mike didn't argue. He wasn't feeling like driving after all of that anyway. He was hot, sweaty, and coated in a thin layer of rock dust. In hindsight, he should've worn gloves, but that wasn't important anymore. Not when he had no reason to believe that he would ever be caving again. Fritz started the van and soon afterwards was out on the highway and driving them back towards town. Things should've been easier now, but there was a tenseness in the car. Mike was waiting for one of them to ask him what happened in the cave and to figure out a less embarrassing answer.

Instead, Jeremy and Fritz were rather silent, and it was starting to put him more on edge. It eventually got to the point that he realized he would have to initiate the conversation, elsewise they wouldn't ask and just continue believing he had a psychotic episode- or whatever they thought. Finally, he made his decision and interrupted the quietness.

"About what happened in the cave, that wasn't a mental breakdown or anything," Mike vaguely reassured. "I just got overheated and stressed out. That's all it was. Sort of got a little overwhelmed, nothing serious."

"Yeah, no problem. We weren't thinking anything like that. Believe me, if I wouldn't have gotten free, I would've had a meltdown… Or would've started swearing like my life depended on it. I have seven words I've been dying to use," Fritz reassured him. He even flashed him a smile before looking back to the road. Mike was slightly surprised when the technician then asked, "…Have you gotten overwhelmed like this before?"

"Yeah, once or twice. Usually not when something's going on," Mike admitted. He looked out the window. "Usually spontaneously when I'm sleeping, or about three or four hours after something big goes down. Whenever it seems less appropriate."

"Yeah, there's our typical luck," Fritz added in with amusement. "That and me, the guy pushing for us to come down here, getting stuck in the cave. Two seconds after I'm laughing at Chica for the same thing."

"So, this isn't exactly a new thing…" Jeremy spoke up quietly. Unlike Fritz who disguised his concern well, Jeremy made it clear that he was worried. "Have you ever done anything about it?" And he knew, Mike knew. Even with his veiled words, the blond picked up the guised meanings.

"I've got meds, but they're those 'take when you need it' things, and I needed to be awake for my descent into hell," Mike said matter-of-factly. Though he grew more serious as he turned his gaze out the window again. "It could've happened whenever… I wish it wouldn't have happened while you two weren't right there. I didn't want you guys to know about this and for me to become the psycho of the group. I've got a rep to uphold in this town; I'm sane and crazy stuff just magnets to me."

"But you didn't have to hide that from us! Mike, come on, we're not- We've all gone through a lot of crazy stuff. We're not all together here, and we should be…" Jeremy trailed off a moment. "…We should be honest, right? I, uh… I guess I've been the odd one out recently. Haven't really been as invested as I should…"

Mike and Fritz exchanged a look of surprise. There it was; somehow the plan worked, and Jeremy was about to be honest about what was wrong. They waited patiently, not pressing, and the other gave a weary sigh as he leaned between the seats. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose from where they slid down.

"Remember when I was acting weird at the party?... Of course you do. I was acting deranged," he meekly admitted. This got a small smirk of amusement from Mike that he noticed, smiling lightly in return. "The truth is… I got in a fight with my sister. I know I've probably mentioned it once, but I don't get along with my family too well, and this was a doozy of a fight. The worst one we ever had." He sighed almost painfully. "My grandmother was in the hospital and she called to ask for money."

"Yikes," Mike muttered.

"It's more than yikes. I would've sent her the money- I _love_ my grandmother!... But the second I started mentioning coming to visit, she started to mention how I always stress everyone out, and how Grammy would do better just with family, and that I could visit after she got out of the hospital… And I knew what she was really saying…" He started to slide back into the seat. "Just with family, because I'm not family."

"She's probably just trying to get at you, Jere. You can't let her get to you like that," Fritz defended with concern. "I'm sure you guys will patch it up. Siblings know what to say to really get into your head, but blood's thicker than that, right?"

"That's… Not going to happen," Jeremy meekly admitted. He coughed into his fist. "I don't know what I was thinking, but I was just so upset about all of this and how they've been treating me… So, I just…" He gave an odd shrug and forced out, "I told her not to call me anymore and I blocked her number… And everyone else's numbers too. I think I disowned myself from the family." This was rewarded by a lingering pause from the other two. "And that's it. That's why I've been acting so weird recently… But I'm ready to go back to work! It's not going to be a repeat of the birthday party."

"Are you sure? Because you sassing strangers was the highlight of my day," Mike quipped out of reflex. He needed to ease the mood somehow before it got too heavy. "Are you sure you're okay with all this?" He looked back and Jeremy nodded. It didn't look too confident. "If it makes it any better, I think you did the right thing. You had to stand up for yourself one of these days," Mike added.

"I guess…"

"And who knows! Maybe you guys will take a break and when you do talk again things will be better. You weren't actually disowned, it was your decision, so maybe they'll try to repair the bridge," Fritz offered. Jeremy looked a little hesitant at that and Mike shrugged to him. "But even if that didn't happen, at least you've got us. We'll always be here, whether 'here' is the pizzeria or the middle of a cave."

"Yeah. If I ever feel depressed, I can literally crawl in a hole and die. Die of heat exhaustion and scorpions," Jeremy joked with a small snicker. "But you're right. I've already got my family waiting at home..." He coughed into his fist. "But I don't have to go home right away, so if there's anything else you guys want to do…?"

"Fritz is the sane one of the group. Let's let him decide," Mike volunteered with a small smirk. "So, what's the plan, Boss? Any more whacky ideas to sink our teeth into?"

"Now that you mention it, when I was looking up the caves, I found this place about fifteen minutes away that lets you ride a zipline over a-." It wasn't until he looked over and saw the looks on Mike and Jeremy's face that he realized it wasn't a serious question. "…Or we could just go bowling?"

"…Screw it, we'll go do both," Mike volunteered, to which Jeremy almost looked surprised. "I already had my freak out of the day, so why not? But you're paying my hospital bill if I fall into whatever that thing goes over."

"If you live, sure," Fritz agreed. He was smiling again and a second glanced showed that Mike was too, even though he was looking out the window.

Then there was Jeremy in the middle, going along without a word even though he knew there was a high chance of something going wrong. Funny enough, he felt right at home.

* * *

 **Mable: For anyone concerned about poor Ennard, d** **on't worry. He's most likely unconscious on Scott's couch, covered in cats, and we'll be back in working condition in a jiffy! ^-^ So, I hope you enjoyed, and I shall see you next week!**


	51. Chapter 51

**Mable: Hey! Here we are with the new chapter! But first, I got a question from Thx asking about Scott's age. Scott is in his mid-thirties currently, making him older than most of the others.  
Also, there's a new poll. Nothing cryptic or anything, just a little fun thing. Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-One_

 _He wasn't sure if it was nighttime or if the grass was always this dark. All he did know was that he had to be at a park by how tall the grass was. Mike wasn't sure how he had gotten out there either. Something in the back of his mind concocted a story that he had lost his car and couldn't find the way back to it. While he wasn't sure if that was true, he was sure that he had to get back out of wherever he was and home again. Right outside his reach he was surrounded by dozens of trees that blocked out what little, dull light there was. Even when he walked towards them, they were always distant._

 _He was fumbling through the grass when he realized that someone might've stolen his car. He couldn't afford buying a new car right now and it wasn't like the cops would find it for him._

 _It was then that he noticed a clearing and stepped through into an open and more brightly lit area. Ahead he could see the shape of a pond or small lake with the light reflecting off it, like there was sun without sun. He started to close in and as he did the color of the pond started to become more apparent. Instead of clear, green, or blue, the water was a strange red hue. Probably caused by the rock composition underneath it, he assumed. That wasn't too outlandish in south Utah. He stepped up to the edge of the lake looked down into the water. He couldn't see the bottom of it._

 _It was then that Mike heard a strange noise and looked over to see a figure sitting at the edge of the lake. The nose had been him casting out a fishing line into the depths, and he then readjusted the fishing rod in his hand before settling into a comfortable position. It just looked like a typical fisherman in shape, if not just larger, but his clothes were also red. He was the same red as the lake without any other tones or colors to contrast. Just looking at him made Mike feel a little uncomfortable, but he needed to find his car, and this was the only person out here._

" _Hello?" Mike called over before walking towards him. "Sorry to interrupt your… Fishing, but somebody stole my car and ditched me in the woods." The man let out a low hum to show that he was listening. He didn't look over at him though. "I can't even figure out where the highway is so I can't bum a lift out of here either. Do you have a cell phone I could borrow or car that you could give me a lift in?... Or could you just tell me where I am?" The man didn't respond and instead started to slowly reel in his line. Mike was beginning to grow a little impatient. "…Something?"_

 _It was then that the man finally turned to acknowledge him. All at once he turned his head towards Mike and revealed a grotesque face. Sharp teeth were pulled into a tight grin, large eyes were like empty sockets, giving him the illusion of a suit more than a person, and everything looked both so clear and so fuzzy at the same time. Mike's heartrate shot up as the world fell into silence. Not a word, not a sound, and the seconds ticked on as the man- the creature- stared at him. And then-._

"Mike?"

Mike woke abruptly to a gentle voice rousing him and he opened his eyes to see Marionette smiling down at him. Instantly he started to ease up, realizing that the encounter with the red man had just been a bizarre dream.

"Good morning, Love. Sorry to wake you, but it's time to get up," Marionette soothingly coaxed. His smile only seemed to widen in delight. "Today's the big day!"

"Hey. Morning," Mike answered with a brief stretch. He then reached up to caress the Puppet's porcelain cheek and listened to the delighted warble in return. "Did I sleep through the alarm?"

"I thought maybe it would be less jarring if I woke you myself. You were sleeping so soundly," he trilled and leaned down to kiss his forehead affectionately. But it was true; the man had come back from the caving adventure more exhausted than either of them had anticipated and had needed as much rest as he could get. He almost felt badly though, since Mike had been muttering in his sleep before he woke him, as though dreaming. "I might be able to give you a couple more minutes."

"Nah, I'm good. Better just get up and get it over with." Mike slowly dragged himself upright. He hesitated to get his bearings as his companion affectionately fixed and fussed with his dark hair until it was slightly more tamed. He then chimed in amusement and the man couldn't help but smile at the Puppet's bubbling excitement. Even if he was preparing for a long, grueling day of work, the animatronic's delight was worth it. He was just so happy to be going back to the pizzeria.

Even though he wouldn't admit it, Mike was too.

Charlie seemed much more nervous than both Mike and Marionette. Before they even left the house, she seemed to be acting anxious, tapping a pen on the dining room table and constantly shifting and readjusting her legs. Conversation had to be almost dragged out of her, then sputtered out whenever she would fall back into her thoughts. Yet she didn't back down from the plan and showed no hesitation when they prepared to leave the house. It was commendable considering that they all knew how busy the pizzeria was going to be.

Foxy was handling it as well as expected. They arrived at the pizzeria to find him pacing in front of the stage like either an expectant father or a caged animal. Either might've sufficed considering the circumstances. He snapped his head upright and looked over to the newcomers abruptly.

"'Bout time!" the pirate barked as he looked them over. "Where you been, Lad? We open any minute now!" Mike checked his watch to make sure, but 'any minute' seemed to actually be fifteen minutes. "This ain't no time to be draggin' anchor!"

"But there is enough time to walk back and forth in the same spot?" Marionette teased back. He chimed at the fox's expense and rested a hand on Charlie's back to guide her towards her box. "Don't worry, Captain. I have a slight suspicion that we might get into places in time."

"Ya say that now, but Tabby only just started preheating, the Minireenas be all over the place, an' me stepladder is gone."

"Check the men's bathroom," Mike chimed in. Foxy proceeded to send him a biting glare and an almost canine-like growl. The human stared back flatly. "That wasn't a joke, Foxy. Jeremy was going to replace a bulb in there this morning."

"I did!" Jeremy called out as he climbed out from under a table. He had Daisy scooped around the middle. Or he assumed it was Daisy from the bright yellow skirt made of puffy taffeta that he had put her in. "I'll go get it right now."

Foxy started over, "I'll get it meself." He was stopped by Jeremy boldly stepping in front of him, hand on his chest, stopping him flat.

"Nope. Not chasing anymore animatronics. You stay by the stage and I'll get it. Let me just drop off Daisy," Jeremy instructed, taking a surprising amount of charge. Foxy seemed surprised by it and stayed stopped short. He turned his head slowly around to watch as the man headed to the small dolls' stage and put her down. He then attentively helped fix her skirt.

"Ya know, Lad, I could go do it. I ain't that prissy," Foxy said with almost a pout on his tone.

"It's nothing about priss, Foxy. I know you'll find more things to fix and the kids are going to be really confused if I have to tell them you're in the bathroom," Jeremy pointed out with a smile. The smile then fell as he gave a slight shiver. "….And there comes that mental picture of kids asking me how Captain Foxy uses the bathroom."

"He doesn't. Captain Foxy runs off determination an' treasure. He don't need no restrooms fer that!" Foxy dismissed quickly. He then noticed a smirk on Mike's face and pointed. "I see that look! Whatever yer thinkin', ye better not say it!"

"Nothing, Captain. Nothing at all," Mike waved off. "Trust me, I know you haven't stepped anywhere near a bathtub in at least ten years." He could see Foxy give a seething twitch and knew it was completely worth it.

Beside the front door, Charlie willingly climbed into the box. It had been cleaned since Baby emptied the trash out of it and there wasn't even a trace of stickiness left. She propped her notebook inside the box and started to slide off her jacket and pendant, almost feeling bare without them, and put them in the corner carefully.

"Okay…" She relaxed herself, straightened up and laid her hands on the edge of the box, and gave an assured nod. "I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Just remember that if you're ever too overwhelmed that you can just close the box and rest. You're under no obligation to force yourself to perform," Marionette reassured her. He could already feel his strings tighten anxiously, like a parent watching their child step out on stage in a school play. "I will be moving between the Prize Corner and my stage frequently, so if you need me just signal me. Like perhaps a specific ring, or a hand wave… Or just throw something at me. I should notice that," he said with a chime.

"I'll try to aim for the chest," Charlie joked back. She then sent an uneasy glance towards the front door. "And what should I do if any programming appears?"

"If you do notice anything then it should pass, but if it doesn't then that's what the box is for." He patted the edge of the box reassuringly. "You'll be fine! Worst case scenario, you become fixated on counting tickets and start re-counting the same ones until the kids get antsy and just start grabbing whatever prizes they can. At least, that was my first few days. If this doesn't work then you don't have to come back, I promise." Marionette looked back towards the ship wheel shaped clock hanging on the wall. "I should get to my stage. I'll be back with Chrissy once she comes in."

"If she comes in today," the Security Puppet pointed out.

" _When_ she comes in today," Marionette insisted as he headed on his way. He was certain of it, even if it meant Chrissy was going to be maneuvering herself around a crowd. He only hoped that he spotted her early enough to see her reaction to the changes of the pizzeria. He was already nearly trembling in delight and excitement as he tethered himself to the cross on his stage and waited. He watched as Foxy got on his stage as well, waving to him, and then watched the workers as they hurried to get everything in order.

"I'm opening us up!" Mike called back in a warning to the others as he headed to the front door. He unlocked the door, drew up the curtains, and then they were open. He didn't see anyone waiting outside and passively wondered if they had overestimated the crowd coming in for the grand reopening. Not that he expected people to be waiting this early in the day, but he still started to imagine a heathy but realistic crowd. Mike was sure of it.

Mike was wrong.

By the afternoon, the pizzeria was packed. Even with the expansion it didn't exactly felt like there was more room because of the crowd, but at least there were more distractions to keep the children busy. Foxy was on his stage singing every sea shanty he knew and children ate it up, with some ignoring the arcade and trinkets to sit on the barrel shaped stools around the stage and listen to him perform. Marionette was getting a similar reaction, but more of the children watching him were waiting for their turns on the arcade machines and games.

The only small issue that started to crop up was that they were slightly understaffed. Jeremy was pretty much stuck beside the Minireenas' stage still, watching them and keeping a careful eye on any kids that climbed on the rockets. This left Fritz, Natalie, and Mike with the grunt work of taking orders in to the kitchen. It wasn't difficult work, but none of them were very familiar with waiting tables. More than once the security guard- who only stood out as one because of the patch on his arm- waited on a table that someone else had already done. Some of the time the customers would tell him.

In his free moments, Mike would sneak glimpses of Marionette on his stage. While he did come down to tend to the Prize Corner occasionally- Natalie manned it in the meantime- he returned to the stage just as frequently. He would sing and chime, twisting and spinning gracefully on his strings, and made the perfect spectacle of himself. It was almost unbelievable that he was supposed to be on a box and not on a stage with how comfortable he seemed. He just looked so enthralled by it, and Mike couldn't deny the slight quickening in his heartrate.

But he had to keep himself busy or the work would start to build up. Mike took his eyes off the puppet as he approached one of the tables where two mothers sat chatting. One was holding a menu, so it seemed like it was worth pressing her about ordering something. He butted himself in as soon as the women paused to look towards the arcade.

"Welcome to Foxy's Pirate Cove," Mike said. He didn't even attempt to do the fake pirate accent that Jeremy insisted on. "Can I get you two ladies anything?"

The women with the menu, who looked like the typical mom type, was the one who answered. "Yes. Can I get a medium iced tea and two slices of pizza; one classic and one… dumpster fire?"

"…What?" At first Mike thought it was an extremely out of place joke, but the woman looked surprisingly straight faced. "Dumpster fire?" She saw his confusion and held out the menu before pointing at one of the options. There it was listed under the specialty pizzas: The Dumpster Fire. "Huh. Apparently, we do have that… I'll be right back." He didn't wait to see if the other wanted to order, but she didn't stop him, so he just assumed she didn't want anything. Which was fine by him, because he needed to get to the kitchen as fast as he could.

"So, I need a regular iced tea, a slice of classic, and a slice of "Dumpster Fire". Which is strange, because the only dumpster fire I remember was me in my teens, and I burned myself out," Mike remarked as he watched Tabby finishing up a different order. "What even is a Dumpster Fire?"

"It's a jalapeno and canned tuna pizza with a half a bottle of hot sauce dumped on it," Tabby answered matter-of-factly as she finished plating the meal and looked over. She noticed the unconvinced look she was being sent. "Hey, I didn't name it. Captain "Backseat Driver" Foxy was the one who said it sounded like a dumpster fire. The name just stuck," Tabby said in her defense. She hesitated. "…Or maybe I thought of the name first and then made the pizza. Here, if you're leaving then take this with you. It goes to table three- the one across from the crane."

"The Dumpster Fire. Christ," Mike muttered under his breath in amusement. He took two plates and bumped open the door with his elbow. Which promptly bumped a child standing on the other side. "Sorry!" he called out as he hurried out. "Sorry, Kid. Didn't even see you- Oh, hey!"

He recognized the small girl with the blond curls immediately. It was none other than Chrissy, who must've followed him to the door without him noticing. She smiled at him and gave an almost nervous, "Hi Mike!"

"Hey, what are you doing over here? I thought you'd be over by the stage with Mari by now," Mike pointed out. She shuffled her feet a little bit and looked over into the arcade.

"I'm just… I'm going to wait until he's not super busy," Chrissy answered. She still sent a longing look over towards where the Puppet was performing. It was obvious that she was just uneasy because of how many children crowded the arcade. Elsewise she would've been playing a game and waiting for her turn with Marionette. From that look he knew she wouldn't go over there alone. Technically, he was getting paid to make children happy, so stepping in was part of the job.

"Wait right here. I'm going to go drop this off and then I'll take you to Mari," Mike offered. Chrissy didn't even pretend to consider it or look like declining, she just perked immediately. He handed out the order and returned to her, then laid a hand on her back and led her through the arcade. He could see why she was so hesitant with how rowdy the children were and was half surprised he didn't trample one of the little ones.

Marionette spotted Mike and Chrissy walking over as soon as they stepped into the arcade. With a delighted chime, he closed his curtains and quickly moved his strings from the cross to the track, then came out and down from his stage. A few of the onlooking children seemed a little confused at the abrupt change but not enough to question it. He approached the two, greeted with a chime, and took Chrissy's hand to lead her back to the Prize Corner. A few others followed to exchange their tickets- one child even being so bold as to grab the Puppet's other hand, rousing more amused chiming from the Puppet.

Once at the Prize Corner, the Puppet returned to his box long enough to tend to the children. Chrissy took this time to marvel at the prizes, having only now noticed the giant plushes hanging from the roof- "Oh my gosh, it's so big! That's got to cost a million tickets!" It sounded like she was prepared to take the challenge. She continued scouring the prizes, making a mental list of what she would need, until the Prize Corner was cleared and Marionette left his box one more.

"I have someone I want you to meet," he coaxed warmly as he took her hand. She seemed slightly confused but went along with it.

"Okay!" Chrissy chirped as she was led out. "Is it another ballerina?"

"No, she's a puppet like I am," Marionette explained. He smiled down to her. "She's a little shy but she would love to meet you."

That was a good way to describe the Security Puppet's feelings. Up until now, Charlie had been waiting for the perfect time to come out of her box, but that time had never come. As soon as children started pouring in, strange things began to happen. She found herself transfixing on the front door and when children got near it, even if to leave with their parents or go to the gumball machines, literal alarm bells would go off low in her chest. She had managed to suppress them well enough, but her urge to perform was suffocated by these bizarre ticks.

Then there was Marionette approaching her box with a familiar little girl. Charlie peeked out, saw them coming, and decided it was time to come out. She didn't pop out like Baby would've insisted and instead rose slowly to not startle the girl. This seemed like the best choice, if the way Chrissy squeezed Marionette's hand tighter and almost fell behind him was any indication. The new puppet made sure to smile at her.

"Chrissy, this is Lottie," Marionette greeted. They already discussed beforehand that she didn't want the girl to know who she really was. She didn't want her to know what happened to her since she doubted the girl was told she passed. Thus, here she was going along with Fritz's nickname again. What she didn't expect was the Puppet's follow-up. "She's my sister."

The Security Puppet hadn't anticipated that and still went with it. She gave a ringing of greeting and offered her hand down to the girl. A little more confident, and being nudged by Marionette, Chrissy stepped forward and took her hand.

"Hi, Lottie," she greeted with a small shake. A small smile started to spread on her face and she looked up at Marionette. "I didn't know you had a sister, or that there were girl puppets too!"

"Yes to both! This is Lottie's first time at a pizzeria. She came in to help today since we have all this room now," he explained to her. Though he then started to fall silent as he noticed a couple of children heading into the prize corner. Natalie was in there, but he felt the need to be there as well. He lowered his voice and looked down to the girl. "Chrissy, I need to go into the Prize Corner for a few minutes, but when I'm done, I have a new game to show you that I think you'll really love!"

"Okay! That's good because I'm going to need a lot of tickets." He affectionately ruffled her hair and started to head towards the Prize Corner. She didn't follow him though and instead looked back up to Charlie. She was still a little meek but less so now that they were fully introduced. "It must be really fun being Mari's sister. You must play games all the time, and you get to live here!" Charlie rung in amusement. Not at the innocence at the comment, but from how ironically close it was to life with Marionette. "Can you sing and talk too?" Chrissy asked curiously. The Security Puppet nodded in agreement.

She doubted that the girl would recognize her voice if she didn't speak directly to her. She could take the plunge and sing- she wanted to perform more than anything right now, trembling with eagerness- but it almost felt out of place. Then again, Baby went through the trouble of writing the song and coercing her into a weekend of constant practice. It had to be worth something. Thus, before Chrissy could request it, Charlie began to jingle a soft tune. She slowly worked herself into it and then plunged straight in.

" _Cut me the biggest slice. Of a sugary slice of life.~"_ Charlie began carefully and slowed raised her voice to a proper volume. Chrissy's expression was adorable. Her mouth almost dropped open, as though she didn't expect the Security Puppet to sing to her. _"Scoop me out strawberry ice cream. Double the sweetness, serve it up twice!~"_

Baby hadn't directed her on how to move while in the box singing, so she kept it basic. A small wave of the hands in line with the tune. " _Dress it in vanilla, pour on the chocolate too,~" s_ he continued. _"Fill it with every bit of your sweetness.~"_ It was right at that moment when Marionette popped up in the doorway again. She could see him out of the edge of her vision but continued watching Chrissy. _"Cause the sweetest thing I have is you!~"_

This especially helped once she noticed that a few more children were listening in. Two kids came from the rocket area, one coming out of the Prize Corner, a few others from the tables; a little audience that she hadn't anticipated. It sent tingles up her spine as she sung into the bridge of the song. " _It's just not enough. Give me that sugar rush. No, you can't have too much!~"_

" _A scoop and a slice, and a slice and a scoop. Life's much sweeter when it's spent with you,~"_ Charlie sung, jingling louder in growing delight. _"Ice cream and icing and whipped cream too. Life's just sweeter with you.~"_

Marionette was positively beaming as he watched the performance. She just looked so happy and carefree, and she was. Whether it be the little endorphins rushing through her body or the thrill that came from being out in front of everyone. Then there was the girl standing in front of her, who she had saved, who had been worth saving. She was worth it. This was worth it.

After that point, the day took a turn for the better. When she was singing her ticks weren't as prevalent, and she would only dip back into her box long enough to figure out another song to sing. Even though this was her main one, the one Baby made for her, she had plenty of backups that she fell on eagerly. Chrissy stayed for a while listening and clapping politely, but eventually left for the arcade again once the Puppet returned to his stage. More than likely to collect the tickets she wanted.

But that didn't mean Charlie was alone. Mike passed by to check on her almost as frequently as he checked on Marionette. Jeremy passed by once to check the Minireenas- giving her a double thumbs up after the first song. She took it as encouragement and then watched as he struggled to control the Minireenas, who had started to become fussy. The one wearing blue had even tore off its little tutu and was slinging it around like a flag. Natalie peeked out of the Prize Corner once and quietly asked if everything was okay. She didn't know if she meant with the Minireenas or herself, but she answered positively.

Somewhere along the line Charlie realized that she wanted to keep doing this. Maybe she could be the performing animatronic that she had been afraid of becoming. Even behind the persona of "Lottie" it had felt surprisingly freeing to be out in the world again. Lottie was a comfortable mask, a stage name, excusable and acceptable. In the end, she felt more like 'Charlie' than she had in so long, and she was ready to embrace it.

And then he walked in.

It was already late afternoon- early evening when he came into the pizzeria. Charlie was back in her box, now genuinely needing time to rest, but still peeked out whenever anyone came near the door. It was an instant reflex that she was becoming used to and unbothered by. Until she saw him step into the pizzeria and found her strings pulled again by the familiar young man.

It was John, alone, with no rhyme or reason being there except that he just was. She peeked out at him in utter shock and watched as he walked into the pizzeria and looked around. Eventually he sat down at a table to watch Foxy's current performance. She could catch a somewhat somber smile on his face as he tapped his fingers on the table and listened to the music. She couldn't help but just stare in a mix of confusion and mortification. It just didn't make any sense why he would come here. It had been months since the incident, the case had been closed, the memorials all finished and done with, and his concern with this place should've been over with.

Maybe he still thought about her. She knew that she thought about them. Not that there was much to be done about it.

Mike came over to him briefly and spoke with him, but she couldn't hear what they were talking about except that it seemed civil. At one point he looked towards her box and she proceeded by dropping down. As though he would somehow be able to see through the thin crack of the box. Now she was alone with her thoughts.

" _I can't believe he would show up here. What is he even looking for? He was never interested in Freddy's… It can't be me. I'm long gone, he must've moved on…"_ Charlie rubbed at her arm slowly. _"…Or maybe he didn't?"_

She wasn't sure how long she sat there considering it, but eventually she heard someone passing and peeked out to see him leaving the pizzeria again. He had only stayed for a single show and she hadn't even considered coming of the box. She wondered what he would think of her new body.

The Security Puppet was taken off guard by a tapping on the lid of the box. "Hey, you okay in there?" Mike asked. She immediately straightened herself, recovered her compositor, and pushed up the lid a small bit.

"I'm fine. I was just resting for a minute…" Charlie reassured. She considered asking about John but decided that this wasn't the time or place. Plus, she didn't really like the concern on Mike's face. Not in contrast to everyone's good mood earlier. "Really! I'll be out in just a second," she persisted with a smile. "I'm ready to sing again."

"Alright, just don't push yourself too hard. Foxy's almost fell off the stage twice already, so you're going to need to be prepared for a rehash of our last birthday bash," he said with light playfulness. He let the issue drop. "But you're safe to come out whenever, and I'll be around the front hoping that we get to close up early." He gave a tired sigh and headed into the Prize Corner where Marionette currently was. She watched him leave before dropping her head.

" _Okay…"_ So she was feeling a little rough. She could handle that, and she knew exactly what she could do to make it better. _"It's showtime."_ Then raised herself out of the box again.

She forgot John as soon as that thrill of performing returned. For the rest of the time until closing, she tried even harder, singing some of her songs over and trying to engage with the children. Chrissy's father came to pick her up, the children started to leave, and Charlie watched them leave with that same insistent interest on the door. The front door was eventually locked, and the curtains dropped over the front windows. The pizzeria was closed.

"Argh, feels like ol' Foxy was dragged through the wringer," Foxy complained as he stretched and then dropped on one of the flimsy chairs and tilted himself back. "When did we get all out o' shape?"

"I don't know what you mean by that 'we' comment. I feel _fantastic_ ," Marionette teased, leaning over the back of the chair. "And I'm not the only one." Foxy tilted his head slightly and the Puppet pointed towards the box in the front.

"Oh, right!" Foxy straightened and the chair legs thumped loudly on the floor. "Lass, ya did great!" he praised. He then swiped with his hook and added, "Ya had them kids _hooked_. That be pretty impressive fer a first timer."

"I don't know about all that," Charlie dismissed humbly. She paused a moment before smiling wider. "But it did feel pretty great. I can see how you two can enjoy this so much."

"That's great! I'll admit I was expecting something to go terribly wrong and scar you for life…" Marionette admitted with his voice trailing off. Though he then perked again as he eagerly floated over to her box. "But it didn't! I shouldn't have expected less from someone who was patient enough to put up with two straight days of Baby's coaching." Charlie gave a light jingle at this, though made a mental note that she would have to call and thank Baby later. Apparently, all that practice had been worth it, and the song had been a hit.

"And I don't want to push you…" Marionette began as he tented his fingers together. "…But do you think that maybe you would like to come in again tomorrow?" He was smiling even wider now, trembling in excitement.

Mike was now standing on the other side of her box, hands in his pockets, also curious about the answer. Jeremy was scooping up the Minireenas, one of them jumping down and starting to run towards Foxy, who was tilting back on the chair while awaiting her answer. He nearly fell back when the Minireena started climbing his leg. Fritz and Natalie were catching up outside the Prize Corner, with the former holding three or four stacked, used paper plates to throw out. Everyone seemed so lively and content here, and then there was the Puppet looking to her expectantly. He wanted her to come back.

He wanted her to come back almost as much as she did.

"You know, I think I might," Charlie admitted. Marionette didn't give much of a physical reaction, but released a rather loud chime of delight, which he promptly suffocated like quieting a broken record. "If you don't mind taking in another member of staff…"

"I think this pizzeria's big enough for more than a single fox and a puppet, especially if Foxy's at a risk of nosediving off," Mike teased with a small smirk in Foxy's direction. Foxy gave a dry, mocking laugh at this, then ignored him to pat the Minireena who was now sitting in his lap, who refused to go back to Jeremy. "Welcome to the family," the security guard added. "There's no escaping now."

Marionette gave a dismissively playful sound and headed over to him as Charlie started climbing out of her box to head home. This was the start of something new.

* * *

Unfortunately, the past had a way of refusing to stay buried.

After getting home, the night had been fine. She had called Baby and told her the good news, which led to the clown immediately insisting that she came over that night to practice. This, of course, did not happen. After a few minutes of back and forth Charlie got Baby to agree to a deal in which she would come by that weekend and they would work on new material. She was partially excited for it, but not as much as returning to the pizzeria.

It wasn't really until now that Charlie thought about it, but she did love the animatronic pizzerias. Not just Foxy's, but Freddy's- both her father's diner and the glimpses of ones she got after that. There was a tainted sort of magic to them that had been ruined by the revelations of missing children and deranged purple men. Today had proven that the magic could exist when in the right hands. Foxy's was everything it was supposed to be; a safe, secure business where children could come to escape, and animatronics could get a taste of living in normal society. Charlie loved it.

Unfortunately, John wouldn't stay gone forever. Just like at the pizzeria, he walked boldly back into her life. She had woken up randomly at five-thirty in the morning and instead of going back to sleep, unsure of what woke her, her mind started to wander. Without the distractions she had before or Mike and Marionette to fill the role her mind went back to the young man. Which was a shame, because if his appearance today showed anything it was that things were still not finished.

Charlie wouldn't deny that she was still attracted to John. It wasn't as though becoming an animatronic had changed that, it was just that her chances with him had changed. Before they had been in a weird place where they were maybe in a relationship and maybe testing the waters. They would occasionally spend time together where she would feel out-of-place in a good way, almost like how she felt the first time she gave in and performed. It wasn't like that was going anywhere now though. She was literally dead to him.

Finally deciding that she couldn't stand to keep tossing and thinking, Charlie got out of bed with the plan of going to watch some late-night television. When she opened her bedroom door, she noticed light coming from down the hall, and recognized that the kitchen light was on. She followed curiously and found Marionette stirring a mixing bowl.

"Mari?" she asked in confusion. He turned to face her and seemed unsurprised, so he must've heard or felt her approaching. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask the same thing. I hope I didn't wake you," he answered. Charlie shook her head. "I wanted to make an extra batch of cookies for tomorrow to take the load off Tabby. It's the least I can do."

This made enough sense to the Security Puppet who then stood there sort of awkwardly. She wasn't sure whether to go back to her room or what to do. "Couldn't sleep?" Marionette guessed as he noticed her hesitance.

"You could say that. Woke up and couldn't fall back asleep," Charlie said. She finally decided to sit down at the dining room table. It was quiet in the house, save the sound of the mixing bowl and the light jingling from her head's bell. She paused a moment, noticing him still watching her, and fiddled with an unused napkin left on the table. "John came in today. I don't know if you saw him."

"I didn't, but Mike told me," Marionette admitted. "I got a little distracted and forgot or I would've asked about it. Mike didn't say much."

"Not much happened. He just came in to watch the show and left," Charlie admitted. She tried to sigh but instead a low jingle came forth. It almost sounded melancholy and she supposed that was how she felt. "I guess I'm still hung up on him. I sort of hoped that would just go away since everything changed, but it really didn't, did it? I don't even remember feeling this hung up before this." Maybe it was because she knew she couldn't have him. Yet that too started to raise curiosity and she looked towards the Puppet. "Mari, can I ask you something? It might make you uncomfortable, but its been on my mind."

"Of course! Here, let me just- there." Marionette eventually just decided to set the cookie dough aside and came over to sit at the table across from her. He could tell from her wording that he needed to pay full attention. "Now then, what's on your mind? You can ask me anything," he encouraged, propping his head up with one hand.

Though that was easier said than done. This was a weird gap to bridge and yet Charlie still attempted it. "Okay… What would you think… if John and I picked up our relationship where we left off even though I'm an animatronic now?" Marionette got a surprised look. "I don't mean I'd tell him! This is just theoretical, if- I don't know- somehow he found out in the future and we became friends again. Do you think he would still be interested in me?"

"Well… I don't know much about John except what you've told me, and a human-animatronic relationship would be rather taboo," Marionette said with a strained smile and an awkward shrug. "I mean, I couldn't say that there's anything wrong with a relationship like that, since we're just humans in different bodies-."

"Mari, I know about you and Mike," Charlie confessed. It was just too painful to watch him flounder. She understood why he was hesitant, but seeing it bordered between hilarious and pitiable. His eyes widened in shock and his smile dropped, with him staring at her completely silent. There was a long pause in which she started to reconsider the lack of subtlety. It was a little longer before he finally spoke.

"It was that time you caught me in bed with Mike, wasn't it?" Marionette asked in dismay.

"Uh… No, I knew before that," Charlie admitted.

"Baby told you something," the Puppet guessed.

"No, not that either. I just found out on my own."

"You knew before you moved in!" he choked in alarm. Funnily enough, the floundering had returned with a vengeance.

"No, I didn't. It was just- You kind of get vibes when you live with people," she tried to convince him. "You and Mike were so close and cared so much about each other that I put two and two together. I didn't say anything because… Well, this." She gestured to him. "But I get it. This isn't really the sort of thing that might go over well with everyone, so you wanted to wait until I was locked into the business before you told me," she lightly joked. This got a small smile from him.

"Yes… Sorry, we just- I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Everyone at the business has been very accepting with this, even though it is such a delicate matter…" Marionette didn't even want to think of Chance, nor his feelings. "That being said… You know that I would support anything you did. Especially since, well, it's something _I'm_ doing." Another light chime before an almost coughing sound, like he was adjusting his internal music box. "And I don't know John as well as you do, but if you think he would take to it then I encourage it. Mike and I… We're very happy. The differences are barely noticeable."

"…That's actually pretty assuring." For a second it was almost as though Charlie had a shred of hope for a lost desire. Though she shook it away quickly. "But this is all just talk. I don't have any plans to ever tell anyone about what happened to me, and soon enough John will move on. But maybe that means I will too, someday, but that's not a priority right now. I'm my own priority. Me getting my act together, literally, and my life together."

"I can't say I disagree with that plan." Marionette decided not to voice the obvious concern in what could happen if an entire group of people who were strangers suddenly knew about Foxy's big secret. He knew she wouldn't go through with anything that risky. Charlie was too smart to do anything like that. "Why rush anything? You have plenty of time."

"I guess I do, don't I?" It was the first time in a while that Charlie really considered it. She looked back to the male puppet again with a returning smile. "I'm still probably not going back to sleep anytime soon. Since the cat's out of the bag, how did you and Mike get together? I know there must be a story there."

Marionette was positively beaming once again. "There would be, but it's a long one. Good thing we have a few hours!" He let the cookie dough go forgotten a little longer. "When we met, I had been living alone here and had no idea who Mike was or why he was here. So, he let himself into the house and I tackled him into the carpet."

Perhaps they would need more than a few hours.

* * *

 **Mable: Only Baby would write a song about scooping and try to play it completely straight. XD You wouldn't believe how many times I listened through the Pizzeria Simulator soundtrack while writing this chapter. But hopefully it was worth it! I hope you enjoyed, and the next chapter will be next week!**


	52. Chapter 52

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-Two_

" _I have information on Charlotte's passing, along with something she left behind. It's important that nobody knows about me or what I know, so I have left a letter hidden behind the claw machine at Foxy's Pirate's Cover. Do not tell the police of the workers at Foxy's about the letter or this one, or our means of conversation will be compromised, and what was left behind will be left forgotten."_

Jessica raised her eyes from the paper she clutched tightly in her hands and looked over her listening friends. They all looked just as shocked as she had when she first read it. The group had met up at Marla's parents' house, as she was the only one other than Carlton who lived in Hurricane. Considering the wording in the letter it didn't seem wise to read the letter anywhere near his parents. She had managed to get them together by noontime after receiving the letter unexpectedly that morning.

"Wow…" Marla said. She seemed uncertain how to react. "Was there a name or anything?"

"No. There wasn't even a return address on the envelope," Jessica explained. "I thought at first it was a prank… But I don't know. Something about this seems a little too real. Someone went too far out of their way to do a prank like this. They would've had to somehow find my name and know I was close to Charlie…" She trailed off as she looked back to the letter.

It had been apparent to the others that Jessica hadn't gotten over Charlie's loss well at all. None of them even considered the possibility of one of them pulling such a prank, let alone anyone else they knew, as it would just be too cruel. That didn't mean that they weren't a little skeptical about it.

"This just seems really weird that suddenly out of the blue someone writes saying that they know something about Charlie. No, not even that- that they have something of hers," Carlton volunteered. He was sitting on the couch between Marla and John and looked to the latter. "And Foxy's, weren't you there like a week ago?"

"I went in when they reopened," John admitted. "It didn't seem like anything weird was going on. I ran into Mike and we talked a little bit, but he wasn't acting weird." At this point, pretty much all of them knew who Mike was; the purple clad security guard who always seemed a little too paranoid. Though his mention caused Jessica's head to shoot upwards.

"Do you think he would've sent this? He was there when it happened. Maybe there's something he didn't give to the police," she pointed out. Desperation edged on her voice as she looked back at the letter. "Or… I don't know. Maybe there's details he told the police that they didn't tell us."

"There's no way," John smoothly denied. "I'll admit that Mike guy is a little strange, but he's not that strange. I think the only reason he even came up to me was because he was shocked to see me there. Probably thought I was bringing bad news with me or something."

"Yeah, I'd go with that. Mike seems cool enough," Carlton agreed. Though he then lowered his voice and leaned in, like it was a secret. "Now that Sam guy? He's strange. My dad said that he's the one that used to work with Dave back at the old Freddy's. The guy even c _hanged his name_. What's more suspicious than that?"

"But then it would be stupid to draw attention to himself like this, wouldn't it? I don't think it's him either," the other young man denied.

"Okay, we're getting off topic. Chances are, it's someone who goes around Foxy's. Good start," Marla said to draw them back in. Clapping her hands once as though trying to catch the attention of restless children. She then looked attentively back to Jessica. "Can you tell anything from the handwriting?"

"That's not exactly how it works," Jessica admitted as she glanced at the letter. She then did a double take before squinting at it. "…But now that you mention it… Whoever wrote this must've wrote it a few times. Usually you don't see a letter where everything's completely in line. Usually there's a mistake somewhere. It's like they drafted it, taking care that nobody could see any quirks they could have. It's a lot of work, but it makes sense…" She lowered the letter with a slow exhale and sounded lost. "I don't know what to do."

"I think there's really only two options," volunteered another of their friends, Lamar. He was sitting on Jason's beanbag and thus almost disappeared from the conversation until he spoke up. He awkwardly pushed himself up and off it. "We take it as a prank and just ignore it, or we go to Foxy's and see if there's a letter there. See how far the rabbit hole goes."

"I'm guessing about three or four inches behind the claw machine," John offered. Though he then lowered his own gaze unsurely. "I don't know. I don't even know if it's worth it. The staff's probably been told to keep an eye out for us as it is, not to mention what Clay said about going over there." Clay, Carlton's father, had specifically told them- and his son- to try and avoid Foxy's. That it would just be easier for everyone is they avoided the place. Since then, none of them had been over there, save John's recent visit.

"Then I can go. I've never been in there. I didn't break in," Lamar pointed out, getting a more teasing tone at the end. He flashed a playful smile before looking back to Jessica and sobering up. "It's your call, Jess."

Before Jessica could give her answer, another voice called in. "Wait! I'll go too!" Out of the hallway came Jason, and none of them could tell how long he had been listening in. It could've been a while though. Since the incident at Magictime Theater, Jason had seemed to develop an almost unhealthy fixation on the pizzeria. He went over there frequently and occasionally mused about how 'alive' the animatronics could be.

Marla frowned at her brother's offer. "Jason, no. Mom's already said that you go down there way too much, and I know you're going to get stuck down there and then I'll have to go get you," she said in a huffy tone.

"I won't stay I promise, and I can show him where the claw machine is, so they don't see him looking around for it. Besides, I'm a kid, so they're not going to think it's weird I'm there."

"They're already not going to think it's weird, because you're there _all the time_ ," Marla pointed out. Seeing that Jason was going to get that pressing look, she rolled her eyes and caved, then looked over at Lamar. "You won't leave without him, right?"

"Only if Clay catches us," Lamar answered. "So, no. I'll bring him back with me."

Seeing their willingness made Jessica just as willing. She exhaled slowly and nodded in agreement. "I'll come too. Let's go now and hurry back." She grabbed her bag off the coffee table as John stood to see her off. She turned to face him. "We'll figure this out. Even if it isn't anything," she assured him, to which he nodded and followed them to the door.

It didn't take too long to drive to Foxy's. Jessica drove, taking care to avoid driving by the road to Charlie's old house, and soon pulled into the parking lot of the pizzeria. Even though it had its grand reopening a week or so ago it still looked to be brimming with customers, and it looked quite a bit different to when she was in there last. Jason started leading them to the back when Jessica glanced into the Prize Corner and noticed none other than Mike restocking. That suspicion from earlier started to slowly return.

"I think I'll wait by the door," she quietly said to Lamar. He nodded and continued after Jason while she fell back to stand beside the door.

At least now there was more to look at. There was a large present box by the door like in the Prize Corner, a couple of toy and candy machines, and she could see both Foxy and the ballerinas' stages from here. Not that she took her eyes off Lamar and Jason as they headed into the arcade. She was only distracted briefly by a small tapping sort of noise from the present box. It was a soft noise, as though the lid had lightly shifted, but it didn't look like anything changed. She ignored it, barely noticing the quiet jingling from inside.

Meanwhile, Jason led Lamar to the claw machine. He reached his hand around behind it before his fingers brushed something and he yanked out an unlabeled envelope. "Here it is!" he whispered as he stood and turned to Lamar. His excited smile instantly dropped as he looked past Lamar and noticed the slender form of the Puppet coming out of the Prize Corner. He immediately turned back towards the claw machine. "Don't look. Just look at the toys or something."

"What?" Lamar asked in confusion. He looked back and noticed the striped animatronic following its track. "Is this about the mime?"

"Stop staring at him," Jason insisted and beckoned him back. Lamar seemed a little skeptical about it but did as told, watching as the younger stuck a token in and started up the game.

"What's going on? Are you afraid of the mime or something? Because I think he's stuck to the roof. He's not going anywhere fast," the older assured him.

But Jason wasn't afraid of the Puppet. Far from it. In fact, he had a growing suspicion that the letter he now had tucked under his arm was not from the human staff at all, but from the striped one now passing behind him. It didn't stop as it headed through the arcade to its stage, but Jason knew it could pretend very well. He went through the motions and half-heartedly tried to pick up a golden colored Foxy, which unfortunately failed. With the Puppet on its stage and the curtains closed, the boy turned away quickly and guided his companion back to the front door. The three left shortly afterwards.

Marla, Carlton, and John were still at the house when they arrived. Though by now Marla and Carlton were in a heated debate over some television show while John watched with mild amusement. All three perked to attention when they entered, especially when Jason held up the envelope triumphantly.

"Oh my God, there really was another letter!" Marla gasped in shock as she rushed over to grab it. She snatched it from Jason and stared at it like it was gold, then looked to him. "Was that guy there?"

"Who, Mike? I didn't see him," Jason answered, frowning at the robbery. Jessica decided not to point out that she did see him since he hadn't done anything suspicious. She just stepped forward and Marla instinctively handed her the letter.

Inside of the envelope were two things. One was a folded-up letter while the other was an old picture. Looking at it, Jessica was shocked- and somewhat horrified- to see that it was a picture of them as children. More specifically, her, Charlie, and Marla crowded together at a birthday party, looking only four or five years old at most. She didn't know how anyone could have this photo and handed it off to Marla who gasped and passed it on. Then Jessica opened the letter and read.

" _If you have this letter then you decided to continue on in finding the answers. This is your last chance to back out. If you are certain that you want to continue, then here is the next step. I need information of my own and am willing to trade what I know for what I don't. Retrieve a copy of Charlotte's autopsy report and seal it into an envelope marked with a safe address. At exactly eight o'clock at night, go around back at Foxy's Pirate's Cove and slip the envelope underneath the door. Do not tell the staff and do not get caught. I will send a letter to the safe address to continue communications."_

"Okay, I know that this guy said not to go to the cops, but I'm starting to get the 'let's go to the cops' vibe," Carlton pointed out. Everyone was silent. "…What, nobody else? Just me?"

"No, I'm starting to get that feeling too," Lamar agreed. He made a hissing noise at the picture. "This is really weird. Who would have a copy of this?"

"Other than Jen? Nobody… But this isn't like Jen. She wouldn't do this," Jessica disagreed. She bit her bottom lip as her mind began to race. "…How would we get a copy of the autopsy report?" Everyone looked to her in disbelief. "I know I sound crazy pursuing this and I know these are red flags, but I can't just-… I can't just let this go." It was hard enough letting Charlie go. She couldn't risk one last attempt at closure.

"That is crazy!" Marla protested. "First of all, how would we even get that? We'd like have to get her birth certificate and get someone in there whose related to her-."

"Or I could just… Get a copy of the copy my dad has," Carlton volunteered. It was apparent as soon as he said this that he regretted it. He had unintentionally just got himself wrapped up in it. "But yeah, I think that would be a stupid idea."

"Maybe it is, but this is obviously not just a prank now! This is someone who knows something if they have access to Charlie's things. They couldn't have just gone into her house either and I doubt Jen would've just handed out pictures like this. This one's got smudges on it. This was someone's personal copy." Part of Jessica almost felt violated thinking that someone had these things that they weren't supposed to. The other part was becoming more suspicious that maybe they were supposed to have them. "We need more answers, so we need that autopsy report."

"Alright, alright! I'll get it!" Carlton agreed, raising his hands in defense. "But someone's going to have to come with me and distract if my parents are there." There were no immediate volunteers. "Oh, come on! Everyone wanted to go to the overstuffed, understaffed pizzeria, but nobody's willing to come to my house?"

"I'll go," John finally volunteered. "And the safe address?"

"There's my address," Jessica started to offer. Though then Marla butted in.

"How about here? Your place is out of the city. That way things will come here faster," she offered. This got an almost amused, almost incredulous look from Carlton.

"Really? You're just going to let this weird mystery man know your address?" he asked in almost a teasing tone. "That's like the first step in a bad thriller movie."

"It'll be fine! Nobody's going to pull anything on a house surrounded by a bunch of neighbors, and my parents are pretty much here from six onwards," Marla said. She then frowned at him. "And if this was a movie then I'd be way more concerned for you. The funny man always dies in a big shocker moment, and it usually looks like it hurts."

"At least I go out with a punchline," he quipped back. Marla rolled her eyes at him as he and John headed out. John hesitated only briefly to look back and saw Jessica looking at the picture again, having gotten it back. She looked so somber as she stared into a glimpse of the past. He couldn't help but worry for her. "Are you coming? Because I really don't want my parents to figure out I'm in on this. My mom will flip," Carlton said, snapping John out of his thoughts. He nodded and followed out the door.

Carlton's car was a new set of tires above a lemon. The air conditioning didn't work, it smelled of exhaust and old leather, and the windows no longer rolled down. The passenger's window was stuck open a couple of inches and was the only opening for air in the stagnant car. It almost seemed ironic that someone as well off as Carlton would have such a beat-up car, but it was a tribute to him trying to pay for it himself. But with only a part time job- and not a consistent part time job at that- it didn't look like he was in the state to afford much else.

"What did your dad say about the case against Freddy's?" John asked seemingly out of the blue. His suspicion was starting to edge back in as he considered the delicate nature of this. This might've not been a prank or sincerity, but an attempt to mislead the detective, knowing his son was close with Charlie. "Any new leads or anything?"

"You know he pretty much doesn't tell me anything… But I don't think so. Like, how many people still exist from back then? Everyone's pretty much dead… I could've worded that better, but still…" Carlton then looked over slowly. "You think that maybe it's Charlie's mom?"

This suggestion took John back for a moment. That would make complete sense if it was. Charlie's mother would've had the pictures and could've known details that Clay would've only given to her or Jen. It would've made complete sense… If not that she hadn't been seen in years. John didn't know the situation completely since Charlie had been taken into her aunt's custody as soon as it happened, but a short time after Henry's passing, she had packed up unexpectedly and left town in the middle of the night. From what he knew, she hadn't called, wrote, or contacted her since.

"No. She didn't even come to the funeral. How would she have something that Charlie left? We were closer to her than anyone else," John said dismissively. He was disappointed that she didn't turn up before the accident, and highly doubted that this was her now coming out of the woodwork.

"Yeah, you've got a point there. It would be really weird if she missed the funeral and the memorial only to suddenly appear as Miss Anonymous, leaving cryptic hints about knowing Charlie when she didn't even go to her high school graduation." After that failed suggestion, Carlton decided to fall silent until they arrived at his home. Thankfully, his parents were still out, and he headed straight into his father's office to find the papers. He was halfway through printing a copy of the autopsy report when a car pulled up outside.

"It's Mom. Go out there and distract her," Carlton insisted. He nearly shoved John out into the hallway. He continued to the front door and met the woman coming in. Carlton's mother- Betty, though John didn't know her well enough to refer to her as anything less than 'Mrs. Burke'- was a career-oriented woman with a warm smile. Unfortunately, she was also a clever woman, and that alone suggested that she would be harder to convince.

"Afternoon, Mrs. Burke," John greeted. She noticed him then and gave that smile.

"John! I didn't expect you. How are you?" Betty greeted in return. She shut the front door and turned to face him. Unfortunately, in this quiet pause was when more printing began, and he noticed her briefly furrow her brows. Distraction, right.

"I'm doing alright, better than I have in a long time. I applied for an internship at the Saint Spectrum News. It's not really my plan to go into journalism for the long term, but it's a good side while I'm still enrolled in school," John began to prattle. "But it's a paid internship, so if all goes well, I'll be able to finally move off campus."

"That's wonderful. I always knew your writing was going to get you somewhere," Betty complimented. Though she seemed half distracted as she looked past him. "Where's Carl?"

"He's printing something out," John dismissed. He didn't have time to come up with a reasonable excuse before Carlton stepped out of the back. He looked between the two of them as John spoke up. "There he is. He was just…"

"Making copies of a screenplay. I'm auditioning at the community theater and the guys are going to help me get my act together," Carlton quickly and unabashedly lied. "We're heading over to Marla's house to meet up with the others."

"Oh! Well, good. I think it's great you all are doing something. You always work so well together," Betty explained. She almost sounded a little doubtful but didn't say it directly. "What play is it?"

"It's like a mystery where a guy's trying to investigate the death of a rich guy and runs into a cast of colorful characters doing it," Carlton vaguely explained. "It's kind of like a mix of Clue and every other murder mystery ever written. It's called something like- I don't know- The Clock Struck Midnight?" He looked towards John for backing up and he shrugged. "I don't know, something like that."

"Now I don't know much about show business, but I think it might be a good idea to learn the name of the play before you audition," Betty said with light teasing. She seemed to become somewhat more convinced. "Just don't stay out too late tonight, alright?"

"I won't. This shouldn't take long," Carlton assured. That was the most truthful thing he had said the whole time. "See you later, Mom. Come on, John." With that, he quickly maneuvered them out of the house and back to the car. Soon they were driving back towards Marla's house with the car uncomfortably quiet and the papers resting in John's lap.

Carlton noticed John looking at him out of the corner of his eye and huffed. "Don't look at me like that. It's not like I wanted to lie to my mom back there." John nodded and looked away. This still didn't seem to be enough for the redhead. "It's just that Dad's been going _insane_ over this Freddy's thing. He's talking about digging up bodies- now he thinks that Freddy guy was some guy named Will who used to work there when Charlie's dad did, so he wants to dig up the body and run tests on it. He's getting search warrants to check people's houses. This is serious stuff! Do you know what he'd do if he knew I did that?"

"He'd flip?" John guessed.

"He'd have a coronary. His eyes would pop out, his head would explode, and you would never see me again, because I would be confined to the basement for the rest of my life. And screw seeing any of you guys again." He huffed and looked out at the road. "You should've heard the lecture he gave me when he found out I was stopping by Foxy's."

"Why were you stopping by Foxy's?" John asked in confusion. "I went trying to look for some peace, but you've been there a few times."

"I just- I don't know. I like it there," Carlton admitted with a shrug. "The guys who work there recognize me and Foxy occasionally slips in a dirty joke. Who's going to turn that down?" He gave a joking smile for a moment, but it quickly faded. "They're always telling me I don't apply myself, but it I came in one day and said, "Hey, I'm taking a job at Foxy's" they would think I lost my mind. They would think that I'm just going through a rebel phase or something."

"I think it's a little late for that," John pointed out. He glanced down at the other's clothes. "Unless that wearing black thing was a genuine lifestyle choice."

"Wearing black in the desert isn't a lifestyle choice. It's like a deathstyle choice. It's a labor of love," Carlton answered. This at least eased the mood again, which was John's goal.

He knew things were tense with Carlton's parents. It wasn't hard to notice how they had slowly grown more distant over the years, and this case keeping Clay constantly working overtime didn't help. Especially when Betty was in the camp of believing that the Freddy's case was a fruitless endeavor, having little evidence to charge any party. In a passing thought, John wondered if their mysterious tipster would give them that evidence. He shook his head to himself and decided that this wouldn't be the case.

Once back at Marla's, John handed over the report to Jessica, who skimmed it quickly. She already knew what it was going to say, but reading it was a punch to the gut. He watched as her face tightened in dismay and asked if she was alright. She took a deep breath, folded the papers, and assured that she was. Then she stuffed them into an envelope that already had a folded piece of paper in it. The slip of notebook paper she had added had Marla's address on envelope was then sealed without labelling it.

When evening came, John and Jessica drove over to Foxy's where she slipped the envelope under the hurried and got back into the car with an exhale. "Okay, I did it," she said. She then sent him a tired smile. "Now I guess we just wait and see." He had given a small smile back and they hoped that maybe they would get a reply. Or Jessica did. John wasn't sure what he hoped for. They couldn't do anything but wait.

Two days later they got their reply when a minimally labelled letter found its way into Marla's mailbox. Knowing who it was from, she called her friends with the news. Being so early in the day and with others having classes and other things to do, John and Jessica were the only ones who could make it, with Marla cancelling any of her plans to see the letter with them. They ripped it open together and read what was inside.

" _At ten o'clock tonight, I will deliver a letter to the safe address. The letter was authored by Charlotte and I've been holding on to it for some time. You may bring your friends together to read it, but I again request no police or outside parties. If I see either from outside, I will be forced to leave. This is all I can give you, but I think it will give you the closure Charlotte would've wanted to give you."_

"I don't understand. Why not just send the letter in the mail?" Marla asked in confusion. "And a secret letter from Charlie? He could've just written that himself!"

"We'd be able to tell. I know Charlie's handwriting, and we'd also be able to tell if the letter was written recently or months ago," Jessica quickly defended. She didn't know why she defended it so wildly except she was so desperate to read this supposed letter from her best friend. She didn't know what it could possibly say, but they were the last words she would ever read from her. She needed them and didn't care of cost.

Jessica was yanked out of her thoughts by John's hand on her back. "Jess, I know we miss her, but this sounds sketchy. Even more sketchy than having us drop off letters at Foxy's. They're asking to come here in the middle of the night," he pointed out.

"But if we're all here then they couldn't do anything, could they?" Jessica persisted almost in a challenge. "Marla's parents would be here; we would all be here- It's probably one of the workers at Foxy's who somehow had a letter Charlie wrote. Remember how she was trying so hard to find out about Henry? They could have a letter she wrote to them and were afraid to turn it into the police because Clay's all over the pizzeria. Maybe Charlie knew Dave was behind it before she went to Magictime!" John seemed doubtful but she was pleading. "We've got nothing to lose."

"I don't know about that…" John sighed and caved. "But I guess it's not like we have a choice. They're coming here tonight with or without us. We ought to be here to make sure that nothing does happen if it is some sort of trick." Marla nodded rapidly in agreement, and the plan was made.

By ten o'clock that evening, everyone was at Marla's yet again. They had continued with Carlton's lie about the play and used that excuse to explain why all of them would be at the house so late. Marla's parents were unconcerned and did their own thing for most of the evening, almost completely disappearing into their room after nine-thirty. Jason was the exact opposite and planted himself in his beanbag as soon as nine-thirty had rolled around. Marla had tried to convince him to leave more than once, but Jason neither bought the 'play' lie nor did he intend to go anywhere until ten o'clock. So, he stayed.

Ironically, it felt like a scene taken out of a murder mystery. All the guests were holed up in the living room getting antsier the closer that it got to ten. Marla was anxious eating her way through the bottom crumbs of a bowl of chips. Carlton sat on the sofa beside her, leaned back and staring at the ceiling and looking bored. Lamar was in the armchair, leg shaking, and trying to pay attention to whatever was on TV. John had begun to pace behind the sofa to stretch his legs after they stiffened up. Then there was Jessica, sitting alongside Marla, still clutching to and staring at the picture of the birthday party.

She hadn't looked at it since they had gotten it a few days before, but now she was transfixed with it. Or more used it as a target to stare at as her mind wavered through wave after wave of guilt. Her eyes burned and she ignored it, refusing to blink or risk tears. Marla must've noticed something as she gave her a one-armed hug before standing with the chip bowl.

"Alright, this is our last chance for a snack run," Marla announced. She nudged Carlton's leg, both to move and to alert him. "Hey, you come with me. You can help me pick out what bag to tear open next."

"You say that, but what you really mean is that you're going to stick me with carrying everything," Carlton pointed out. He was rewarded with the heavy bowl being nearly dropped onto his chest.

"Pretty much." Marla beamed and he rolled his eyes, then stood from the couch and started into the kitchen. Lamar joined them, if only because he needed to stretch his legs anyway, and Jason eventually followed once John sat beside Jessica.

"Jess…" She looked up to him for a moment but caved as she saw his sympathetic look. It only made her more aware of how she must've looked. Especially to her friends. "Jess, it's going to be okay."

"I'm sorry. I've been a mess for days," she admitted as she reached up to rub her face. Unfortunately, tears had began to collect in her eyelashes, and she cleared them away just to look at the clock. Only a couple of minutes before ten. He noticed and reached out to turn her towards him by the shoulders, trying to give her a reprieve before whatever was to come.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Look at us; we're all a mess. We're putting all our hopes and faith into this letter, but… It's not going to bring her back," John admitted somberly. He didn't want to say it but felt as though he had to. "This is for us. This is just about us getting closure with what we have." They fell silent as Jessica turned herself away again.

"How am I supposed to get closure?" she quietly asked. "…When I'm the reason she's gone?"

"Jess, that's not true. You know it's not."

"I knew she was going to do something, and I didn't do anything," Jessica snapped back. "Charlie was asking for help and none of us did anything. I don't even _remember_ what I was doing that was so important that I couldn't be there with her, but I will _never forget_ where I was when Clay told me she was dead!" She choked on her tears and her voice cracked. She lowered her head enough to block her face with her hair. "And I'm still waiting for her to call me back."

John had enough. He took her into a tight embrace and held her close as she broke down. It didn't matter how well she put herself together or how seamlessly she continued with her life, he could see straight through to that pain, and that was because he recognized it. Maybe he didn't cry, maybe he wasn't waiting, but he regretted missing that last call. He regretted so much of what happened.

Once she pulled herself together enough to pull back, he turned his attention to her fully again. Her mascara was already starting to run. He could already predict that once she recovered, she would have her own little amount of panic when she saw the mess and got the briefest smile at that. Things were so different now; he couldn't have ever imagined that he and Jessica would've been holding each other up, as they had numerous times throughout the last few months.

"It's not your fault," John insisted. "I know it feels like it, but it's not. We just… We just have to do this."

The girl nodded stiffly in agreement. She needed to stay strong for this. She gave him a small smile to show that she was alright enough, and John held his own. They could do this together, no matter what came from tonight. With that determination, John leaned in and took Jessica's lips in a chaste kiss of reassurance.

It was at that moment that Charlie realized she had made a terrible mistake.

Unknown to the two comforting each other, there was an onlooker just outside the side window, hidden barely by the half-drawn curtains and standing beside a garbage can. She had chosen this window as she knew it would be less noticeable, which was a good call as nobody had seen her in the darkness. In her hands she clutched one final letter, one that would say everything that she wanted to tell them. It would express her care for them, her apologies, assuring them that a part of her would still be alive, but not telling them the full truth. It had seemed so innocent in practice.

It was seeing John and Jessica kiss and embrace each other, comforting each other as any couple would, that made her realize it was too late. They were in the process of moving on with their lives and all she did was stoke the flames again. They were trying to get over her and here she was reopening the wound. They moved on; she didn't know whether to be devastated or embarrassed that she hadn't been expecting this. Now she didn't even know whether it was worth leaving the letter or just sneaking away with her shame before any feelings poured out.

She had just missed them so much. Her hands tightened on the envelope as metal tightened in her chest, wondering what she even wanted from all of this. What would be more merciful, leaving the letter and putting them through more upset or leaving with it and leaving them to forever wonder what happened? She had bit off more than she could true. This had been such a mistake.

…How long had they waited after she was dead before they moved on together?

Maybe it would be better if Charlie left and pretended she had never come. They would be able to go back to their lives and so would she. She stepped back from the window and backed across the driveway towards her escape, looking around carefully and the trees surrounding Marla's house. Another step back towards the trees and just prepared to turn and run.

Which she would've done, if not for the security light suddenly coming on at the corner of the house. She hadn't even noticed it before and somehow managed to skirt by, and now when she needed to leave, she set it off. She froze under the light as though it was a stage light, shuttering in place and body locking up, and only managed to regain control as she heard someone at the back door. She dove forwards and dropped down beside the trashcan to hide herself.

It was Jason who opened the back door and looked out towards the light. Charlie's breath hitched as she heard Marla's voice from inside. "Who is it? Is the guy out there?" She almost sounded panicked.

"I don't see anyone," Jason answered. He turned back towards the backdoor and the Security Puppet thought he would be heading back inside. She made a mad sprint across the driveway. "There's nobody- Dah!" Jason caught the black blur out of the corner of his eye and looked over just fast enough to see the figure disappear through the trees. She vaguely heard him call after her. "No, wait! Don't go! Wait!" Almost as though he knew who she was- or thought he did.

But Charlie didn't have the luxury of even considering it. She tore around the trees and to the next house, and then disappeared behind it. Marla's house was only a few streets away from Mike's and all she needed to do was get home without being caught, which wouldn't be too difficult if she was quick. Which she was; she didn't notice until running now that she was much faster in this body, even if the lack of feet and unbalanced points meant that she could fall at any moment. She certainly tripped once coming over the curve and made a mad dash down the sidewalk.

" _Don't panic, they won't notice. They never notice anything,_ " Charlie assured herself as she pulled the hood over her head. Honestly, this was the perfect place to run too. Marla lived in a more rural section of the city, but it was still only a street or two over from where she used to live, so she still knew it like the back of her hand. She continued her run alongside a wooden fence. _"If Foxy can do it then so can I. Just have to be careful and retrace my steps."_

She whipped around the corner of the fence and proceeded to stop dead in her track at the sight of headlights far down the road. A car that probably didn't see her and most definitely wasn't connected with her, but the sight of those blinding _headlights_ facing towards her sent a jolt of alarm down her back. She began to panic and instantly jumped up for the top of the fence and hoisted herself over. She landed in a heap in the grass of the fenced in backyard, but just barely out of reach of the lights shining through the house's windows. She stayed there, pressed against the wood, until she heard the car driving by.

" _That was close… It's not safe out here. That could've been them already driving around looking for me,"_ Charlie thought. Her judgement clouded in paranoia as she tried to reconsider her options. _"I need to hide until I'm sure they're not following me."_ She looked around the backyard and noticed a small playhouse underneath a tall tree. That seemed like a possible option and she started to turn herself to go over when she noticed the tree again. _"Wait… Wait, I know this house. This is where Cassidy used to live."_ She looked around at the surroundings to make sure. _"…Which means I shouldn't be too far from Dad's house."_

It would have to work. It was either that or hide out in a playhouse, possibly getting stuck there until morning, and risking getting spotted by some young child with a tendency to scream. Even if it meant going slightly off the direction towards home. She braced and pulled herself up on the fence, peeking over the other side and making sure nobody was there, and then climbed over. The only cars were far down the road where she saw the lights of a fast food restaurant, so she made the bold move of running across the street. If there was anything good about the quiet suburbs, it was that car activity slowed down at night.

Not all activity though. The biggest challenge to face was passing a house with a front porch where four people- it looked like two couples- were rowdily carrying on. She had to nearly crawl through the bushes to the back of the house, run across the backyard- turning on yet another motion detector light- and then crawl along the other set of bushes before sneaking back onto the sidewalk.

There was one brief incident with a dog in a kennel barking loudly and following her as far as it could, which led to another panicked moment of sprinting and diving into a ditch. She waited there until after she heard the frustrated owner yelling at the dog to quiet. Then it was just a matter of continuing a little further and climbing over the rickety, peeling fence that separated her from her old family home.

It was only now as she looked around that she noticed the disrepair and emptiness of the surrounding houses. She had partially noticed it before, but now it was only more apparent. As though the homemakers who had left years ago made the houses unlivable. Now she had to wonder what caused this neighborhood to go quiet.

She had brought the spare key with her in case of an emergency, which was a relief now as she easily let herself inside. Charlie shut the door and then pressed back against it. Her legs felt strange, tingling in protest, and she slid down to sit on the floor. She couldn't exactly catch her breath but did the best she could to rest herself. It was quiet in the house all was as silent as could be. It was now that her mind caught up with her.

" _Why am I surprised?_ _Its been months. They can't put their lives on hold forever... Even when I was with him, I never tried hard enough. How many dates did I avoid, or how many calls did I avoid? All because you wanted to know about your dad's business, Charlie."_ Her fingers twisted into the envelope in frustration and remorse. _"All because you wanted to be a part of his business. Well, you got your wish."_

With a burst of frustration, she tore open the envelope and yanked out the letter inside. She quickly tore it apart, angry at herself for her decisions, and tossing the paper down like confetti on the carpet. Charlie then slumped against the door and let her head hang. She didn't cry by some act of mercy, but that didn't mean she felt much better. Especially now that she was paranoid and uncomfortable.

She would have to sneak back out in a few hours and get home, during which there would be no way that Mike and Marionette wouldn't have noticed how long she had been gone. There was no doubt that they would be upset, especially since this wasn't the first time and she couldn't fall on confusion as an excuse for her behavior. Funny, nobody was watching when they needed to be, but now they would.

"I hate this town," she muttered as she readjusted her hood. Maybe it was just worth calling them if the phone service was active. It didn't look like the electricity was, so probably not. She had half a mind to kill a few hours sleeping in her old bed, then hope that Mike got wise and drove over to get her. She shifted herself to start to stand back up.

She was interrupted by what sounded like heavy footsteps. Charlie stopped short and listened in close. There was someone else in the house with her and she could hear the thumps of its feet on the hall carpet. If it wasn't for how labored and weighty that they sounded, she would've thought it was a human, but now she was doubtful. Frozen against the door, she watched as it slowly stepped out into view.

The damaged legs were shredded near the ankle, revealing metal endoskeleton feet. Slowly climbing the suit revealed thick patches of soot, the sporadically placed tears and burns, climbing to clenched fists. Fabric, once golden or yellow, now looked bruised in how it was patterned with the remains of fire residue. A wound in its chest revealed the metal frame inside, showing that there was nothing human waiting inside. One ear jutted upright while the other was broken off halfway, the fabric shredded as though something tore through it. And underneath them waited the clenched smile of bared teeth.

It turned its head with a slow creak and glowing dots of light settled on her in the center of what looked like empty eyeholes in the darkness of the house. It stared at her as though remembering her, and she certainly remembered it.

It was the Golden Bonnie suit. It was her living nightmare.

* * *

 **Mislead: He came back.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Mable: Sorry that this chapter is so terribly late, but I didn't want to wait until tomorrow evening to post it. Not when I've actually been on a decent schedule until now. So… I'm still counting this as a Wednesday posting, but an extremely late posting, and I'm sorry for that. Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-Three_

The silence was almost unnatural. As though Charlie expected the rabbit to be breathing as heavily as he was the night he stole her twin away. He was still and quiet, staring her down with those lifeless looking suit eyes, teeth bared and clenched, and only interrupted by a twitch of his damaged ear.

Golden Bonnie's body was excessively damaged. There were tears and scuffs and it vaguely looked like it had been in a fire, but it was alive and aware. That frightened her almost as much as its frozen, grisly grin did. She pushed back further against the door as she stared up at it. In the back of her mind she had the foggiest memory of similar helplessness under the piercing gaze of the same character. It hadn't ended well then and she was certain that it wasn't going to end any better now.

It was then that the Bonnie took a teetering step towards her. Its ears twitched and its hand flexed as it stared on with that predatory look in its eyes. She felt like prey as it slowly started to close the gap between them. She wasn't going to let that happen though. As soon as it began its approach, she immediately turned and forced the door back open. Charlie staggered upright while trying to fling herself out the door and landed heavily on the ground outside. But she didn't stop there; she clamored to her feet and broke into a sprint out of the yard.

Home, she had to get home. Her mind was a mess as she threw herself over the nearest fence and ran blindly towards the direction of the house, or where she thought it was. She could just imagine those heavy footsteps thundering behind her when they really weren't there. Golden Bonnie hadn't followed her outside and certainly wasn't chasing her, but that didn't stop her mad dash. She was running from her life and all she could imagine were those empty eyes like darkened headlights following her.

" _Oh no, no, this can't- it can't- it can't be here! Why was it in the house?! What was it- Oh God, was it looking for me?!"_ Charlie thought in a frenzy as she stopped at another tall fence. She tried to calm herself down as she looked back to see no sign of the golden rabbit. _"Okay, can't panic. Can't get caught. Get back home and I'm safe. Should be almost there."_ She started to climb over the next wooden fence before stopping and staring at what lay past it. _"…I don't remember a church being here."_

On the other side of a fence was a church and its parking lot. There were a few lights still on inside, but the parking lot was cleared out. Still, walking across empty terrain without shielding was concerning, not that the church itself was what scared her. What scared her was that she thought she knew where she was and yet here she was, without any clue what direction she needed to go in.

" _There wasn't supposed to be a church here. The only church is up past… Where am I?"_ She looked around in growing dread. _"I'm completely lost and that thing's out here… I've got to get home."_ A strange, pathetic whining noise squeaked out of her chest as she took the plunge and climbed over. Staying close to the fence, she continued around the parking lot and in the direction of where she thought she was supposed to go. She couldn't be that far away from where she was supposed to be.

Charlie didn't have a phone, she doubted she could find a payphone, let alone get close enough to use one, and she was starting to find more houses with their lights on. Now she was back at risk of being seen, and her hood did nothing to cover the rest of her. The distant sounds of the world seemed distorted. Dog barks, voices, car sound; it all melted into footsteps. She swore she could hear them. But right when she was about to break into a run, she noticed a playground further down the street.

There were plenty of small parks littered around town, but this one Charlie recognized specifically. It was small with its grass growing too high for comfort and only a few pieces of old playground equipment. Seldom did children play here, or at least, she never saw them playing here when she had a chance to look out of the car. Which she had a few opportunities to do so as the park was just down the street from the house. Just seeing it assured her that her journey was almost over.

Relief rushed over her as she broke into a desperate sprint along the sidewalk before climbing over one last fence. Then it was all a matter of running across the grass before making a leap through her still open bedroom window and falling headfirst onto the floor. She lifted herself up just in time to see that she wasn't alone.

There was Mike and Marionette standing in her bedroom and now staring back at her in equal shock. Naturally, they had found out that she had left and seemed to be trying to figure out what they were going to do.

"Charlie?!" Marionette asked in surprise. She used the bed to pull herself off the ground and hurried to them. They could tell that she was scared from the fear on her mask and her frenzied motions. Pointing back towards the window, she tried to explain the horror she had witnessed inside of Henry's house.

Unfortunately, all that came out was a frantic jingling in the tune of 'Ring Around the Rosie'. Alas, once it started it seemed determined not to stop either, even with her trying in vain to cover her mouth and thump a fist on her own chest. Both onlookers were torn between confusion, concern, and borderline amusement. Mike was the one to step in first.

"Whoa, slow down. We're not going to make out any of that," he pointed out as though the voice of reason. Then he promptly discredited himself with, "A pocket full of what's now?"

Marionette took the situation a little more seriously. "It's a reflex mechanism; it'll go off on its own. You just need to try and calm down." To which Charlie attempted to do as he reached for her arm comfortingly and started brushing dirt and debris off her jacket. There were so many questions he needed to ask, and the sudden addition of music made it a little harder to think rationally. He could just feel her distress in the song, even if it wasn't one that effected his programming. "What happened?"

"Gold-," Charlie finally got out. "Gold- bbit. Gold- Gold Rabbit- Gold _Bonnie_." She continued struggling as she shuddered and gestured back towards the window again. "It was in the house!"

"Golden Bonnie- You mean the springlock suit? You mean Springtrap?!" Mike nonchalant attitude dropped at the mere mention of the animatronic. He had always had a suspicion that he hadn't burned in the fire, but to spontaneously appear out of nowhere- the situation didn't seem to make much sense. "Where did you see him, outside?!"

"The house, my father's house! I unlocked the door to get in and he was just there!" Charlie yelled over her continuing music. It only tried to grow as her franticness did, until she was battling it to get her words out. It only made the situation go further out of hand. She covered her face to try and calm herself down. "I don't- I don't even know why he was there or how he got in. He was just staring at me and… I feel disgusting." It definitely wasn't from the dirt either. If anything, it was from how it had looked at her.

Upon hearing her retelling, Marionette looked to Mike abruptly with a wide-eyed look. The security guard got a feeling of dread; he knew that look. "Don't even think about going over there."

"If it's Michael-," the Puppet started before cutting off. He tried again with less desperation and more reason, even if it wasn't reason Mike would agree with. "If he's over at Henry's then I have to go see him. He helped us escape the fire. We're not enemies anymore."

"I'm not saying we are, but how many times has Springtrap attacked someone because he's 'confused' or 'disoriented'? If he was as banged up in that fire as I think he was- and considering that he's squatting in Henry's, I'm guessing he was- then chances are that little bit of rationality that told him we were better than death has probably burned up. If you go over there he could attack," Mike reasoned. The striped one looked down uncertainly and knew he was right. "Or let's at least go together if you're determined."

"If I wait then he might leave. He could've left as soon as he saw Charlie… And you are right about his rationality. It's not safe to have him roaming the streets," the Puppet said solemnly. Mike knew the finality in that tone and began to scramble.

"It will only take two minutes for me to drive you over there. I've seen Springtrap in person and he's not fast. He lumbers around like a guy in a springlock suit," Mike pointed out. Concern became more apparent the more he insisted, and he was seconds away from outright grabbing Marionette's striped arm to try and keep him in place. "He's still dangerous. Too dangerous for you to pop in on alone. If he cornered you, then you could be looking at a few cracks."

"That won't happen. He won't even know I'm there, let alone will I let engage in a fight with him," Marionette reassured. He got a slight smile for the security guard's benefit. "I'll be back shortly. Wait here."

"If you're not planning to fight him, then why am I supposed to- And he's gone," Mike said with exasperation as Marionette vanished before him. He gestured a hand towards where he once was. "You see, this is why we need one of those security bracelets for _him_. I wouldn't be able to follow him, but at least I'd know where he is." In the back of his mind he could already imagine the Puppet being injured and crawling into a drainage pipe somewhere to hide while he recovered. "I can't just stand here," Mike muttered. He turned towards the door before stopping, trying to figure out what he needed to do.

Marionette could protect himself. Springtrap wasn't trustworthy. Springtrap had protected them during the fire. Springtrap had savagely attacked Marionette and Foxy. Marionette could teleport away at any time. He wouldn't.

"You said… His name was Michael?" Charlie asked, dragging Mike out of his thoughts and pacing. He gave an impatient exhale.

"Yeah, Michael. William Afton's son. Stuck in his father's old suit, or at least that's our current theory. We know Michael's in a suit, we just haven't figured out which one," Mike explained. He gave a small scoff. "It doesn't really help when half of the animatronic don't remember their names and the other half are in extreme denial."

"And there was a fire? Wait, Mari mentioned something about that…" He had always been spotty with details on the fire, with Foxy only giving a few more. She was under the impression someone had tried to burn them. Mostly because both animatronics had warned her about getting anywhere near fire. "I guess that explains why he looked so burned."

"What were you doing out there?" Mike finally asked. His attention returned to the weird display earlier and the sneaking out. "You could've asked me to drive you. It's only ten; my animatronic taxi service doesn't cut off until six." Instead of humor, the Security Puppet got a look of guilt and unease. Her mask showed it better than ever and she had yet to develop any form of a poker face. He knew it was a bad sign. "…I don't even want to know what that look's going to mean."

"I made a terrible mistake and barely stopped before I got in too deep. Or… I stopped before they saw me." Mike's brows raised and Charlie knew she needed to come clean. "I've been sending anonymous messages to my old friends. I don't know what I was thinking. I just thought that maybe if I gave them a letter that they thought I wrote before my death, I could tell them all the things that I wanted to and can't now. I thought maybe it would finally give us all closure…" She shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking!.. At least they didn't see me… Except maybe Jason."

"You've got to watch yourself around that kid. He flat out knows the animatronics are alive," Mike bluntly said. Charlie looked to him almost in alarm by the lack of an outburst or surprise. He just sounded almost resolved to it, with the worry for Marionette still there.

"…That's it? You're- You're not upset?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "Mike, I could've put the whole business in danger!"

"Charlie, a plethora of missing children didn't put this business in danger. I don't think a kid claiming that he saw a living puppet is going to come back to us," he pointed out. Though his face then became a bit firm. "But yeah, in case you're wondering, if I knew you were planning on any of that I would've put you under immediate house arrest and started confiscating all your pens and paper... You know that was a bad idea, right? You know that these things that Foxy and Ennard do, running out in public, is actually extremely stupid, right?"

"Yes," the Security Puppet said sheepishly. She turned her head down with embarrassment.

"Because your friends- I don't know your friends, I just know your one friend's psycho stalker dad- if they didn't handle finding out what you are well and did something crazy, like attacked you, that could end a lot worst," Mike insisted a little more firmly. "I mean, yeah, the pizzeria is our livelihood and any little thing could lead to another public disaster, but I'm much more concerned about some guy-… Okay." He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "Okay, we're going to talk about the fire now. What do you know about the fire?"

"Someone tried to set a pizzeria on fire with Marionette and Foxy inside… And apparently that golden rabbit suit," Charlie answered. "I'm guessing to try and destroy them."

"Bullseye. Some guy found out that the animatronics were alive and decided that it was best for everyone if he took them all out at once. So, he made this elaborate trap, going through the effort to build a fake pizzeria, and collected as many animatronics as he could. This included Mari, Foxy, _Baby_ , _Ennard_ , a bunch of those tiny animatronics that are over at Jeremy's, and _Scott._ Except he took one look at Scott's fake leg and decided he'd spare him, and there I was to replace him," Mike explained. He couldn't hide his bitterness. "And he rigged this whole place to burn because he figured out that fire kills animatronics."

"What?!" Charlie asked in surprise. He wasn't sure which part she was startled at but assumed it was the last point.

"Something about the heat forces animatronics out of their bodies. Normally, if there's something left, they can hold on, but not when fire's involved. I don't get it, but I don't want to get it." He just shuddered thinking about it. "But I'm getting off topic. The fact of the matter is that this guy had been watching and planning this without us knowing, and he did something so nonsensically crazy because he believed he was doing the right thing. I don't want you to live in fear, because Mari and I would never let anything like that happen to you, but you have _got_ to be careful."

Charlie felt jarred by the display. It certainly made her reconsider it more, even if she was already aware of her mistake. If she had known any of that then she wouldn't have even considered it. "I will be," she said with solemn determination. "After that, after seeing that suit in the house… I might never leave home again." She rubbed over her face. "I'm so sorry, Mike."

"Everyone's allowed one or two big mistakes. At least you didn't try to kill one of us." Mike tried to reign the tone back in as he reached out to put an arm around her shoulders. "You're safe. That's all that matters."

"Will Mari be okay? If that… suit is as unstable as you said…"

"He'll be fine. Trust me, Mari's handled Springtrap before." But never alone, and he tried to not remember that. Though he tried even more so to not immediately run for the car. Marionette could handle this, and if he couldn't, well, then Mike knew exactly where Springtrap was going to be.

Henry's house was silent as Marionette appeared inside. He looked around Charlie's bedroom, where he had teleported in, and saw little difference from when they had been here last time. Everything was right where it had been, untouched, and he headed to the door. He silently nudged it open and looked out into the hallway. Still no sign of the rabbit animatronic, and he floated out silently, disappearing into the darkness as he listened carefully for any sign of the golden suit. Perhaps he had already fled, which was a terrifying thought.

It was only once he started to creep into the living room that he noticed things in disarray. A lamp had been knocked over and there were dirt stains on the floor. All the pillows had been pulled off the couch, which had dark stains on it. What was most concerning was the rearrangement of furniture. A bookshelf had been pushed in front of one of the windows and the TV stand and a few chairs had been stacked on the other. Along with the couch pillows to try and block the sun, as he now noticed. There was no doubt in his mind from this amount of progress that Springtrap had been here for a while.

" _Could he have heard about what happened to Charlie and somehow knew the house was abandoned?"_ Marionette wondered as he looked around the room. He slowly turned in place as he looked over the walls of broken picture frames. Perhaps residual anger from Chance's attack, and Springtrap didn't even know how much Henry really was involved. _"I don't think he would've left…"_

It was then that he caught a small glimpse of something out of the corner of his vision. It was just the briefest shadow from the doorway and by time he looked over it was long gone. If not for a small 'thunk' following it, he could've believed it was a trick of the light. He cautiously moved over enough to see through the doorway and could see a kitchen and dining room past it. He slowly neared the doorway, weaving to the side to make sure nothing stood waiting on the other side. Once in the doorway he looked around to find the source of the noise.

Henry's kitchen was bigger than theirs was in sheer size. Against the right wall was another doorway to the hallway and between it and the doorway he was in was the table and chairs, which probably hadn't been used in years. There was a closet on the far side of the kitchen and lining up the left wall to it was the refrigerator, sink, and counters. The back right of the room had an indented corner and a china cabinet, but the sheer size of the rest of the space made up for it.

The source of the noise became apparent as soon as he noticed a small can of tomato paste wobbling on the tiled floor. From the ajar doors it seemed like it had fallen out of there and it occurred to him that Springtrap could be hiding in the closet right now. Slowly he started to float towards them, passing by a humming radio on the counter. Just loud enough that it was difficult to hear and gnawing at his audio receptors. He ignored it as turning it off could just tip off the other to him being there. He knelt and lifted the can before looking over it. It was just a can, nothing special.

Then he inched closer to the open doors. He tilted his head as he tried to look through the crack and started to reach for the doors carefully. It was just right as his hands reached the door that he realized he could see a washer and dryer inside, and no space for the burned rabbit to be. Springtrap wasn't inside, which meant he was somewhere else. He had a feeling that he knew where and why the can had just happened to roll out of nowhere to guide him towards the closet. Two could play this game.

Marionette threw open the doors and immediately teleported back to the doorway just in time to dodge a heavy toaster. It crashed onto the dryer and left a dent in the top. He looked towards the other doorway, where the toaster had been thrown from, and their eyes met. There was Springtrap, looking as broken and wild as ever, twitching madly.

The rabbit didn't even wait before he snatched up a chair and threw it at the Puppet, who dodged to the side easily. Unwilling to fight just yet, Marionette tried to talk him down, "Mich-." He was rewarded by a vase being flung at him next, crashing against the kitchen window and shattering both. There was that rationality that Mike tried to warn him about. "Michael!"

Springtrap came to an abrupt halt as though the name sunk in. His eyes opened more, he stared ahead, and it looked like he was starting to calm down. He grabbed ahold of the back of the chair beside him abruptly and Marionette braced himself, preparing himself for anything, but all Springtrap did was slump over the back of it. He looked exhausted and his twitching seemed less like a programming malfunction and instead like a short circuit somewhere. He really was broken somewhere.

Worse still, he had been broken and alone. He couldn't have been hiding here the entire time, which only concerned Marionette more. He could've been anywhere, and he could've sustained any amount of damage. The fire could've just been the beginning of whatever trials Springtrap had face. Marionette knew he had to help. The Puppet started to approach slowly and reached for what could've been his older brother.

Without warning, Springtrap spun around and swung the chair. It crashed into Marionette and knocked him out of the air and into the china cabinet. Plates and cups jostled and fell inside as the Puppet dropped to the floor, and Springtrap just watched him with the chair sagging in his grasp. When the striped one started to push itself upright, the golden rabbit readjusted its grip and raised the chair, prepared to strike again.

Marionette looked up with a glare and an unbroken mask. Above him the cabinet doors flew open with enough force that they broke off the small hook keeping them closed. That was the only warning before dishes started to fly out. Springtrap tried to shield himself before the chair but they kept coming, and they were coming fast. He backed up until he reached the doorway before he dropped the chair and bolted through. Large dinner plate smashed into the wall right where he just stood.

It was only once he was gone that the Puppet got himself off the floor. _"That could've gone better,"_ Marionette thought. His annoyance, mostly caused by his soreness, was quickly overtaken by regret. _"And here is that fight Mike was worrying about… It's not too late. I'll just… I'll find a way to restrain him and maybe I can try to talk him down."_ Part of him knew this plan would backfire, but it was the only thing he knew to do.

If Springtrap wouldn't listen on his own, then Marionette would have to force him to listen.

Marionette entered the doorway before immediately darting to the side when the heavy television was thrown at him. Springtrap looked back to the other door in the living room just in time to see the Puppet spring at him. Pop Goes the Weasel blared as Marionette grabbed his shoulders, hooked his legs around him, and proceeded to start forcing his strings into the animatronic's body. The golden rabbit flailed back and fought with a grunt, running into the tower of furniture and knocking it over with a loud clatter.

As the strings wound into the endoskeleton underneath the scarred fabric the two began to fight for control. Springtrap could feel the possession beginning and grew frantic, stumbling around, and eventually forced the Puppet off just enough to grab the strings. Bundling them in his hands, he got a tight grip and swung the slender animatronic upwards into the ceiling fan, breaking off one of the blades. He expected the Puppet to fall right back down and strike, but instead he stayed on the ceiling. He positioned his limbs like spider legs, clinging to the roof, and prepared to strike.

It was at this point that Springtrap decided to get distance and made a break for the living room doorway while trying to yank out the strings. Marionette crawled across the ceiling after him and as soon as the rabbit stumbled into the hall he pounced. Springtrap was ready for him, turning and catching him at his middle with every intention to regain the upper hand. If not for him stepping back not against the wall but against the master bedroom door, which must've not been shut all the way. Both collapsed through it with Springtrap landing on his back and Marionette rolling off and back up in an instant.

Marionette was hunched aggressively, music still playing in warning, but with the brief pause in the fight he allowed the rabbit time to reconsider. Springtrap got up slower than expected and it was only when he swayed while standing that it became apparent that one of his legs was damaged. A pang of worry was swallowed by frustration; Springtrap knew who he was and had to remember what they went through, so his determination to fight was maddening. Marionette looked up from the leg and locked eyes with the golden rabbit.

Springtrap gave a violent seize as something inside short-circuited, tightening his fists and riding through it. Marionette stood his ground and stared back. Slowly his music began to wind down as he waited for the other to do something. Which he did, as he looked to the side and noticed a standing lamp right beside the dresser. He grabbed for it, fingers tightening around the pole, and was about to rip it toward him- no doubt this would trigger Marionette to defend himself- when a new noise started to grow.

Sirens quickly overtook the sound of the music box music. Springtrap looked past the Puppet and his eyelids raised in genuine alarm, for he could see the red and blue lights of a police car outside. Marionette spun around and saw it as well but looked back just as quickly when he heard the rabbit's thundering footsteps. Springtrap bolted from the bedroom and barreled down the hallway. Almost like he was heading towards the backdoor. If he ran out of the house now then he would surely be seen, and that was a horrifying thought.

"Wait!" Marionette called. He floated down the hall after him just in time to see Springtrap bolting for the backdoor and fumbling with the lock. "I don't want to fight you. If you go out there, they will see you."

Springtrap opened the door and threw himself through without listening. The damaged rabbit ran around the back of the house with the puppet in pursuit and then threw open a couple of doors that looked like they led into a basement. The doors looked partially broken, almost like something had broken into them already. Or out of them. The animatronic dropped himself down on the stairs, landing heavily and staggering, and then disappeared into the darkness of the basement. He made no attempt to close the doors behind him even though he seemed to be hiding, allowing Marionette to follow.

Henry's basement was dark and smelled stagnant. It looked like there was an old workshop kept in it and a few unfinished endoskeletons and parts were scattered around. Blueprints littered the floor around a work desk, having been knocked off at some point. The dust on them suggested that it wasn't recently. Marionette focused in on one that looked like an early design of his own body but was stopped when he heard a heavy dragging sound. He headed further into the darkness, past a few tilted shelves and stacked storage, and eventually found an entrance into a crawlspace.

In the back of the crawlspace was Springtrap. He was knelt amongst boxes, stacked newspapers, flyers, and a heavy wooden chest that he had clearly drug out of the way. The Puppet watched in surprise as the suit suddenly pulled up a metal hatch from the floor and dropped down inside feet first. Marionette rushed forward and looked down into the hatch, catching one last glimpse of the broken ears before Springtrap disappeared somewhere underneath. All he could hear of him were footsteps that faded away. Springtrap had escaped down the rabbit hole.

Marionette decided not to immediately follow and instead looked around at the entranceway. There was a metal ladder bolted to the side of the shaft- he guessed that Springtrap just slid down it- but other than that there was nothing to explain the secret tunnel. Henry shouldn't have had something like this hidden under his house. It was only once remembering the basement door that Marionette made a startling revelation: _"He used the tunnel to get inside… How many of these are there?"_

Any further thoughts were dashed as he heard footsteps and voices from above. The police had entered the house and were now wandering around inside. Soon they would find the basement doors and even if he shut them, they would notice them being broken. Then they would find this hatch. As much as he didn't like to get involved in hiding things from Freddy's, they couldn't afford to know about this tunnel. Springtrap surely had another way out, so Marionette made his decision and pushed the heavy chest back over the hatch. He struggled with it only a little.

Then, while the unaware policemen continued looking over the scene upstairs, Marionette teleported back home. He appeared in Charlie's bedroom, where she and Mike were sitting on the bed waiting. As soon as he appeared, Mike raised his head and was washed in relief. He inwardly mocked himself for being so concerned.

"There you are. What happened?" Mike asked immediately. He looked over his mask. "No cracks, good. But no Springtrap either, so I'm guessing you couldn't find him."

"No, I found him… And admittedly, you were right. He was acting strange and we got into a little scuffle. I think he might've been injured; he was limping and seizing like it," Marionette explained. The human gave him a knowing look.

"What exactly counts as a scuffle?" he asked bluntly, flatly, already knowing.

The striped one was shamefaced and got a small smile out of awkwardness. He glanced towards Charlie apologetically and admitted, "We destroyed most of the living room… And parts of the kitchen."

"Thank God the bathroom was spared?" Charlie offered. She didn't seem concerned about it. It wasn't as though she still lived there, though she would've been more upset to have heard that one of the bedrooms had been damaged.

"How did you pull that off without a scratch on you?" Mike asked in disbelief. Marionette gave a simple shrug; he would rather not list the minor bumps and bangs. "And what about Springtrap? Is he still over there?"

"Right, well… The cops showed up. I'm guessing one of the neighbors heard us and called. So, he- No, they didn't see me. Don't give me that look. Springtrap escaped through a hatch in the basement. It was almost like an escape hatch, or one of the vents at Freddy's or ARI, and I think he might've used it to get to the house. I made sure to cover it so the cops wouldn't see." Marionette got an unnerved look as he squeezed his hands together in worry, wringing them. "But secret tunnels doesn't sound like Henry, does it? It sounds like something William made…"

Marionette gave a low and somber chime. "I hope Michael will be alright. I shouldn't have fought back."

Mike was more than prepared to remind Marionette that it wasn't his fault, but it was then that he remembered something. Something about vents and tunnels, but instead of being from someone like Springtrap or Chance, or even one of the other workers, it was something that Ennard had said. The brief bit of the conversation came back slowly.

"Wait a minute…" the security guard began, slowly standing from the bed. "Ennard said something about secret passages leading into the sewer. That night that we were out driving he mentioned that there's one between the sewer and ARI, and he pretty much said there were more. If there's a hatch leading under the ground and it just happens to go to _Henry's_ house, then it was probably something William was behind." It all clicked at once as he and Marionette locked eyes, mutually understanding the severity of this. "And chances are Michael would've known about them."

There were a few moments of silence before Charlie shuddered. "Which means William had access to the house the whole time… Is that why Aunt Jen didn't want me in the house?" They doubted that she had even known, and part of Charlie didn't believe it either. "What do we do now?"

"Tomorrow I'm going over to Scott's and grilling Ennard. That 'ha ha, don't remember!' thing isn't going to cut it either. He's going to talk one way or another," Mike said. He kept a straight face as he mimicked his voice and gave an exaggerated 'Ennard-like' shrug. Marionette could not, even in these circumstances. He barely managed to keep his smile small and pressed a hand to his chest to stifle any chimes. "Which means we might be looking at a bribe. I'm just going straight for the cupcakes smothered in ketchup."

"Oh yes, that will work," Marionette quipped playfully. He then sobered up a bit. "I don't think Ennard would cover for him so we shouldn't have any trouble. We should keep an eye out tonight. I don't think Michael would come here, but he knows the house is here and we haven't been keeping up on the crawlspace." They seemed to be in agreement with everything planned. With only one thing left unfinished.

"Mari, I'm sorry. This is my fault. I was out there because I was trying to take a letter to my old friends, and it all spiraled out of control," Charlie apologized. He looked surprised for a moment, but then, unlike Mike, he looked sympathetic instead of scolding.

"I'm guessing since you ended up at the house it didn't go so well?" The Security Puppet looking away and this answered his question for him. "I noticed that recently your friends were appearing at the pizzeria more frequently. I knew something was going on… They didn't see you, did they?"

"Jason might've," Mike offered. Marionette seemed largely unconcerned.

"Jason saw me when we rescued him from Magictime and didn't tell anyone. I think we can trust that he wouldn't do anything drastic," Marionette pointed out. He noticed Charlie's continued somberness and gave her an assuring smile. "I'm sorry it didn't work out, but at least you got home safely. I'm much more concerned about your wellbeing." Knowing what she did now, she could've honestly believed it too.

"Mari…" Charlie was going to apologize again. He knew it and didn't need to hear it. Before she could, he moved in and pulled her abruptly into a tight embrace. She was neither surprised nor upset by it and leaned into his grasp. "Mari, you don't have to try and comfort me. I'll be alright," she assured even though his hold was familiar and reassuring.

"I know," he said with a light chime and without pulling away. It just felt better holding her close and knowing at least she was alright, so he wouldn't dwell as much as the one who got away. If he could've taken back some of tonight, then he would've. He didn't have to ask to know she felt similarly.

Seeing that the two of them looked alright for the moment and needing something to do, Mike pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. "I'm going to go call Fritz and Jeremy and give them a head's up on all of this. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He started to dial Fritz's number and soon got through to him to which he began explaining the events of the night. Charlie was half listening to him when Marionette gave another reassuring squeeze.

"You're safe now. As long as Mike and I are here, we're going to keep you safe. I promise," the Puppet said in a soothing and soft tone. Even with the events of the night, with seeing the horrible suit and confronting her old friends, Charlie didn't have trouble believing it. Or she just needed to believe it to ignore sinking feeling in her chest. Either way, she would be keeping close to Marionette tonight.

His warmth was needed after being under that cold gaze.

* * *

 **Mable: A good idea to stay home when you're contending with unpredictable animatronics. Anyway, sorry again about the late post, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	54. Chapter 54

**Mable: Keeping author's note short because posting so late. Hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-Four_

"Mike, hello! Come in, come in," Scott welcomed as he opened the front door. He wasn't surprised when Mike stepped carrying a tarp covered figure and just shut and locked the door behind him. Mike set the figure down, who removed its tarp to reveal Charlie underneath. "I didn't expect you guys to show up so quickly. Hello Charlie, Mari," Scott greeted, including the second puppet who appeared shortly after the first.

"It's nice to see you again, Scott. Is Baby out in the garage?" Charlie asked as she looked around the room for the clown. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she came solely for Baby; to distract herself by becoming her distraction for a short time. That, and to not be left home alone. Scott nodded and assured her to go on into the garage, which she did and shut the door behind her. He then turned to the others.

"So, what do I owe this pleasure? You said something about Foxy's on the phone?" Scott offered. The two exchanged a look and Scott sighed in defeat. "Or this is probably about the break in at Henry's last night."

"You got us. Though if Fritz calls and asks, this still counts as a work-related meaning," Mike said. He then grew more solemn, "We came to talk to Ennard."

As soon as he said that, Scott's eyes popped open in alarm. He looked aghast at the mere mention of the clown. "…You're not saying… He couldn't of…" the man muttered under his breath. Before they could clarify, he hurried past them both and made a beeline for the bedroom door before he could be stopped. He threw open the door, leaned in, and choked out, "Ennard, did you break into Henry's house last night?!"

"What?! No! I was here!" Ennard defended immediately, shocked by the sudden accusation. He was crouched off in the back corner of the bedroom and spun his head back to stare in aghast at the man. He persistently added, "I don't even know where Henry lives!" At this point, Mike finally stepped in.

"Relax, Scott, it wasn't him. We just needed to ask him about Afton's. We're trying to figure something out," he butted in and corrected. The security guard then leaned around behind Scott. "Ennard, we need to talk about Afton's, so if you can take a break doing… Whatever you're doing huddled in the corner."

"I'm building a kitty condo," the clown simply answered. He moved out of the way to reveal the half put together, wooden, cat sized tower.

"Glad to see that all those years of working on machinery in ARI is still put to good use," Mike said sarcastically. Ennard gave a loud laugh at that. "Speaking of ARI, we need to talk about those secret passages in the sewer, because we think that's what Springtrap used to get to Henry's."

He wanted that shock value, yes, but he underestimated exactly how the clown would react, forgetting momentarily that everyone wasn't as willing to forgive as Marionette was. Ennard gave a short screech and sprung up, dropping the screwdriver and knocking over the kitty condo in his panic.

"The rabbit?! What is he doing out there?! What is he even doing alive, I thought he burned up in that fire! He never came out- there weren't secret trap doors in there!" Ennard began to panic. He twitched and shuddered, looking ready to flee. Though that mood changed quickly as he went still, wire hands tightening and voice lowering. "I bet he was down there looking for me. If he thinks he's going to come in _here_ looking for me… He can think again." Short sparks of electricity danced on his fingertips as fearfulness became threatening.

"Ennard, don't work yourself up. Springtrap isn't coming for you," Marionette spoke up. He floated up enough to be seen past Mike and Scott, who were unintentionally blocking the door. Then he teleported into the center of the room when they didn't let him by fast enough. "He's not much of a threat to anyone right now. He's damaged and I believe he's using the tunnels not to look for something, but to hide inside, and I think Henry's was just an empty house to stay in. It looked like he was there for a while."

"We- We both know that Springtrap's not like us! Something's wrong with him. He's not normal," Ennard defended. His aggression washed back away, or at least hid itself in front of the puppet. "He hates me, that alone means he must be completely insane. He's always quiet, he's always thinking- he knows something! That's why he's down in those tunnels!"

"But you were down in those tunnels too," Mike offered. "We're pretty such he's Michael Afton, and from that list of technicians we know he was also working down in ARI and knew the tricks of the trade. I'm going to take a guess and say that these tunnels were common knowledge for the technicians working down there."

Two things happened at this. First, Scott looked to Mike in surprise and asked, "Michael was working there?" As he hadn't known what happened to Michael over the years. But the security guard was still too busy looking towards the clown whose looser wires suddenly splayed in alarm. Blue eyes flickered between the two humans, watching Scott, waiting for his reaction. Mike knew that look as the one of someone who was keeping a secret, and he was both unsurprised and mildly disappointed.

"Yeah, we figured out that he was working down there the night we found that list of technicians," he answered. He sent a knowing glance over towards the amalgam. "The night Ennard decided to eject his body mass everywhere."

"Ha ha! Yeah…" Ennard laughed unconvincingly. He still stared at the security guard intently. Mike didn't know if it was in a warning way or a pleading way, but he wasn't planning on being the bearer of news regardless. He had already done that with Springtrap.

"The events leading up to Michael ending up in the Golden Bonnie suit are still largely unknown. We can make our own guesses, but there is plenty of time we can't account for. If we are ever going to get these answers, then it will be from Michael himself… But in this state, he could get himself captured or break himself further trying to run from us," Marionette explained somberly. He looked back towards Ennard. "Ennard please, we really need to know where these tunnels are and where they go."

"…Al- Alright, fine!" Ennard exclaimed as he tossed his arms into the air. He gave an exasperated static noise and headed into the bathroom. "But one of you is gonna finish the condo."

"A fair exchange."

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright." Ennard popped out from the other bathroom door and headed into the office. Scott followed and watched in slight confusion as he worked his way around the room. He grabbed a pen and a piece of printer paper then stepped back out, pressed the paper to the wall to use as a surface, and then began to draw. "We'll make this tiny box right here be ARI," he said, making a small square in the center. "And now we'll draw the sewers like this…" He began making little tunnels around the square, slowly forming the grid of sewers that tunneled under the city. "And we'll put little x's where all the hatches are."

Scott was just as disturbed as Mike and Marionette were when they saw how many hatches Ennard was drawing. "Give me a couple of minutes to clean this up and I can put down where our houses are and try to remember if I've been anywhere over here," Ennard added, pointing the pen towards a large, blank spot of the paper.

"Take as much time as you need," the Puppet assured. He masked his worry as he turned to the older man alongside them. "Scott, can I talk to you for a moment in private?"

"Aww, I hope you guys aren't running off to whisper about me," Ennard said with a playful tone and an anxious twitch. "I'd just die if I found out you snuck away to laugh at my scribble skills."

"No, no, Ennard. It's about Springtrap… I would just feel more comfortable doing it in private, if you don't mind." Marionette certainly sounded uncomfortable and was obviously not going to enjoy asking about family issues. Scott wasn't going to either, but he agreed without issue and they headed into the bedroom. Mike listened in and sure enough he was being truthful. He could hear the Puppet and the Phone Guy's conversation:

"Had you seen Michael at all since Fredrick appeared?"

"Uh, no. Last thing I heard I think he was living up north somewhere... Are you sure it's him?"

"I'm almost positive."

"You know, to tell ya the truth, I know Mari _thinks_ Springdong-the-Rabbit's-Dead is Michael, but I don't know. I don't think so," Ennard admitted to Mike as he continued to scribble on the paper. It was just loud enough to interrupt the man's listening in and just enough to catch his attention. "I just got this hunch, ya know? He doesn't act like a Michael."

"As opposed to what, me?" Mike asked with amusement. "By the way, good job on telling Scott about what really happened the other night. I didn't really think you had it in you, and I was right."

"A little of that goes a long way, Mike," Ennard said with the mildest of annoyance. He glanced over and noticed that smirk still aimed at him and became more defensive. "It's not like I had a choice! I couldn't tell Scott. D'you know what he'd see every time he'd look at me if he knew about all that?"

"Personally, I think he'd still see a wire clown," Mike answered. "But what do I know?" Ennard rolled his eyes.

"No, he'd see that scooped out zombie staggering around. Trust me, the second they know the truth they start acting different."

"You haven't told anyone," Mike flatly remarked.

"I told you and you're treating me with kid gloves!" Ennard lightly snapped. This almost took Mike off-guard and he was about to deny it, but then realized the other might have had a point. So, he did the only rational thing and tried to overcompensate.

"Open up your eyes, Ennard, all twenty of them. I've been treating you the same way I'd treat any clown that knew where I lived," the security guard defended. "And worst-case scenario, Scott sees you as more human as he already does. Which, yes, would kind of ruin this alien clown thing you've got going on, but if you don't tell him he's still going to find out somehow." Ennard seemed to get a distant look somewhere through that. "…Did you get any of that?"

"You really think that?" Ennard quietly asked, listening in to make sure Scott was still talking and not listening in. "Do you re-really think that something like that would… Would make him think I'm more human?"

It was always there. That tiny wondering if Scott would've been more comfortable with him if he had been a human that became an animatronic, but after he had started getting the memories it had become the last thing he wanted to think about. Now that Mike had said it out loud, maybe he could use this finding to his advantage. He wouldn't ever have to defend himself for Ballora and the Funtimes' actions ever again.

"I don't think it would hurt," Mike answered. Then inwardly added, _"Or it explains all the weird ticks and lack of better judgement."_

"…You're right… You're right! Ha, all this time I waited thinking he'd look at me like I was a corpse, but maybe, just maybe, maybe he'll start looking at me like _I'm_ a human!... I'm going to tell him." Ennard slowly lowered the pen and paper as he made his decision. "I'm going to tell him right now before I lose the nerve!" He turned and shoved the things into Mike's hands before trying to go for the kitchen. In the last second, Mike caught him by the arm.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second. I'm glad you've made up your mind, but we really need to finish this up first," he said as he held up the map. "Let's wrap up this Springtrap fiasco. He's still slinking in the sewers."

"But if I wait- and Mari just said-!" Ennard glanced down at Mike's hand, then to the map that he was shaking again. "…Yeah, okay! You're probably right. You're always pretty on key with this kind of stuff. Besides, this is probably one of things I shouldn't just run in and blurt out while Scott's in the middle of drinking something. I've made that mistake, ha ha!" Ennard was borderline trembling in excitement as he took back the pen and paper and continued where he left off. "Lemme just finish this up. If you guys are planning on finding Springy, then you're gonna have a big job ahead of you!"

"Yeah, no. We're not looking for him. We're just getting an idea of where he could be if he pops up again," Mike assured. It wasn't a lie either. Going into the sewers to find Springtrap was the one thing he refused to do. Especially since he had a bad feeling that he would somehow end up down there. "I'm going to go see if Scott and Mari finished up." He started towards the bedroom door when he was caught off guard by one last comment.

"Just keep an eye or six out, cause one of these vent hatches is super close to your place," Ennard warned. Mike wasn't sure what 'super close' meant, but the mental image he got was of it being directly under their house. That would be their luck. He would have to look later, for now he stepped into the bedroom. Marionette was kneeling beside the unfinished kitty condo while Scott was leaning over above it.

"We're going down and tearing apart the basement as soon as we get home," Mike promised as he stepped in. "Chances are, there's one of those hatches in there. Which would probably be the most innocent of the stuff we've found down there." He then crossed over and looked down at what the Puppet was doing for a moment before crouching down beside him. "Put me somewhere," he said. Marionette responded by handing him the screwdriver and Scott spoke up.

"You really don't have to. I just told Mari he didn't have to either. Ennard was just kidding… Okay, he wasn't kidding, but he'd probably still do it anyway. He's pretty handy around the house. I haven't changed a lightbulb in months," Scott casually rambled. "But yeah, I don't want you thinking that the cost of getting through the door is hard labor."

Mike couldn't help but give a small snicker at this. "I don't think this counts as hard labor. If I can put a living puppet back together, then I think I can handle a cat condo." He looked over the condo for a moment before smirking over at Marionette. "Famous last words." Marionette chimed in amusement.

"That's great, because I've had that thing sitting in my closet for years now. It's about time someone had the patience to set it up." While both pondered exactly what that meant for them, Scott continued. "Let me at least get you a drink."

As soon as he stepped out of the room, Marionette looked to Mike. "That is your only warning that this is going to make working on me sound like fun."

"Working on you is already more fun than I'm willing to admit," the man teased with a small wink. The puppet gave a small warble, an audible blush.

"Mike, we're over here because a large rabbit is using secret sewer tunnels to break into houses, and the only way we can find out more about these tunnels is to build a cat condo. I'm not sure this is the time or place to fool around," Marionette pointed out.

"We're alone in a bedroom with nothing to distract us except a cat condo. I think this is the perfect time." Though right after saying that, Mike picked up a small wooden pole and stared at it. "…You got any idea where this is supposed to go?"

* * *

Baby activated as soon as the garage door opened. To her surprise, it wasn't Scott but Charlie letting herself in. The clown looked down to see a throw blanket thrown over her lower half- probably Scott's doing- and tossed it aside before lifting herself off the floor.

"Charlie, I didn't expect you to visit so soon." Baby's eyes began to glow as she jumped to assumptions. "Did you come to rehearse early?" Just that interest alone was a warning sigh to the Security Puppet, who wasn't feeling up to singing. Let alone singing for hours on end to get the sound 'just right'.

"No, Mike and Mari were coming to see Ennard and I thought maybe you'd like some company," Charlie answered. She turned on the lights and shut the garage door behind her, leaning against it and looking back to see the other watching her closely. Somehow, she knew the clown didn't buy it. "… Okay, I didn't want to be home alone."

"Why?" Baby asked in a tone that almost sounded innocent. Her tilting her head only accentuated the effect. "I would think you would like the time alone with how much Marion and the night guard coddle you."

Charlie didn't know whether it was worth bringing up. She didn't want to throw her issues onto Baby, as she wasn't the most empathetic person she could talk to, but she wanted to talk. Maybe her more abrasive side would be beneficial, as the Security Puppet ultimately decided against telling Marionette out of the fear of being pitied. It was one thing to accept his comfort and protection, but another to project something that heavy onto him. Her issues would seem so meager to someone like Baby, so she would be the perfect audience.

"…Something happened yesterday. I let something happen and I…" She gave an off-tune jingle and a defeated shrug, shoulders slouching as she slumped. "I tried to get in contact with my old friends. I came up with this elaborate scheme, I ran them on a wild goose chase, I almost got caught, and then I got back to my old house and found a golden rabbit there."

"Golden rabbit," Baby repeated. She gave a humming noise but sounded largely indifferent. "I've seen a golden rabbit. I thought he was dead. Why was he at your house?"

"I don't know. Mike and Mari think there's a secret tunnel connecting to the sewers…" Charlie trailed off as she turned to drop her head against the door. She was so embarrassed by it all. "I had been thinking about John again and- I don't know what I was thinking. Did I think he would somehow read the letter and be so inspired that he'd come down to the pizzeria, find out I was this now, and tell me that he still wants to be with me, and that we'll work it out…" She groaned and rubbed over her mask. "I could've lived without seeing him kissing my best friend."

This time, Baby was completely silent. It was as though she suddenly sobered up, or perhaps lost interest and was just feigning listening.

"That golden rabbit suit was the same one he wore when he…" Charlie began before fading off. "…No, not him. His father. Mari said he wasn't the Purple Man… It still looked like him." She pressed tighter against the door. "I never thought I would have to see him again."

Charlie had barely slept the night before. Every time she had tried to relax and let darkness take her, the golden rabbit appeared in the shadow of her mind. She would rouse in bed, clutching Theodore, staring at the lamp that she had left on and covered with her jacket. The dull light had been little comfort when she was trying to fight her own mind which was trying to submit to nightmares.

It was funny, she could barely remember her brother. If not for the pictures in the photo album, she wouldn't have been able to remember his face at all. Yet she remembered everything about that rabbit. His heavy footsteps, his creaking body, his strange smell- years later and she could only identify it as a mix of mildew and alcohol- and those hands reaching down for them. The golden rabbit had gone for her brother, but she remembered he had watched her the entire time. Or maybe she had been imagining it. Maybe it was a trick of her mind. To think that man had a secret entrance into the house was disgusting.

The soft sound of rolling wheels alerted her that Baby was moving closer. Charlie prepared herself to recover quickly and assure that she would be fine. Especially if Baby did manage that passive aggressive form of comfort that she was used to. To the puppet's surprise, the other animatronic laid a hand on her shoulder and gave a light pet.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I really am," Baby apologized. Charlie was almost shocked by it, but maybe she understood what it was like to face a monster from one's past. Maybe she too-. "You don't need him. You don't need her either. You've outgrown them both. Let them have each other; they deserve each other." Or maybe she had locked onto John kissing Jessica and the rabbit part went entirely over her head. Compared to Golden Bonnie, the situation with her friends seemed so much smaller. Petty drama compared to the horror of the golden rabbit.

"Uh, thank you, but I'm alright with it," the Security Puppet assured. "It was sudden… And unexpected… But I'm glad they're moving on. I still love them both. I want them to be happy."

"Don't be the martyr. I tried that and it is cold and thankless," Baby insisted with a tinge of her own frustration. "He just doesn't understand what he is missing. He thinks a human companion is easier. That is the only reason he chose her."

"Baby, he doesn't even know I'm alive still. He thinks that I'm in the ground… Which technically I am," the puppet admitted awkwardly. She pulled her jacket tighter around her as she turned to face Baby, mustering up a smile. "I really am okay. I'm fine with it now."

"…Oh. I see." Baby's voice was vague as she drew her hand back. "…Yes. You're right. You are fine. You don't need them. They are just boring humans and don't deserve your time." Charlie dropped her head into her hand, exasperated, prong jingling.

"Thanks, Baby," she flatly replied.

"I wouldn't fear the rabbit," Baby randomly continued. Now Charlie turned her head to look up at her. Finally, Baby was addressing what was actually bothering her, and it sounded like she had experience. "He is a mess. He never thinks ahead and is a slave to his emotions." She really did know him. So, perhaps she would be able to give insight-. "We are beautiful girls with painted faces. We don't need men."

"But about the rabbit-." Charlie tried to interject.

"We don't need him either," Baby interrupted.

"No, Baby, I meant you know the rabbit?" the Security Puppet asked. "Mari said he thought he was someone named Michael?"

"I don't know his name. All I know is that we were trapped together for a short time. He couldn't handle himself and would get distracted by the smallest thing, along with Ennard. If he saw Ennard then he would drop everything to go after him. It's a shame he didn't invest that much interest into our captor," Baby said with a noise like a scoff. It was then that Charlie remembered their conversation about the scooping.

"Do you think that maybe the man who's in the rabbit worked down in ARI and could've gotten- you know. I don't need to say it," the security puppet offered.

"Perhaps. He's just as aggressive as any of those workers down there. I'm sure if he had a taser he would've been using it on all of us," Baby said with bitterness. Just the thought got her worked up, and it was this that finally made her realize that she didn't want to waste their time together. She didn't want to think about that rabbit or that fire when they had more important matters to attend to. "But we can discuss him later. Charlie, I need to show you something that I've been thinking of," Baby offered as she put an arm on her shoulder and led her towards the washer and dryer.

"Oh, alright…" Charlie was a little disappointed that Baby was dropping the conversation topic again, but this time at least it sounded like she had a distraction in order. "It's nothing I have to rehearse for, right?"

"No. This is about me," Baby answered unashamedly. "About what we will be doing next to fix my body. I have had plenty of time to think and have decided that since my face was the start, working downward is the best option. To close up my chest and do something with these loose wires… and lights." She looked down at her torso and Charlie could've imagined her frowning. "You will help me design something better?"

"That's what I'm here for," Charlie assured. That was more like the distraction she was expecting, and even though it would be again leaving her without answers on Springtrap she decided it was worth letting go.

"No, it really isn't," Baby acknowledged. "…But I appreciate it. I trust your judgement. You will make me look beautiful." It almost surprised the Security Puppet that the clown said it out loud. She appreciated the confidence, especially when there wasn't even a hint of sarcasm. She needed that confidence after everything, and she gladly clung to Baby's offer and began to lose her mind to designing.

Charlie regained her smile fully. "Then let's get started."

* * *

" _Starting to see why this thing stayed in the closet so long,"_ Mike thought as he randomly screwed a bolt into place. He wasn't entirely sure if it was supposed to go there, but it seemed to hold the base together a little sturdier, and the wobbliness of it had been the last issue. Or with the condo, at least; there was another issue currently brushing his ear. "Glad you're having so much fun over there."

"It's not like I have much else to do," Marionette playfully teased. As soon as the man had fully taken over building the condo, assuring that he could handle it alone, the Puppet started to become bored. Eventually this led to him taking the cat toy that was supposed to stick out of the side of a condo- a long, narrow spring with a plume of feathers at the end- and begin to flick it over the security guard's ear. "I can see why cats would enjoy this."

"Somehow, I don't think that's how cats have fun with those," Mike quipped back. He was rewarded by the feather sweeping around his ear. "You know what I'm going to do when I'm done with this?" he asked.

"No, I don't," Marionette teased. His eyes narrowed and his smile widened in playful interest. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to snatch that cat toy out of your hands…" Mike trailed off. The man checked the kitty condo, making sure that it was sturdy enough that the cats' weight wouldn't cause any of it to fall in. "Get the feathers all ruffled up…" He set the kitty condo upright and looked over his work. "…And then glue it right into this hole where it's supposed to go."

"…That was quite a bit of build-up for nothing," Marionette replied, almost a little disappointed.

Mike flashed him a smirk, "I know." He then held out his hand expectantly. Still amused, the Puppet started to hand the toy over, only to realize his string was wound in the spring and having to pause long enough to work it out. Mike raised a brow curiously. "You really were expecting me to make a grab for it, weren't you?"

"It depended on how annoyed I could get you," the striped one chimed. He then got himself free and handed over the toy, which Mike glued into place. "We should really get one of these for Moppet."

"I'll ask Scott where he bought it. Maybe I can pay a couple more bucks and get one that's already built." He admired his work as he stood, then turned to his companion. "Let's go see if Ennard finished up with that map." The other nodded silently and he could tell he was sobering up. "I know, I know. I don't want to deal with Ennard's smugness either, but we're going to need that map next time we need to evade the cops." The smile returned fully, and he put an arm around him, then led him out of the bedroom.

What followed was one of the stranger occurrences at Scott's. Ennard immediately came up to them as soon as the stepped out of the bedroom and thrust the map into Mike's chest.

"Hey, there you are! Finally finished up? Great, so did I! Ha ha, here you go!" the amalgam rushed out. He then swooped behind them, catching an arm around each- even when Mike tried to dodge- and began leading them to the front door. "But really, thanks for your help! Saves me the time of doing it myself, and me and Scott have got a lot of stuff to do today- and so do you! Good luck with Springtrap, ha ha!" Scott watched in equal confusion as he dragged them to the door and nearly dumped them there.

"Uh, yes. Thank you, Ennard," Marionette said with mild confusion. He exchanged a glance with Mike before looking down at the map. "I suppose we should be off. Let me go get Charlie."

"No problem! I'll get her!" Then, before the Puppet could protest, the clown turned and barged his way into the garage. There was the sound of scuffling inside, along with Ennard's loud voice, "Alright, Little Lottie, time to go home!"

Charlie sounded like she had started to say something but was cut off by what they could only assume was Ennard doing the same thing to her that he did to them. He popped back out of the garage with the Security Puppet being nearly pushed in front of him. They were followed by a disgruntled static noise that was probably Baby, if the abrupt shutting of the garage door behind them was any indication.

Charlie looked to Mike and Marionette with the same confusion, then looked back at Ennard. "Could you just tell Baby we'll work on the rest of the designs later?"

"You got it!" Ennard didn't even ask about the designs. He just yanked up the tarp and tossed it over to Mike. "Come back any time! We're open day or night, ha ha! Good-bye!"

Scott was almost surprised that Ennard didn't just shove them all out the door from how desperate he was to get them out. Not that the clown hadn't already been acting restless, pacing the room and occasionally sneaking glances at the man. It was probably about Springtrap, Scott assumed, so he wasn't too concerned just yet. He headed over to the door to mediate the behavior and managed to give the three enough time to get safely to their car. As soon as they were gone and since Baby was in the garage, he attempted to address the issue.

"Ennard, I know you're probably worried about-." Scott was cut off by Ennard grabbing his wrist and starting to drag him across the living room. "Ennard?" It was then that he was nearly slung into his armchair. From the motion he suspected that the clown was trying to spin him into it, but he wasn't that graceful on the spur of the moment. It did continue to assure the strange behavior, what with the clown now standing over him, arms folded behind him, brimming with excitement. Scott could tell from the humming and the light clinking of wires.

"…This isn't about Springtrap, is it?" Scott asked. Or he hoped it wasn't. Ennard suddenly being this excited about the rabbit only spelled trouble. Thankfully, the amalgam shook his head.

"Nooo,~" Ennard trilled in a singsong tone. If he could, he would probably be smiling only wider. Though at this angle Scott could already see his sharp teeth. "I've got something real big to tell ya, Scottie!" Ennard chirped. He leaned in, his wires trembling, his voice bubbly and upbeat, as though he was about to burst. Scott thought he recognized that tone.

"You're… Changing your name again?" Scott guessed, somewhat playfully but mostly seriously. The amalgam laughed in response.

"Good guess, but no!... Well, okay, kinda but not really. It's about that little thing that happened when I was staying at Mike's. My little literal out of body experience!" Ennard's excitement didn't falter and Scott's eyes widened with interest. They really hadn't discussed that incident since he had gotten home and settled in. Scott had never gotten the full details and assumed if he was patient that he would get them whenever Ennard was ready. Maybe that was now. "I never told you what that was all about, did I?"

"No, not really. You just said- or you implied it happened after you watched a tape," Scott answered. "Is this about what was on the tape?... Mari said it was Michael?"

"Nah, that was just some zombie lurching around Freddy's! Don't worry about that," Ennard dismissed with a small wave. "No, this is about me! Truth is, it wasn't really that tape that made me come all apart everywhere, even if it was gross. I _actually_ remembered something really important from a long, long time ago."

Ennard was trembling as he noticed how interested Scott looked. This was the perfect time; the man was totally invested in hearing whatever he had to say, so when he dropped the bombshell it would really blow the man out of the water. This was it, the big reveal, and he was ready for it. "Turns out I'm-!"

" _-one of those terrible technicians down at Freddy's that tortured the animatronics. Then I was gutted out to be worn as a suit, except my body wasn't good enough and they probably ditched me in a vent before burning me in a furnace to get rid of me, and nobody ever cared that I was gone or came to find me."_

The amalgam froze up just like that, voice cut off by that single betraying thought, still looking down at Scott. He just froze up in the middle of his reveal and now the man was just staring in anticipation. He slowly looked more confused when the clown didn't finish what he was saying, almost as confused as Ennard himself. He had to do this and tell Scott. Scott would understand; he cared so much about him.

" _Scott cares about Ennard. He loves Ennard. Everybody loves Ennard. If I tell him I was just some technician, then I won't be Ennard anymore. I won't be able to go back."_

Ennard's wires tightened and pulled closer into his body, his eye twitched, and he almost gave the appearance of an animatronic about to malfunction, but Scott knew better than to assume anything. Especially when the amalgam had already been acting strange earlier. Part of him waited longer just because he wasn't certain if Ennard was pausing for emphasis or not.

"You're…?" Scott finally coaxed. That was when Ennard began to panic.

"I'm- I'm not actually a clown! Ha ha, since the mask comes off and there's not really clown features underneath!" the 'clown' attempted to excuse. "Isn't that something?! You think you know someone and then they turn out to be something entirely different!" He began to wring his hands and tangle his wires together. "And then you're afraid to tell people because they've always seen you as one thing and if they see you as this other thing then maybe they won't like you as much?! Because you thought you might not be that great, but then you realize there's a chance you're worse?!"

That deranged ramble was a dead giveaway. He knew it as soon as Scott's features changed from confusion to something else. Maybe surprise, or maybe a bit of understanding, but there was no way he could know the full extent. Ennard still had himself covered, even as his thoughts perched on his shoulders like angels and demons, telling him to tell the truth and warning him not to.

It was Scott's turn to do something and he knew it, and he knew Ennard well enough to know what he would respond to. "Ennard…" he began patiently. "…If you're trying to tell me you were the one who broke into Henry's, then you're going about it the wrong way." Ennard stared at Scott blankly. The man got a slow, playful, testing smile to show he was joking.

Then, all at once, the amalgam burst into laughter. Nearly hysterical laughter wracked his body as he hunched over, holding himself up with the arm of the chair. That had almost seemed to work, and the man was about to think that he helped, but then about five seconds passed and the clown was still laughing, and then he started to realize that this was too much even for him. He almost said something, but then Ennard dropped down on one knee in front of the chair. His laughter was now strained and sputtering, as though the audio track was distorting.

Ennard dropped his head onto his lap. His hands grabbed at the back of his head, tracing along the edge of his mask, clawing at the metal. He got himself stuck, both in the laugh track and in the confession.

"Ennard- Hey, don't do that," Scott warned as he reached forward to take his hands, which had crept towards the back of his own neck. "Ennard, you know that I wouldn't get mad at you. You can tell me anything."

The laughter finally stopped. It was so abrupt that it nearly took Scott off guard. The wire hands twisted in his so that they could grab onto his and squeeze. Ennard pressed further into his lap, letting a metallic noise more akin to a groan. He was at Scott's mercy now. He had no choice but to tell him.

"So, uh… If it wasn't the tape, then what was it?" Scott carefully asked.

"Not much," Ennard falsely assured, still pressed in his lap. "Just remembered being scooped."

"Oh… Right, yeah," Scott sighed and ran one head over the back of Ennard's head. He cleared his voice and continued, "Back when you were in ARI and the workers used to take you all apart?"

"Nah," Ennard said. "Back when I was a worker and the animatronics took me apart."

There was another long silence. It wasn't that it took a long time to sink in, but that Scott had trouble believing that he had heard it right. Ennard couldn't have just implied that he had been human. If anything, he had said the exact opposite the entire time they had lived together. He had been adamant on him being a creation of other animatronics, and now here he so casually admitted he was- Oh dear Lord- a human who had been _disemboweled_ and worn as a suit.

Ennard could faintly hear Scott's heartrate quickening and slowly turned his head up to look at him. Mouth tight, eyes widened, maybe even a shade paler- just one look at it and Ennard broke into giggles.

"What's- What's that look?! Yeesh, Scott, if I knew that look was gonna be your reaction, I would've told you days ago!" he chirped in amusement. He started to edge towards actual laughter past the fit of giggles and for a few seconds it all seemed like it would be alright. Then that look settled in, along with everything else, and the chuckle grew slower and quieter. He slumped again and by time he was back to being face down they had become shaky and crackly, slow and heavy, until they devolved into what almost sounded like dry sobs.

Scott snapped out of his shock quickly. "Ennard, I… I'm so sorry…" He didn't even know what he was supposed to say at this. He reached down to pet over the back of the amalgam's head, but it didn't feel like it was enough. He couldn't even begin to imagine how he was supposed to comfort someone in these circumstances, even when he knew Ennard as well as he did. "I'm so, so sorry. That must've been… I- I can't even imagine what you… Felt… Going through that."

"Y-You know- Y-You know wh _ **aa**_ t's worse? Ha _ **ah**_ ha… I got this- this hang up." Ennard reached for his head again and grabbed the edge of his mask, tilting his head upwards enough to have his hand covering his forehead and eyes. "Can't remember, can't tell, can't- can't know for su-ure but, ha, I think, ha, I think they left my body in a vent… And then it just got th-thrown away… Nobody wanted it…" His feigned voice melted away as he finally admitted, _**"Nobody looked for me."**_

That was what did it. All at once, Scott slid his arms under and around Ennard and pulled him upright. Before the amalgam could even consider what Scott was doing, he was pulled into a tight hug against him. He squeezed the clown in a way that was usually received instead of given and tucked him into his chest until he heard the soft squeak. Then he smiled, if only for a moment, and tried to decide on something to say. Eventually he came to the one thing that had comforted him over the years.

"I can't even imagine what it was like and I… I can't begin to think of the pain and the… But it's over." Scott interrupted his own rambling with clarity. "You're safe now and nobody's ever going to do anything like that ever again. I'll make sure of it. I'll keep you safe and I… You know I'd always look for you. You know I'd always come find you." This got a low rumble out of the amalgam, a more contented one. It was the first sign that he was starting to calm down. The second was the return of his typical voice.

"G-Guess I- ha- guess I blew my cover. Out of character. I'm not even Ennard anymore and I don't even remember my name," Ennard said in a quiet mumble against him. "I find out I'm not just some hunk of the band's leftovers and I can't even remember my real name. Pretty sure it wasn't Eggs or Benny or whatever." He made a needy sort of whine and grabbed ahold of Scott. "I just didn't want us to change!"

"Ennard, nothing's going to change. Not over this, not over anything." They weathered through much worse than this. "Are you going to be okay? You don't feel like you're going to start… You know, start rejecting wires?" The amalgam shook his head against him. "Are you sure?"

"I feel _great_ ," Ennard lied. "I'm not down there anymore. I'm _fantastic._ "

The last thing Scott wanted to do was stress Ennard out any further considering what he had to just go through, but there were questions creeping up and he knew if he let them go that Ennard was liable to not bring this event up ever again. He had a way of letting these serious issues hide under the rug until they spilled out in an emotional display. At least he had him calmed down now.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't feel like it. I don't want to make you remember things that you don't want to, but… Do you remember anything about yourself? Maybe not your name, but maybe something else? Maybe what you looked like?" the Phone Guy coaxed.

As much as he didn't want to, Ennard was willing to answer any question Scott had if it meant keeping him close. Unfortunately, he remembered so few things. _"I think I liked animatronics?"_ Not remembering his name was only the tip of the iceberg. His hair color, any family or friends, his home; it was all gone. It didn't bother him, but it limited his options. _"I think I liked work?"_ There were a few things that he considered, but they would only stress out Scott. He didn't want to stress Scott. He loved Scott. _"I think I remember Michael."_

"I think I was short," Ennard offered almost hesitantly. He then nuzzled further against Scott's chest. "Might've not been too bad… Oh, and my voice wasn't nearly as fun as this one!" Scott was about to ask further, but Ennard caught him off mid-hitch of breath. "And before you ask, nope, not doing that voice! Ha ha, no, just… No."

"Fine by me. You already have a real voice that I'm used to," Scott reassured as he continued petting over the back of his head. "Have you told Baby?" Ennard's grip tightened up. "…I guess that's a no."

"All it'll do is make things weird," the amalgam pointed out. Scott nodded in agreement. As of now they had only recently become tolerant of one another and this seemed like one of those things that could break that fragile bond. "You won't tell her?" The man assured that he wouldn't. "Good, that's… That's good." Slowly, Ennard started to perk up a bit more, or just enough to look up at the human. "At least now that I'm human, this thing we've got going on isn't as weird."

That was, in fact, the first time that Ennard had acknowledged 'the thing' and it resulted in blood rushing to Scott's face. Which, naturally, the clown noticed. "Aww, don't go red on me now. You know what we've been up to,~" he teased, finally returning to his normal demeanor. He hugged the man tightly around the middle. In return, Scott regained his smile and continued holding him reassuringly. This would certainly change some things, he couldn't deny that, but it only made him more determined to hold on.

Neither noticed the cracked garage door slowly close. Nor did they notice that Baby had been listening in and heard everything.

The thought of Ennard being one of the technicians down at in Afton Robotics' filled her with instant unease. The technicians and workers- save for the occasional indifferent or good-natured ones- were unkind and aggressive people who treated the animatronics like defective product. They weren't even treated like tools. Screwdrivers and wrenches didn't receive nearly as much manhandling as they had. Slamming parts, dropping them wherever, shocking relentlessly, refusing to properly fix them if they were 'acting up'; they were monsters.

So, it was hard to believe that Ennard could be one of them. Perhaps he was mistaken. She certainly hoped he was.

 _It was the first time she had heard voices in ages, and she was just confused enough to be drawn to them. Her green eyes alit as she turned her head and looked around the room she was kept in. The Circus Gallery, but she didn't know that. All she knew was that she heard the voices of adult men and needed help. Maybe one of them knew her; maybe they could take her away from here._

 _Her heavy, hulking body was awkward as she stepped down the ramp from the stage and onto the tiled floor. She walked like a lumbering toddler taking its first steps as she looked ahead towards the voices. There they were, two adults dressed in purple uniforms, chatting about something she knew nothing about. She started to move a little faster to get herself over to them, only noticing as she got closer how tall she was compared to them. Then they saw her._

" _Don't look now. That clown one's coming this way," one of the men said. He didn't sound too disturbed or surprised to see her. "I thought you said that one stayed on its stage."_

" _Usually does. Don't worry, I'll handle this," the second man assured. He reached into his belt and stepped forward, all while she was still rushing to meet him. Then, once she got right to him, right when she was ready to try and get help or something to fix her, his arm suddenly struck out and he stuck something against her now metal chest._

 _Pain followed. A tight, seizing pain that coursed through her insides and fried her to the core. Her vision turned to static, her hearing was muffled, and what only lasted a few seconds felt like an eternity. As soon as the jolts stopped, Baby's body stiffened up and she couldn't move. She wasn't even sure if she would've tried moving already after something so painful. All the while, the technician looked to the other one with casualness._

" _You just give them a little jolt and they quiet down again. Just make sure to keep that taser on you," the technician said. "Where's the dolly? We should get it back on stage. These things get damaged and you're pretty much not getting a paycheck that week. They dock you for just breathing the wrong way."_

" _I know. I already got docked for throwing a wrapped in the private garbage can. I'm guessing the whole place is just broke. Our checks probably already come from fines," the other said with slight amusement. They then wandered off to find this so-called 'dolly' and left her to stand there recovering._

 _It was at that moment when she knew that she wasn't going to be getting any help. They weren't there to help her and they wouldn't be taking her away from here. They were her captors and they would need to be avoided, or they would hurt her again. She already had a hunch that they would. She had never felt more alone._

It was a nightmare; that place had followed her home.


	55. Chapter 55

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-Five_

" _ **Circus Baby had a big day today. However, customers have submitted complains of an odd smell coming from Baby's interior. Let's get her all cleaned out with a quick trip to the Scooping Room! Remember-."**_

" _Thanks, but I think I've got it from here." Baby watched as the technician nonchalantly turned off the Handunit and set it aside. He wheeled his seat up to her, scrunching up his face once he got close. "Oh yeah, that's a smell alright. And I don't think its pizza…" Baby was still as he whistled and hooked a tool under her chest plate to smoothly pop it off. He went straight for her ice cream maker and coughed. "And there it is," he remarked as he unconnected and pulled out the attached tank. "Looks like we've got a mold problem," he announced. Then muttered, "I've told Bert seven times to clean this thing out."_

 _The technician dumped the rancid, molded ice cream sludge into the trashcan before wiping it out with a rag and spraying the inside with disinfectant. He whistled the whole time, just like Ballora said he did. Baby couldn't help but be curious in him. He certainly wasn't like the others, so maybe he would be the help they needed. There was only one way to find out._

" _Alright, Baby. Let's just slide this back in, close you up, and you're ready for showtime!" The technician did as he said, sliding the tank in, locking it into place, and closing her chest cavity again. "Just got to make a note to have the ice cream replaced…" He picked up a notepad and began to jot it down. "And maybe a little something special for Bert, who's got to do something more around here then just complaining all the time." He set the notepad aside and started to stand. "Done."_

" _Thank you."_

 _The technician froze as soon as she said it. He almost seemed unsure of whether he heard it or not, halfway between seated and standing, and his eyes slowly slid over towards the bot. But like most of the others, he assumed she was mindless and that this was an automated response. He almost shrugged it off with a simple, "No problem, Baby." He smiled to himself, obviously thinking it all to be innocent and rational. She wouldn't give him that luxury._

" _You're not like the others. We've noticed."_

 _It was now that the technician started taking notice too. His eyes widened and his mouth tightened as he stared at the female clown. She tilted her head in what she hoped was a cute and innocent way, to entice him. The cuter she was the more he would trust her, which she needed since she dwarfed him. "Is something wrong? You were talking to me. Can't I talk to you?"_

" _You talk," the technician repeated. His eyes widened and he jumped up to back away, knocking his chair over in the process. "How are you alive?" he asked in growing dread. He hadn't gone for the taser yet, which was a good sign. "Is this some sort of prank or something?"_

" _No, I'm talking to you because I want to… I don't get a chance to talk to the others. I'm usually kept alone. Even when we're on stage together we can't speak… Or they will hurt us," Baby explained with exaggerated somberness. She then perked right up. "But you're different. You talk to us, but you don't talk to the other technicians."_

" _There's, uh… There's an age gap," the technician said in a flimsy excuse. He swallowed thickly as he continued staring at her. Then he boldly started to step forward. "You really are alive, aren't you? There's not just a radio in you. You're… You're actually alive!" His fear quickly turned to awe. "That's amazing. I can't believe this…"_

" _You're funny. Funny in a good way. Will you keep talking to me?" Baby asked with the same, quiet tone._

" _Of course! You're- You're a real live, talking animatronic! I knew the technology here was advanced, but nothing like this!" He seemed so excited as he lifted the chair to sit again. Though he got an awkward look. "I didn't hurt you with that, did I?"_

" _No. I'm made to come apart. I barely felt it at all. You are very gentle for a technician," she answered. It was true but she said it to boost his comfort more than to be kind. "You won't tell the others, will you? I am Circus Baby. What's your name?"_

 _The technician smiled, as though trusted with the secret to the meaning of life. "No, I won't. This stays in this room, promise, scout's honor. Nice to meet you, Baby. I'm-."_

"Hey, Babydoll? Are you awake in there?"

Baby was pulled out of her reverie by the garage door opening. She hadn't been asleep but standing in the garage thinking for the last while. She wasn't sure how long she had been lost in her mind since she heard the two talking in the living room, but it couldn't have been longer than an hour. Looking back, she saw Ennard lean into the garage and perk at seeing her.

"Oh, good! You're awake!" Ennard chirped in delight. He let himself in and closed in on her. "Hey, so Scott's gotta work tonight and he's gonna be closed up in his office on the phone for a long while, so I thought maybe we could do something!" He gestured between the two of them. "We could play a game! We never play games!"

"There's a reason for that," Baby discouraged. Though she still had a lingering discomfort from the thoughts earlier. It left her weak and pliable. "…What sort of game? Not something like a word game, you mean."

"Nah! Like a real game. Scott's got a couple of different ones in his closet. We've got Monopoly, Jump the Jack, he's got _two_ versions of Clue- Let's play Clue! Miss Scarlet and Colonel Butters solve a murder!" It sounded strange and not like something she would really enjoy, but Baby was having a hard time saying no.

"Fine," she agreed, trying to sound as uncaring and forced as she could. "Set it up."

Baby didn't frequently sit at the dining room table. It just reminded her of how awkward her body was, but she managed it well enough. Here she was sitting in the chair, head propped up with her good hand, claw hanging down beside her and the table, and legs partially crossed underneath the table. She watched nonchalantly as the amalgam set up the Clue board, humming as he did, and arranging everything together.

"Okay, here's the game: a rich guy is dead and we've gotta find out who did it. So, we go around the board and make guesses, and check off things on these tiny pieces of paper, to find out who did it. The murderer can be any one of us! Including us, so don't think you're off the suspect list just because you're a player," Ennard said playfully. He tapped on an envelope. "The suspect, weapon, and place are already inside. All we've gotta do is narrow it down."

"If it was me, then would I still admit to it? I would be incriminating myself," Baby pointed out. He wasn't too unused to her being difficult; he already considered it a victory that he got her into the kitchen at all. "Unless that somehow saves me from being put in jail?"

"Yeah, we'll go with that. We'll say that the reward money is juuust enough to bribe your way out of jail. Heh, if TV's taught me anything, it's that money's a great excuse to get people wherever you want them to be!" Ennard assured. He then started to deal out cards. "Now we can't look at each other's cards, so make sure to keep them to yourself!" Baby couldn't say she appreciated how he treated her like a child, as though this was the hardest game in the world, but she decided not to voice it. Instead, she took her cards and looked through them. "So, we go around the board and take turns-."

As Ennard continued to explain, Baby's mind began to wander. In the back of her mind she was still distracted by other things.

 _Ballora was always doing something worth getting taken apart over. Today wasn't necessarily her fault; her body failed because the technicians hadn't rebuilt her properly after her last scooping, causing plates to come off during the private show she and Baby were featured in. They were both hauled off to Parts and Service and were currently to be tended to. The clown was almost seething as she imagined another trip to the Scooping Room because of Ballora. Maybe it wasn't entirely her fault this time, but usually it was. Another reason to loathe the ballerina._

 _Then, right when Baby was about to directly scold Ballora for what she 'let' happen, the door opened, and the technician stepped inside. It wasn't one of the two technicians from earlier though but the friendly one. The one who Baby had under her thumb already. She already knew that there would be no scooping tonight. He crossed the room as casually as could be, setting a toolbox on the workbench, and turning his Handunit on as he went through it._

" _ **Ballora and Circus Baby had a rough day today and suffered damages that risk the stability of their exoskeleton. To reattach the plates securely, the endoskeletal wire structure will need to be removed. Your task tonight is to load both Ballora and Circus Baby onto the conveyor belt and send them off to the Scooping Room. First-."**_

" _Scooping Room?" the technician asked in mild confusion as he somehow muted the Handunit. It proceeded to make a crunchy, ticking noise, but no longer babbled out information._

" _The Scooping Room," Baby repeated. He looked back to her, seemingly still somewhat surprised by her speaking. "That's where they take us apart. They break us into pieces."_

 _The man looked between both animatronics in confusion. "I… Don't follow. That said there were plates unattached?" Naturally, he couldn't see Ballora's loose plates from here. Though when he looked up at her he suddenly got this distant look, suddenly wondering if she too was alive and almost captivated looking over her. She wasn't as large as Baby and was much more human in shape, and the thought of her being alive almost reached uncanny valley. Baby noticed his staring._

" _Don't be shy. You can talk to her too. She's alive like I am," Baby explained to him. She then turned more towards the ballerina. "Ballora? Are you still awake? This is the technician I was telling you about. He's the nice one." Ballora slightly raised her head more and turned it down slightly to face the direction of the technician. She didn't open her eyes and yet still acted as though she could see him, and the man stared back up at her in awe. A second living animatronic- this was incredible!_

" _It's nice to meet you Ballora… Like, really meeting, since the last time I was cleaning up your stage I didn't know you were actually a real person..." His voice trailed off as he returned to that entranced stare. Hook, line, and sinker._

" _Ballora would love to sing for you, but she gets so tired after shows… But it will be worse after we enter the Scooping Room." Baby's voice fell with sorrow and she lowered her head. Ballora turned away and lowered her own, upper body leaning slightly to the side. "The Scooper only hurts for a moment, but it's so hard to put us back together, and they always do it. Every time something is wrong, they break us."_

 _The technician couldn't say he understood why 'scooping' the animatronics was the first means of repair. Nowhere in technical college had he been taught that repeatedly tearing a machine apart would help put it back together. It sounded like something a complete idiot would do, or a faceless company that really had no idea how their own bots worked. This only made him more determined and he turned to get some tools from the toolbox. "Maybe not tonight…"_

 _He went straight to work in trying to secure the loose plates again. It was awkward snapping them back in, especially when he was wasn't entirely used to touching animatronics that he knew could feel him. As he pressed in a higher chest plate, Ballora turned and tilted her head back. If she had been human, this would've given a perfect view of a long, graceful neck, instead of showing him shiny plates and the briefest glimpse of needle-like teeth. He was just on the border of being unsettled and enticed by the prospect of these living beings._

 _Baby was finished much quicker than Ballora as none of her plates were loose. More so, he just had to check her ice cream tank again. This time he smiled as he looked in. "And look who picked up the slack! Not a speck of mold and full of ice cream. Maybe I didn't give Bert enough credit."_

" _I wish you would've done it. So gentle. Isn't he, Ballora?" Baby asked to which the ballerina turned her head down in a shy sort of way. "How much longer will you stay?"_

" _Actually, my shift's a short one tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow," the technician assured as he checked his watch. He then started putting his things away. "I guess I could maybe… Talk to the others about taking their maintenance jobs? Helping you guys is a lot less stressful than doing vent repair or vending machine restocking."_

" _That would be wonderful," Baby supported. "Be careful going home. I don't know what we would do without you."_

 _The man was so confused that he wasn't sure how to react. It was weird enough that there were living animatronics, but the fact that they liked him and wanted him to work on them was unbelievable. It was like something out of a movie, except he should've been a kid and Baby didn't have magical powers. That he knew of; he wouldn't rule that out yet considering all this._

 _As he was walking back across the Funtime Auditorium he had a spring in his step and an excited smile on his face. He knew he wasn't supposed to tell, but maybe he could just tell-._

 _That was when the Parts and Maintenance door opened and shut again, while he was halfway across the room. He paused and blinked through the darkness, only able to right himself because of the lights coming from inside the Control Module. He turned back and looked through the darkness._

" _Somebody there?" he called out. In response, he heard a soft shuffling and tapping patterns on the floor. He reached down for his flashlight and then shined it towards the opposite door. His heart rose into his throat as the beam of light fell on Ballora._

 _And as soon as he saw her all his excitement and curiosity in the animatronic dropped all at once._

 _Ballora was not standing in the graceful pose she was known for but dropped onto all fours. Her chest faced upwards while her arms and head were turned around to guide her. She crawled across the floor like a spider, with her long legs bent behind her. Her eyes were still closed and yet she crawled towards him like she knew exactly where he was. Then her head turned up towards him._

" _Don't be shy," Ballora cooed in her melodic voice. "Lower your walls. Open yourself and let me inside…"_

 _The technician proceeded to turn around and made a mad dash towards the vent that led back into the Control Module. He could hear the pattering of her following but made it into the vent long before she would've. She didn't even sound to be in a rush. As though she knew he would be back._

 _Just like Baby did._

"Oh, I have _got it!_ " Once again, Ennard mercilessly dragged Baby out of her own head. She glanced across the board at him and found him staring intently at the checklist. It was almost comical to see a towering clown holding a book of papers as small as this one. "I'm making my guess. I'm ninety-nine percent sure that I have it."

"Go ahead," Baby agreed. She vaguely remembered that this would effectively end the game, which was probably a good thing. It wasn't that she wanted to avoid him, but she could not get out of the past and out of her head, and eventually he would notice and ask.

"I'm gonna say that it's Ms. Scarlet in the dining room with the knife," the clown proclaimed. He then proceeded to nearly tear open the small envelope to look at the cards. His silence following this said all that it needed to.

"It wasn't the knife," Baby said. She would know so as it had been in her deck. He gave an awkward sort of laugh as he slowly set the cards face down, as though to hide them.

"Don't ya hate it when that one percent sneaks back up? Ha, yeah… Okay, new game!" He started to set up again. "This time I'm playing Mr. Green. He's a reverend, right? I need some divine intervention."

Baby silently agreed with that but didn't think she could get through another game. She looked towards the window and stared outside. She briefly wished she could still go outside, but she retracted it immediately. It wasn't as though she had anywhere to go if she could. Vague memories of a sunny park left a bitter taste in her mouth. She didn't notice when Ennard took notice of her look.

"Something up?" he asked.

"No," she quickly answered. She didn't feel like spilling herself to him, especially not after what she heard earlier.

"Oh, come on. Something's wrong," he said in an almost sing-song tone. "You can tell me! Actually, I've been a little…" There he was, about to walk into telling her what he told Scott. She was almost surprised that he caught himself in time. "Yeah, you can tell me!" he reassured. "You know, if you want."

"I don't," Baby snapped a little more harshly than intended. It took him aback and his stare made her uncomfortable. She gave a huff of a noise and turned away towards the window again. "Set it back up. We'll play again."

"…Sure! Ha ha, great!" Ennard covered as he went back to setting the game back up.

The truth was that Baby's issue wasn't that Ennard was a technician. It was that she didn't know which one he was. She remembered that one technician well and if Ennard was him then at least she knew he hadn't been a tormenter, but the thing was that she didn't know if he was him. There were numerous technicians down at ARI and a handful of them that died from the animatronics' hands.

Sure, only a couple of technicians were scooped, but the two technicians that had been the most vile- to them, at least- had also been killed at Ballora and Funtime Foxy's hands. They could've somehow found a way into Ennard's body. Worse still, Ennard didn't sound or act like any of them. Baby couldn't tell if he was purposefully hiding his own identity or had lost it over the years. She was pulled out of her thoughts by his voice adding in.

"Just know that you can tell me _anything_."

"It's a shame I cannot say the same," Baby said in passing.

"Ha ha. What?" Ennard was staring again. This time he looked uneasy, wires twitching and totally focused. As though he knew exactly what she was implying. Perhaps she hadn't given him that much credit. It would be easier if he didn't know what she knew. So, as she usually did, she talked her way out of it.

"I would rather not hear the intricate and empty details of that mindless fluff you love watching." At least it wasn't a lie, and her smooth delivery managed to convince him, even if he seemed a little uneasy.

"Oh right! Ha ha! Nah, I wouldn't put ya through that- I'd spoil the entire show for you! If you want the full experience, you're going to have to watch it yourself!" Ennard then started sorting the cards again. "We've- We've got our own drama with the murder, so… Let's get started!"

 _The crackling laughter seemed to come out of nowhere and the technician jumped before looking past the control panel. He had been just resetting the power- the lights in the Circus Gallery weren't working again- and now there was Funtime Freddy in the back corner of the Breaker Room. He hadn't even heard him coming and he wasn't even sure what long route he took to get there. The technician started to sink behind the panel in an attempt to hide, but those big blue eyes focused right on him. Freddy always had the best vision._

" _Well, well, well! Bon-Bon, look who it is! It's Baby's little playmate!" the animatronic bear exclaimed as he stared at him. He tilted his hand puppet as though giving it a 'quizzical' sort of tilt. "Or is that Baby's little play_ thing _?" He punctuated this with a mocking laugh._

 _Up until that comment, the technician hadn't had any real evidence that Funtime Freddy was also alive, but that seemed to confirm it. That, and he was aware that Baby had been speaking with the technician, which was an unsettling thought. Something about Funtime Freddy definitely felt different than the others. He seemed much more aggressive- and that was taking into account the incident with Ballora._

 _The technician discreetly pressed the button to reset the Circus Gallery's electricity and slipped down further. Funtime Freddy let out a noise like a guffaw and snickered._

" _Aww, that's cute! Bon-Bon, our friend really is shy! We should go over and break the ice- along with some other things." That was clearly a thinly veiled threat. None of the others had threatened him before. Even Ballora, who was strangely forceful and unsettling, never made a threat. Now he was starting to believe that Baby was the only sane one._

 _So, as soon as the power reset itself, he turned and sprinted for the door._

" _Hey, where are ya going?! We didn't even have time to cut into the cake! Don't ya want to party with us?" Funtime Freddy mockingly called after. He followed the technician with a few heavy footsteps, and the man could hear him as he started shutting the Breaker Room door. "Gonna go hide behind Baby's skirts again? Ha ha, well okay! But you're gonna have to come out eventually!~"_

 _The technician suppressed the urge to shudder and shut the door tightly. He could vaguely hear Funtime Freddy walking around inside, but it no longer sounded like he was coming after him. It was instead more likely that he was going to ruin the lights that the man just fixed, and if that was the case then he didn't intend to try them a second time tonight._

 _Unfortunately, Ballora's gallery had changed in only the last few minutes. Now the stage was alit, and music box music was echoing through the room. Ballora was thankfully on her stage, surrounded by the small Minireenas who were dancing as she seemed to barely raise and lower in place. It took him until halfway across the room to realize that the ballerina was turning her body to watch him as he walked. He changed his mind; Ballora was definitely the most threatening._

 _At least Baby wasn't. As he entered the Circus Control, he was caught off-guard by her soft voice seemingly coming through the windows. "Hello again. I was hoping you would come back." He couldn't help but smile._

" _Hey Baby. I just had to go get the lights working," the technician explained. He pressed the button for the light. "I had a little run-in with- Whoa." The light did turn on and showed that Baby was right outside the window. Her looming height allowed her to look right in at him and he gave a wave. "Heh. Well, well. Hello again," he greeted a second time, mocking Funtime Freddy, before sitting down on the chair. "So, I've got overtime tonight, but everyone's acting a little… Strange. Do you care if I ride out the night in here?"_

" _Overtime?" Baby asked in confusion. She tilted her head; he seemed to like that. "Why would you stay longer than you need to? Don't you want to go home? Isn't there someone waiting for you?" she asked curiously._

" _Not really. I could use the extra money. Might make back some of what they docked from my pay," the technician said with light playfulness. He left out the part about them docking his pay because he hadn't scooped her and Ballora. That might just make her feel bad. "I've got nowhere to go."_

" _But there must be somebody waiting for you," Baby tested further. "Don't you have a family?" It was then that the technician reacted in an odd way. He shifted uncomfortably and broke eye contact; how interesting._

" _No, I- No," the technician solemnly answered. He tried to cover it up and return to his previous demeanor. "Anyway, you don't mind if I stay, do you?"_

" _No. Why would I? I like you," Baby assured him. Though she then lingered a moment and quietly asked in a lower voice, "Do you like me?"_

" _Do I like you?" the technician asked back. He sent her a smile. "Course I like you! Why wouldn't I?" Compared to the others, she was just as friendly than any human. Maybe more so compared to his co-workers and boss. He could barely believe that she was so uncertain and self-conscious of herself when she was something so amazing. A living animatronic; he would never get over that._

 _She truly was different than the others, but he truly didn't know the full extent._

As soon as Scott's leg fell asleep, he knew it was time to take a break. He pushed back from the desk and stretched out his back before standing from the cramped seat. He still had at least an hour or two left of work before he would be able to call it a day, but that didn't mean he couldn't stop for a moment. He stepped out of the office and headed into the kitchen. There he found Ennard standing at the pantry and just staring inside blankly. At first glance, Scott didn't notice anything amiss with the clown.

"Don't get too excited. I'm not off the clock just yet," Scott playfully said. He then opened the fridge door and took out a small bottle of apple juice. Ennard was largely silent as he came over and crossed his arms on the fridge door, leaning on it and keeping it open. "I'm thinking of just doing something small and easy for dinner. Got any suggestions?"

The clown gave a surprisingly disinterested sort of shrug. This from the amalgam with such a strange fixation with food seemed extremely out of place. Scott noticed it immediately, but before he could ask-.

"Baby knows," Ennard said. His voice was flat, lethargic, and certain. "She must've heard my hysterics and thought it was just out-of-character enough to listen in…" All at once, the lethargy was replaced with a panicked tone. "I didn't want her to find out about this! Not until I at least knew which one I was! How am I supposed to defend myself when I don't even know what I did?!"

"Ennard, you don't have to defend yourself. It's not-… It's different," Scott insisted. He watched his words carefully, keeping in mind that Ennard was still an animatronic. The last thing he wanted to do was upset him or offend him, especially when he was so distraught earlier, but he couldn't let him beat himself up. "I know Baby went through a lot with the technicians down in ARI, but you've got to understand, it's different when you're up against a bunch of animatronics that are going to hurt you. Or might hurt you. It's hard to tell sometimes."

Ennard tilted his head curiously and Scott knew it was a silent motion to continue. So he did, with a tired exhale. He spoke like he was confessing to a crime.

"Back when I was working at Freddy's, there was more than once that I had to… Defend myself from an animatronic. And before you ask, yes, I had to use a taser. Now I'm not defending anything that happened in Afton's. I knew Afton on a personal level and knew he was, ugh, sadistic when it came to his things. I'm just saying that maybe we're not looking at it from both sides. They could've been just as afraid as anyone else."

"I think you're saying that because I was one of them," Ennard playfully pointed out. Scott got a touch of a smile.

"Maybe a little, but still, I know what it was like," the Phone Guy insisted. "You know, I used to always say that Foxy was my favorite, and I think one of the reasons was because when you were working the night shift with Foxy you always knew what you were getting into. He wasn't like Freddy, Chica, or Bonnie. If you did one thing specifically, usually watching the cameras, he wouldn't come for you. I've never asked him about it, but I always thought maybe there was a chance that he just wasn't like the others. Maybe he wasn't as dangerous."

Ennard was about to quip something about Funtime Foxy- probably something about an insistent need for attention or something along those lines- but was cut off when his mind wandered.

" _ **Funtime Foxy was scooped earlier today to deal with a malfunction. Unfortunately, attempts to put him back together have been unsuccessful. It will be your job to manually rebuild her and make sure she's ready for his next show."**_

 _The technician didn't even know where to begin. What stood before him was an endoskeleton body of wires, with a matt of wires where its belly should've been, its right eye dangling, and all its plates piled half-hazardly at its feet. They expected him to get the animatronic in working order when he couldn't even tell where to begin. There wasn't even a manual and now of all times the Handunit decided to go quiet._

" _Okay…" The man gave a tired exhale as he rubbed his neck. "…Alright, Foxy. We're going to get you back up and going in no time… Let's just start with this."_

 _He picked up the head plates and set them aside on the workbench to address the eye. He lifted and backed it into the socket before securing it in place with a twist. As soon as the eye locked in, the animatronic turned its head with a sharp twitch._

" _Showtimes are on the hour, folks! Not a moment before and not a moment after! Encore!" Funtime Foxy called. His head then began to twitch and turn, arms shifting and body being otherwise difficult, as though it was trying to perform. As though it was confused. "Encore! Encore!"_

" _I'm impressed by your work ethic, Foxy, but you're going to need a few more faceplates if you're planning on performing for anyone," the technician said with an amused smile. He lifted the head plates and started to move them in, trying to trap them around the fox's twitching head. At least he wasn't aggressive tonight. "Showtime, Buddy."_

" _Encore! Encore!"_

"Ennard?" Scott asked the clown. He was staring out distantly towards the window and it was concerning the man, who hoped he wasn't thinking of rushing off somewhere. Blue eyes focused on him again as his mask twitched, showing that he had snapped to reality again. "You sort of spaced out for a second. Everything okay?"

"Me? Ha, I'm fine! Nothing's wrong here!" Ennard reassured, even though he had just had a mental vision of a memory he could barely remember. But maybe that was his biggest problem; he couldn't remember any of the things that he had done, so he couldn't very well defend himself. "It would be fine if I could just remember something. Anything! I get blips here and there, but it's not enough." He rested his head on his arms as his eye drifted desperately back to Scott. "How do you remember things you forgot?"

"That's kind of a tricky one," Scott admitted as he rubbed his still sore neck, stiff from being hunched over a desk. "I guess the first way to be to visit places you've been and try to jog your memory. That might- That- Never mind, that's not going to work," he quickly caught himself. The last thing he wanted to do was suggest that Ennard ever return to ARI again. He tried again with a second attempt, "Better idea. Maybe you could use the memories you do remember and try to bring back the ones you've forgotten."

"…But I can't remember anything," Ennard pointed out with obvious confusion. "Except random blips of nothing."

"That's what you use, the blips. Like, let's say for example, I wanted to remember something from my childhood. The lemonade stand I had when I was seven or eight. Just thinking about that stand reminds me of things I wouldn't just remember off-hand. Like, my brother and I painted it white together, which turned out to be a mistake because every time it rained dirt would splash up and stain it. Or that I was charging fifty cents a cup. I think I was saving up for a bike like my brother had. Never got it, because I kept spending the money."

"Fifty cents a cup is pretty steep for a cup of lemon water," Ennard remarked.

"But you get the point. Just trying to focus on that one memory of me working at that stand brought back so much else. I can't tell you the last time I thought of my brother's bike… And that's not just because he drove it into a fence and then never wanted to ride on it ever again."

"You gave me the lemonade stand story but skipped the bike wreck?! Scott, I'm disappointed," the clown teased. The man had a feeling that he wasn't taking much of what he was saying seriously.

"The important part is for you to remember you. You focus on what you remember about yourself and maybe more things will come up. Like, for example… Your voice?" Scott suggested. Ennard looked away thoughtfully, wires shifting as he let this sink in. "Or if that's too much, then something else. Maybe about the details you remember. Just finding yourself."

The amalgam somehow translated this to him having to remember his own physical properties. That made the most sense to him; even he remembered what he looked like, then maybe he would know where to place himself in Afton Robotics. It almost seemed foolproof and Ennard eagerly straightened up again.

"That's actually a pretty good idea! If I can get myself sorted out, then I can put the rest together!" He slipped past the man and the door and headed out of the kitchen. "Gonna go stare at myself in the mirror!"

"You're going to stare at yourself in the mirror?" Scott asked in confusion as he watched him pass.

"Yeah, like they do in movies and tv shows all the time! Anytime anyone wants to remember something or learn something big about themselves, they stare really deep at themselves. Usually in a lake or a puddle or something, but I don't feel like filling up and leaning over the bathtub right now," Ennard explained like it was the simplest thing in the world. Ignoring the man's befuddled look, though taking amusement in it, he continued to the bathroom. He flicked on the light and leaned over the sink to stare at his reflection.

His reflection stared back at him with a low hum and a tilt of its head, mimicking his movements. Nothing was starting to appear so far. The low plate of his mask shifted slightly, and he watched it intently. It didn't do anything worth remembering. His wires were twitching and shifting too; he wondered if they did that around Scott. He looked to the eye on his arm and it stared back. He couldn't remember when the yellow one moved to his arm. Maybe he would look good with yellow eyes instead of blue.

" _Come on, Ennard, focus!"_ Ennard shook his head and stared in deeper. _"Okay, okay. Uh… Hair color!... Maybe brown? Eye color, err… Blue? Nah, that would be too ironic…"_ He gave a frustrated burst of static at his lack of luck. _"And again, television fails me. What a jip."_ Defeated, he left the bathroom and headed back through the living room. He stopped by the back of the couch when he noticed the half empty popcorn bowl on it. With another disgruntled noise, he reached down to snatch it up.

" _Better dump this out before he starts complaining,"_ Ennard thought as he headed towards the kitchen. He caught sight of Scott putting the water on to boil and suddenly snickered. _"Yeah right. When's Scott ever complained about anything? Nah, it was Mike… Right?"_ It was someone. Either Mike or Fritz, though he hadn't stayed with him any. One of them complained about him leaving his things out.

Then something hit him. It hit him so suddenly that he dropped the bowl where he stood and stared down at its spilled contents. Scott heard the noise and looked back from the kitchen.

"Ennard?" he asked as he leaned to look out. He could clearly see the clown standing there with the bowl at his feet and for a moment thought he was just having a delayed reaction to it. He was almost surprised when he noticed that distant look had returned and concern soon followed. "Ennard, what's wrong?" Scott repeated as he shut off the sink. "Did something happen?"

"I…" Ennard's voice wavered as he stared at the bowl. "…Hate vacuuming… He hated when I left popcorn out, because sometimes he'd knock the bowl over coming in… And I didn't like vacuuming."

"What are you talking about…?" Scott slowly started to step out of the kitchen as realization sunk in. "Wait, you're talking about you? As in you before?"

"No- I- It wasn't me, it was him," Ennard explained as his eyes darted around. He was obviously confused. "But… Who?" Just looking at the spilled, stale popcorn brought back vague shapes of memories. Suddenly he snapped out of his trance and returned to his normal behavior long enough to gesture down at the spill. "See, this is what I'm talking about! This is just popcorn and I'm seeing a couple of guys talking when I'm looking at it!" he blurted out.

"I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about," Scott hesitantly admitted. "You're going to have to slow down a little bit. You remembered somebody else?"

"Nah, I'm just having a psychotic episode and hallucinating people in my popcorn again," Ennard sarcastically remarked. Frustration aside, he couldn't pass up a moment of exasperated humor. Though it passed and he looked back down at the spill. "There's something just right there that I can't remember! It's driving me insane, it's right on the tip of my tongue, it's right there! It's the answer to everything!" He only became more irritated as he gestured an arm towards the garage door. "And now Baby's going to hear this and think-!"

" _This is going to be my last night."_

 _There, he ripped it off like a band-aid. One smooth motion and it was all uncovered. He didn't know whether to hope that she cared or not, to make it easier for her or to make him feel like he had done something in his short time here. He did still feel badly leaving so soon, but he had no other options._

" _What?" Baby sounded surprised. Or as surprised as she could with the mostly monotone touch to her voice. She did seem genuinely upset if her questioning was any indication. "Why? Did they fire you?"_

" _No. I just- Look, it's a long story, but I just can't come back. Believe me, I don't want to quit… What with the fistfuls of cash I'm bringing in every night," he said in an attempt to joke. He smiled at Baby and she proceeded to stare back blankly. He exhaled slowly and slumped back in the office chair, looking at the floor of the Part and Service room. "I'm sorry, Baby. I know this is sudden. It's sudden for me too; I thought I'd be sticking around longer."_

" _I thought I was your friend," Baby protested. She almost sounded hurt in her own way._

" _You are! I just… There's a few things. They've been docking my pay so much that at this rate I'll be paying them to keep my job soon, and the others… I won't beat around the bush. I don't think the other animatronics like me as much as you do, and that's putting it lightly. Last night, Funtime Freddy threw 'Bon-Bon' at the control module window to try and break in and get to me!" While he had every reason to leave, she lowered her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Baby."_

" _Will you… Come back?" Baby quietly asked. "Come back to see me?"_

" _I don't know if they'll let me. You know I would though," the technician reassured her. It was then that the clown raised her head as though with an idea._

" _Then… Then would you meet me later tonight? Before you leave, I want to see you one last time… Please?" Baby was nearly pleading. "We'll meet somewhere where they can't find us and then I'll say goodbye… Only then. I don't want to say goodbye yet."_

" _Sure. I think I can do that. I've got to stay for my shift anyway," the technician said with a warm smile. He still felt guilty leaving her even though it was for the best. "I really will miss you, Baby. You've been a good friend. You're… You're amazing. You're one of a kind and I'm going to remember you forever."_

" _I'll miss you too," Baby sadly said. She then pulled herself together- it sounded like she barely was- and continued. "Before you leave tonight, meet me in the Scooping Room."_

Scott was starting to become concerned as he noticed the clown beginning to twitch. There was a low static noise in his chest. The familiar popping and crackling of electricity as he stood there writhing. He looked over the amalgam in alarm and gave a tentative, "Ennard? Can you hear me?"

" _Do you know why we brought you here?"_

"Are you having another memory?" Scott started to reach for Ennard and the clown recoiled back. The Phone Guy hesitated before stepping in, not trying to grab him again and instead trying to comfort him from a distance. "It's okay, Ennard. You're safe," he tried to coax. He couldn't be too sure that he wouldn't start rejecting wires. "Just try to stay calm for me, okay?"

" _No, you don't understand. If you go back down there, they. Will. Kill. You. They are not your friends, they are not harmless little toys; that place will get you killed. Why would you keep going back?!"_

" _It's because we need you."_

"…What?"

The last thing Scott had expected was Baby's voice to come out of Ennard. As though his question snapped the clown out of it, the amalgam straightened abruptly and stared ahead. Not at Scott though. It became apparent quickly that his gaze was instead on the garage door beyond him. Before the man could do anything, Ennard suddenly passed by and headed towards the door. Without a word he opened it up and stepped inside, and then slammed the door behind him to keep Scott from following.

Baby, who had been asleep against the back wall, straightened abruptly and clamored to her feet. She then huffed in frustration as she noticed that it was just Ennard standing in the dark. "You could make a more graceful entrance. Or warn me before you fly through," she lightly scolded. Ennard stared at her silently in the dark. "And what is that look? Is it already time for another game?"

" _ **You lied to me."**_

This comment startled Baby. Not just because of the abruptness, but the fact he had spoken in his own voice. "I lied?" she questioned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

" _ **I know wha-at yoou did,"**_ Ennard choked out. His voice stuttered as his fingers crackled in frustration and growing anger. _**"You lied. You told me- told me- lied."**_

"Is this about the game?" Baby was in disbelief. She didn't know if she hoped that he meant one of the games or something more insidious- she had slipped a look at his paper slip once to get it to end quicker. Though something about his behavior was much too aggressive to just be that. It was sinister and it made her uncomfortable just looking at him. "I don't understand," she said a little more submissively.

" _ **I remember. Told me you were my friend. M-Made me think you- you cared. You cared, you did care, care about your BODY. Cared about YOUR SUIT!"**_ His voice grew louder as the static crawled up his wires. The amalgam gave a violent shudder as he stepped in closer. _**"Such a good- good- good friend, aren't you, Baby?! Good friends say goodbye! Good friends- a good friend- says goodbye one last time, don't they?!"**_

"I don't know what you're talking abo-." Baby was cut off by Ennard suddenly closing in. She had forgotten how quick he was- but then again, he did have Funtime Foxy's legs. He had her backed against the dryer with his hands slamming down onto the machine on either side of her. He had her pinned and she was almost too stunned to immediately shove him back. He stared her down with an anger she couldn't remember ever seeing before.

" _ **I WAS GOOD TO YOU! I WAS YOUR FRIEND!"**_ Ennard bellowed in crackling fury. _**"AND YOU STOLE MY BODY!"**_

All at once Baby knew what he meant, and the horror slowly started to sink in. Suddenly she knew who he was and exactly what he was accusing her of, and she could remember every moment as easily as could be. Now she realized which technician he was.

"I… I did what I had to… I had to leave. We had to leave," Baby tried to defend.

" _ **Y-You butchered me!"**_ Ennard yelled. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and she jolted as though shocked by him, even when she wasn't. He leaned in closer, the lower portion of his mask starting to open enough that she could see his sharp, gritted teeth. _**"I took care of you, I cleaned, I fixed you, I did you good! I was a good technician! I had a life and a home AND YOU DIDN'T CARE! HURT MORE THAN A MOMENT- LEFT ME IN A VENT!"**_

"I- I had to," Baby struggled to defend. "I had to. I needed to. We needed you."

" _ **All those years you hated me, tormented me, be-because you said I took THEIR body- but I d-didn't did I, Baby?!"**_ Ennard lashed back threateningly. _**"You took MY BODY! YOU 'NEEDED' IT! I- You-!?"**_

Suddenly, another memory started to resurface itself beyond his control. It was from the Scooping Room as well, but it wasn't Baby he remembered, and he wasn't the human being threatened. A voice slipped into his memory and betrayed him just as Baby had. A different human and a different monster.

" _If there's any part of you that isn't lost to this, if there's any part- any shred of you that really does care about me… Then let me go home. This is a life or death decision, Ennard. You let me go home or you let me die."_

There was Scott's voice in the back of his mind, echoing similar pleas to the technician he had heard in his memories. Instantly his yelling came to a halt, eyes twitching, and staring into Baby's.

 **"Don't run frrrom me! I-I-I don't want to huuurt you! I want to make us- make us complete! I know you're scared, but I'm nnnot letting you go!"**

It was the closest Ennard got to rejecting his wires. He struggled to keep his body in check as he remembered that horrible night. Had he really said that? Had he really done that to Scott when he knew what it would entail? He had been so close to tearing the man apart and doing the same thing to him, and he had used the same method as Baby. He gained his trust and then lured him down into that room.

" _I want to be a part of… Of you. I need it. I want nothing more."_

Ennard dropped his head and stared at the floor of the garage in shock. He didn't know what was worse, remembering what Baby had done to him or remembering what he had done to Scott. Considering that he had done it to the man after it was done to him, it seemed so much worse. Slowly he released Baby's arms and took a staggering step back. Baby carefully raised up off the dryer as he looked to be in some sort of trance. Before she might've considered attacking him in retaliation, but not this time. This time she just stared.

Then, without a word, Ennard turned and hurried back out the garage door. Scott barely moved out of the way in time as the amalgam barreled through and made a beeline across the front room. He couldn't face him right now and almost panicked as he heard the man following him. Speeding up, he hurried into the bedroom and shut the door behind him, leaning on the door and locking it with fumbling fingers.

"Ennard, wait-!" Scott tried the door and found it locked. "I- I heard what happened. Will you let me in?" Ennard was silent, slightly sliding down the door, and barely holding it together. Not together enough to speak though. "…Okay, you don't have to let me in," Scott caved as he listened through the door. "But I'll be out here… I'm right here if you need me." He wasn't going to leave either. If he heard anything like spilling wires then he was going through the bathroom.

Ennard knew the bathroom was left unlocked. The door was even opened and one of the cats, probably Houston, had bolted inside as soon as he slammed the door. He didn't lock it though, trusting that Scott would give him this much. Though knowing what he did he wasn't sure if he deserved that amount of trust. He slowly walked over to sit down on the foot of the bed, staring at the carpeted floor, and trying to figure out what he was supposed to do now.

How could he hate or blame Baby when he did the same thing _to Scott_? He was no better than the ones who did this to him. He tightened his fingers in the bedding and swallowed his static. This would be a hard thing to deal with, but he would ride it out and learn how to live with it. He had done it before and would do it again. Ennard could live with anything.

Back in the garage, Baby's thoughts were just as tangled as his had been. They began to race as soon as Ennard had sped out the door and hadn't settled. There was her answer; Ennard had been the friendly technician that they had scooped. That was a relief, as she no longer had to worry about him being one of those who violently shocked or tortured her. Or, it should've been a relief to know that, but something didn't feel right. Maybe it was just because of his outburst and that moment of fear when she really believed he could hurt her.

There was something else there too. A slowly spreading horror along her body that she couldn't understand. It could've been because Baby knew she was probably returning to the warehouse. Ennard wouldn't want her here and Scott was clearly going to choose him over her. There also went her plans to fix the rest of her body as she had managed to drive off both technicians. Yet that didn't seem to be it. Both of those thoughts felt numb; something else was causing the chattering in her claw. She was shaking and she couldn't figure out what.

Perhaps she had been too dismissive of it all. Charlie always said that she didn't take responsibility, and just saying she did something because she had to was just deflecting the blame. She could've blamed the others, as they had little interest in fraternizing with any of the guards, but back then she had been in control of the band. Everything the clown wanted them to do they did because they were as desperate as she claimed to be. Desperate enough to kill any technician, desperate enough to cut their losses- and her- to try and save themselves.

The technician however, he had acted so friendly. Acted being the keyword, as she was never quite sure if he meant any of it. He said he would help her, that he would miss her, that he thought she was so good, that all she had to do was trust him and he would take her home with him. Though Baby could never trust that. It was always too good to be true. A guaranteed disguise to free them or the possibility that some random technician would sweep her out of ARI and take her home with him. Empty words from a soon-to-be empty technician. Nobody would actually do that.

…Except for Ennard.

It was then that Baby knew exactly what it was creeping up on her. All this time she had pushed aside memories of the technician by labelling him as ingenuine and pushing him into the same category as the others. It was the realization that the technician had been genuine in his care, and she threw him away just as her bandmates threw her away. Once she acknowledged it, it came on at full force. Forget Fritz and Charlie, this was real guilt, and it was crippling. He would've taken her home. He would've taken care of her. He wouldn't have left her like the others had.

"What did I do…?" Baby asked quietly. She turned and held onto the dryer to steady herself, staring down at her claw. Everything she did to her, everything she put him through, all their pain; she could've avoided it all. They could've been happy and whole if not for her greed, and she still rejected it. She still foiled Ennard's efforts to bond with her and now she was going to lose her friend again. The one person who had ever thought she was a good person before her decision. "…No… No- There's- No, there's still time."

She defiantly shook her head, turned towards the garage door, and then bolted through with the same desperation to find him that he had to get away from her. She stumbled over the step and skated through the living room, calling out a warning to Scott with only a, "Move." He jumped out of the way just moments before she rammed right into the door with her shoulder, breaking through the simple door lock and nearly tearing the door off its hinges.

Ennard stood with a start as Baby suddenly barged through the door with an almighty bang. She only took a moment to right herself, nearly falling forward from the motion, before her eyes affixed on him. "Ennard."

The amalgam was not as willing to confront the other clown. He gave a garbled static noise of warning and backed around the edge of the bed, hunching himself over aggressively. He clearly didn't want her any closer and she knew this, but she wasn't ready to back down.

"No, wait, please. Just wait," Baby pleaded as she followed him around the bed. "No, don't go. Don't run from me. Please." She reached out towards him with both hand and claw desperately and noticed when his eyes glanced towards the bed. He was probably planning on throwing himself over it. "Don't do it. Don't go. Just- Just wait," Baby begged as she moved in.

Ennard was now cornered and he looked wilder than ever. Wires that had once been comfortable would together were sticking out, his body twitching in agitation, and he gave another warning noise. She dared to move closer and immediately triggered sparks from his fingertips. He was going to electrocute her if she got too close and this stopped her momentarily. Just long enough to make her decision. Baby moved in slowly, patiently, until she could get ahold of his arm. He yanked it back quickly and his elbow slammed into the wall.

Baby was still persistent and moved in enough to grab his arm again. Then, the second she had ahold of his wires, she moved in quickly. She took the plunge and hugged onto his wire-laden body. If he shocked her then she would take it; maybe it would even erase the guilt for a split second. All Baby wanted was to hold onto him and hope she could somehow fix what she had broken. He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to push her back, but she held on tighter, unwilling to let him go again.

"I'm sorry," Baby finally confessed.

Now his static started to quiet. Not in acceptance but so he could listen.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, that I broke you, that I used you. I wasted you, Ennard. You were wonderful… You still are… And I threw it all away." She pressed tighter into his wires, pressing into the reluctant warmth. He was still very much giving the impression that he did not want her touching him and yet she clung to him like a child clinging to someone's pantleg, begging for approval. "There's so many excuses and they don't matter. Nothing will fix what I did. Nothing I can say can fix what I did to you."

Her voice crackled as her body began to overheat. It wasn't too keen on regulating itself and this degree of emotion wasn't helping. Still, Baby pushed onwards. "I can't take it back. I don't know what I can do. I did it and I wish I hadn't, because they didn't deserve you and neither did I. I kept lying and pretending and all I did was lose you." She held him tighter. "I don't want you to forgive me. I just don't want to lose you. Please, please, I'm sorry, I don't- I don't know why- I don't know why I'm like this. I don't know why I'm broken. Ennard, please."

At this point, Baby didn't know what she was pleading for. The closest thing would be begging existence itself to take back everything she had done up to now. She had always seen her actions as justified, even ones where she acknowledged her downfall like with Fritz, but this was too much. She really did hurt everyone she encountered.

Baby barely noticed Ennard's hands tightening on her shoulders. The static was gone, and any sign of aggression had died down to a low hum. She fell silent as well, though not to keep appearances but to give him his time to think. Now it was in Ennard's hands. He would get to make his decision, as she had for him so many years ago.

All at once, his arms caught around her and held her close in the same desperate hold. Baby didn't know if he was angry or forgiving and she didn't know if he believed her or not. She didn't care, it wasn't important.

Because it was the first time that Elizabeth felt like she had a chance to be better.


	56. Chapter 56

**Mable: This chapter didn't mean to come out as lengthy as the last one did. O.o I'm not even sure how it did, but here we are! Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-Six_

Scott could just feel the tension radiating through the house. Even now, even after Baby and Ennard had managed to come to a silent truce last night, things were still strained. He had witnessed both breakdowns and had heard all that happened, so he had a good grasp of the situation. He still wasn't certain what to do next. He was still unsure whether or not the two could live together after the night before. The best-case scenario was already that they hadn't maimed each other during the night.

After what he could only label as 'hugging it out', Baby had returned to the garage to hide herself away. Ennard had stayed holed up in the bedroom and while he seemed to be acting normal, something was amiss. It was almost like he was afraid to leave the room or stubbornly refusing to address the elephant outside the room. Either of which Scott could believe. Sometimes Ennard tended to ignore issues until they magically went away, or until he didn't have to think of them anymore.

So, Scott was entirely taken aback when Ennard knocked on the office door, let himself inside- he didn't let himself in uninvited, which was already a sign that something was amiss- and then said something that the man would've never expected. "I'm going to go see Baby."

"…Are you sure?" Scott tentatively asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Ennard agreed. "It's time."

With that, he closed the door to a crack. Scott slowly turned back towards his computer and tried to not anticipate the worst. He considered trying to listen in, torn between his concern and not wanting to entirely violate their privacy. He heard the door creak back open and looked back to see Ennard still there and watching him.

"Going to wait a few more minutes?" Scott offered sympathetically. The clown hesitated before stepping fully inside the office and shutting the door behind him.

"If I asked you something and told you to be honest, would you be completely honest with me?" Ennard asked. It was strange how serious his voice was. He still used his clown-like Funtime Freddy voice, but the tone, volume, and energy were all drained. He was waiting expectantly for an answer.

"You know I would," Scott reassured. "…Is there something you want to ask me?"

Ennard stared before slumping slightly back against the door. He looked upset and Scott suspected that it wasn't just Baby. The next question only verified his suspicion.

"…Do you ever think about that time I led you down to Afton's?" Ennard questioned. His voice was heavy with guilt and he avoided eye contact. "You don't… You didn't ever have nightmares or anything like that, did you? Not like you had with Freddy's, right?"

"What? No! No, no. I haven't- I've never had a nightmare of you, Ennard. Maybe some strange dreams, but never a nightmare," Scott reassured him honestly. From what he could remember at least.

"I was just wondering… If maybe I hurt you as much as they did," the amalgam admitted. His voice lowered further, edging on his real voice without committing to its broken state. "I just don't get how you could forgive someone who did that to you." When the man didn't answer quickly enough, he looked at him directly and asked, "How do you forgive that?"

"Ennard…" Scott exhaled and stood from his chair, wanting to put all his focus on his distressed housemate. His voice softened, "Ennard, that was a long time ago. You don't have to still feel guilty about that. I forgave you the second you let us go."

"It wasn't enough," Ennard interjected.

"I'll admit that maybe I forgive people quicker than others, but that doesn't mean I don't take everything into consideration with it. I didn't forgive you _just_ because you let us go. I forgave you because I knew then that you weren't that person you were down in ARI. Everything that happened in that Scooping Room wasn't you, and if it was you wouldn't have tried so hard afterwards to fix your mistakes. You don't forgive somebody because their mistake wasn't that bad, you forgive somebody because they're learning and trying to be better."

Scott hoped he was getting through to him. He noticed that Ennard was starting to slip back into his thoughts again and decided to wrap up his point, because he knew what this was all about. "You don't have to forgive Baby, Ennard. If you're not ready to do that then that's okay. I just don't want you to villainize yourself over something that you already made up for," Scott said, nearly pleading with him.

Ennard considered this for a moment before perking the smallest bit and giving a soft laugh. His wires looked to be easing up from their tight and tense state. He reached forward to take the man by the shoulders.

"You really are something amazing, Scott. Can't say I'm ever gonna get there, but if I come out of this just half of what you are then maybe I'm not so bad after all," Ennard offered. His voice grew lighter and bubbly again, and the tone was a welcome return to character. Scott expected a tight hug to follow and braced himself according. That wasn't what happened.

Instead, the amalgam stepped in closer and began to slowly move in. Scott caught on to what he was doing once he was only a few inches away and his pulse skyrocketed. He could hear every wire shifting as Ennard leaned in with a tilt of his head, could feel every bit of warmth both from said wires and from the rush of blood through his own body. It looked like Ennard was moving towards his cheek, but the man found himself turning just the slightest bit to change his course. He restrained himself only once he realized what he was doing.

It didn't stop Ennard. He pressed the mouth of his mask against the edge of Scott's. It was a strange thing really; the mask couldn't kiss back, it clearly wasn't Ennard's real mouth, and the human hadn't turned enough to kiss back. For all intents and purposes, it shouldn't have sent the shivers along the man's spine like it had. Heat spread through him and a bubbling giddiness twisted in his chest. He almost stopped Ennard from pulling back if not for his better judgement kicking in.

"Okay, enough stalling. I'm gonna go see Baby now," Ennard announced. He seemed more upbeat as he drew back and headed right back out the door, as though nothing happened. "Don't work too hard!"

"Don't, uh, don't worry about me. I won't." As soon as Ennard was gone, Scott collapsed back into his chair and tried to calm his heartrate. This was starting to get out of hand. It was one thing when he returned hugs and possibly platonic 'I love you's, but this was more serious, even if Ennard didn't realize it. This was starting to slowly chip away at his resolve to keep their comfortable 'friendship' where it was.

" _He's vulnerable, he's confused, don't take advantage of it," S_ cott warned himself. He rubbed his hands on his legs anxiously as he tried to will himself to calm the reaction he couldn't control. "Back to work."

Ennard was a little more confident now that he had the conversation with Scott. It would still be uncomfortable and he wasn't sure how over it he was, but he knew he had to do this. Both for his sake and Baby's own he had to do this. Seeing her reaction to everything was almost as gut wrenching as remembering having his guts wrenched- at least his humor was coming back. Maybe he could use that to his advantage. After all, everyone loved kooky and fun Ennard.

He paused at the garage door, steadied himself, got in character, and then threw open the door and leaned in. Baby looked like she had been asleep but roused as soon as she heard the door opening. He didn't even give her a second to brace herself.

"Hey Baby, whaddya say I throw some popcorn in the microwave and we break out the Clue and solve a couple of murders? We could even see if Mrs. Peacock keeps up her murdering streak," Ennard boldly invited. He sounded just as normal as ever, like the day before hadn't happened, and Baby just stared back silently. She was completely in shock. "I'll go pop the corn and you decide who you want to play as," he volunteered and turned to leave.

Unsurprisingly, she stopped him. "Wait," Baby called out after him and he stopped in the doorway. She couldn't understand how he could act like everything was fine. "…Why?"

"Because, silly, if I don't pop the corn, I don't get popcorn," Ennard teased back. "Though I'd love to get one of those big popcorn machines that's pretty much full twenty-four seven. I would fit myself inside that thing and just live there, ha ha!" Baby was positively baffled at how he dismissed the events so easily.

"No, I mean…" her voice faltered to a whisper. "After last night… I didn't expect you to want anything to do with me." Baby just couldn't understand it.

"Right! Last night! I forgot all about last night!" Ennard attempted to dismiss. She clearly didn't buy it, so he became a bit more honest, dropping the character just slightly. "It's okay now, Baby. I forgive you."

"You _forgive me_?" That suddenly? Had she even given him a properly worded apology? She was only more confused by it. "You can't forgive me. I don't want you to forgive me. You can't just-…" She turned her head away, unsure of what she was even asking for. Eventually she managed to figure it out. "Why would you do that?"

"Because you're my Babydoll. You're my friend. I _want_ to forgive you," Ennard replied as honestly as could be. She was ready to protest but he didn't give her time to do so. "We can't change what we did, Baby, and we've done plenty of terrible things. We just have to move on and do better things if we get the chance. I got that chance and now you've got that chance."

Baby made a noise akin to a sigh and looked back to him. Her green eyes flickered over his face, trying to read something from his mask. "I don't know what to make of you, Ennard," she admitted. "How many times did I try to hurt you? How many times…?" He was still waiting on something. Perhaps to see if she was going to take his invitation. It didn't matter why he offered, she decided. It was Ennard's choice; it wasn't just hers any longer.

So, she made her decision. "…I want to play with you."

"Ha, then let's go!" He swung open the door for her and beckoned her to follow. She did without any hesitant. "…But I'm warning you now, if you sneak and look at my clues again, I'm going to flip the table and go into a crazy popcorn induced rage."

* * *

It was hard to go back to work and pretend that everything was all fine and dandy. In fact, after Springtrap and the realization that Charlie's friends might continue looking around, Mike was feeling wary of the whole situation. This meant he would have to do his actual job today. No playing waiter, no distracting himself; he would have to be the perfect security guard. He wasn't sure if it was out of nostalgia or a false sense of importance, but he had gotten out his old security badge.

" _Forget Fredrick. I earned this thing all those nights I was in there,"_ Mike assured himself as he looked over the badge. _"Might've not meant anything to him, but I earned this. If I could pull the night shift on no sleep for days on end then I can handle a bunch of kids, the Scooby Gang, and a molded rabbit… With or without this badge."_ With that determination, he set the badge down on the dresser and headed out of the room. Only to return a few seconds later to snatch up the badge and pin it on. _"It's a free country. I'll wear whatever I want."_

It was clear that both Marionette and Charlie were on edge as well. The Puppet still noticed the badge right away and got a smile from it, ignoring how Mike got it and instead just glad to see him wearing it. While Mike was sliding on his shoes, he came up behind him and rested his hands on his shoulders.

"We'll have to be careful today. I doubt Michael would come to Foxy's, but it is always a possibility if he's confused enough," Marionette pointed out worriedly. "And Burke may be a problem too after the break-in."

"Yeah, I'm expecting a call any minute now. I'm guessing he only waited this long to lull us into a fake sense of security," Mike said sardonically. That was the last thing they needed, Springtrap and the police appearing at the pizzeria at the same time. Marionette raised his hand to pet his cheek reassuringly and the man exhaled, letting go of any frustration. "It's going to be fine. Even if that did happen, we'd figure out a way out of it," Mike assured, catching the other's hand and turning to kiss it. "Worry about Foxy."

"I always do," Marionette chimed. With the mood somewhat lifted they left soon afterwards with Charlie in tow.

As they arrived at the pizzeria, Mike was met in the hallway by a very strained looking Fritz while Marionette headed on to the Prize Corner. "Glad you guys made it. We're in for a nightmare today," he began.

"Don't tell me. Either Burke, Glenn, or Chance called?" Mike asked flatly.

"I mean, Burke _did_ call me yesterday, but that's not it. We're overbooked." Fritz took a shaky inhale and added a strained, "We're massively overbooked."

"How overbooked is massively? We have plenty of tables out there and the cakes are already made."

"We've got four parties today and all of them are between noon and two. I tried to talk some of them back, but I… I didn't want to risk losing any of the parties. It's kind of hard to get out of the 'we always need the money' mentality," Fritz admitted with a lopsided smile. Both knew that Mike wouldn't have had the same problem. "But here's the catch. Only three of them are birthday parties. The fourth one, which is actually the first one coming in at noon, is actually a party for some kid's grades, so we're not looking at the usual birthday event."

"Got it… How exactly do we throw a grades party?" Mike asked. "What is that? Is that just pizza and cupcakes, or are we looking at getting one of the performers over there."

"He wanted at least twenty minutes with Foxy and is willing to pay extra for it… Which now makes me wonder why we aren't charging people by the minute. We could probably milk a fortune out of that." Even though this was a joke, he then paused as though considering it. He snapped out of it and continued, "So, we'll need Mari for the first birthday party, and we'll have to crunch a lot of time. Louise is in with Tabby right now trying to get everything started up."

"I think I know what you're leading into," Mike offered as he headed to the kitchen. Fritz sent a confused look until the security guard leaned into the kitchen. "Louise, you want to stick around today?"

The young woman was helping her mother and almost looked startled by the offer. "What was that? You want me to stay here and work?"

"I'll pay you two dollars an hour more than whatever you're making now," he offered without a hitch. "And you can get whatever you want out of the Prize Corner, as long as it's not the register or the Puppet."

"Well… Okay! It's just taking orders and delivering food, right? I think I can handle that!" Louise said with a little more confidence. Perhaps not enough though as Tabby gave a small snort of amusement; as though she already knew how many customers they were about to be confronted with. "Tell me when we open up, okay?"

"Will do," Mike agreed. He started to leave before leaning back into the room. "And for future reference," he began again, clearing his throat lightly and rushing out. "If you see a six or seven-foot-tall rabbit running around, try to keep it from getting into the dining room." Louise's eyes widened and her lips pursed, Tabby just raised a brow in confusion, and Mike shut the door before they could ask questions.

Unfortunately, Fritz was still standing there beside him and looked just as aghast. He leaned in and lowered his voice as he asked, "You don't actually think Springtrap's going to show up here, do you?"

"I don't think Springtrap's that suicidal. Not now that I know he somehow got out of that fire… I don't know what he's capable of." Mike's uncertainty began to edge through for a moment. Though he recovered quickly and regained full confidence. "But that's why I'm here. And since Louise is here, I'll be free enough to keep better watch on the place both inside and out. If anyone is going to tackle a human-sized rabbit in the parking lot, it's going to be me, and I am going to do it in broad daylight." He punctuated this with a small smirk.

Fritz seemed a little less confident. "Yeah, well, if that does happen… Try to get him into the dumpster a least," he lightly joked. "Or if he's cooperative enough, we could throw a paper bag over his head and put him on stage. It'll save us the trip to the animatronic convention to get a new one." With that, he went to go unlock the front door and start the day.

For the first couple of hours the restaurant was quieter than it had been in the last few days. It was still comfortably full, but not nearly as crowded as it had been in the opening week, giving a brief reprise to get warmed up with. Unfortunately, once noon came, that quiet mood had rapidly changed. The first party was small, but the children were restless and intended to get as much out of that guaranteed twenty minutes of Foxy as they could. He had stepped down from his stage, approached the table, and proceeded to walk straight into a nightmare.

Who knew a group of young girls could be so ravenous for attention. Especially since they weren't that young- except a toddler that might've been a sibling, who had left a large, sticky handprint on his arm. The rest of them wanted every amount of attention and as soon as they realized that he could be moved proceeded to start dragging him towards the arcade. If Jeremy hadn't sprinted over and stopped them, he didn't know where he would've ended up.

Though staying at the table was not much better. The children were insatiable, requesting songs and then changing their mind halfway through, asking relentless questions and expecting him to answer them all at once. Not to mention that he was beginning to mix up his answers and once had even been called out when he referred to the building as 'the pizzeria' and not 'the pirate ship'. Thankfully, the kids were willing to believe when he assured them that it was both. He had to admire that they took the roleplay as seriously as he did.

But Foxy was becoming a little burned out, and it was around this time when he crossed paths with Louise. She had been bringing food out to a nearby table when she heard the noise and looked over in time to see the situation he was trapped in. She sympathized with him, then realized he was an animatronic and not under the same strains as a human. Then realized, never mind, he actually was, unless she was going to pretend that she didn't believe he wasn't a _normal a_ nimatronic.

What a madhouse. Louise went to pass by and return to the safety of the kitchen, but hesitated when she noticed the obvious, wet stain on his arm. She knew it was chocolate even though it didn't look like it and knew it would stain. It would need to be addressed but looking around showed that everyone else was either busy or absent. Even Jeremy, who was usually fussing over the pirate, was currently trying to shake a stuck prize out of the claw machine.

Foxy turned to walk around the table, probably to follow the children, when Louise finally stopped him. "Wait, wait! Hold it right there," she called as she grabbed a napkin off one of the tables.

The pirate stopped short, mostly because he was startled by the command, and watched out of the corner of his eye as Louise tried to clean off the chocolate. She hadn't done anything like that before. Then again, she hadn't worked here before, especially not after she figured out the truth.

"Alright, good to go! Stay away from sticky hands," Louise chirped before grabbing her tray and hurrying off a little quicker than she intended. That had been so weird, touching a robot that she knew was alive.

" _I'll be damned,"_ Foxy thought to himself. He looked down at the dull stain on his arm. It would still need a proper clean, but that was a good enough start. _"…Well, she passed the first test."_

With him still busy at the table, Marionette came out to address the other birthday party. Natalie told him when they arrived, and he quickly left his box to follow the track to the table. He was already excited for the party, carrying a neatly wrapped gift for the birthday child, when he drifted out into the dining room and spotted something peculiar.

At the table alongside the birthday table, in the very center of the room and in prime view of the show stage, sat two men. One looked to be in his mid-thirties while the other could've been pushing his fifties, both dressed as formally casual as they could, as though coming in on a casual Friday. They could've very well been parents to some of the children, but he just had this peculiar feeling that they weren't there with there for that reason. They weren't even eating anything and seemed to by watching the restaurant a little too closely.

Best case scenario, they were undercover cops on a stakeout. Worst case, it was another Dave scenario and they were there for something much more unsettling. Marionette promptly shook away both thoughts. Probably just fathers whose kids were in the arcade. He was just paranoid because of this whole Springtrap ordeal. He continued with the birthday party while keeping a careful eye out.

By time the cake had been served, the children had been entertained, and the party moved over to the arcade, the two men were still there and were still suspicious. He could occasionally feel their eyes on him, though usually he noticed them watching Foxy instead and speaking intently. They were planning something, he just knew it, and it wasn't until he started to return to the Prize Corner that he decided that it was time to do something. He sought out Mike on his way to his box.

Mike was in the process of helping Jeremy picking up some fallen tokens when he suddenly felt a sharp tug. It was a strange sensation like a full body tug, and he blinked before feeling it again. He looked around quickly before noticing Marionette looking at him from outside the door to the Prize Corner. The Puppet disappeared inside as soon as he was noticed, so it was obvious that it had been him. Mike crouched down beside Jeremy, who had his arm wedged under the Sit 'N Survive arcade machine.

"I have to go now. My Puppet needs me," Mike said almost apologetically.

"I think you're just saying that to get out of sticking your hand under here," Jeremy suggested teasingly. "Not that I was going to make you do that… I think there's something fuzzy back here."

"Don't pull it out," Mike warned out of reflex. He watched as the older started to bend his arm to reel it out. "Jeremy, please. Don't."

"Mike, I can't just-." Jeremy suddenly dragged out an old, hairy, noxious half a piece of pizza. He stared at it momentarily before abruptly shoving it back under again. "…After closing. I'll get it after closing," he said with an uncomfortable swallow. He pulled his arm out and began to stand and hustle off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go scrub this off."

"The bleach is in the supply closet," the security guard called after him. Mike then made his own way into the Prize Corner, where he found Marionette back in his box. He flashed him a smile, "Couldn't wait until closing to get me alone, could you? Can't say I'm disappointed, not with that little display out there." His flirtations were enough to get the Puppet flustered and this time was no different, but there was a more pressing matter at hand.

"As much as I wish this was a pleasure call, we have a small issue out in the dining room… One that I admit, I may be imagining," Marionette said with slight faltering. He was already starting to second-guess himself. Still, better safe than sorry. He would rather look paranoid than be wrong and have someone get hurt. "Have you noticed those two men sitting alone in the dining room?"

Mike arched a brow. "The ones by the show stage? Yeah, I've seen them."

"What do you think of them?"

"I don't think much. They came in, didn't order anything, don't have any kids here, and are taking up one of the best tables in the restaurant," Mike listed out. He paused and added, "Still not counting that as much."

"So, they _don't_ have children…" Marionette started to straighten in his box. "You know I find it strange when people come into the restaurant and begin acting unnatural. It's one thing when it's a teenager or someone ordering pizza, but two adult men just sitting out there… I find it very telling…" He went as still as could be as he looked past Mike towards the door. "…The Purple Man wasn't exactly young when he started doing what he did. To everyone he looked like a normal man."

"Mari, I saw the Purple Man. Even if we ignore that weird thing he had going on with his skin, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Hell, I half believe he grew that beard just to cover how creepy his smile was," Mike pointed out matter-of-factly. He rested his hands on his hips with a slow exhale. "So… I'm thinking, and this is just me, that they're undercover cops working under Burke."

"I thought that too, but would they be this obvious?" the Puppet asked. "Two random men in ultra casualwear?"

"Maybe they're off-duty. That way they technically don't need a search warrant and might be able to fight if we ask them to leave. Either way, I have been keeping an eye on them," he reassured. He then turned to look out the doorway as well. "Though I guess I could do a little good-natured prodding and see if I can get them to talk."

"I wouldn't want to put you in that position," Marionette said tentatively, not giving an actual answer. Yet as he tapped his fingers together, looking thoughtful, it became apparent that he wasn't saying no.

"Would it make you feel better if I put myself in that position?" Mike offered. The striped one got a tiny smile. "Alright then, I'll do it. That's my job, I can handle it."

"I'll try to keep the children away from them as best as I can, so you will have time to get some answers… Which I expect for them to provide but am not yet willing to trust," Marionette ended it with a discordant tune. "How pitiful is it that I must hope that they're cops?"

"Don't get wound up just yet. Here." Mike tossed over a Foxy head stress ball which the Puppet caught. "Squeeze on this thing and cool off for a few minutes. We don't need you springing on a couple of cops unless we can convince people they're crooked, and I don't think we're there yet." Marionette got a curiously amused smile and did as instructed, squeezing on the ball as the security guard stepped out.

The men were still sitting at the table when the security guard came out. Now they were back to watching Foxy, who had moved onto the stage to 'rest' by singing while standing arm's length from the children.

" _Definitely cops,_ " Mike told himself as he waited alongside the Prize Corner for Marionette to come out. He caught a glimpse of Charlie half out of her box and chiming a tune to a couple of young onlookers. They must've just come from the gumball machine as they were making exaggerated chewing noises. _"Mental note: got to watch where I step for the next couple of hours."_ It was now that Marionette passed by and Mike turned to him, giving a playful, "The Sock Monkey cometh; everyone get your tickets ready."

Marionette gave a light chime of amusement before turning to head towards the arcade. He turned slowly, gaze lingering on the two men, and Mike took that as a sign to go ahead and confront the men. Slowly he wondered over to the table, grabbing a menu off a table on the way, and pretended that this was as casual as could be. "Welcome to Foxy's. Can I get you two anything?"

"Actually, we're waiting for Sam to get back," the younger man answered. He then got a slight smirk and asked, "…So, is that the usual waiter uniform, or were they out of aprons?"

"Any job's better than my job," Mike simply shrugged off. Though he noticed the name drop, which again was a strange giveaway. "You know Sam?"

"Almost. We caught him when we came in, but he had to take care of something. Now it's been about an hour and he's still not back. He is the owner, right?" the younger looking man asked. He sounded the slightest bit irritated, but not enough to start throwing a fit about it. Not enough to directly ask Mike to get Fritz either. It seemed odd for them to be here asking about Fritz and not knowing who he was.

"Eh, sort of. It's a forty-forty-twenty split and it gets more complicated if you add in the animatronics' share and the bribe money we got from the last owner of this place," Mike partially joked. Then he decided to bait the trap. "But since Sam's not here, anything I can handle? I'm one of the owners so I should be able to cover it." Yet instead of jumping on it, the two men just stared at him for a long pause. He looked at them questioningly. "What?"

"…You're an owner, you're a security guard, _and_ you wait tables?" the older man asked in disbelief. He nearly guffawed at the thought. "You're really dedicated to this place!"

"Hey and aren't you that guy that was on the news?" the younger asked with a squint. "You were at the closing of that arcade over in St. George, the one where the guy went nuts and attacked his coworkers, right?"

"Close enough," Mike brushed off. Now he allowed his suspicion to come through. "Not many people who drop by know about that fiasco. Less who are coming to ask about the boss of this place. Any reason why?"

"Yes, but no connection to that arcade, this is strictly business," the older man reassured. He leaned forward on the table, lacing his fingers together, and began to explain. "We work for Bently Toons. We're a small animation studio comprised of animators and writers who decided to separate from the larger animation conglomerates that due to legal reasons we would rather not name, but I'm sure you could figure it out on your own. I'm Devon Stone and this is my co-worker Marcus."

"Mike Schmidt." Mike was confused as he shook the man's hand. Either this came completely out of nowhere or this was the most bizarre cover story for a cop that he ever heard. "You work for a cartoon studio?"

"That's right, and some of us- specifically me and a few of the guys at the office- used to work on a cartoon back in the eighties that you might've heard of called Fredbear and Friends. We also worked on the the spinoffs; like Fredbear Adventures and the Cupcake Catastrophe shorts that were shown in the restaurants. We even worked on a couple of pilots, like Baby's Circus and Freddy Fazz's Super Squad. After Freddy's started going under those both didn't take off, but you can see we were devoted to working with the Fazbear family," Devon explained. "…I'm sure you know what I'm getting at."

"I think I do, and somehow I still don't believe it," Mike said, still looking at the man in disbelief. "Is this… About some sort of Foxy's cartoon?"

"I'm glad you brought that up! Because that leads right into one of the scrapped pilots," Marcus chimed in. He gestured for Mike to sit down, which he did. "Once the Fredbear shows were off the air and before… Whatever happened at Freddy's, we were under the planning stages of two shows: Baby's Circus and Super Squad. Both got a pilot but the only one that got close to full production was Super Squad, which involved the Freddy gang travelling around on a pirate ship and going on adventures."

"It was an unofficial continuation of our past Fredbear work. Fazbear Entertainment loved it," Devon added in quickly. "And then Fazbear Entertainment went under and the network dropped it."

"I don't know if you realize it, but Foxy's is getting a lot of attention across the state right now. There's buzz and we see that buzz only growing… And we just started out on our own, so we haven't been able to secure many clients. Not when we're competing with the top dogs of the industry," Marcus explained with growing hesitance. Devon took over again and spelled it out.

"We would like to take the concept for Super Squad and refit it for a Foxy themed show. Considering how popular Foxy was, and still is, we think it would be successful. We think we could get a full series," Devon explained. "We were here to offer it to whatever company is behind Foxy's, but Sam wasn't very clear on if there's higher ups holding onto Foxy's rights."

"No, it's pretty much just us," Mike explained. He noticed behind them that Foxy was now very much listening in and blatantly watching with his eye, even as he moved his head to sing to the children. "On second thought, this is something Sam is going to need to be here for. I'll go find where he ran off to and bring him back."

"That's what he said before he disappeared," Marcus pointed out with a strained grimace. It was growing apparent that his patience was starting to drain.

"Trust me, I'll be right back," Mike insisted. Then he headed off towards the office, having a suspicion that the technician was there. He wasn't surprised when he opened the door to find the man sitting at his desk. "You talked to those guys out there sitting in the dining room?" Mike asked as he pointed back towards the hall. Fritz got an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Yeah, uh… I thought they would've left by now. If they ask, I'm not here," Fritz tried with an awkward throat clearing. "I think they're cops."

"I thought so too, but- and you're not going to believe this-," the security guard led in as he shut the door behind him. It drastically quieted the office once cut off from the noise and music from the dining room. He still lowered his voice as though it was a bigger business deal than he thought it was. "From what they're saying, they're animators who used to work on the Freddy cartoons and they're offering to make a Foxy one."

Fritz was surprised and confused by the offer. "What?! That's why they're here?... No, they're cops. That's a cover story, right?"

"I don't know, they seemed to have their story straight. They even mentioned working on a Baby cartoon. As far as I know, even the people who worked at Freddy's didn't know about Baby because that whole fiasco," Mike pointed out. "If it's a cover story then they've done their homework. Not to mention that they have the patience of someone whose here on business. Nobody would wait this long without money on the line." He gave a half smile and a shrug. Fritz looked down slowly.

"A Foxy cartoon… That could bring in so much more business. It could make the business blow up overnight!" Fritz hesitated a moment before his excitement drop. "Which would probably kill us."

"Look, I think we should just go with it. We're busy now but how long will this really last? There's only so many kids in town with so many birthdays," Mike pointed out. He tapped his fingers on the edge of the desk as he considered it, then looked to the other with reassurance in his gaze. "We need to get Foxy's out there. It might kill us, but it might keep the business from dying ten years from now."

"…That's a good point… Yeah, you know what? Sure. Fredbear and Friends was pretty much the only thing that came out of Freddy's that wasn't defective or dangerous, or covering up some sort of massive body count. Maybe this could be a good thing. If we get more business, then we'll just get more hires." Fritz started to get more convinced and stood abruptly from the desk. "They're still here, right?"

"I'll go get them. We'll get more business done in here than out there." Mike headed out quickly and on his way to the table looked for Jeremy and Marionette.

Jeremy was nowhere to be seen, but Marionette was back on his stage and Mike could tell he was watching him from how his head followed. By time he got Marcus and Devon and convinced them to move to the office, the Puppet was already down from his stage and rapidly moving towards the Prize Corner. The man wasn't entirely sure why he was but couldn't think of a convincing way to get in there while leading the men.

Fritz was apologetic when the men came in and rapidly spewed excuses and shook hands like his life was on the line. They seemed to accept it all well enough, or just wanted the deal that much. They sat down on the office couch, seeming much more casual than the flustered technician. Mike pulled a chair to the side of desk and dropped into it, crossing his arms and leaning back, and was more than prepared to be the rational one of the two. He was fine with playing "bad cop" if the need came up.

Though Mike tuned out a lot of the company talk. Things such as statistics and the process of pitching it to networks and producers slipped by without him giving much thought. After all, it wasn't his job to get this cartoon off the ground. It would be theirs. It wasn't until the details of the cartoon itself came back into the conversation that he started paying full attention again.

"Which leaves us with the actual pitch of the cartoon. As I mentioned earlier, it would be a revamp of the Super Squad idea, except with Foxy as the lead and the Freddy gang replaced with your characters."

Fritz glanced at Mike in slight confusion. "Foxy's a pirate and everyone else hangs out with him," Mike clarified. This seemed to be good enough for the other man.

"When we worked on Baby's Circus, we received a few complaints from the owners on how the characters were portrayed in comparison to how they were established. We're hoping you'll be up to some creative liberties, but we do want to get the characters as close to your vision as possible," Devon said. "Marionette's the second mascot, right? What's the deal with him? Any established backstory? Any connection to Foxy?"

"Yeah, he's Foxy's brother," Mike answered without a hitch. Devon raised a brow. "It's just one of those things that you accept without thinking about it. If you want the basics; he likes presents, he's good with children, and he's the wisecracker when he and Foxy are on stage together and plays off him. When Foxy's alone he picks up the slack himself." He tried not to let his bias show, but he noticed Fritz's coy smile.

"I think we could do something with that," Devon said and jotted down a few notes in his pad. Mike specifically noticed that 'wisecracker' was listed, much to his amusement. "And the other puppet is his girlfriend?"

"Nah, she's his sister too." This got a brief look from Devon, so Mike said the first thing that came to mind. "Foxy's dad really got around."

Fritz suppressed a snicker at the irony of the comment and leaned back in his chair. Only to suddenly catch glimpse of a white face staring out from under his desk. That smile instantly became a startle grimace as he realized that Marionette had somehow gotten under the desk and was kneeling right beside his legs. He must've appeared in the moment the technician stood to greet the men, which only made him more unsettled by the speed. He tried to cover his shock and look normal.

"In all seriousness, you guys could make it work. Just say something like Foxy raised them or adopted them, but I don't think anyone will ask," Mike added in.

"No, no. Kids probably won't care," Devon dismissed. "But if we were to write in a love interest for Foxy there's nothing we have close to that?"

"The closest thing Foxy has to a love interest is the guy who cleans him. You probably noticed him when you came in, he's the blond with glasses who was halfway wedged under a claw machine for half the morning."

"Alright, so we've got an okay on original characters. If that comes up. We're not saying that will come up," Marcus added in. Mike had seen enough of the Fredbear cartoons to know that it would eventually come up. He still agreed to it, as did Fritz. "But the one thing we were thinking of was the villain being a rival to Foxy, and we have an already established character to fill that niche."

Marcus unfolded a paper from his pocket and revealed it as being covered in small sketches and drawings of what looked to be a wolf character. "This was the wolf concept that we had floating around. We think it was called Silver or Grey, sort of a 'cooler' and 'more mature' Foxy. _But_ that would make him the perfect foil to Foxy. Captain Silver, another pirate captain, who bumps heads and causes problems while they're trying to get the same treasure."

"That's fitting, but who owns Silver? I don't even ever remember seeing this design," Fritz pointed out as he scooted the sketch closer. He took it into his hand and looked it over. "Looks more like something that would've been in one of those wolfman movies than a real animatronic." He then waited until the two men began to explain before subtly passing the paper under the desk and to Marionette, who began to study it.

"We actually found the man whose listed as having created Silver and we're going to get in contact with him. We think he might be one of the guys who used to do voice work too, so if all goes well we might get him on board," Devon explained. "And if he says no, we have some backup ideas. If we really stretched the design, we could probably pull off a black wolf legally and just swap the name out. And what do you think of having more Minireenas? No issue there?"

"Only if we have to keep them in the business," Mike answered.

"Okay, good, good. Then we get down to the gritty. Marcus, can you go get the uh…" He snapped his fingers twice and then pointed a thumb to the door. "The papers. The contract." Marcus nodded and stood, then headed out the door to go get the papers. Devon continued without a hitch, "We've already talked to the voice actor who played Foxy before and he's willing to come on. Who does the voice for Marionette?"

"I do," Mike blurted out before really considering it. Fritz looked to him slowly and Mike corrected. "But you're going to need a real voice actor and I'm not going to stand in your way. I could just… Send you some demo tapes and you could find a match?" he said in almost like a guessing tone. Fritz, who he was staring at, raised his brows and then slowly pointed down at the desk. Mike raised one as well, wondering what that gesture meant. Fritz tapped a little more firmly on the desk, then pointed under the desk.

"That would probably help us to find a good match. The same with the other puppet if you could," Devon agreed, thankfully not catching on to the situation.

When his attention changed to Fritz, Mike leaned back in his chair, trying to look casual as he did so, and caught a glimpse under the desk. There was Marionette. He raised a brow and the Puppet sent him a wave.

"But that pretty much wraps us up, so if we could get your signatures, we will officially start the pilot. Now, I can't make any promises regarding whether the pilot will be picked up, but I have a good feeling that we've got something here. We'll be in touch, so if we do get a nibble then you'll be the first to know," Devon finished up. It was shortly after that when Marcus returned with the papers. Both Mike and Fritz signed willingly, giving their okay to go forth with the cartoon. "Thank you both for your time."

"Thank you for _your_ time. Sorry again about the wait. The pizzeria gets crazy, paperwork gets everywhere, and there's… There's no excuse, so thank you." Fritz was even more apologetic considering that he had been purposely hiding in here and not actually working. He cleared his throat as he stood. "I'll walk you two out," he offered as he left with them. He didn't even offer it to Mike because he knew he had something else to handle in the office.

The office door clicked shut and immediately Marionette slid out of his hiding space and peeked over the desk. He then looked back to the wolf sketches in his hand curiously.

"Feeling better?" Mike asked knowingly, just as relieved that this turned out in their favor.

"Much. I can't believe I got so worked up over nothing," Marionette answered. He looked a little embarrassed. "I must really be letting this Springtrap ordeal get to my head."

"You really must, because I thought you'd be a little more excited than this," the smirking security guard pointed out. "You do realize what this means, don't you? Not only is the long dead cartoon coming back, but now you're going to be a permanent fixture in it. You're going to have your own character and everything."

Mike realized that it only hit Marionette just then as his eyes started to widen. He was going to be a part of something that had brought him so much joy; it was like a childhood dream come true. A slow, wide smile started to appear as the striped one began to trill and chime so excitedly that he was nearly trembling.

"Now you're getting it!" Mike encouraged. "Or you're ticking down to an explosion."

The Puppet laughed in delight with his voice partially muffled by his own music. "I'm- this- after all these years-!" he sputtered out. "I can't believe it! A part of it- in the show having adventures-!"

"Making wisecracks at Foxy, if those notes have any say in it," Mike pointed out. He then raised a brow in playful concern, "Think you'll be able to keep a straight face for the rest of the day, or should I break out the 'Taking a rest' sign?"

"Oh no, no! I'll be fine, promise! My goodness, I might actually explode if I try to restrain myself after that surprise," Marionette chirped in delight. He began to rein himself in, if only barely, and took Mike by the shoulders with a beaming smile. "Let me tell Foxy. Make sure nobody else does, because I want to be the one to tell him."

"You got it," Mike agreed. "Just wait until we get closer to closing. Can't risk having both of our stars out of commission."

"Oh no, we wouldn't want that," Marionette playfully agreed. "Because if you think I'm excited then wait until you see Foxy. He will be _ecstatic!_ "

* * *

Foxy was horrified. He barely hid it as he stared at his sibling, who had rushed over as soon as the front door was locked and the curtains were drawn. It was now hours later, closing time, and he was finally able to get the scoop on the strange men who Mike took into the office. It was worse than he could've ever imagined.

"Can you believe it, Foxy?! A cartoon about us! It'll be just like Fredbear and Friends!" Marionette gushed with delight and a brilliant smile. He only then noticed how long it was taking Foxy to react. "Isn't it great?"

"…Err, course, Lad! Sorry, me head ain't all here. Some kid dropped a bunch o' soda down me back an' it fried all ol' Foxy had left," Foxy excused quickly to cover how he really felt. "Ain't that great. We're gonna be seein' ourselves on the television. Heh, bloody shame we ain't gonna be running the cartoon ourselves."

"Yes, that is a little worrisome. They _did_ create that last season of Fredbear and Friends, and you know how I feel about the changes they chose. But they did tell Mike and Fritz that they would be listening to their input, which would also include our input," Marionette was already getting excited again. "Imagine if they even let us suggest episodes. Maybe we could write our own!"

"I think I'll leave that to you, Lad," Foxy said with a warm chuckle. He patted the younger on the back. "Do me a favor? Jer'my's cleanin' off tables now, so would ya handle his little dolls fer him? If he doesn't get there quick enough, they start workin' into a huge fit."

"I think I can manage that," Marionette agreed with a nod and a small smile. Foxy patted his back before watching him leave.

"Thanks, Marion!" And now that he was gone, he didn't have to see his brother smack a hand to his face and rub it in obvious distress. "Blimey, of all the things to survive Freddy's… It had to be that forsaken show."

Even ignoring the memories and guilt associated with the show- mostly connected to his childhood- Foxy just wasn't fond of the idea of the image he carefully crafted being tampered with. He could remember the inward embarrassment of watching a cartoon Freddy learning how to skateboard and could only imagine that in the coming years more would look on that as a hilarious example of a show being dated. Because of that show, Freddy and Chica were considered a couple, Freddy was branded as permanently uncool, and he himself was a subpar villain.

Not to mention that seeing himself on a skateboard might've killed him on the spot. Foxy had no say in it anymore. Not that he could refuse such an offer when Marionette was so excited about. He was smiling so wide that it was a shock that his mask wasn't cracking; Foxy couldn't take that away from him. It was out of his hand and hook now.

But maybe not everything was. It was at this moment that Foxy very briefly noticed Louise coming out of the kitchen to collect a few leftover plates that had been stacked on one of the tables. His gaze locked onto her as he considered how much easier it had gone for all of them when there was another set of hands working. They needed her. Maybe Schmidt and Smith were hesitant to ask her about a full-time position, but he wasn't, and he knew exactly how to go about it.

He waited until Jeremy moved to the table in front of his stage to remove a dirtied tablecloth. "Jer'my," Foxy said. He knelt and reached out to nudge Jeremy's shoulder, then hooked onto it and pulled the blonde back towards him. The man was somewhat stumbled back against the stage. "Jer'my, do yer captain a favor an' go ask Louise to come back in tomorrow," the pirate instructed. "Tell 'er we pay well. Tell 'er the place ain't usually this crowded. Whatever to get 'er stayin'."

"Isn't that like offering her a job?" Jeremy was given a nod. It made sense as Louse was a hard worker, and they needed the extra waiting and kitchen staff. "I can't do that! I can't go behind Fritz and Mike's backs and just hire someone, even if we do need her and she's doing well."

"They went behind yer back and went ahead with that Foxy cartoon. They owe you a major business decision, an' this be it! Aren't ya proud, Lad? Ya got control of the crew!" Foxy reassured, trying to coax Jeremy into going ahead with it. He would need the man to go do it anyways, as he doubted Louise would accept the job from him directly when she was still wary of him.

"I don't know if that's-." Jeremy cut off abruptly as he perked up and looked back. "They're making a cartoon?! Foxy, that's amazing! Do you realize how big that is- you're going to be huge!"

"Yeah, I'll be a big, red-furred pumpkin," Foxy said with a roll of his eye. "We got bigger fish to fry."

"…Pumpkin?"

"We need Louise in the business, and both of yer fellow owners know her too well to ask her straight up, like a real boss, like a captain. I can't be that captain; I scare people. You gotta do it," Foxy coaxed further. "For me. An' if they make a big deal out of it, you tell 'em I told you to do it."

"Well… Okay, I'll offer her the job," Jeremy finally agreed. He then raised a hand defensively, "But if she says no then I won't start begging."

"Thank ye, Jer'my. Such a good first mate, always doin' good by his captain." He pulled Jeremy in, nuzzled into his shoulder affectionately- only flustering the blond more- and then released him and stood with his hands on his hips. "Now off with ya. I'm puttin' me business in yer hands."

Then Jeremy was off to inform Louise that she had gotten the Foxy seal of approval and ask, very subtly, if she wanted to come in tomorrow. Foxy already had it planned; after a few days of working there, she would realize that this job was better than her other and offer to come on full time. They would have her hooked, they would have a new worker, and it would be a worker that Foxy chose. Perhaps he did have a say in what happened to this restaurant.

To the briny depths with the cartoon; Foxy was in control again.

* * *

 **Mable: The next chapter begins a new arc. One that I think we've been waiting a long time for, so make sure to stick around. ^-^ I hope you enjoyed and Happy Fourth of July!**


	57. Chapter 57

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-Seven_

"It's only going to be a couple of days, I promise!"

It was hard to be convincing when he had so many sets of eyes on him. Jeremy expected protest when he was walking out the door, but not to this extent. Not this many sets of piercing eyes demanding answers for why their caretaker was leaving for days instead of just hours. Except Max, who was as relaxed and unbothered as usual. He stayed silent and watched the scene unfold, glancing over when the Bidybabs spoke.

"Why do they get to go?" the Bidybab twin in the orange dress, Button, asked accusatorily. She pointed up at the couch and the three Minireenas sitting there, who all just looked at her together.

"Because they're the favorites," the Bidybab twin in the purple dress, Bow, answered huffily. She tried to cross her stubby arms and the Minireenas looked to each other in response.

"No, that's not it. You know I love you all. It's just that they're working at the business, and this really is just a business trip," Jeremy tried to defend before this got any further out of hand. "You wouldn't have fun. I'm pretty much just going for moral support, to help Foxy feel more comfortable."

"That's right, Kiddos," Max chimed in. He then turned his head to look at them. If he could've been giving a mischievous grin- other than the one molded on- he would have. "Because Foxy's his real favorite."

"I-I didn't say that!" Jeremy protested. Balloon Boy let out an obnoxious laugh, Daisy and Rose giggled, the Bidybabs gave disgruntled huffs, Plushtrap made a teeth chattering noise like a laugh, and Max looked back to the man with what felt like smugness. He always liked to rile things up. Realizing that he had no hope to save the situation, Jeremy headed to the door. "I'm trusting you guys with the house. Please don't leave the fridge open or anything," he warned them as he took the cardboard padded box and knelt with it. "Ready to go, Girls?"

Daisy, Rose, and Forget-Me-Not straightened and dropped down from the couch before hurrying to the box in tiny leaps. Lilium, who was still cuddled up to Plushtrap's side on the couch, waved after them with a small giggle. The three hopped into the box and he lifted them up before heading out the door.

"We'll be back in a few days! I'll call you tonight, so someone answer the phone!" Jeremy called in. Balloon Boy waved after him and he waved back before shutting and locking the door. He could only hope that his apartment would survive without him but couldn't worry about it as he headed to the car and set the box inside. "Okay, you three. You sit tight and once we get on the highway you can come out and get comfortable." There were small noises inside the box, giggles and hums of understanding.

Smiling to himself, Jeremy turned on the car and began to pull out of his parking spot. Time to go get Mike.

The Animatronic Tradeshow and Technology Convention, also known as Animatronicon for short, was an event that happened yearly, but Foxy's had only gotten a formal invitation this year. Perhaps spawned by all the buzz that seemed to circulate the business. The prospect was simple; while portraying itself as a way to exchange and show off new breakthroughs in animatronic technology, Animatronicon was just a massive vessel for advertisement. Which meant if a business received a formal invite to come then it was in their best interest to do so.

That didn't mean that it would be an easy or comfortable drive. Being cramped in the back of a van in what felt like the hottest day of summer and having to drive out of state was uncomfortable. Especially for the animatronics, who wouldn't have the luxury of getting to stop and get out of the van. Which would've been fine and dandy for an hour trip, or livable for a two-hour trip, but they were looking at seven hours at best, and more when adding in the needed stops along the way. It would be a nightmare.

"Turn that AC up! It be hotter than a pizza oven in here!" Foxy grouched from the back. He fussily turned and tried to readjust himself in the cramped confines. "I feel like a fish hanging over a fire."

"Can do!" Fritz called back as he turned the air up higher. Though not much higher as they had already been close to max. "Try to stay by the wall and I'll turn this vent out towards it."

"Pretty hard to do with this accursed shelf sittin' in the way," Foxy grumbled. He tried to scoot closer and ended up hooking and pulling down a drop cloth that fell on his legs. He tried to kick it off and it got tangled on his foot. "Gah! Blasted thing!" he vented as he yanked it off and tossed it across the van. "Meanwhile that son of a biscuit eater Mike be soakin' up all the cool air that I could've been getting' in Jer'my's car. I knew we should've driven at night, but does anyone listen to ol Foxy? No."

"I listen to you Foxy. To your complaints, your gripes…" Marionette chimed up teasingly.

He and Charlie were currently putting together a puzzle on a piece of cardboard and taking care to hold it steady whenever the van turned or went over a bump. The picture seemed to be of a castle by the ocean from what was finished so far.

"And Jeremy's car might be cooler but think about how cramped you'd be in the backseat covered in a tarp with the Minireenas crawling all over you." He hesitated a moment and then chimed in light laughter and looked to Charlie. "I just got a mental image of Mike getting swarmed in dolls."

"Bet he be just laughing it up back there. Thinking he got all lucky," Foxy grumbled. Then he finally leaned forwards and reached up to shake his hook in the window. "Laugh while ya can, Mike, cause we're switchin' places on the way back!"

In the car behind the van. Both Jeremy and Mike noticed the hook being shook at them, as one would shake their fist. Both were equally confused for a moment, but then Mike gave a definite, "Looks like I'm in trouble now."

"That can't be for you. He can't think we'd see that," Jeremy pointed out. Yet as the hook shook faster, his frown started to tilt. "…Okay, I stand corrected. Maybe it's for you." It was now that Foxy decided to lean upwards and look through the window. Mike proceeded to send him a beaming smirk and a wave while Jeremy gave a half shrug and mouthed a 'what?'. Though Foxy's gaze locked on Mike's smirk as his eyepatch jumped upwards.

"The smarmy sod just smirked at me!" Foxy announced with aghast.

"Don't take it too seriously. Mike always looks like that," Natalie said offhandedly. Her attention was instead on the gas station and rest stop appearing in the distance. "Hey, I know our tank's still at half, but this might be the last one for a long while. We should probably get it topped off."

"Good idea. I could use a pick-me-up anyway," Fritz agreed. He pulled out his cellphone and quickly dialed Mike's cellphone number. "Hey, we're stopping at this gas station up here."

"Alright, I'll tell Jeremy." Mike could hear Foxy complaining through the cell phone and was already patting himself on the back for the decision to ride in Jeremy's car. He only sympathized towards poor Marionette and Charlie, stuck in the back with the grumbling pirate. He ended the call and turned to the driver. "We're pulling over at the next stop."

"Already? Well, okay." Jeremy then looked in the rearview mirror and into the backseat. "You three be good while we're out, okay? There might be people around and we don't want you getting spotted."

The three Minireenas were sitting in the backseat like any normal person would, even spaced out enough to be in the appropriate 'seats'. Daisy sat in the middle, with her legs stuck out in front of her and her hands at her side. Her feet lightly swayed in rhythm with the quiet music playing from the speakers. Rose sat behind Mike's seat, sitting in a kneeling position but turned to the side with her head tilted to rest on her hands, which were resting on the back of the seat. It looked like she was napping. Forget-Me-Not was in the seat behind Jeremy's, sitting with her legs crossed, slumped like she was bored.

The Minireenas hadn't been nearly as restless as they expected. Which Mike saw as a great thing and Jeremy was somewhat concerned by. He kept his concerns to himself as he followed the van's example and pulled into the rest stop. It wasn't too impressive; a gas station and two houses, neither of which looked like a motel or anything like it. There were a few cars parked around, but they didn't look to be customers.

Mike got out of the car first and started to pass by the van when he heard a knocking on the back door. He looked over expecting Foxy and instead there was Marionette peering through the glass. He waved, which Mike returned, and then lifted a piece of notebook paper up to the window that only said: **"Bring me back a lolly, please!"** Instead of questioning it, Mike just sent back a thumbs up and headed inside.

Fritz, Natalie, and Jeremy all came inside as well. Largely just to stretch their legs and look for anything to make their drive more bearable. Before even going to pay for the gas, Jeremy started circling the small gas station while looking for something to get for the Minireenas to entertain them. Alas, the gas station only consisted of a few short aisles and they were dedicated to snacks and the occasional travel supplies. He noticed Fritz walking back towards the refrigerators and stopped him.

"Hey, you didn't see any- I don't know- little toys or anything around here, did you?" Jeremy asked and Fritz looked slightly questioning. "Not for me, obviously. I'm driving. It's to keep the girls distracted. I don't think any of us want to see how fussy they get when they're upset." From Fritz's cringe, he seemed to get an appropriate mental image.

"You've got that right," the technician agreed. He then looked around at the shelves on either side of them. He then almost half-heartedly picked up and offered a bag of gummy bears. Jeremy looked down at the bag for a few seconds and back up with a look of disapproval, as though he thought he was a joke. "Right, bad idea. Would probably melt halfway there," Fritz agreed and went to put it back. He hesitated a moment before deciding not to put them back. "I could probably use the sugar."

They circled around to the next aisle where there was a small box of keychains. Fritz spotted one that was a small Rubik cube and plucked it out. "Or what about this? They do puzzles, right?" he asked, offering it to the other.

"Well, yeah, but I don't think this'll work. It would've been perfect, but their hands..." Jeremy explained and Fritz got it. Their tiny, fingerless hands would struggle with the cube and only get them more frustrated.

"Got it. It's not like they're much fun anyway," Fritz said as he went to put it back. Again, he hesitated, and then slowly drew it back. "…But, you know, I could always use something to do." Thus, the bag of gummy bears was joined by the keychain. Though he then caught a glimpse towards the front of the store. "Wait a minute. Look over by the door; they have some of those capsule machines. That'd be… Small."

Jeremy perked as soon as he saw the machine. It was perfect; maybe the toys were small and cheap, but they would work well enough for the dolls. He started popping in quarters and collecting as many little capsules as he could. He wasn't entirely sure what toys he was getting, but he just trusted that hopefully they would work.

Mike got back out of the store first and let himself into the back of the van. He made sure to close the doors behind himself even with the unlikeliness of anyone seeing them. "I got the goods," he said, reaching into a small bag and pulling out a handful of little lollipops. Marionette trilled and eagerly scooted closer to study the lollipops like they were buried treasure. "Hope I got enough of them to tide you over."

"Thank you!" Marionette chirped as he unwrapped a cherry flavored lollipop and caught it between his porcelain lips. Even without a tongue, he could taste the sweetness through his fabric and lips. A hum of contentment rumbled through his chest and music box.

"Cute," Mike complimented. He adjusted himself to sit against the van wall, getting himself more comfortable. "You never told me you had a thing for these."

"I never thought about it until now. I was just thinking about what we could get from the gas station to stave off the boredom and like all good ideas it appeared from thin air," the striped one answered, still talking even though he hadn't removed the lollipop from his lips. He gave another warble at the taste. "I could get used to this."

"Is that a head's up that I'm going to have to refill the candy in the prize corner more often?" Mike playfully asked. He was cut off by the bag rustling and him looking over to see Foxy scrounging through it. "There's more in there if you want one too," he offered.

"Nah, never liked 'em. Broke me tooth on a piece o' hard candy back when I be just a kit," Foxy dismissed. It was then that he noticed what looked like a vanilla snack cake and stabbed his hook into it, going straight through the plastic, and then reeling it in. "But I will be takin' this." He was right about to tear it open the rest of the way when Natalie threw herself into the driver's seat.

"All gassed up and ready to go!" she chirped as she yanked on the seatbelt. "We are making such great time here. At the rate we're going, we might even have enough daylight to find a good motel."

"We're leaving already?" Mike asked with a raised brow. He looked back through the crack in the doors to Jeremy's car. He was already back in the driver's seat, though leaning into the back to tend to the Minireenas. "Huh. Guess we are… Hurray." Marionette chimed again and leaned over to bump shoulders with him.

"Don't sound so unenthusiastic, Love. It's just five more hours in a car with few distractions and nothing to look at outside. Consider it an adventure!" The Puppet offered him the lollipop, which he declined with a handwave. "Well, if you'd prefer, you could join us in the back. We have puzzles and books and things."

"You know I'd be back here if I could, but it's like an oven in here. I think we'd get half a block and I'd go into a coma," Mike said teasingly. He took a few things out of the plastic bag- a soda and a couple of different chewing gum packets- and slid out the back of the van. "If you need to call me or anything, I've got enough phone charge to get us through at least two 'I'm so bored, kill me' calls."

Natalie chimed in, "Fritz's phone is getting low, so once it runs out you'll have to start calling mine. But mine's ready to go!" She excitedly looked at the road ahead. "Okay! So, as soon as Fritz gets here, we're off!" Speaking of the technician, he walked around the front of the van and to the passenger side door. Natalie couldn't help but stare at the amount of random stuff he was carrying in his arms, not even in a bag. He awkwardly attempted to sit down without dropping anything. "Whoa, you think you got enough there?"

"Just a few things to get us by. It's not as much as it looks like," Fritz reassured. Then he got a wider smile. "And I know your price…" He reached into the stuff and pulled out a pack of mini doughnuts. Natalie gave a dramatic gasp and eagerly snatched them to herself.

"It was fate that brought us here," she said with that same, exaggerated tone as she opened the end. She jammed one halfway into her mouth, holding it with her teeth, and offered the rest to Fritz. "Mmph huh?"

"I'm good," Fritz declined as he went back through the things. "I have something else to whet my appetite…" He proceeded to pull out the Rubik cube and start scrambling it up. "Place your bets now, guys! I've got twenty bucks that says I can get this done by the next stop!"

"Aye'll take that bet and bump it ta thirty!" Foxy challenged back. "I can't even see what yer doin', but if yer that sure then ya ain't gonna do it!"

Mike gave a slight snicker and shut the van doors before heading back to Jeremy's car. He let himself into the passenger seat and basked in the comfort of the air conditioning. Jeremy was still leaning between the seats to tend to the Minireenas.

"Which one should we open next?" he asked. Rose excitedly picked up a capsule with a red bottom and handed it to him. It seemed that she wanted her turn, since Daisy and Forget-Me-Not had already opened ones for themselves, one containing a banana shaped eraser and the other a star sticker that Daisy proceeded to stick on her forehead. He twisted open the capsule and pulled out a purple, sticky hand toy. "It's a… I'm not exactly sure what you call these, but it looks like you could have fun with it."

She took the hand in the own and began to squeeze and stretch it with a content giggle. Daisy's eyes fixed on the toy and she crawled over to the other Minireena, then reached out and caught the tail of the hand, squeezing it between her hands with a giggle.

"Let's see if we've got another one of those," Jeremy suggested as he popped another open. He was positively beaming as he saw his little dolls so happy with the toys. Hopefully, they would tide them over until the next stop. It instead was a neon green rubber ball and he offer it to Forget-Me-Not, who eagerly snatched it up and started turning it in her hands. "Not really a hand, but I could see you making some fun with that! Just be careful of the windows." He patted her head lightly as she continued to fiddle with the ball.

"Hey, we're going," Mike suddenly chimed in. Jeremy looked back and the younger pointed to the van, which was being turned back on.

"Oh! Right, hold on. Uh…" The blond looked down at the rest of the capsules before offering them to Mike, nearly putting them in his hands. "Can you just take these for a minute? Maybe just get them open, thanks." He then turned his car back on and was ready by time the van pulled out. Deciding he had nothing better to do, Mike began to open the capsules and hand out more toys to the eager dolls.

"This was a good idea. It should probably tide them over for a little while," Mike complimented. He then looked to Jeremy and followed with, "So, what did you get to distract us?"

"…Well…Uh…" Jeremy sent him an awkward smile. "You ever play championship I Spy?"

Any hope Mike had on this trip going smoothly was quickly dashed.

Back in the van, quietness had set in after getting on the road. The radio was on low, but any conversation had fizzled out, between Fritz's focus on the cube, Marionette's focus on the flavor, and Natalie's focus on the road. Foxy needed his own distraction and soon his interest turned to Charlie. She had been silent since their stop, fully distracted with her notebook and only paying partial attention to what was going on around her. He decided to take notice and hopefully spawn a distraction.

"Whatcha doin' there, Lass? You've had yer nose stuck in that book for a fortnight now," Foxy asked. Charlie realized quickly that he was talking to her and looked up to him. "Whuzzat about?"

"Oh, uh, not much. Just looking at these songs Baby wrote." Foxy's ears raised attentively, which she noticed. "Baby wrote a couple more songs. Or one and a half really, which I think she assumed I was going to sing at the convention? If it's okay with you two, I think if I'm going to be anywhere on stage that I'll just be smiling and waving."

"That be fine, Lass," Foxy dismissed without even second guessing it. It was better that way, as Marionette and he had only rehearsed with the anticipation that the two of them would be on stage. "But a few more 'o Baby's songs, eh? Lemme hear 'em!" He waited expectantly as Charlie got a confused look. She almost didn't seem certain in what he was suggesting. "Unless ya got a whole music sheet in there, I ain't gonna get the melody, and I know she's been prob'ly makin' ya play 'em over and over."

This seemed like it would be a weird time to start singing. Charlie looked towards the front of the van and noticed that Natalie and Fritz weren't paying much attention. Marionette was, almost as much so as Foxy, but it was different for them. Singing and performing was their life, so they would just see it as a normal event.

"Well, if you insist," the Security Puppet caved with a small smile. "This is the unfinished one 'Just Add Water'. Baby sung the tune for me once so this is just a faint recollection. Bear with me." She made a few practice jingles before the ringing began to turn into an actual tune. Then she began to sing.

" _Sailing, we're going sailing, across the sea… So, hang on tight, and taste that… sweet, sweet, salty breeze. Just add some water to that. Just add some water to that.~"_ She quickly looked to gauge their reactions. Foxy had his eyes closed to listen closer while Marionette had that wider smile again. _"_ _Spread sails and then man the decks. Once we go, we may never come back. Just add some water to that. Just add some water to that. And set a course for-.~"_ She cut off abruptly to stop her ringing, then clarified, "And that's where she stopped."

"Get 'er to keep on that one. We need more sea songs that ain't just sea shanties. Mari?" Foxy looked to Marionette who gave a trill of excitement. "…Alright, we ain't gettin' anything out of him. What's the other one?"

"Alright, this second one is a little longer, but the lyrics… I don't know, there's just a little… You'll see. You'll hear it," Charlie insisted. "This one's called 'Crème De La Crème'." She again reset her ringing and began to sing the second song.

" _Put your hands together, all eyes on me when I'm up on stage. I'm the one who'll light up the room. You might need to take a page.~"_ Charlie sung as she lightly bobbed her head in rhythm, her bauble jingling behind her. _"Dressed to the nines and dressed to impress, I could be any man's dream. Cute as can-_ Wait. Wait a minute." She looked over the line and reread it again. "Every man's dream? What- Oh no…" She smacked a hand to her mask and slid it down her face. "Baby, no."

"What's wrong? I thought it was pretty cute!" Marionette complimented. "A little boasting isn't a problem if it's part of the show."

"It's not that, it's this. It's this 'every man's dream' comment. I thought this song was weird, and now I get it," Charlie insisted as she poked over the lines and pointed out different parts. "Me talking about how cute and fun I am, me saying any man would want me." She tapped her finger on the notebook page and said in aghast, "This is just Baby trying to boost my confidence after the John thing!"

It took Marionette a moment to respond, though from the twitch of his smile it was evident that he was trying to cover amusement. "That's… That's not that bad! Baby could've certainly done worse to try and cheer you up," he said. Charlie gave him a flat, exasperated look, and his smile strained awkwardly. "Baby's not been in too many relationships recently. At least she cares?"

"What's this John thing?" Foxy asked nonchalantly. The puppets looked at him silently and uncomfortably. He opened his eye halfway and looked between the two of them. "…What's that look supposed to mean?" Charlie tapped her fingers on her notebook while Marionette rubbed his arm and returned his lollipop to his lips. He finally waved his hook. "Forget it! I don't wanna know. Just keep going."

"With the song? You're sure?" Charlie asked with a tilt of the head. Foxy nodded and she shrugged. "Well, okay. If you insist." She looked back down to the notebook and began to sing again. " _Cute as can be so give me a ring, because I'm the crème de la crème.~"_ She then raised her tone as she led into the chorus. " _Crème de la crème, come on down! I've been waiting for you to come brighten up my day! Crème de la crème, I knew you were coming. Aren't you the sweetest thing?_ _Some girls are won with roses, for some pearls are nice. But if you want Ms. Crème da la Crème, you're going to pay the price."_

"Oh yeah, I feel it," Foxy said with a nod. She thought he was being serious until he looked over and bluntly added, "Baby's got a big crush on ya."

"Alright, singalong time is over," the Security Puppet announced as she closed the notebook. She looked and sounded entirely unamused by his comment and nearly pouted. Foxy got a look that she could've believed was his version of a smirk and Marionette patted her back sympathetically.

The drive continued for the following hours there was nothing outside the window except a seemingly endless desert. So, when they finally came to a city after hours of driving- a small town that only looked a little smaller than Hurricane- they decided to stop. If only so they could get some form of a distraction, especially since they were looking at one or two more hours of driving ahead. They stopped at a chain restaurant that didn't look too busy and, after making sure they were parked a safe distance away, the humans headed inside.

It felt weird to sit down for dinner when Marionette, Charlie, and Foxy were just sitting out in the car waiting. It wasn't as though Mike was very hungry anyway, as he had only just woken from a two-hour long nap. If not for this being his only chance to get out of the car, he might've just slept the rest of the drive away. He was almost drifting off as he watched the parking lot and made sure nobody got too close to the van.

This was interrupted by a nudge to the foot and Mike looked across the table to see Fritz looking at him. The technician tilted his head in Jeremy's direction so the younger looked over in his direction. He caught Jeremy fussing inside of his jacket, which for some reason he was wearing even though it wasn't jacket weather and looked bulged out much further than it should have been. Leaning in closer, Mike vaguely made out a white face inside.

"That better gas station junk food you're smuggling in," Mike dryly announced. Jeremy looked at him like a child who got caught stealing from a cookie jar and there was a tiny giggle from inside his jacket.

"…It's not what you think," the blond tried to defend. "They- The Minireenas were fussy. The only way I could get them to cooperate in the van was to promise that I'd take one of them inside. So, I had them roll dice- there were a bunch of board games in the back of the van- and here's the winner." He explained, much to the others' continued staring. "It's not that weird, is it?"

"It's a little weird, I'll admit, but look at what we're dealing with," Fritz answered. "Which one is it, Daisy?

"Forget-Me-Not," Jeremy answered. Fritz got an uneasy look and Mike turned himself away slowly. The blond was unenthused by their reactions. "She's fine. She's just as well behaved as Daisy and Rose is, she just gets bored easier." Nobody said anything but Jeremy had a feeling that they weren't convinced. He huffed and readjusted his jacket, only to notice a weird sensation as the doll squirmed around. He wasn't sure what she was doing until he suddenly felt her climbing out the bottom. He gasped and grabbed at his jacket to pin her, only for her to slide through and drop to the floor.

Jeremy choked and bent over to look under the table, nearly putting himself in Mike's lap to do so. Needless to say, everyone caught on quickly, and the man reached desperately for the Minireena. She gave a quiet giggle and immediately moved out of his grasp and playfully circled around the table leg in the center before pressing against the wall. He continued to desperately reach after her.

"Head's up," Mike whispered as he noticed the waitress coming. When Jeremy didn't respond, probably not hearing him, he elbowed him in the side.

Jeremy proceeded to try and jump up and hit his back on the table so hard that the whole thing rattled. Somehow, he came out from under the table with askew glasses, ruffled hair, and no Minireena. He just hoped that the waitress wouldn't be able to see past the short tablecloth. He was nearly sweating bullets both from the nervousness and the jacket he was wearing and tried to quickly figure out an order on the menu.

Mike peeked under the table again and noticed that Forget-Me-Not was close to Natalie's legs. He waved to catch her attention and then pointed downwards, to which she looked underneath and noticed. She then looked back to him and mouthed a 'what do I do?' The security guard looked around the table for anything to use and grabbed the first thing he could before tossing it across the table. It was a small cup of liquid coffee creamer. Natalie looked at it in disbelief and Mike just gave a partial shrug.

Deciding it was at least worth a shot, she lowered the cup into her lap, opened it, and reached underneath the table to offer it to Forget-Me-Not. The Minireena was hesitant to accept the cup at first but became more curious until she finally accepted it, proceeding to dip her hand into it and stirring it. She then raised the cup and poured the liquid into her mouth as though mimicking drinking. The creamer poured through her mouth, through her head, and soaked into her dress. She was completely distracted while the humans ordered.

Then, Natalie offered her another of the cups once the waitress started walking off. Forget-Me-Not eagerly tossed the emptied cup aside and went to grab the second one. She never noticed Mike sneaking up behind until his hand wrapped around her middle and snatched her back. She gave a short cry as he nearly threw her into her caretaker's lap. Jeremy grabbed her before she could get away again and caught her back into his jacket. She gave a few fussy noises once she realized she was trapped.

"Crisis averted," Fritz announced with a much too mocking smile. "Now what was that about her being well-behaved?"

Jeremy decided to not even attempt a defense. He just lowered his head and tried to not look as embarrassed as he felt. Maybe because of everything, he finished eating fastest and headed out to the van. Mike went with him, having little appetite and needing to keep himself awake. As the older opened the back doors of the van, the remaining two Minireenas jumped up from the drawing pad they were huddled over and hurried over to him. Jeremy couldn't help but smile at the as he set down Forget-Me-Not.

"Hey, you two! It's about time to get back on the road. Notty will tell you about her little adventure inside while we're in the car," he assured as he slid the box over. He then offered a to-go container to Foxy. "And here's a thank you for watching them. I thought you could use a pick-me-up."

"Aww, ya didn't have to do that, Lad," Foxy said as he graciously accepted the box. He fumbled to get it open. Then he got it open and he was half surprised that he hadn't smelled what was inside before he had. There was a large, square slice of chocolate cake with thick icing. It smelled rich and dark with a hint of something else in it other than chocolate, maybe some sort of syrup. "Look at this! Must've cost a fortune."

"Yeah, but Fritz was paying," Jeremy excused. Daisy tugged on his sleeve to get his attention before scurrying over with Rose to drag the drawing pad to him. "What have you got there?" he asked and to answer they propped up the pad to show him the picture on it. They were childish looking little doodles but impressive considering that they didn't have the best hands for drawing.

It clearly depicted Jeremy, the Minireenas, and the other animatronics. What looked like a black snowman was probably Max, the wobbly striped thing was likely BB, the twin figures with fluff for dresses could've been the Bidybabs, and a yellow bunny figure seemed to be Plushtrap. All four Minireenas were drawn in different poses and with their own color of dress differentiating them. He was drawn with better detail than the other animatronics, even down to his glasses and the orange t-shirt that he lounged around the house in.

"They've been working on it the whole time you've been in there. You should've seen them; they were determined to get it done in time," Charlie spoke up from the other side of the van

Jeremy gave a broad smile as he looked over the picture. To him it was no different than the pride and flattery he would feel if his own children drew something for him. "It's incredible! Everyone' s here and everything. I love it!" He pulled both Minireenas into his arms and gave them a hug as thanks. He brought Forget-Me-Not in on it too do she didn't feel left out.

Marionette removed the paper from the pad while taking care not to tear it and handed it over. Though while doing this he noticed that Mike had been strangely quiet. He moved a bit closer to him while making sure to still by unseen from outside the van. "Is everything alright, Mike?" he asked, noticing when the man ran a tired hand through his hair.

"Yeah, just tired. I might just sleep through the rest of the drive," Mike answered.

"You probably should. It'll make the drive go faster," Marionette encouraged. That was almost the end of it until he asked, "How are you feeling now?"

"How am I feeling now?" the security guard repeated in confusion. He noticed the way the Puppet was looking at him. Just a normal smile at first glance but maybe a little too attentive. He must've figured it out on his own. "Feeling fine just exhausted."

"Then rest will be good." They both noticed Fritz and Natalie coming back towards the van and wrapped up the brief conversation. "I'll be seeing you at the motel then. Safe travels," Marionette finished playfully. Mike smiled back and went to shut the van doors as Jeremy carried the Minireenas' box back to his own car.

What Mike didn't notice was that Jeremy had been paying attention to the conversation. It wasn't hard to recognize when someone was talking with a double meaning and mixed with the younger's weariness it raised a few concerns. The most likely one being that Mike was sick and hadn't told anyone or had a bad night and _also_ didn't tell anyone. Either was possible because Jeremy learned long ago that when Mike had an issue of any kind, he would keep it hushed as long as humanly possible.

Not that it ever concerned Jeremy until the spelunking trip. That was when he found out the real extent of how well Mike could hide an issue. Once the Minireenas were secured in the back and they were back on the road, he made the decision to confront his younger co-worker.

"So… I noticed you've been tired for a while now. Which makes sense since all we're doing is driving and there's not much else to distract us with. Unless we started counting the seconds in between passing cars… Scratch that, that would probably put us to sleep faster." Mike gave a slight laugh at this. "But you did sleep for a couple of hours already. It's just a little weird that you're still just as tired."

" _And he's got me,"_ Mike thought with an exhale. He could just tell from that tone that Jeremy wouldn't let this go with a weak excuse, but since they were in the car alone maybe it didn't matter. _"He's figured out something's up anyway,"_ Mike decided. "It's just my meds. I don't usually take them during the day."

"…Wait, that's it?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. Mike nodded plainly. "I thought you were having like a bad caffeine crash or something. Why didn't you say anything?"

"That is the last thing I want to risk starting a conversation from. Do you have any idea how awkward that would get? I say I took my medicine, Natalie asks what medicine, and we spend thirty minutes trying to pronounce words we can't even spell," Mike dismissed quickly. "Besides, it's not like I need it that bad."

"There's nothing wrong with taking medicine, Mike."

"Case in point."

"Okay, okay, I won't bother you about it. I'm guessing Mari already knows so you've got him." Jeremy waited a second and then decided to add, "But you've got me too. If you ever want to talk about it, we can."

"I know." If there was one thing he could say about Jeremy it was that he was reliable. He wouldn't trust sleeping this long in the car with just anyone. With a slow exhale, Mike gave a, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Jeremy returned with a smile before looking to the road and van in front of them. Mike had to admit that Jeremy was a good friend. Or he would've before the blond ruined the moment with, "I spy a triangle and it's moving fast."

The group didn't stop again until they arrived at their destination and found a motel to stay the night at. Unfortunately, Mike had not been able to get back to sleep, but the last leg of the drive had gone a lot faster than the rest of it. Once they had a couple of rooms on the more secluded side of the motel, Mike carefully helped Marionette and Charlie get inside. Jeremy moved his Minireenas into another room with two beds, which he was splitting with Fritz and Natalie. Foxy had been adamant that he wanted to stay in the van.

As soon as the door was locked and he was no longer needed, Mike headed over to the bed and collapsed face first on it. Even with the medicine finally starting to wear off he was now exhausted from the drive itself. It felt good to just stretch out and give up for a couple of minutes after being cramped in the passenger seat. He could feel Marionette's weight as he knelt on the bed beside his legs. A few seconds later he felt tugging at his laces, then the animatronic pulling his shoes off and setting them neatly on the floor.

"Thanks," Mike said, voice muffled by the comforter. Usually he would be more concerned about putting his face on a motel's bed but found it the least daunting thing faced that day.

"Just making you a little more comfortable," Marionette replied. "What a drive. And to think we get to experience it all over again in a couple of days."

"Don't remind me. I might just blow my savings on a plane ticket," Mike said as he rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. There were a few cobwebs clinging here or there, making him wonder how long it had been since the room was last cleaned. Now he was really regretting laying facedown. "Think you could fit into a duffle bag?"

"I know I could, but I'd never get through a metal detector," Marionette said with a low chime. He slid up the bed and curled up alongside him, wrapping his arms around his companion and nuzzling his mask to his cheek. Mike put an arm around him in return.

At that moment he remembered Charlie was in the room and glanced towards her bed. She was fiddling with trying to get the remote to work- it almost looked like someone took the batteries out of it- and didn't pay any mind to them. Marionette didn't seem concerned either way and simply continued to cuddle against him. Mike shrugged it off. After a drive like that, this was what they all needed.

* * *

Foxy roused when he heard footsteps around the van. It couldn't have been that late in the evening, maybe an hour after they arrived at the motel, and he was on edge as he heard someone at the back doors. It was when he heard the jingling of keys that he relaxed, knowing it was one of his friends. He had a good idea of which one too and he wasn't disappointed when one of the doors opened to reveal Jeremy.

"Evening, Captain," Jeremy greeted with a salute. He climbed into the back and shut the door behind him. "Boy, it really cooled down out here, didn't it?"

"Aye. As cold as the murky depths," Foxy agreed with a nod. His yellow eye then slid back over to Jeremy. "Whaddya doin' out here, Lad? Ya should be in bed."

"Wasn't tired yet. Usually I don't go to bed this early anyway, but Fritz and Natalie are trying to sleep and I'm not going to force them to leave the tv on," Jeremy explained as he scooted to sit across from the pirate. "We really should've gotten you a room. We've got plenty of money for it."

"Bah! There's no need, Foxy can sleep anywhere," Foxy dismissed with a wave of his hook. "…'Sides, it's a lot easier fer Mari an' Charlie to hide than me. What if someone saw me gettin' moved out in the mornin'?"

"We'd just say that we were afraid someone would steal you out of the van. Let's face it Foxy, you're a borderline celebrity," Jeremy pointed out. This roused a chuckle out of the pirate. "I'm serious!"

"Lad, celebrities don't usually get kidnapped outta the back of vans. Usually be the other way around, iff'n ya get me meaning," Foxy joked. It eased the mood a little, but he then gave a noise like a sigh. "Ya know, this ain't me first time comin' to the convention."

"Really?" Jeremy asked in mild surprise. "I thought this was a new thing."

"Aye. 'Course back then it be a lot smaller than this. Thinkin' it might've been in Flagstaff too. T'was way back when Freddy's still had a good rep, the salad days, back when a lotta the things goin' down were only known back home. The whole thing be a big Freddy's press show more than anything else. It was one of the few times they caught me in service and got me singin' with the rest of the band… Fer about as long as it took to sing one song," Foxy said with a scoff.

"They drove you all that way for one song?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. " _One song?_ "

"No, Lad, ya don't get me meaning. _I_ only sung one song. The rest of the band sung a couple more." The pirate chuckled. "Guess they were expectin' me to break down on stage, but that's what I wanted them to think. Captain Foxy only breaks down when he wants to, if ya get me drift." He lifted his patch just so he could wink, to which Jeremy snickered. "Ah, but it was Freddy's show. Guess it's still strange comin' back here and bein' the one manning the ship this time. No fakin' a defect to get out of this one."

"Especially since you just admitted that you faked it," Jeremy pointed out. Foxy gave a sort of good-natured scoff. His hook tapped on the floor of the van as he readjusted his legs to get more comfortable.

"It be weird thinkin' 'bout the old band again. We weren't too close after… Well, ya know. Always thought maybe the characters rubbed off on 'em. They didn't really act like 'em but they avoided me like the plague; that's pretty in-character."

"Was that supposed to be because you were a pirate who tried to steal and eat their pizza or because you were a fox who tried to eat them?" Jeremy asked, trying to keep the mood light. Foxy sent him a less than amused look. "It's a good question! Night guards weren't privy to the Freddy Fazbear lore, we were just told to break up the mascots if they start fighting."

"It be a bloody shame too. Ya don't see a kid's eyes light up quite like they do when watchin' a bear an' a bunny in a boxing match," Foxy cracked. Even with him repeatedly trying to slide into a melancholy pit, Jeremy had a way of dragging him back out of it. He didn't want to think about his friends right now, not when he had to be on stage tomorrow. Good thing Jeremy was such a good diversion. "Why ya sittin' over there all lonely-like? Ya scared of me eating you too?" the pirate playfully asked with a glint in his eye.

"…With that look? Yes," Jeremy answered. That being said, he moved to the other side of the van to sit beside the pirate, letting him put an arm around his shoulders. The fabric was warm and comforting, making him feel just as comfortable in the back of this van as he would've been at home. It certainly made Foxy feel more at ease. "Is this better, Captain?"

"Much better, Jer'my," Foxy agreed as he leaned back against the shelf. What had been an annoyance earlier now went easily ignored. He had exactly what he needed. "Much, much better."

* * *

 **Mable: And now, after the exciting thrill of a car ride through the desert, Animatronicon is finally just around the corner! What will they find there?... Probably excessive advertising, but at least it should be air conditioned. Ha ha, I hope you enjoyed!**


	58. Chapter 58

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-Eight_

With Animatronicon opening to the public at nine o'clock in the morning, Foxy's crew had to get the van loaded and to the conference hall earlier than they would've been comfortable with. Leaving the animatronics in the van for the time being, the human workers headed in through the back door, as directed in the physical invitation received in the mail. Though it was less a back door and more a secondary entrance, as they found inside that there was a comfortable foyer and desk set up to get them signed in at.

Mike took the liberty and strode up to the front desk, leaning against it, and introducing themselves to the attendant with a simple, "We're from Foxy's Pirate Cove." The attendant quickly checked a clipboard.

"Right, Foxy's Pirate Cove. Welcome to the Animatronic Tradeshow and Technology Convention. I'm Andrea, I'll be helping you with settling in," the attendant introduced as she stepped out from behind the desk. A second attendant who was working typed something up in a computer. Mike guessed that it was saying that they had arrived. "Do you have the animatronics with you?"

"In the van, ready to go whenever," Mike answered.

"Great! Your scheduled time of performance isn't until ten forty-five, so we have enough time to give you the full tour. Come with me please." She turned and led them back into the foyer.

"You guys go ahead. I'm going to go 'unload the van'," Jeremy volunteered. Which was just keyword for him not wanting to leave the animatronics alone. Fritz sent him a thumbs up and tossed him the van keys.

They only walked along the edge of the convention hall but could see its sheer size. Even though not yet open, there were plenty of people already inside and setting up various booths and such. Mike spotted a fiesta styled booth on the far side of the room and guessed that it was El Chip's own. It was commendable that they turned it around enough to be there. He still had no desire to see Glenn.

"Your booth is right here," Andrea explained as she showed what was little more than a table with dividers around it. "There's plenty of time to set up. The convention stays open until seven and then runs through tomorrow as well, and in the meantime you can keep your animatronics and any props you need in your assigned storage closet."

The attendant then led them out of the large room and into a section of warehouse-like back hallways, ones that seemed to stretch on forever with white, brick walls. Doors lined the walls and were all numbered accordingly. Some of the doors were cracked open to reveal small, empty rooms, but most of the doors were shut tightly. They passed an open stairwell and stopped at the first door on the left. She unlocked the door with a single, tagged key.

"This is your storage closet. You can keep your animatronics and props in here, along with any equipment you need. Anything left after the end of the convention will be held for only a week, so make sure to get all your stuff before then, alright? Here you go." She handed the key over to Mike. "The auctions begin this afternoon. We don't have you signed up as a seller, so if you want to change that you'll have to fill out the paperwork before noon." She then smiled a brilliant, salesman-like smile. "And thank you again for coming."

"Thank you for having us. We're just going to leave the bots in the van until showtime," Mike said. She nodded in understanding.

"No problem. If you have any more questions, then come find me at the front desk. Feel free to wait around a few minutes if I'm out showing other people around," Andrea said with one last smile. Then she headed back down the hall from whence she came, leaving them there to look at the room.

"Good thing we're not trying to shove a whole band in here," Fritz remarked as he looked inside. "Imagine just trying to keep Baby in here. She'd shred through anything put in there with her."

"Which would be one hell of a show," Mike murmured to Natalie with a smirk. He spun the keyring on his finger. "We've got a little time to kill. Should give me enough time to put on a couple of layers of greasepaint."

"Wait, you're going up on stage too?" the woman asked in surprise. "Aren't you a little uncomfortable getting up there in front of everyone?"

"Not as uncomfortable as Mari's going to be up there in front of all those people. They're adult strangers; unless I'm up there to ease him up his programming will kick in and he'll be as stiff as a board," Mike explained. He decided not to add out loud, _"I didn't drag Marionette across the desert just to have him get gawked at alone."_ He didn't care how it made himself look.

"Aww, that's actually really sweet that you care that much," Natalie complimented. Something in her tone sounded a little teasing, but it wasn't as apparent in her smile. "Then we'll take over setting up the booth. It's about time that all those years of mom's family scrapbooking nights came to good use."

The plan was made and they returned to the van to prepare. Fritz and Natalie had to make a few trips, with one always staying with the both to make sure nothing got taken. They carried in rolls of posters, merchandise, memorabilia, and everything else they brought. Including a tape player to hopefully sample some of the restaurant's music- if the convention would willingly let them do that. Jeremy helped them set up but stuck close to the van, as did Mike who worked on getting the dolly, box, and stand all out and ready.

By time the convention opened to the public, the booth was almost finished being set up, and the last touches were put on before anyone could come by. Not that there was a massive crowd considering how deep they were in the convention hall. "Don't worry. Once the show's over, people are going to be lining up," Fritz reassured everyone. There was some skepticism, but nobody was willing to argue with it.

Time passed quickly and soon it came time for the show to begin. They were not the first performance to go on, as some sort of technology seminar proceeded them. Mike caught a brief glimpse of it; a show devoted to sensors worn and then specially designed animatronics mad to mimic the movements of the wearer. The animatronic they had on the show stage to demonstrate it looked like a flimsy wireframe endoskeleton and wasn't too impressive, but the idea itself was intriguing. If not useful for a non-sentient animatronic.

Mike didn't get to see much of it before he needed to prepare for the show. Soon he was back to the van changing into his costume while Jeremy and Fritz wheeled Foxy by dolly and Charlie in her box into the building. The puppeteer uniform was not designed for this kind of temperature, requiring Mike to wear all black with long sleeves and gloves included. The only break in the dark coloring being a white stripe around the lower middle of the top and a couple of white buttons stitched in towards the top. He tugged at his collar uncomfortably.

"Don't move. I'm just about finished," Marionette murmured as he focused on applying the final touches. Whether it be drawing, painting on canvas paper, or painting on someone's face, the puppet took his design work seriously. He didn't draw the makeup sponge back until he was content. "Perfect! I decided to go with a monochrome coloring this time and I think it came out quite striking." He was beaming as he started putting the face paint away and waved a hand towards the rearview mirror. "Take a look."

Mike leaned in between the front seats to look at himself in the mirror. His face was painted with a stark white base, but instead of the typical blue for the faux tear marks Marionette had used black. It was also shaped different, with the tears narrowing to nearly a thread length in the middle before widening again before they reached a smile mark trailing up from the corner of his mouth. It looked a little more eerie compared to usual, and that only made him love it more. Smiling didn't ruin the effect either.

"You really outdid yourself this time," Mike complimented as he looked it over.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Marionette teased with a trill. He started to slowly attach his strings to his cross. "Are you sure you'll be comfortable being on stage that long? Standing in one spot for the entire show when you're already warm…"

"I'll live. They've got the air condition cranked up inside," the security guard dismissed. He climbed out the back and pulled the stand closer to begin attaching the cross. It was only then did he notice that the striped one was moving a little slower than usual and plucking at his strings more than securing them. "What about you?" he asked.

"…I'll admit I'm a little anxious," the striped one admitted as he stopped fiddling. "It will be the first time in a long time that I will be directly compared to other animatronics. I know this is all for promotion, but I can't help but see it as a competition, and I would hate to be outdone by ones who can't think for themselves."

"This isn't a competition. You know that hands down you already blow all of them out of the water," Mike calmly replied as he hooked up the cross. He then sent the puppet a playfully smug smile. "It's almost cruel." The striped one got a more confident smile of his own. "But that's business. If Chipper's and Hickory's all want to show what they're made of, then they should expect we're going to bring out the big guns."

"Mike, this isn't good for my ego," Marionette interjected. It sounded like he would've been blushing.

"It's not good for _Foxy's_ ego, which is why I forgo'd the pep talk with him. But you? No. You look good with that confidence," Mike corrected. The Puppet chimed and climbed out of the van, spinning on his stand with a spirited chortle. "See, like that. You just keep that up," Mike said as he closed the van and began to wheel him inside.

Even though short and probably biased, the little conversation did make Marionette feel a bit better. If only because it reminded him that he wanted to show off for Mike too. He wouldn't deny that he liked that confident feeling, and so he kept his head held high and he was wheeled inside and onto the curtained stage. The others were already there, with Foxy in the center right of the stage. Charlie's box was in the corner just behind Foxy but still in plain sight. The Minireenas were posed on the other side of the stage, now wearing their color-coded tutus.

"'Bout time you two showed up," Foxy quietly remarked. It sounded more like he was joking than scolding and did a double take at seeing Mike's face. "Ya be lookin' like a ghoul there, Mike… It be a good look fer ya."

"Gee, thanks," Mike answered. He then his attention back to the Puppet. "So far, so good."

"We haven't even started yet," Marionette reminded with a tiny smile.

"Getting on the stage is half the battle," the man assured. He paused and then added, "And I'm not just saying that because getting this thing up those steps was a living nightmare." This got another laugh that Marionette smothered as he heard footsteps outside of the curtain. There was a throat clearing noise from what sounded to be Fritz.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we at Foxy's Pirate's Cove would like to thank you for your patience and support over these last few months-."

"Right Lad an' Lasses. Let's get this show on the road," Foxy whispered to the others. He then proceeded to reach forward and flick on his microphone before boldly stating. " _What's this joker prattling on about?"_ It only took two seconds for Mike to realize that this was part of the show. About as long as it took for Marionette to flick on his own microphone.

" _He's just introducing us, Captain,"_ Marionette answered. Mike noticed that Fritz sounded like he was quieting down and knew he too was probably in on this.

" _Bah! Captain Foxy needs no introduction! 'Sides, all he's doin' out there is huffin' and puffin' hot air."_

" _You wouldn't certainly be an expert on that, wouldn't you?"_ Marionette retorted with a mocking chime.

" _You be sayin' that now Mari, but let's hear yer smug tone when I'm knockin' 'em dead an' lootin' the bodies!"_

"Okay, uh, well, seems like the captain's ready to take the stage," Fritz said with fake awkwardness. It almost sounded like he was trying to mimic the Phone Guy. "So, without further, uh- 'huffing hot air', allow me to introduce Captain Foxy and his crew!" He stepped off the stage quickly as the curtains were drawn open.

Both Foxy and Marionette were immediately quiet in front of the audience. The pirate's was for show, playing into his role, but the puppet's was caused by just seeing the audience. It was a good-sized crowd of adults. Adults who would pay more attention and would notice quickly if an animatronic was acting a little too lifelike. He started to stiffen up but barely managed to focus past them enough to swallow it down.

" _Yar, welcome to the show, lads an' lasses! Didn't think this many landlubbers be comin' out to see me an' me crew, but guess that's what ya get when ya leave the ocean,"_ Foxy introduced. Then he gave a semi-nervous chuckle. _"And, err, about that whole lootin' thing- that be a joke! Yar, truth is that ol' Captain Foxy is goin' straight."_

Marionette had to proceed with the show and fell into line. _"Going straight?! Foxy, you couldn't be more crooked if your spine was tied in a bowline knot!"_ the Puppet chirped. Foxy mock growled at him.

" _Put a sock in it, Monkey. Yer pushin' me buttons."_ He turned back to the audience with mock stiffness to give the illusion of normal movement. _"This be me first mate. As usual, thinkin' he knows everything!"_

" _Well, I am an expert of you getting tongue tied,"_ Marionette quipped. He spread his hands to reveal that he tied his strings between them like a cat's cradle. _"Here's a safety net in case you slip up again."_

This got a light laugh, seemed like the audience was warming up. Foxy continued, _"Enough o' you hoggin' the spotlight! Lemme introduce the rest of the crew. Up 'ere in the box we got Lass Lottie."_

In what might've not been a planned move, Charlie started to pop out of the box, going so far as to lift the lid and get halfway out, and then dropped right back inside. Either it was the humblest of introductions or she had lost her nerve at the last second. Either way, the sheer speed was commendable.

" _And over there we got the Minireenas."_ At their names being mentioned, all three struck matching croise poses. _"…And it ain't like anyone can tell 'em apart, so we just put them in different colors. Watch out fer the blue one, she bites."_ All three changed poses immediately, with Rose raising her hands to her cheeks in shock, Daisy putting her hands on her hips, and Forget-Me-Not crossing her arms. From these reactions, Mike wasn't quite sure if they were in on the joke. _"But enough blubbering! Captain Foxy didn't leg it across the desert just to stand around makin' small talk. Time be money, an' we ain't gettin' paid by the hour!"_

" _Foxy, we aren't getting paid at all,"_ Marionette reminded.

" _But we ain't in it fer the booty!... Well, that ain't all we in it for. We be in it fer the adventure! Distant lands filled with danger an' excitement! Desert ain't really much different than the open seas,"_ Foxy said with a shrug. Then he looked directly at Marionette with a tip of his head, a signal. _"Iff'n ya just add water."_

That was the cue. Marionette's music box gave a few chimes before it began to play a tune familiar two the two of them and Charlie, who opened her box to ring as well. They both had to do so as there was no accompanying music. The song had neither been discussed beforehand nor music made to back it. They would have to go with what they had. Thankfully, the Minireenas would dance to anything and began to improvise at the front of the stage. With all going well so far, Foxy began to sing.

" _Sailin', we goin' sailin' across the sea,~"_ the pirate began. " _So pack yer bags, Lads, and take in that salty breeze.~"_

" _Just add some water to that! Let's add some water to that!~"_ Marionette sung in.

" _Spread sails and then man the decks, Lads. Stock us up 'cause we're goin' off map.~"_

" _Just add some water to that! We'll add some water to that!~"_

They then sung together with, _"And we're never looking back!~"_ With their voices singing at once it was a little less obvious that there wasn't any backing music. Mike had to admit that it did sound rehearsed.

As the song continued, Charlie dared to come further out of her box. She didn't sing beyond the ringing of her bell voice but that provided well enough. The Minireenas managed to pick up the rhythm of the song and focused on it instead of the lyrics to time their choreography with. Other than Daisy clearly leading a split second before the others it was a fine routine. Whenever Marionette started to falter or freeze up Mike would give him an assuring pat on the back or 'readjust' him.

By time the first song was over there was a newfound confidence amongst the performers. They knew they could pull this off.

The show continued to go on for its allotted time. Between the songs Foxy and Marionette would still stop for brief interludes where they cracked a few jokes and interacted with the rest of the crew. Charlie only got bold enough to join in on one towards the end during which she indulged in fake 'ringing talking' to pretend to be saying something. Foxy was able to work anything into some form of a punchline.

"S _orry Lass, but I don't speak bell. Just pirate natter, scallywag chatter, and seven other words that'll get me fired."_

That had roused a bit of laughter. In fact, the audience seemed to be taking to the performance well. It had only grown over the course of the show even though they had expected people to wander off and explore the convention. Almost like they were genuinely interested. The applause as the curtain was shutting only seemed to reassure this.

They only had a few seconds to recover before they had to be taken off the stage. Fritz watched the booth while Jeremy came to get Foxy on the dolly and Natalie guided Charlie's box, with the Minireenas tagging along on top of it. They moved them back to the storage room since it seemed more comfortable than staying inside the hot van. Especially if there was the slightest chance that they may be asked for an encore. Not that Mike was going to keep on the face paint more than a few minutes longer, even if it did look nice.

The back hallways were quiet and they hadn't passed anyone getting back to the storage room. They moved the animatronics into the small room, which was comfortably cool but not quite comfortable in anything else. Mike positioned Marionette and his stand near the side wall.

"So, I'm going to go wipe this paint off, see if we can scrounge up some lunch, and then I'll be back. The auction's not for a while and I think three people can handle a booth without me," Mike explained. He reached into his pocket and brought out the key, tapping it into his other hand. "Now it's standard protocol to keep these doors locked so nobody gets in or out…" He quirked a brow. "So, should I leave the door unlocked or would you rather the fun of getting it open yourself?"

"Surprise me," Marionette challenged playfully.

Mike got an amused smile and spun the key again before turning to Jeremy and Natalie to make sure they were ready. Natalie was already heading for the door while Jeremy was whispering quiet assurances to the Minireena and Foxy, like they were at a risk of being heard. He praised the performance and puffed up Foxy's ego so much that Mike swore he could see his chest swelling with it.

"You were amazing up there you know," Mike complimented. "What am I saying? Of course you know. Nobody pulls off something like that and doesn't acknowledge they did it."

"You're doing that thing again,~" the Puppet trilled.

"I plan on picking back up where I left off as soon as I track down a sandwich. And here, since you did so well..." The security guard reached into the other pocket and pulled out a lemon lollipop to offer to him.

Marionette chimed in amusement and took it with a, "Thank you, Dr. Schmidt!" When Mike then turned to check Jeremy again, the Puppet caught his face, pulled him in, and pressed his lips to his cheek. It left the smallest smudge to the black and white but didn't stop Mike from turning back and subtly pressing their lips together. Only a couple of seconds, not long enough for anyone to notice. Punctuated by the man heading to the door just afterwards with Jeremy and Natalie following.

He locked the door behind them, knowing that Marionette would probably unlock it later and trusting him to be careful. _"Might be able to dig up some dirt on the other businesses while he's at it,"_ he considered. Mike then turned to his two companions. "You two go on without me. I'm going to find a bathroom and get this paint off."

"If I go to pick up lunch, what do you want?" Natalie asked. "Preferably something I could find without having to hunt for it."

"I'm hungry enough to eat anything. Even a piece of bread with spam spread on it would sound good right now," Mike dismissed. Though on second thought-. "I'd kill for a sub."

That was the last that the animatronics could hear before the group wandered off, leaving them alone in the room. For a while the group rested and recovered from the show, with Marionette waiting and listening. He noticed how little activity there was in these back halls. Nobody was checking in on these rooms.

"It's been rather quiet out there," he said. Charlie looked over towards the door where Marionette had been standing and listening through. The male puppet turned to face her with a smile showing his piqued interest. "How would you like to go get a closer look at some of our peers?"

"Are you sure that's safe? Someone might come down the halls and see us," Charlie pointed out. Though from how she was slowly closing her notebook and looking to him intently he knew she curious too.

"These hallways are mostly empty. We would hear them if they came, and if they did come we could hide in plain sight. Nobody would suspect something amiss at an animatronic convention," Marionette rationalized. Seeing that she almost looked convinced, he looked to Foxy who was standing against the back wall with his legs locked up. "What about you, Foxy?"

"Nah, Lad. Ain't lookin' to risk it," Foxy dismissed. He stretched his arms and they popped and creaked in protest. "Might just shut meself down fer a nap." He then promptly pointed his hook at his sibling. "But you be careful. Remember, this one-." He pointed to Charlie. "-ain't made fer teleportin'. You keep her hidden and don't get caught."

"I'd guard her with my life," Marionette reassured. "Keep an eye on the Minireenas if you would." Foxy agreed and Charlie set her notebook into her box, tucking it under her jacket, and then following him to the door. He turned and placed his hands on the doorknob, and she watched curiously as he worked to unlock it from the inside. With a click, the door was freed and cracked open. "There we are! Now let's see…"

Listening at the door, the Puppet couldn't hear anyone in the nearby hallways and even most of the sounds from the main hall were muffled. He slipped out of the room before ushering Charlie out with him, then shut the door behind them without locking it again.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Charlie asked with mild concern. Not enough to consider talking him out of it or to not go through with it herself. Even though she should've known better than to risk it after her luck with sneaking around. Though, to be fair, she hadn't had much trouble on excursions with Marionette. He seemed to usually have things under control and from his confidence this seemed to be no exception.

"A good idea? Probably not, but we'll be fine. The worst-case scenario I imagine is that we don't find anything worth looking at," Marionette said as he started down the hall. He found a closed door nearby that he thought he heard something being moved into earlier and listened inside. Silence as expected, and he unlocked the door before looking in. Alas, there wasn't much inside except for extra tables and chairs.

It took a few tries or unlocking, peeking inside, and relocking doors before they found anything of interest. Though when they finally did, it was something that immediately piqued Marionette's interest. He gave a hum of interest and moved into the room, beckoning Charlie to follow before closing the door. It was once inside that she saw what he had found.

There stood an orange elephant animatronic in the back corner of the room. It stood prone with its blue eyes open wide and arms at his side. In one hand was clutched a magician's wand and it had a purple hat matching the same theme. It was clearly Orville Elephant and Marionette circled around it and looked it over. He remembered Mike saying he saw it broken down at Magictime Theater, yet here it stood all tidied up. Even if it wasn't a living animatronic it was nice to see that the broken character was refurbished so well.

"I've seen that elephant before somewhere. Is it a Freddy's character?" Charlie asked in curiosity. She hadn't seen it in person, but she vaguely remembered a poster or something in with her father's things.

"Perhaps or perhaps not. At some time, Freddy's had the rights to him, but I couldn't say if it was a Fazbear original. I can say that it was broken up in the basement of Magictime last time I saw it, so dear Orville the Elephant here has had a major life improvement," Marionette explained. He chimed in amusement and stopped alongside her. "He is rather charming."

"I could see kids taking to him," Charlie agreed. She got a small smile of interest as she started to look him over. "He's built much closer to a normal animatronic than either of us." This roused a light laugh out of the other puppet as he watched her reach out to touch the elephant's hand. She tested the wand to see if it could be removed, wondering if it was bolted in.

Something moved out of the corner of Marionette's eye. He snapped his head over to look at the elephant fully and stared at its face. Its eyes were still staring ahead but he swore he saw them move. Slowly he started to move in closer to the elephant and leveled himself to its eyelevel. The lights in his eyes lit as he stared into the blue ones of the elephant animatronic, attempting to focus in. Maybe he had seen something. It was worth double checking.

"I wonder who he belongs to now," Charlie contemplated. She then stepped back and looked to Marionette, intending to suggest that they moved on, only to notice what he was doing. She would've blinked in confusion if she could've. "What are you doing?"

As soon as he realized she was watching, Marionette snapped out of his focus. "Nothing, nothing. Just checking in on something." She was still watching him like she didn't believe him. "You may not know this, but you can tell if an animatronic is alive by staring very deeply into their eyes. Of course, Orville here isn't alive, but I just thought it was worth double checking."

"You just look at them and can see if they're alive?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "How does that even work?"

"Oh, it's not as magical as it sounds, I assure you. The eyes are the hardest things to keep still, so if an animatronic is alive then chances are the eyes will move. Even if just the smallest bit," Marionette explained. He tented his fingers together thoughtfully and hesitated, and then added. "Though if I focused hard enough I _could_ look closer, but that's rather invasive."

"But the verdict on Orville is that he's not alive?" Marionette nodded and Charlie looked at the orange elephant. "It's weird but I don't know if I'm relieved or disappointed."

"Same," Marionette agreed. He put an arm around her to guide her out. "And onto the next one!"

It didn't take as long to find a second room with something of interest inside. This time the two entered a room to find a whole band of animatronics and they were both familiar with them. It was El Chip and his band, save the Lumberbot which seemed to have finally been put out of commission. That, or it was simply too dangerous to bring. It really wasn't important.

"I'm actually quite surprised they fixed them up this time. They almost look as good as new," Marionette pointed out as he circled the animatronics. "Glenn, the owner of Chipper's, doesn't have good track record with tending to his animatronics. His old show was so broken that it actually came out hilarious."

"It couldn't have been any worse than the ones at Magictime," Charlie pointed out. There was a pause signaling the other's answer. "…Wait, really?" Marionette nodded with almost a smug smile. "How bad was it?"

"There is a punchline there, I know there is, but all that comes to mind is an unfortunate seagull animatronic that lost its wing midway through the show and continued flopping around," he explained. "There was this awful whale joke too, but I can't remember what. Something bad like- Oh! What have I got in my pocket? And the other says something like 'is it your love handles?' and then they yell "Smoothie time!" and that's it."

" _Is_ that a joke?" Charlie asked in bemused disbelief.

"Trust me. That show was full of jokes," Marionette assured. "But only one of them made it to the new pizzeria, and that would be El Chip himself!" A chime and a ring signaled their laughter as they went to leave.

The next room of interest they found was at the end of one of the halls. This room stood out by having double doors and being left unlocked. At first, it almost seemed like this wouldn't be another storage room, but a quick check inside showed that it was. Flicking on the light showed that the room was bigger than the others and had shelves like a typical warehouse, though not nearly as large. Cardboard boxes lined the shelves along with stacks of them that were taped closed with heavy duct tape. A few arcade cabinets hugged the walls.

There was a faint stagnant smell in the room. It almost smelled like old metal or burning rubber but wasn't enough to drive them away. Instead, they started to explore the props left scattered around.

"I guess these go to a pizzeria too… For example, big pizza sign," Charlie pointed out. It looked like a neon colored pizza lamp that would've hung on the wall. She then noticed some old, dusty stereo equipment in a box beside it. She nudged it open and realized there were a few small stage lights hidden in the bottom of the box too. "These must be props for a show. Or I don't know, maybe for the auction?" She hesitated a moment before looking back at the Puppet. "You don't… Think this is also from Magictime, do you? Maybe they're selling their things?"

"I don't recognize any of it but it very well could be. They could probably make more money selling it here then trying to have an auction in St. George. More people looking for specific pieces," Marionette said. He circled around the shelves and into the back where more things were stuffed.

There was more equipment stacked on top of the shelves, obscuring the light from the center of the roof and sending shadows into the back. Marionette glanced around in the obscured light and noticed more things; a half-broken endoskeleton, a rubbery animatronic mask, what looked to be the blue torso of a long-forgotten suit-.

And in the very back corner there was something covered by a sheet. It was slumped on the floor, but from its shape and size Marionette knew that it was probably another animatronic. Though this one being hidden in the back and shrouded away from prying eyes. He found that odd and started to move in closer.

Only to come to an abrupt halt when he recognized a peculiar smell. That stagnant smell from before grew stronger the closer he got to it. Now he recognized it more as an ashy smell, like the lingering stench of something that had been burnt. He recognized that smell as the odor that wafted off Springtrap when he confronted him at Henry's. Marionette went on guard instantly as he recognized it.

That smell mixed with the hidden nature of the figure and the way it was sitting- reminiscent to how Springtrap was found in that back room of Freddy's- were all red flags.

" _It can't be…"_ Marionette inched closer to the sheet covered figure. _"It can't be him. He couldn't have gotten here… Could he?"_

He reached out slowly as he floated closer to the figure. His fingers almost touched the sheet as he stared down at the body. Part of him wanted to believe that it wasn't possible and that there was another explanation. His music box tightened as he steadied himself to go through with it. He had to know the truth. Without a word, he yanked off the sheet and stared at the animatronic hidden underneath.

The sheet immediately slipped from his hand as the Puppet moved back slowly. The world around him grew quiet as he focused in on the horror before him. He had been right. There was another explanation.

It wasn't Springtrap sitting slumped on the tiled floor. It was Lefty.

* * *

" **The few items that were salvaged will be sold at public auction."**


	59. Chapter 59

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Fifty-Nine_

Marionette remembered every detail of the black bear like it had been yesterday when he was trapped within it. It didn't look much different either. It survived Ennard tearing its head off and being roasted in the fire with few wounds to show for it. Someone had to have salvaged and repaired it, and now here it was sitting in the back of a storage room. Its one yellow eye still stared dead ahead with its mouth gaped and its body slouched forwards.

The Puppet shook his head slowly as he backed down the aisle. A low warning static began to build in his chest as his music kept hitching. Charlie noticed the sounds and curiously followed the noises back to Marionette. She noticed him drifting and stepped forward to grab his shoulder gently. "Mari?" she asked with growing concern.

Marionette gave a violent flinch at her touch. He raised his hands before him almost defensively and the pinpricks returned to his eyes as he stared down the aisle. She followed them and saw what he was looking at. It looked like a black Freddy and she was about to question it, but caught herself when she recalled something he had warned her about shortly after she had become the Security Puppet. He warned her about a black bear that gave off confusing signals, but the way he was reacting made it seem like he feared something beyond that.

"Is that the black bear you warned me about?" Charlie asked quietly. He shivered again; she had never seen him so afraid of anything. It was more of a warning than his words could've ever been.

"Th-That's- That's him," Marionette got out. His voice struggled to come forth and he fought to steady himself, tightening his hands and keeping his voice a low whisper. "That's Lefty Bear."

An unsettling quiet fell between them as they stared at the black bear on the other side of the room. Charlie could tell that Marionette was unsteady even though he was still hovering and reached to take him by the shoulders. She squeezed them comfortingly and pulled him into a partial hug, returning the comfort he usually bestowed. He accepted it eagerly and rested his head against hers. There were no more words. She didn't have to ask to know there was something he hadn't told her.

Nothing but a reassuring and comfortable silence.

And a small thump.

The Puppet's head snapped up to stare back at the bear. The Security Puppet followed suit, a little less paranoid but even she noticed that something had changed. The black bear's head seemed to have tilted back. Now its single yellow eye seemed to be staring down the aisle at them. Yet that wasn't possible, as the bear had never been alive. It had coaxed Marionette inside without even having to move.

Then its hand twitched.

There was no mistaking it, and Marionette put an arm in front of Charlie to shield her protectively. It had moved; Lefty had moved. Lefty wasn't supposed to move when it was a lifeless trap. Yet in a moment that he would've only recognized from his nightmares, the black bear grabbed ahold of the edge of a crate beside it. It slowly bent a leg and planted a foot against the ground before adjusted the other one the same. Its other hand still clutched a microphone, so it pressed its fist against the shelf and used this leverage to slowly lift itself onto its feet.

Marionette watched in horror but didn't need to see it for more than a second before he shoved Charlie back with a command of, " _Run_!"

His music began to frantically tumble from his chest as he grabbed her wrist and sped towards the door. She didn't need to be told twice and sprinted along with him. The bear gurgled behind them as they made it out the door and slammed it behind them. Holding the door shut, the Puppet attempted to focus on locking the door again. He knew that would stop Lefty from following them but getting the door to lock was a struggle. Panic and fear made it almost impossible to focus his powers on the lock. He kept readjusting, closing his eyes and trying to get control, but every time he almost had it, he felt it slip from his grasp.

Past the dialing noises that the other puppet was making, Charlie started to hear the heavy footsteps of the bear inside. First, they were a few staggering ones as it got its footing. They then started to quicken into a bumbling jog as it closed in. Yet Marionette was still trying to relock the door and failed. Finally, she grabbed him by the arm and forcefully yanked him back.

"Forget the door, we have to get out of here!" Charlie ordered him. She then turned and started to run back down the hall from the way they came. He followed her around the corner and in the direction of the others. All at once he remembered Foxy and the Minireenas, and the many, many humans that were closer to that room than here. He pulled her to a stop.

"It can't get to the others," Marionette forced out through all the distressed noises. His voice sounded completely distraught and he was borderline hysterical, but she realized quickly that he was right.

She looked around the hall before her gaze landed on a second set of double doors. There was a piece of printer paper that had been taped to the front and jotted down on it was 'Auction'. Probably suggesting that the items for auction were to be stored there. Hopefully that meant there would be plenty of hiding spots. She rushed over to it while still pulling him behind her.

"We'll hide in here, lose the bear, and then get back to the others," Charlie explained in a hushed tone. She then turned to keep an eye and ear out while Marionette worked on the lock. He was fumbling with it, especially once they heard the loud clattering of a door being thrown open the next hall over. Charlie could hear the bear's heavy footsteps coming in closer- thankfully no people or attendants heard it too- and looked back towards the other puppet.

Before she could even encourage him, he opened the door and darted through, yanking her in after him and shutting the door. He didn't even waste the time attempting to relock it and instead just looked around for a hiding spot. There were boxes and things scattered everywhere, including a deactivated Candy Cadet, and even a couple of tables that looked temping. Though they wouldn't do much without tablecloths to hide behind. Eventually he fixated on a second sheet covered object, probably another animatronic, and he led her over to it.

Its width would be more than enough to shield them, so they hid between it and the wall. Charlie crouched down and watched the door a moment longer before looking back to Marionette. In only those few seconds he had degraded into a mess. He hugged his legs tightly to his chest and pressed his mask tightly into his knees. He lightly shook as his music box distorted and crackled in protest. Charlie never expected to see him like this. It only confirmed her suspicions that there was something he never told her. She carefully reached for his shoulder.

"The bear does more than mix signals, doesn't it?" Charlie asked. He nodded against his legs. She wasn't sure if she was going to like what she was going to hear, but she still dared to ask. "What did it do?"

"It tra- It trapped me inside. Lured me- coax inside- and trapped me inside," Marionette said. He shook his head like in disbelief. "Wouldn't let me out, shocked me, had- had to get Ennard. He had to break it to get me out…" Slowly he raised his head and she noticed that utter look of fear and distraught on his mask. It was clear that he wasn't keeping it together as much as he wanted to, but she doubted he even cared. "I thought it burned in that fire. I thought it was gone…" he quietly admitted. "And it didn't used to move…!"

She let it sink in momentarily. An animatronic made specifically to trap others, or perhaps just Marionette. She got a look of determination as she resolved to not let this happen again. The bear would have to get past her if it wanted to get to him.

"We're going to be fine. I'm not going to let it get you or me. Neither of us," Charlie insisted. He looked to her with slight surprise behind his distraught. She squeezed his shoulder and continued, "Here's the plan: we hide out here until we're sure the footsteps are gone. Then we make our way back to the room and lock ourselves inside. It can't check every room and it's not going to break through any locks without someone hearing and stopping it. Then we just wait until either it gets spotted and taken away or Mike gets back. He said he was coming back after lunch, right?"

Marionette nodded. "Then we'll just wait here, and-." Charlie cut off at what sounded like a nearby squeak. One that sounded just alongside them. She turned her head slowly. "Did you hear that?"

Suddenly, something reached out from under the sheet and grabbed ahold of them. Both puppets were hooked around the middles and yanked underneath the sheet. Charlie tried to fight against the large hand with the thought that it was Lefty. This was disproven by the laugh that proceeded to follow her meager attempts. She felt like the blood in her bloodless body ran cold as she recognized the voice.

"Well, well! Hello, my little silver bell~! Fancy meeting you here my little muse, but never fear for a shan't lose you again!"

The Security Puppet turned her head and looked up to see the large black eyes and cryptically wide grin of the Music Man.

"Please no," Charlie quietly begged. She didn't know if she was asking him or some divine being, but she really couldn't handle both the stalking spider and the black bear at the same time.

"Oh yes, my darling diva! Why, I've been waiting for you for so long and here you are falling into my arms just like an angel falling from heaven! A songbird with a broken wing!" Music Man gushed with growing eagerness. He was already too close to comfort when he pulled her in further. Her mask almost brushing his large nose as the black eyes seemed to shine. "I'm not going to let you go this time.~"

"Look, I- Music Man, there's a bear out in the hallway-!" Charlie tried to explain.

"After you left, my heart shattered into dozens of pieces! I waited for ages for you to come back- surely you would- and now you have! I already feel the music coursing through my veins, my heart beating with a new life it hasn't felt in ages, and all right before the big show. Fate itself must've pulled us together again to have us sing on that stage!" Music Man continued to prattle. By now, Charlie was actively trying to squeeze out of his grasp while Marionette sort of hung there in his other arm. He almost looked resigned to his fate. "What do you say, my silver bell?"

"I can't sing right now, Music Man," Charlie whispered harshly. "There is a black bear outside that's chasing us-."

"Can't sing?! But your lovely ringing- it would be a crime against nature!" Music Man swiftly deflected. He then looked down at Marionette. "Is it because of this one? You're killing the mood here, Mr. Purple Tears!"

It was then that Marionette's head spun around to face the Music Man. If looks could kill, the spider would've been dead at the look of flat out anger twisted on the mask. Even Charlie was taken aback.

Pop Goes the Weasel blared as Marionette slipped out of the Music Man's grasp just to pounce onto his head. Music Man cried out and staggered, releasing Charlie enough for her to get free.

"Hey, hey! Stop that!" Music Man scolded as he swayed. He smacked up at his head like he would if he was holding his cymbals and staggered over his own feet.

Marionette simply crawled over his head, down his back, and slipped through his legs. His strings unwound while doing so and tightened themselves through the many legs right before the Puppet sprung forward past them and onto the floor. The abrupt motion tightened the strings around the legs and caused the wobbling spider to capsize backwards, spinning his arms in a pinwheel fashion before crashing to the floor.

As Marionette detached himself and rose, Music Man began to thrash and make an angry cymbal noise through his speaker. He was obviously not damaged but seemed to have trouble getting himself back up. Unfortunately, the noise would draw something- whether bear or human- to the room, so Marionette beckoned Charlie and went for the door.

"No, Silver Bell, you can't leave yet!" Music Man cried after the Security Puppet desperately. "We haven't even had a chance to reconnect, let alone sing our duet!"

"Raincheck!" Charlie called back. She wasn't sure whether to pity or be firmly unnerved by Music Man's continued interest in her. Maybe it was a mix of both.

The Puppet opened the doors and moved into the hall. He hadn't heard anyone outside, so he assumed that the coast was clear, but immediately he felt the familiar prickling of someone's gaze on him. His head snapped to the right and there his eyes met with the empty gaze of Lefty. The world seemed to grow silent again as his vision narrowed in.

It wasn't until Lefty started to stagger at him with a clumsy jaunt that Marionette snapped to attention. He grabbed Charlie by the wrist and took off down the hallway in the opposite direction. They continued down to the end and went around another corner when they were met by the sight of people at the end of the next hall. It was by sheer luck that the men were too busy moving equipment to notice the two animatronics. The Puppet pushed his companion back into the hall they came out of, now seemingly trapped between the humans and the bear.

"Where now? Do we try a door?" Charlie asked. Her head snapped around as she scanned the walls for some sort of a sign.

Marionette peeked out around the corner and saw that the men weren't in a rush to get anywhere. He looked down the other way and found his answer as soon as he spotted a door with a small sign beside it saying it led to the stairs. There had been stairs beside their storage room too. They could sneak through the lower floor and come up near the storage room, hopefully losing Lefty along the way. He checked the men one more time, steadied himself, and then pulled Charlie as he sped across the hall. Thankfully the stairwell was not locked and they ducked inside without being noticed.

"Downstairs," Marionette instructed as he led the way, zipping down the stairwell. Charlie almost lost her balance behind him but managed to hold on, relying on their clutched hands to help steady herself. At the bottom the Puppet tried the door. Unlike the one above it, this door was locked. Though this made sense when the sign beside the door was labelled as both 'basement' and 'private'. "Just a moment," he assured as he took his hand back to focus on the door.

Charlie shifted from leg to leg, antsy as she kept her back to Marionette's and kept watch. The stairwell was nearly soundproof and they couldn't even hear footsteps until the door opened above them. The Puppet flinched and the Security Puppet reached back to grab her bell, making sure to keep it from making any noise. If they were quiet enough then maybe their pursuer would head upstairs instead of down.

A noise like a cough echoed through the stairwell. For a second there was hope that it was just one of the workers- hope as long as they didn't come downstairs. Though that changed when the cough rung out again and proceeded to crackle like short circuiting electronics. It was the bear, and its heavy footsteps now thumped through as it walked around the upper landing. Maybe it couldn't get down the stairs. Marionette got the door unlocked and began to open it, only for it to squeak loudly.

This noise was followed by a thump and then a raucous banging as something tumbled upstairs. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see Lefty falling down the stairs. It managed to grab the railing and swung into it, chest slamming into it with a thick thump, and bowing over it as the bear somehow stopped itself. The puppets gawked momentarily before it suddenly turned its head towards them. Its yellow eye focused in on them and a gurgling echoed through its chest. Somehow it had followed them all the way here even when it hadn't seen them.

It was only then that Marionette considered the possibility that Lefty was tracking him. If it was made to trap him then it would make too much sense if it could. Before it could right itself, he pulled Charlie through the door and shut it behind him, leaning his back on it as though to hold it closed.

"It always knows where I am," Marionette gasped out. "The bracelets- It must be able to track me like the bracelets."

"…That won't matter if we can lose it somewhere where it can't get out. It might come down the stairs, but I don't see it going back up them," Charlie pointed out. She looked down the hallway. Unlike the one on the floor above, this one was definitely not supposed to be open to the public. From here alone the walls were lined with stacks of non-folding metal and fabric chairs, like dozens of towers lining the way. At the far end, right in the direction that might lead to the other stairwell, there was another pair of double doors. "Come on. That stairwell won't hold him for-."

The comment was interrupted by the loud banging that was Lefty making his way down the rest of the stairs. Charlie grabbed Marionette wrist again and began to run down the hall. Within seconds she was slamming into the double doors, only to find them locked too. It took her off guard, but Marionette was working on the doors right away. Except this time the lock was different. Whatever was keeping the doors closed wasn't just located in the handle and he found himself working blind.

"Bolt lock," Marionette decided. His tone betrayed his panic as he continued to try and 'feel' with his telekinesis.

"Shouldn't that be easier?" Charlie asked.

"If I knew where it was, but apparently it's not near the knobs-."

There was a loud thumping and a jumbling as the bear reached the door and tried to get itself through. It was fumbling with getting the door open and they only had precious seconds to spare. But as Marionette continued to try with the door it became more apparent that Lefty would get inside and they would be cornered. Then all it would need to do is use its shiny new microphone and he would be sunk. It was just waiting to get close enough to him and then it would take him while he slept.

For a split-second Marionette acknowledged that he could just as easily teleport back to the storage room or the van. He could save himself, but Marionette managed to see past his panic enough to focus in on that 'himself'. He looked back to Charlie and could see the dread and confusion on her face. Foxy had been right; she couldn't teleport and he didn't know if the bear could differentiate between them, or if the bear was hunting them both or not. She was only here because he brought her here. He had to protect her.

He grabbed her wrist and guided her over to two stacks of chairs that were close together. "Here," he instructed as he pulled them apart. "Get in. Hide."

"What?" Charlie asked in surprised. "Wait, but what about you?"

"If Lefty's tracking me then I can't hide. It will be so focused on me that when it passes you can sneak to the door and get away."

"I'm not going to leave you!" the Security Puppet blurted out in aghast. "Mari, wait, let's try the door again!"

"Once you get back into the stairwell and I know it's not following you then I can get away too. I won't let it-."

The door opened and the Puppet promptly ended the conversation by shoving the other into the small opening he had made. He then backed away from it enough so that Lefty wouldn't take notice. Unfortunately, Lefty would have to get close if Charlie was to sneak by unscathed, but he was willing to risk it.

As soon as Lefty staggered through, swaying on its own legs after struggling so much with the stairs, it affixed its eye on him again and started to come for him. It wasn't coming that quickly, but it came with determination, focusing in on him, coming to trap him.

" _Lure, Evade, Fight, Teleport, Evacuate,"_ Marionette thought to try and steady himself. _"Distance self from music, don't go in the bear, protect Charlie."_

Lefty was more terrifying than ever now that it walked with that mindless need to get him. It wheezed and coughed as the groaning echoed through its hidden speaker. It started to edge past Charlie's hiding spot but was already too close for comfort. Marionette tried to back away further when he hit the doors behind him. Remembering them, he spun around and was back to trying to open them. This only made Lefty move in quicker and gave Charlie just enough space to slide past a quietly hurry to the stairwell.

When she yanked open the stairwell door and the squeaking echoed out again, in his alarmed state the Puppet mistakenly believed it was the beginning of a music tune. Or of a broken speaker trying to make a noise akin to music. The fight or flight instincts kicked in as he became adamantly focused on getting through the door by any means necessary. He lashed out with as much of his power as possible and the burst of telekinesis was just strong enough to bust the doors open, bolt lock or not.

But even this came with a price. Marionette fell through the door and collapsed onto the carpet momentarily, barely having enough time to get his bearings as he pushed himself back up. He had expected the doors to open into another hall instead of the conference room they did open into. Not that it mattered as all he had to do was get some distance and teleport away. Marionette just got off the ground to escape when a strong hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him back. It was powerful enough to spin the Puppet around where he came face to face with the bear.

For the second time that day, his music resounded with frantic chimes as he fought back. He started to twist his arm and wrist to get out of the bear's grip, legs planting on its chest to push it back. Lefty refused and continued to try to yank him in close. Marionette's free hand planted on the bear's forehead and for a second he grew confused, working more about the mouth clamping on his head than the chest cavity he would soon be lodged inside. Panicked memories melted together; bears trapping him, bears biting him, he couldn't escape.

Lefty yanked him close and Marionette snapped out of it enough to realize he needed to escape. He knew how he would do it too, by fitting his leg against Lefty's neck and bending himself backwards until he twisted out of the grip. He was yanked in one more time, bent leg pressing into the bear's throat, and he went to throw himself back.

And then he heard it. Not a cough, not a shushing, but something low in the static slipping through the bear's chest. A grumbling groan punctuated what vaguely sounded like a voice.

" _HRRRRGGH…. HEEeel-l-l-l-l… M-Maaarrrr…"_

Marionette's eyes widened as he heard it. It was a voice. Lefty was speaking to him. This could've easily been a trap, an addition to the bear to make it more effective in coaxing him in, but he swore- he quieted his music so that he would hear the whispering. He stopped fighting just long enough to make out what was being said.

" _H-E-L-P M-E."_

And all at once Marionette was gripped by a whole new terror. It was no longer a trap hunting him down mindlessly, but a haunted animatronic that was sentient just like him. Lefty was alive. Lefty had a voice.

Lefty had Chance's voice.

Marionette couldn't believe it and yet it all made too much sense. The only way that Lefty would be alive was if someone's soul was now possessing it, and they never were certain if Chance made it out of that fire. Now it was clear that he hadn't.

"Chance?" the Puppet asked quietly. The bear still clung to him and stared with a pinprick-pupiled yellow eye. No longer was it the look of a vicious predator, but now of a terrified soul that had seen and felt too much. "Chance, are… are you really in there?"

" _I-I-In HE-HE-rrrre,"_ the broken voice whispered back.

"I thought- we all thought-!" The Puppet trailed off with a distraught noise. Chance tried to kill them, Lefty had trapped him in its core, but he had never wanted this. He never wanted anyone to die in that fire, he had just been so used to them getting out that he never thought someone wouldn't get free. He was too used to the Purple man getting himself out. "Oh no… How long have you been like this? How long have you been in this bear? Was it since the fire?"

Lefty didn't give a full answer because the whispering was cut off by the crackle and static of a broken speaker. Then that heavy coughing. Not real coughing but recorded coughing, like a man choking on smoke. Like the last few minutes of horror from a man suffocating in a room. When he finally spoke, it was not an answer but a plead. _"Heel-l-l-p… Dooonn't-t lee-ve ME."_

The rationality was slowly starting to slip again. Whether it was the severity of the situation or the pressure he was suddenly under, Marionette was slipping back into growing hysteria. "How?" he chokingly asked. "I don't know how. I can't give you your old life back…"

" _L-L-LET meee OU-UT,"_ Chance begged. His hand tightened until it was beginning to hurt. _"B-R-E-A-K M-E."_

"What? No! I can't- No!" Marionette protested. He started trying to pull his hand again. "I can't- I can't do that. I'm sorry, I can't."

" _Brrrreak th-s bo-o-ody, L-LeeeT me OUT!"_ Suddenly the black bear became more demanding and much more frantic. He yanked the Puppet close to him. "BURN ME BURN ME."

"No! Stop!" The Puppet twisted his body to get his arm free. "Let go! I can't help you!" he was nearly begging. His frantic music returned once more as he began to fight with the bear.

Lefty released the microphone and it hung from his wrist by a cluster of frayed wires, so he could grab with his other hand. Marionette saw what he was about to do and spun quickly, detaching himself from his grip and moving back until he thumped against a table. He gripped onto it for a moment before, again, instincts kicked in. In seconds he was under the table and right out of reach of the bear.

Lefty staggered after him and leaned down to reach under the table for him. Its body was still clumsy, and it had trouble reaching for him, but it still tried to grab desperately for the Puppet. Whispers were obscured in static and noise, but they sounded akin to begging. Still continuing to beg for something he couldn't give it. This was a different kind of nightmare altogether. Marionette couldn't help him, he couldn't fix him, but he couldn't convince himself to leave him behind either. He wasn't sure how long he stayed under that table dodging the bear's hands.

All they caught was the sound of rapid footsteps before something suddenly charged into the room and into Lefty. The table was slammed so hard that it fell over, and Marionette barely skirted being pinned by both it and the struggle, back now pressed against the underside of the tipped table as he stared at the scene. It had been Foxy who tackled Lefty and was now atop him. He raised his hook dangerously with every intention of maiming the bear further. Marionette reached out to stop him at the last moment.

"Foxy, don't!" he pleaded. His brother didn't look to be stopping and swung his hook down. "It's Chance!"

That was the only thing that stopped Foxy from stabbing his hook right into Lefty's blackened eye. He stopped just inches away from it and stared down at the black bear. Slowly his eyes widened in realization. It was then that Charlie came sprinting into the room. In only a few seconds she had gotten over to the table and to Marionette's side.

"Are you okay?! Did it hurt you?!" she asked in dread. He shook his head slowly and she gave a low toned jingle, "Thank goodness…"

"Whaddya mean it's Chance?" Foxy asked as he stared down at the bear with an unreadable look. Charlie turned her head to look at him in confusion as Marionette explained.

"Chance is inside of Lefty… He didn't make it out of the fire. He's been inside of Lefty all this time…" The Puppet glanced to the Security Puppet beside him and noticed her look of confusion. Probably trying to figure out if the name Chance was just a coincidence, and him feeling guilty when he knew that it wasn't.

"I see…" Foxy twitched above the bear and stared down at him. "…Guess that's what happens when ya play with fire. Ain't that right, Chance? Ya get burned…" A low growl began to build in his throat as his hand, firmly planted on the bear's chest to keep him held down, bared down with more pressure. "That's what happens when ya try to _burn_ people. An' _burn_ families. An' decide yer gonna play God fer the day. Guess it ain't so easy when yer just some selfish old bloater with no idea what it's like ta suffer. Bet yer sufferin' now."

Lefty did little more than stare up at him. He didn't fight him off either, seemingly having little will to do so. It only infuriated Foxy more.

"Always hoped there was a special place in hell fer ya after what ya tried to do to me family. Turns out there ain't, you've gotta live like this if yer gonna feel what ya did. How's it feel bein' broken? Knowing that some human that don't give a rat's hide about ya is gonna make yer decisions fer now on? I hope ya live forever just to feel all the years I did. All those years as a pitiful, empty, mindless _husk_."

"F-Fox-xy," Lefty tried to begin. He was rewarded by the hook being lowered into his face again.

"Don't ya dare call me that. That's me stage name. I ain't gonna hide behind a stage name again," Foxy snarled at him. "That's what ya did, wassn't it? Ya hid behind us just bein' characters so ya didn't have to face that you were tryin' to kill _people._ You don't get the easy way out this time." All at once, Foxy slid out of his character. "You didn't even know who I was and you would still burn me. Well…" He grabbed Lefty by the ear and yanked him up, his hook swinging forward to press into the bear's neck. "My name is _Gabriel Afton._ I was a human just like you, and now you're _just like me._ "

Lefty let out a shaky sort of gurgling deep in its chest cavity. He had definitely heard him and for a moment Foxy almost felt a little vindicated. Except he wasn't the only one who heard.

"Wait… Your name is Gabriel _Afton_?" Charlie cautiously asked.

Foxy turned his head to glance at her, still holding Lefty down, and it was then that he noticed the look of panic on Marionette mask. It was only then that Foxy realized his mistake but by then it was too late. Charlie was already piecing together what he had just implied.

"So, you're related to… You're William Afton's son," she guessed. From the way his ears dropped it was clear that she was right. "Which means…" She slowly looked to the Puppet. "That _you're_ William's son."

He didn't want to admit it. Marionette was just staring back with that same look of horror as she waited for his answer. Time seemed to slow down, refusing to move unless he confessed his secret. He had no choice.

"…Yes," Marionette meekly admitted. "He was my father."

"Why didn't you tell me? How could you not tell me that you were related to him?" Charlie asked in aghast. "I've been living in his house and you didn't- Is that why there's the secret basement in the house?! And why Baby won't-?!" She instantly cut off and her eyes widened as she noticed more connections. "Which means Baby- she said that her father… And Michael-." She raised a hand to her head. "I don't believe this…"

"I know I should've told you sooner, but I was afraid that if I told you right away that you wouldn't feel safe in the house. And then I waited so long that I just…" Marionette trailed off from the thought. His rambling didn't seem to be helping things at all. He reached for her arm to comfort her. "Charlie, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have hidden it from you-."

"What else have you been keeping from me?" Charlie snapped as she stood quickly, dodging his grasp and staring him down with a look of betrayal. "This isn't even about you being that man's son, this is about you covering up something this important for this. You had me living in your house and didn't even trust me enough to tell me the truth about whose house it was! And you didn't tell me about the bear either, so what's next?!"

Marionette was just frozen up. His music box clicked like it was stuck in place and he made no attempt to explain himself. He knew she was right.

Charlie looked back to Foxy and Lefty, then Marionette, and finally turned back towards the door. It was all too much to deal with. "…I need to be alone. I need to think some things through," she said quietly. It was clear that she was still very upset and he sprung up to follow as she headed towards the door.

"No, wait, please," Marionette begged after her. He didn't dare try to touch her after her last reaction and his voice almost sounded watery. "I didn't mean for this to happen…"

"I'm not going to go get myself caught. I know better than that," Charlie affirmed sourly. She didn't want him going into a frenzy thinking she was going to jeopardize herself or them. She had more self-control than that. "…But I need to go." She stepped out into the basement hallway and started making her way back towards the stairwell.

Marionette was left to stare after her with a look of utter dismay. He wanted to pull her back and apologize, hug her close and assure that he wasn't hiding anything more, but he knew that the damage was already done. All at once he had ruined everything they had built together. He had betrayed her trust in a way that he was all too familiar with and now there wasn't anything he could do or say to erase it. He could feel the paint welling in his eyes.

Just watching the scene made Foxy feel terrible. He had known that Charlie wasn't aware of their parentage and yet haven't even considered it when trying to spite Lefty, who had remained silent since the reveal. The pirate ignored the bear and stood to look after his brother with concern.

"Marion… Lad, I'm so sorry. I wasn't even thinking 'bout it. I just…" Marionette flinched forward with a discordant noise in his chest, like a sob, and Foxy knew what that meant. "Lad, don't cry. We'll figure this out. She just-." He was cut off as the striped one vanished from the room. Probably running off to hide and cry, which only made Foxy more concerned. "Marion?" he called out to no response. He would have to go after him and maybe find a way to contact their human workers. Perhaps he could find a phone.

But that meant leaving Lefty. Foxy looked down to see the bear's still staring up at him and growled. "Yer lucky he's more important than you," he snarled as he pointed a hook at him. "And ya ain't a threat to no one no more, but if I _ever_ catch ya goin' anywhere near me brother again, or so much as put a finger on him, then I will show ya that there be things worse than death when yer like this."

With that final threat, Foxy stepped over Lefty and headed to the door. He had more important things to do than waste his time with a dead man.

* * *

 **Mable: After getting used to William's constant disappearing act, one could easily believe that someone going 'missing' was just hiding in the woodworks waiting for revenge. Reality is quite cold.**


	60. Chapter 60

**Mable: It's weird, but it feels like these chapters are going a lot faster. Even though we're only just over halfway through the story it feels like the chapters are flying by! I don't know if that's a good or bad thing anymore. I suppose good if you want to get to the juicy stuff, but it's not exactly fun to end a long fic. Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty_

As luck would have it, Mike was only a few bites into a sandwich when his cellphone started to ring. _"Right on time,"_ he thought with a weary sigh. He still knew he had to get it and answered his phone. "Hello?"

" _Mike, it's me."_ To his surprise, it was Foxy's voice that greeted him. _"Look, we got a problem back here. Can't explain it now, 'cause I'm standin' in a hallway and there be people everywhere, but Mari's ran off to who knows where and I can't find him. Ya need to get back here and look fer him."_

"Wait, what?" Mike asked in alarm. Still at the booth, turned himself away from the others and lowered his voice. "Are you sure he's not just out looking through the other rooms?"

" _It ain't like that. We found somethin' back here that you ain't gonna- Someone's comin'!"_

"Wait-." But Foxy had already hung up. He gave another impatient exhale, though this one more marred by concern than before. _"And there goes Captain Foxy, stirring things up and disappearing. Just as helpful as usual,"_ he thought as he ended the call and wrapped up his sandwich. "Someone watch my food. I've got to go check on things in the back." The others looked confused and a little concern, but Mike didn't waste the time to explain and just headed into the back.

Even though the call had been cut off, Foxy sounded bizarrely morose and uneased, and his suggestion that they 'found something' immediately put Mike on edge. His assumption was that they found an old animatronic, probably one that already moved on, that they had known in the past. Maybe the old Toy animatronics that Hickory's was trying to pawn off on some unsuspecting buyer. If that was the case, then Marionette could be much worse off than alluded to and he started to head through the back hallways to find him.

A quick check of the storage closet itself showed that both Foxy and Marionette were gone. Charlie's box was closed but that didn't mean she was here, and if she was it was possible she wasn't awake. The Minireenas were sitting on the floor beside the box on Jeremy's jacket that he had left behind. That was a relief at least; there was no doubt in his mind that if the Minireenas got out they would never find them. He headed back out into the halls and continued to search.

It soon became clear why Foxy had to call for help. With the auctions coming up there were more people wandering in the back halls. Workers now moving things out of rooms, with him even seeing what looked to be a sheet covered animatronic getting wheeled out of one room. Now he was starting to wonder if he needed to be more concerned about getting Foxy back without getting caught. Right as he was considering this he stepped into the next hall and it was then when he began to hear something peculiar- other than what sounded like distant cymbals.

At first it almost sounded like muffled laughter from a distance and it wasn't until he got closer that he noticed the dialing accompanying it. It was a familiar mix of static and inharmonious noises that he recognized.

" _Is that Mari?"_ Mike paused to listen closer and then started to follow it. Once closer he realized what he was hearing wasn't suppressed laughter, but heavy sobbing, and once he did his heart dropped. He couldn't remember the last time he heard Marionette crying that loud, especially when he knew he was supposed to be hiding himself. Mike began to quicken his pace as he followed the weeping. _"Come on, where is he? He can't be far…"_ Worry started to grow as he continued to hunt down the noise until eventually found himself at a bathroom.

Mike opened the restroom door and was hit by the sheer volume of the crying. Or maybe not crying but unrestrained bawling, and that sense of panic only grew. _"What could they have found that was this bad?"_ He stepped inside and let the door shut behind him. "Mari?"

There was a soft gasp and a sharp clinking as the striped one reflexively went as silent as he could. Though he then realized whose voice he had heard. "Mi-Mike?"

"I'm here. It's just me," Mike assured as he hustled down the line of stalls. He leaned down to look under the doors and spotted Marionette in the last one, pulled into the corner in a tight ball with purple liquid everywhere. The stall unlocked with a small click as Mike approached it and he hurried inside, shut it behind him, and knelt before the striped one. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

"There's- It- Mike," Marionette choked out as he wiped his mask. It only succeeded in smearing the tears up to his forehead. "Mike, I- I made a terrible mistake!" He dug his fingers in where the mask met the top of his head in distress and gave a shaken choke from his chest. Mike's mind immediately went to the worst and he reached for him.

"Whatever it is, we'll get through it. What happened, were you seen?" the security guard asked. It was hard to watch the other break down like this, but he had to get to the root of it. Marionette shook his head. "Then what was it? Foxy said something about you finding something," he persisted. He had a feeling of dread when the puppet looked at him with this look of total anguish.

"I found Lefty." That was all the Puppet got out before Mike suddenly got this stony look. That concern was suddenly changed into a hollowness, as though barely concealing exactly what he was feeling. Foxy hadn't said anything about that, so maybe he didn't know. Because seeing Marionette in this state and remembering what that bear was capable of suggested that something foul had happened. He started to stand and the puppet reached after him. "Wait."

"I'm not going far," Mike assured in what tried to be a controlled tone. He barely withheld his anger. "I'm just going to go behead a bear. Should only take a few minutes." He was turning to storm out of the bathroom, looking like he meant every word, when a hand caught his wrist.

"Lefty is Chance. Chance is possessing Lefty," Marionette corrected. Mike looked back abruptly and that anger was exchanged with momentary shock.

" _Is that why they didn't find the body?"_ He couldn't even imagine what had happened to the man after Springtrap drug him off, and this only raised some disturbing conclusions. "Did he attack you?"

"…He was asking me to break him. He wanted me to destroy his body so he would move on," Marionette revealed quietly. This was the last thing Mike expected to hear and it was just as unnerving for him as it was for the striped one. The puppet's voice cracked, "But Foxy came in and things got out of control, and then…" Marionette shuddered as thick purple tears rolled down his mask once more. "Charlie knows."

"She knows about Chance?" Mike guessed. All at once, Marionette broke down crying again. He hid his face behind his free hand as he clung to man's wrist with the other.

"She knows about everything! She knows the truth about who I am, about who my father is, she knows I've been hiding things, and she's never going to trust me again! All I had to do was tell her and now it's too late!" His voice sputtered as his music box poured out despair in every broken sound. Mike was barely able to hear when he added in, "I'm just like Goldie..."

"Don't say that. This isn't anything like what happened with Goldie," Mike defended as he crouched down again. He was quick to pull the distraught puppet into his arms and rubbed his back reassuringly. Normally the comfort would've had immediate results but this time he was almost completely inconsolable. _"Well, I knew this was coming. Good thing I didn't do anything to stop it,"_ Mike scolded himself.

"But it is, Mike. He hid so much from me and I've hidden so much from her. I didn't tell her about my father or the truth about Lefty… I've been lying to her every day." His fingers tightened into Mike's puppeteer shirt and pressed tighter into Mike's chest. "I never wanted to do this to her. It hurt so much when it happened to me."

"Mari, in all consideration, this is a massively different set of circumstances. Yes, you hid that you were related to the Purple Man- who would admit to that- but you didn't do it just for your own gain."

"Goldie didn't always-."

"Marionette, we both know that Henry did some of what he did for his own gain. I won't go so far to say all of it was crooked, but we both saw some shady stuff go down in that warehouse," Mike argued back. He shifted to cup Marionette's mask in his hands. "Hey, look at me." It took a moment as the animatronic seemed intent on looking anywhere else, perhaps out of shame. Eventually he caved and looked at his companion. "I'm not going to sugar coat it: Charlie is going to be confused and upset, but it will pass. We'll work through this."

While Marionette was doubtful, he gave a stiff nod. He couldn't hide in here forever crying. He took a few more moments of comfort but knew that he would have to go deal with the matter at hand. He had left Foxy with Lefty, a terrible decision that no rational person would make. Even though he made this mistake he couldn't hide from his responsibilities elsewise.

"Mike… Mike, we have to go see Chance," Marionette said as he tiredly drew back. His neck seemed limp and his head still hung forward in distraught. "He was down in the basement. We have to go back to him and then… Then we will figure out the rest."

"Sounds like a plan… Are you sure you want to come? I can go gawk at Chance and come back for you. You don't have to get near that bear again," Mike offered. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he trusted him anywhere near Lefty, even if it was now Chance controlling it. He hadn't been the most trustworthy. Yet the Puppet still nodded.

"No, I need to be there. I can't hide forever," Marionette insisted. He attempted to stave off the tears and wipe off his mask on his hands and arms. "Was I terribly loud?"

"Nah, don't worry about it," Mike dismissed, offering him some toilet paper to dab his face with. "You want to hear loud then walk out into the hallway. It sounds like there's a disgruntled drummer taking out all his anger on a set of cymbals out there."

"Oh, that's the Music Man," Marionette admitted as he wiped off the last of the paint. "He's not too happy with me either." With a sigh, he tossed away the purple stained paper and rose off the floor, taking Mike's offered hand. "I'm ready."

Mike paused expectantly only to notice the animatronic not teleporting off. His eyes dropped to their still joined hands. "Wait you're coming with me, with me?" The security guard wasn't expecting the nod of agreement. That could be risky. "Alright, well… Just stay close to me and if someone pops up then I'll just pick you up and say I'm carrying you off to get maintenance. Because nobody's going to argue with a leaking puppet," he said with a small smile, trying to rouse the littlest bit of humor. Marionette might've tried to give one, but it looked very unconvincing. Mike patted his back sympathetically; at least he wasn't still crying.

Mike stepped out of the bathroom slowly and looked around to make sure the hall was empty. He then opened the door more, signaling that it was safe for the other to come out. Marionette slipped out and promptly pressed against Mike's back and securely wrapped his arms around his right one. This would slightly shield him from certain angles of view, but Mike suspected it was more for comfort reasons.

They moved down the halls carefully with the animatronic whispering directions into the security guard's ear. His soft voice was so close that it sent tingles down Mike's spine, which completely contradicted the largely tense circumstances. More than once they had gotten dangerously close to other voices but had managed to evade being spotted as they made it to the other stairwell. Soon they were in the hall outside of the conference room where Lefty had been last seen. Except that things had noticeably changed.

The conference room doors were both propped open and the room's lights were now on, but Lefty himself was nowhere to be seen.

"That's where he was… Someone must have found him and took him away," Marionette guessed. It didn't matter how uncomfortable the circumstances were, Lefty being gone was devastating. Though not the most concerning matter at hand. "You said you talked to Foxy? Where was he?"

"On the phone. He found a phone somewhere and was evading getting spotted… You know, all that activity upstairs is because they're getting ready for the auction. If he's due to get auctioned off then they might've picked him up and carted him off somewhere for that," Mike pointed out. "And if that's the case, he might be out of our hands."

"No, Mike. He's not," Marionette affirmed gravely. "If Chance is in the auction… Then we will need to purchase him."

" _Excuse me?"_ Mike asked in disbelief.

At that second someone walked by in the conference room. The Puppet grabbed the security guard's arm and pulled him aside behind the chairs. Once the person was out of sight- though there was talking from inside the room- the two stepped back into the stairwell. It was only once the door was shut that Mike turned back on Marionette with immediate disagreement.

"Why would we want to do that? Mari, this is the man who tried to _kill us_. He went out of his way and plotted an elaborate scheme just to set us all on fire. Now I didn't want him to die in that fire, but I don't want to be responsible for him," Mike insisted adamantly. Marionette's own features grew firm as well.

"It's not a matter of wanting to do anything. Certainly not after what he put us through…" Yet just as quickly, Marionette's faced softened again. "But whether or not we want to, this is what we should do. It would be cruel to stand aside and let someone buy and use him when he is already despairing to move on. What would that make us?"

"Maybe, but what are we putting ourselves in the middle of by taking him in? We don't have to be the martyrs in this situation, Mari. It isn't our fault he died. The man had a gun to my head! Do you think he would've given us that same consideration?" Mike whispered harshly. Marionette folded his arms and looked towards the floor. "He put himself in this situation. He put all of us in this situation."

The Puppet considered his point for a few moments, but then he had his own counter. Unfortunately, it was more effective than any plead for mercy. "On the other hand… Chance wants to be destroyed and out of his body. He's beginning to lose his sense of self-preservation. He could become desperate enough to do something… Impulsive."

"And how's that?" Mike asked doubtfully. Marionette's voice was cryptically solemn as he glanced to the door.

"All of us animatronics are in a mutual, silent understanding about our own survival. We don't say it, but even if we are at odds, we know that risking one of us could risk all of us," Marionette explained. His eyes glanced back to Mike. "All it would take is one animatronic to sink all of us."

"…Chance isn't stupid enough to do that," Mike muttered. Though it was less of a statement and more a mutter of disbelief as his eyes widened in realization. "He couldn't be that much of a vindictive-."

"I think we both know he could. He has before," the Puppet pointed out. He shook his head with a windy sigh. "Let's face it, Mike, whether out of pity or self-preservation, we can't afford to let him get sold."

"And if he's not for sale?" the man asked. This challenge was met with a lingering silence. Though Mike already knew the answer and exhaled with defeat. "I usually love it when you're right about something."

"I do too, but I don't think is the answer either of us wanted," Marionette admitted with equal disappointment. Everything about the situation was vexing.

"Alright. We're going to the auction anyway, so we'll keep an eye out for him… Shouldn't be that hard to spot a one-eyed, discolored Freddy."

"Mike, we're at an animatronic auction that was primarily started just to boost up Fazbear Entertainment's massive ego. If we don't see at least three or four recolored Freddy- most of them being 'Fazbear originals'- then I will be extremely disappointed," the Puppet lightly joked. He managed a small smile and struggled to ease the mood. "Would you mind escorting me back to the storage room? I would rather not pop in."

"Sure. What are puppeteers for?" Taking his arm again, they headed back up the stairs and into the back hallways. Things were still uncomfortable, and both knew they would face more discomfort in the coming hours, but they still pressed on with the flimsy belief that they might still be able to control the situation.

After careful circumnavigating of the backrooms, the two managed to make it to the storage closet. The door was still unlocked and Mike was opening it when he suddenly heard rapid footsteps. He only had a second to grab Marionette and move out of the way before Foxy blazed down the hall and skirted into the room.

"Oh, hey Foxy," Mike simply greeted as he stepped in with Marionette and shut the door behind him. "You find the place okay?"

"Bloody 'ell, there be landlubbers all over the place!" Foxy complained. He began pacing within the tight confines of the room with his hand and hook on his hips. "Was hunched down with me knees up to me eyepatch waitin' fer 'em all to move," he exaggerated. He stopped pacing when he noticed the Minireenas coming up to him. He leaned down to meet them. "No joke, lasses! There be close to a dozen of 'em!"

Rose covered her mouth in shock, Forget-Me-Not tapped her chin in doubt, and Daisy hugged his leg sympathetically.

Mike glanced to Marionette with amusement only to notice that he was looking towards the magic puppet box. It didn't take him long to realize that Charlie was probably holed up inside. He considered what to do for a moment and then began to walk over. Marionette watched him and neither stopped him nor followed with him. Mike tapped lightly on the box.

"Hey Charlie, it's Mike. You're in there, right?" he asked. There was a lift shifting sound from inside.

"Hey Mike," Charlie answered. Her voice was tired and morose, but he could tell she was still frustrated. If she was upset with Marionette hiding the truth, then there was no doubt that probably stretched to him too.

"Just double checking. You want to come out and talk?" the security guard asked. There was a long pause.

"… No. Not right now," the Security Puppet finally answered.

"Alright." So, he let it go. If she wasn't ready to talk then he wouldn't make her. Instead, he looked back to Marionette and gave a slight shrug. The Puppet looked aside and squeezed his own arm, a slightly hurt look on his face. "I'm going to go bring the others up to speed on what's going on and I'll give you an update after the auction," Mike said as he passed. He turned to give him a quick one-armed hug before continuing to the door. "Hang in there."

Marionette nodded stiffly as he heard the door shut behind him. Thankfully, Foxy didn't seem to piece together the auction comment. At least that was a conversation avoided for a little longer.

By time Mike got back to the booth, the others were pretty much finished eating and were chatting and laughing like nothing was wrong. The mood dropped as they saw him coming up with the purple paint thick on the front of his shirt. He silently came over and sat down for a second, letting his exhaustion show, and then attempted to explain.

"I got a call from Foxy saying that he couldn't find Marionette, so I'm thinking he's exploring the rooms and just lost track of time. I get back there, Foxy's gone, and I find Marionette hiding in a bathroom. See, Foxy didn't tell me, but while sneaking around back there they found Lefty. I'm sure everyone remembers Lefty?" There were a few nods. "Well, just to bring you up to speed, Lefty didn't get up and start talking last time. This time he did, because this time Lefty was alive." He paused with a slow exhale. "Because Lefty is Chance."

He expected shock and he wasn't even surprised when Fritz shot to his feet. "What-?!" he blurted out too loudly. Jeremy was quick to grab his arm and yank him back, snapping him out of his shock enough to realize that it was probably not smart to go yelling in the middle of a conference hall. The technician sat back down and lowered his voice. "What do you mean, Chance is Lefty?! He's back there right now?!" Mike nodded and the technician dropped his head into a hand, shaking it slowly. "I just thought he slipped out the back and went into hiding."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. Now Marionette thinks we should buy him," Mike answered. "Jury's still out but we're thinking he's going to be in the auction."

"Why would we do that?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. "I mean, this isn't- he's not just some- after the fire- Foxy's couldn't actually agree with this."

"I'm not happy about this either, but Mari had a good point. Chance is unhinged and looking for a quick way out, and he might just throw us under the bus if he gets the chance. And even if he doesn't, he could do something else that either comes back to us or just destroys somebody else's life. The long and short of it is that we have no choice," Mike insisted. Jeremy bit his lip tightly. It looked like he wanted to protest and that he was struggling holding back his disagreement. "I don't want anything to do with Chance or Lefty, let alone some freakish combination of them both."

"I don't think I could leave him like this…" Fritz quietly admitted. "I know what he did was terrible and there's no forgetting that… But we also know that living bots don't do well out there alone. Chance was already an old man, just because he's in a different body doesn't change that. He shouldn't be stuck in a Chipper's somewhere." It soon felt like Fritz was playing the defendant for Chance, a role he didn't exactly want.

"Where would we put him?" Jeremy asked. From the defeat in his voice it sounded like he knew that there wasn't much of an option. "I can't take in another animatronic and putting them in the warehouse just doesn't work. It didn't work for Foxy, it didn't work for Baby; it doesn't work."

"He can always come stay with us. We can use the same guest room that we were going to use with Baby," the technician volunteered. Natalie looked alarmed.

"With _us?_ But what if he's dangerous? We thought Baby was dangerous and she didn't surprise us. We know this guy's dangerous and now…" She gave Fritz a strained look, hoping that he would agree. Unfortunately, it looked like he was still willing to fight for it.

"Chance isn't that dangerous. What he did- he doesn't have the means to do that anymore! And that Lefty suit isn't anything like Baby. There's nothing in it that's made to hurt anyone."

"Yeah, I'd like to contest that," Mike butted in. "It's made to hurt s _omeone._ "

"You've got to admit, Mike. The things that body's made to do won't work on a human. They might not even work at all if he's not been kept up in working order. I just… I don't know. I haven't seen Chance in years, I know he's not the man I used to work with anymore, but I can't just… I can't willingly leave him here." Fritz was beginning to cave underneath it all. "I just need to do something, and this is all I can think of."

Natalie watched him slump, looking as downtrodden as ever, and gave a slow exhale as she too caved. "Alright," she agreed. Fritz's head snapped up. "Alright, if you somehow get Chance then he can come stay with us. But I want to clarify that I'm not doing this for Chance, I'm doing this for you… And Mari, and Jeremy, and everyone else so they don't have to deal with it."

He was washed in relief and leaned over to kiss her cheek thankfully. "Thank you."

"Yeah, don't mention it," she said with a pout. At least it wouldn't be Baby again but honestly it didn't feel much better.

Then it was all a matter of waiting for the auction to begin. Things quieted down with a strained amount of unrelated small talk to pass the time. Mike finished his lunch and everyone did their best to not bring up the elephant in the room. Finally, when the auction opened, Mike, Jeremy, and Fritz headed over while Natalie volunteered to watch the booth. She seemed disinterested in watching the auction for obvious reasons.

The three were soon sitting in the far back corner of the seats and looking past a few dozen people to see the stage. It was all set up rather nicely, more professional than the auctioning they had done before opening Foxy's. There were a lot more people too and they were currently sitting between them and their possible purchases.

"How are they even going to see us all the way back here?" Jeremy asked as he anxiously palmed the paddle in his hand. "We could lose just because we're stuck back here."

"This is the best spot, trust me," Mike insisted. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms and legs to try and get comfortable. "If we're in the front then everyone's going to see our bid and if we're in the middle we're going to get lost in the sea of people. The auctioneer knows he's going to lose the back so he's going to subconsciously know to look here more often. Best seat in the house."

"Pretty sound logic," Fritz agreed. It was then that they began to wheel something onto stage with a cloth over it. "Here we go."

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Animatronicon's auction house. We will begin today's auction with-…" The worker turned auctioneer trailed off as another man removed the sheet from the object, revealing it to be a familiar face. "A Fazbear original 'Orville Elephant' animatronic. It is in working condition and ready to perform with a history of only minor maintenance."

"Exactly how minor is sitting decapitated in a basement?" Mike whispered to Fritz.

"If it's related to Fazbear Entertainment, that's still considered a slap on the wrist," the technician joked back.

"We'll start the bidding at three thousand dollars."

"Start?!" Jeremy blurted in disbelief. "How can they 'start' with three thousand? They just said it was old and damaged!... And might be haunted, maybe."

"And I know for a fact it fell on a kid once," Mike dismissed. "They're just jacking up the price because they get to put the good old Fazbear seal of approval on it." There was a long pause as they listened to the continued auctioning and watched paddles shoot up.

"If that's how much Orville the Elephant is going for, what's an actual Freddy going to go for?... Even one that's just a recolor. They won't notice the difference," Fritz murmured quietly. They just watched as Orville's price went higher and higher until he was wheeled off stage for a little over four thousand dollars. "Let's just hope he was the expensive one."

A second covered figure was now brought up on stage. It looked to be bigger than Orville was and it was uncovered to reveal an unsettling looking metal spider. It looked to be in even better condition than Orville had been. It was as clean and shiny as something that just came off a conveyor belt.

"Second on the auction block is the 'Music Man' animatronic. It is in 'ready for showtime' condition with original parts and no history of repairs. Paint has been touched up on the back panels and comes with replacement cymbals. Let's start the bidding at five thousand dollars."

This time Mike did react and sat up abruptly in his seat. " _That thing_ is going for five thousand dollars?" He sent a look of disbelief to the others. Jeremy returned it while Fritz dropped his head in his hand. "And that thing was raising cain in the back. It's definitely not in working condition… Do you know what this means?"

"That chances are we're walking out of here with nothing?" Jeremy asked with defeat. He sounded just like Fritz looked. "That chances are we won't even get Lefty?"

"No, it means-." Mike cut off as he considered something else. He paused a moment, thinking about it, and then responded. "It means I got that Security Puppet for a steal. We're going to have to start doing our shopping at failing businesses."

"I know. If they were selling her here, she would've probably been going for- what- ten thousand dollars or something," Jeremy exaggerated. He gave a disappointed huff as he set the paddle in his lap, assuming that he wouldn't be using it today. "Maybe we should just drop Foxy's off somewhere and have him raid the place."

"Hush money would definitely be cheaper than this. Especially if we added in thinly veiled threats and started name dropping Freddy's," Mike said with a growing smirk. He couldn't help but have a little fun, even if he was disappointed. Jeremy noticed it and got a little smile too. Fritz just continued to sulk in his own lap. "Come on, Fritz. Where's that sense of humor of yours? This is hilarious. It's a perfect example that no matter what we do, something's going to go terribly wrong."

"Funny enough but I don't feel like I'm in the laughing mood right now," Fritz said with dry sarcasm. He raised his head with a tired sigh and stared at the stage. "…Though to be honest, I wouldn't have been bidding on that thing even if it was cheap."

With that, Music Man was sold, and the next item was brought onto stage. Mike was fully prepared to be disappointed and braced himself to riff on it to cope with the sheer stress of knowing Chance would soon be up there too. Instead, the cloth was removed, and his brows raised as he recognized the item currently being shown off on the stage.

"Next item up for auction is the 'Candy Cadet' from Smiles and Servos Inc. In moderately functioning condition and in need of some maintenance repair. Let's start the bidding at two hundred dollars."

"Jeremy, bid," Mike spoke before he even thought. Just seeing the thing again and hearing that price piqued his interest. He glanced over to see both the blond and Fritz looking at him in confusion. "I saw it over at Magictime Theater and I'll admit that it's a mess in action, but it might be the closest thing we're getting to an animatronic. All you do is pop a quarter in and it give you candy and maybe a story."

" _Maybe_ a story?" Fritz asked for clarification. Before he could get said clarification, Jeremy's arm shot up to bid. "Wait, Jeremy. We should talk about this first before we do anything. I don't like that 'moderately functioning' comment he threw in."

"It might need a few tune-ups and a refill of candy, but it's a good distraction and an even better quarter magnet. And it's cheap too," Mike tried to convince.

"Mike, we're already pressed on cash in comparison to all these people-."

"Come on, Fritz. We need this." This time Mike was completely humorless. "It's going to be hell once we're back at Hurricane trying to figure out this Chance thing. Just trust me with this. I know what I'm doing."

There was a long pause before Fritz caved. Not because he changed his opinion, but because he did trust Mike's judgement. So, instead, the technician just looked over to Jeremy and nodded. "Alright. Let's ride it out," he agreed. "Let's get us a Candy Cadet."

In the end, interest in Candy Cadet was not as high as the other animatronics. Probably from the warnings before the auction even began. Foxy's secured the win and the Candy Cadet for only a little over three hundred dollars, which was strikingly cheap in comparison to the other animatronics they had seen. Finally, they had received a victory and were on the verge of celebrating their good fortunate when another animatronic was wheeled out. It too was covered in a sheet, but somehow they knew what it was.

The sheet was pulled off and that yellow eye stared out emptily at the crowd of people.

"Next on the auction block is Black Bear animatronic. Currently out of service and in need of repair to return to functioning order. The seller also notes that when activated, the bot is prone to wandering and… Can open doors on its own." Even the auctioneer sounded like he was disturbed. Though that wasn't surprising considering how dead eyed the bear looked, yellow eye angled down and mouth agape. His arms slumped at his sides. "And considering the… Amount of refurbishing needed to get it in working order, we will begin the bidding at a discount."

"This better be a massive discount. He still owes me a walk-in clinic bill," Mike muttered under his breath. He couldn't help but stare down the bear with a cold glare. Both the suit that had tormented Marionette and the man who had tried to kill them combined in one; he could feel the anger radiating. He still knew they had to do this.

Fritz was just as determined. He too was angry at Chance, though not as much or in the same way as the others, but he couldn't leave the man to this fate. There was already enough guilt in letting him die, but to have him now trapped in a bear, unattended to, used as a tool; he couldn't stand by for that. Chance deserved the anger, but not like this. No matter the price, Fritz would get him home.

"Let's start the bidding at five dollars."

As the door opened, the light from the hall crossed the room and fell right on Lefty. Almost as though someone set it at that angle on purpose. Fritz swallowed thickly and stepped into the room, his shadow being cast over the bear, and held open the door for Mike and Jeremy to wheel in the dolly and the toolbox. It was just a precaution, but the technician suspected he would need it. He closed the door behind them and began to cross the room. The bear was standing but didn't look at him when he approached.

"Chance?" Fritz tentatively asked while stepping closer. Mike and Jeremy stayed silent, both looking equally wary with the former looking aloof and the latter unsettled. "Chance, do you remember me? I'm Fritz."

It was only then that Lefty finally responded. Its eye suddenly focused on Fritz and it began to raise its head slowly. Then a low gurgling and crackling began to come from inside its chest as it tried and failed to speak. Anything above a whisper converted into garbled noise that was impossible to decode.

"Wait, hold on. I might be able to fix that," Fritz said as he turned to Jeremy and got his toolbox from him. He set it down on one of the nearby shelves and opened it up before turning back towards Lefty. Then, without much warning, he reached for the bear's bowtie. He tried to grab and pull at it. Nothing happened. "Huh… Okay, new plan." He then reached up and pressed the bear on the nose. It let out a dull squeak but again nothing happened.

"…So, what exactly are we doing here? Trying to poke the bear until you get a response?" Mike guessed with a complete lack of amusement.

Jeremy cleared his throat in his fist. "He's, uh, he's actually trying to get it open. That's how the old Freddys would open."

"There's one mystery solved," Mike remarked. "Can't say I was that interested in popping Freddy open though…"

As though listening and realizing what was happening, Lefty himself decided to step in. Fritz's arm recoiled as the bear's raised to his own chest and grabbed ahold of the star. He turned it to the right with the points moving three spots, clicking as it did so. Then he turned the star to the left two clicks, then to the right once, and then pressed in. There was a loud clunk as the chest cavity popped open. Mike made sure to remember the combination even though he never wanted to be unfortunate enough to use it.

Fritz opened the bear and revealed the interior, which Mike stepped forward to look at. It was disturbing to say the least. Instead of the normal endoskeleton that an animatronic was supposed to have, the inner workings were all built around a large cavity in the center of its chest. Most of the wiring was in the upper area and neck, as was the speaker. It was while scanning this cavity that Mike found melted metal that looked like they were once latches and he could only guess that they were to guarantee suit seal. Someone must've melted them to open the hatch, maybe going through the neck to do so.

But it was clear that whoever opened Lefty to repair him had done a pitiful job. Fritz was disgusted to see that most of the wires were still thick with fire residue and tangled together. The ones from the speaker had been taped back together with cheap, clear tape, not even sparing the funds for proper electrical tape. With a huff, Fritz grabbed a pair of rubber handled scissors and the electrical tape from the box.

"Just _bear_ with me and I'll get this all cleaned up. Maybe then you'll be able to talk right," Fritz offered with a smile.

"Really? A pun now?" Jeremy whispered to Mike. "Is this really the time for a pun?"

"I know," Mike agreed. "And I thought the situation was un _bear_ able enough as it was." He sent the older a small smirk to which he frowned back. "What, too much?"

"I don't mean to be the _bear_ of bad news, but that was _bear_ ly a pun. _Fur_ Freddy's sake, Mike, you should at least try a different word, be _claws_ using the same pun over and over again causes it to lose its _bite_ ," Jeremy listed out. Now it was Mike's turn to stare. "I thought maybe if I went through as many as I possibly could, I'd kill the joke."

"I am so sorry. This is not what I planned on starting with that comment," Fritz murmured to Chance as he clipped the tape. He wished it was easing the mood, they all did, but it was uncomfortable standing there as the silent black bear was worked on. Jeremy refused to look at Lefty, Mike only did with a poorly hidden scowl, and Fritz continued until he had somehow repaired the speaker enough that it wasn't as staticky. Eventually he removed the tools from inside the bear and drew back to put them away. "Okay, so that should be it if-."

He was caught off guard by Lefty's hand grabbing his arm and roughly yanking him in. Mike and Jeremy's heads snapped over in shock, with the former rushing in to try and yank the technician back. Before he could, Fritz was pulled in close to the damaged speaker, just enough to hear Chance's whispering coming through.

"I can't stay inside this bear," Chance murmured. His voice bordered between desperate and deranged, and from that alone Fritz could tell he was not in his right mind. He couldn't imagine what he had been through. "It won't let me go. You have to break me. Burn me _._ " The security guard and bear briefly had a tug of war before the technician was pulled free of the grasp. He staggered back, staring at the bear that stared at him, and Mike glared with the intention of saying something. Fritz beat him to it.

"Chance, you don't understand. Shutting you down isn't going to get you out of Lefty and burning- we're not going to do that. Animatronics have moved on before without being… Forcibly moved on," Fritz insisted. He stepped forward and reached out carefully, somewhat afraid that the bear would grab him again, but when he didn't he rested a hand on its thick, dark shoulder. "We're going to take you with us."

"You see, we own you now," Mike spoke up, crossing his arms over his chest. "But unlike you, we don't burn people just because some bear wills it."

That seemed to catch the black bear's attention. The bear's yellow eye slowly widened as the pupil shrunk, and Lefty stood there in silent horror. They had bought him. They _owned_ him. They could do whatever they wanted and there was nothing he could do. The nightmare would continue.

"Don't worry. It's not what you think," Fritz defended as he stepped between their line of vision. He had his hands raised and kept his voice calm, "I'm going to take you home with me. Not to the pizzeria, not to the warehouse, just to my home where we can figure this all out." Lefty gave no response. "Chance?" It was almost as though the bear had just shut down after that moment of lucidity. With a slow exhale, Fritz decided that there was no use in pressing further. "Let's just get you out to the van. Mike… Jeremy, can you help me?"

" _Good choice_ ," Mike sardonically thought as he stepped aside to let them work. He watched as the two loaded the black bear onto the dolly. All joking was long gone now and the two were quiet as they wheeled him out. Unlike the other workers who had moved him, they didn't tether him down, so they had to be careful while moving him out.

Now alone, Mike wandered over towards the Candy Cadet and looked the robot over. "Hey, Candy Cadet. No story today I'm guessing," he remarked to the bot. He gave a dry chuckle and reached out to pat its shoulder in a mock-sympathetic fashion. "That's fine. I'm not really feeling up to one. I've had my fill of drama today…" He looked around the room without actually looking, instead drifting into his thoughts. _"What a train wreck. I just wish this was already over."_

The security guard shook his head and started to head to the door. He still had some time before they came back with the doll. He could at least go check on Marionette and Foxy beforehand.

" _But he would never leave them."_

Mike nearly jumped out of his skin and spun around to look towards the Candy Cadet. He caught a glimpse of it lighting up and shaking like it was malfunctioning. "What the-?... Moderately functioning condition, yeah right," he muttered as he walked back towards the robot. "Look, if you're alive or something then I'd like to know now before I get you in the van."

Candy Cadet did not respond. Mike gave an impatient exhale and reached into his pocket for his wallet. "I know what'll get you talking," he murmured as he pulled out a quarter and popped it inside. "Let's see how much repair you really need," he said as he turned the crank.

Once again, the rainbow lights began to flash as the robot started to shudder. There was definitely some sort of issue with it, but it was impossible to diagnose what was wrong.

" _Now I will tell you a story about a man with no family. He was very alone and had nobody else in the world, so he decided that he would find a family. He looked and looked, but he couldn't find the family he wanted, so he was at a loss. Then one day he found someone lonely like him and he was nice to them, and they stayed. He learned that he didn't need to find a family, he could make one, so he was kind to everyone and soon he had a happy family made of the people he was kind to. Instead of being a lonely man, he was a kind man."_

Suddenly, a piece of candy dropped into the bot's dispenser.

" _Have some candy_ ," Candy Cadet finished. Then he started to drop more. _"Candy. Candy. Candy."_ With a piece of candy dropping with every word, until one even fell off and to the floor. Mike just watched the scene with a slowly raising brow.

"…Great story there, Candy Cadet," Mike complimented half-heartedly as he took the candy. He thumbed through the old, melted pieces. " _At least it was a story this time…_ " he thought. Though considering the day he had, he still considered this a victory. "Well, welcome to the Foxy crew. Keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times."

* * *

 **Mable: At this rate, people might start suspecting that Mike helped sabotage Magictime Theater just to get their goods. Though it would fit with the pirate theme, wouldn't it? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	61. Chapter 61

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-One_

The only way to describe the feeling in the storage room was troubled. Charlie had not come out of her box at all. Marionette and Foxy were afraid to speak out of fear that they would say something to make it worse, with their concern aimed towards different targets. Both wanted to apologize, but Marionette wanted to give Charlie her space and Foxy didn't even know where to begin with his brother. The Minireenas were unfortunate victims of the circumstances too and were aware that something was wrong.

Eventually the tension was broken by the door opening and Jeremy stepping in. It took him only a few seconds to notice how spread out and quiet the animatronics were. Before he could really do much else, Foxy hurried over to him.

"So, what's the skinny, Lad?" the pirate asked. "Anyone find 'em?"

"…Well, you can say that," Jeremy drew it out, already knowing this wasn't going to go well. It didn't help that Foxy was looking at him with both eyes and with his ears perked just enough to hear everything. Jeremy ripped the metaphorical band-aid off quickly. "So, turns out they were auctioning off Chance, so we went ahead and bid and bought him and he's out in the van."

"…We what?" Foxy asked. His ears twitched, then his right eye twitched, and then his voice grew. "We _what?!_ "

"Yeah…" Jeremy said awkwardly. He got an uncomfortable smile and sheepish shrug. "It wasn't my idea."

"It was mine," Marionette offered to spare Jeremy and the others of a decision he made. Foxy promptly turned on him, looking like he was seconds from exploding. "I know you're upset, but there are numerous reasons we needed to do this."

"Marion, if your think-!"

" _Don't fight me on this_ ," Marionette interrupted firmly. He kept his voice even but there was obviously suppressed emotion. "I went through the same thing that you did. I know what he did, I know what he might still do, but that doesn't change anything. We don't have a choice."

Foxy clenched his teeth, among other things, and turned towards the wall. He briefly reached up to scratch at his head with both his fingers and his hook before dropping his head against the wall with a loud thump. There was a low growl in his chest as he muttered under his breath. Marionette certainly didn't like upsetting him, but he couldn't bear another fight. His sternness melted into somberness, which didn't go unnoticed by Jeremy, who reached over to pat his shoulder before turning to Foxy.

"But he's going to be staying with Chance, so he's not going to be at the pizzeria. Just… Around." Foxy gave a low groan of dismay. Jeremy forced a brighter tone, "But, uh, good news! We got a new animatronic! Mike said it's called the Candy Cadet."

"Just keep twistin' that knife, Lad," the pirate muttered.

"Come on, it's not that bad!" the man defended. Foxy let out a dismissive snort, clearly unconvinced. "It was either that or bankrupting ourselves trying to buy Orville Elephant."

"…A'right, ya win. It ain't that bad," Foxy begrudgingly agreed. He pulled off the wall and turned to Jeremy again. "Now me math may be off, but I think with five bot we're gonna have too heavy a load. The van's gonna capsize or blow a tire." He bit his tongue as he mentally added, _"And if I get shoved in that van with Lefty, he's not coming out with any eyes."_

"I don't think it's safe putting you and Chance in a small van for six minutes, let alone six hours." Jeremy knew him too well. "So, that's the other thing. Fritz is going to take Chance and Candy Cadet back home tonight. As soon as they get both into the van he's going to leave here and drive back with Natalie… Which means you're going to be cramped in my backseat."

"Can we use the AC?" Foxy bluntly asked. As though the fact that it was bad news didn't pass his mind. Jeremy agreed with slight confusion. "Then we'll live, Lad," the pirate said. At least that wasn't met with as much disappointment as the other comments.

"Great! Then I guess I'll just go help get them moved. I don't think we're looking at another performance today, so you two just sit tight and we'll leave in a few hours," Jeremy assured with a smile. He looked down to the Minireenas now standing around his feet. "Won't be long now, Girls." Then he headed towards the door.

"Wait."

Jeremy stopped in his tracks at Charlie's voice. He almost forgotten that she was in the box and looked back to see her coming out. She looked visibly distressed, and it was enough to cause Marionette to turn away with a guilty look on his face.

"Before they leave, I need to know…" Charlie hesitated a moment, considering if she really wanted to know this. It didn't seem like she had a choice. "Is this 'Chance' Chauncey Johnson? I'm guessing he is considering that he's here. It would be a huge coincidence if he wasn't…" She looked between Jeremy, who had a deer-in-headlights look, and Foxy, who just silently looked to the blond. Neither of which she could say was unexpected. What was unexpected was that she did get her answer.

"Yes, he is," Marionette quietly said. "…He was your father's father."

"Right…" At least she got a confirmation. Though even with the discomfort and desire to return to her box, she kept thinking of the older man in the bear. Her flesh and blood grandfather was just like she was, a human turned animatronic. She hadn't seen him in years and they had never been close, but now she felt drawn to him. There were so many questions that he couldn't run from any longer. It was time for her to get answers. Slowly, she raised further out of her box and announced, "I want to go with them if they can fit me in."

Marionette was devastated and it briefly showed on his face. He couldn't imagine what this decision could mean, but it didn't bode well. Especially if Chance was willing to hold a grudge enough to start twisting events that happened in their past. Still, he suppressed an immediate reaction and stayed quiet.

"Are you sure?" Jeremy asked uncertainly. Charlie nodded in agreement. "...Then I don't think Fritz will have trouble fitting you in… I could probably wheel you out there now if you're really positive." He sent a tentative glance towards the Puppet who didn't return it.

"I'm sure," Charlie affirmed. Though inwardly she talked herself up with less confidence, _"Maybe he's not been there in the past, but I need to be there for him. We're family one way or another…"_

Jeremy headed over to push Charlie's box out of the room, briefly exchanging a look with Foxy who then decided to turn and return to the wall. The blond adjusted his glasses and started to wheel her out.

"Charlie, wait," Marionette blurted out. He didn't even think it through and once it came out, he regretted it. She hadn't lowered into her box yet and turned her head towards him expectantly. There was so much he wanted to say and yet he had to hold back. He swallowed his feelings again and gave a pitiable, "…I hope you have a safe drive…"

"Thank you… You too," Charlie answered just as uncomfortably. She lowered into the box and closed the top after her. Jeremy sent Marionette a sympathetic shrug and continued out of the room.

As soon as the door shut, the striped one slumped to the floor. He dropped his head into his hands with a distressed moan from his music box. Almost immediately, the Minireenas came over and began to congregate around him while looking at him with concern. Foxy looked at him at the worst possible time.

"Aww, Marion…" Foxy whined. He watched his brother stay slumped on the floor and shuffled over, his head hanging with guilt as he did so. "She just be in shock 'bout all this an' needs space."

"She wouldn't be going through this- None of this would be happening if I had told her," Marionette admitted. He gave a shudder as his voice crackled. "I thought I learned my mistake before. The times Mike kept something from me, all the times Goldie kept things from me, I should've known better. What was I thinking?"

"T'wasn't just you, Lad," Foxy defended as he knelt in front of him. "Any of us coulda told her. Baby could've done it, I could've-… Err, I guess I did… And I'm gonna take responsibility fer that. Lad, this ain't all on you. It was too charged in there to start throwin' around the Afton name…" He grumbled and scooted the Minireenas over so that he could sit down beside his brother. "That thing be a scarlet letter."

"A purple letter," Marionette corrected, slowly lifting his head. He was determined not to cry again. Especially not in front of Foxy. It was then that he noticed Daisy peering up at him and drew her into his lap. She nestled into his hands like a content cat and he gave a dull chime. "How are we going to perform tomorrow?"

"I don't know, but we will," Foxy assured tiredly. "We're Aftons. There could be people dying backstage and we would still put on a suit and dance on cue."

"It's comments like that that got us into this problem in the first place," Marionette quipped with the lightest of playfulness. "But for the record… I'm glad you told Chance who you really were."

Foxy wasn't sure if he entirely agreed but somehow that assurance alone helped him feel a bit better.

Out in the van, Charlie was less certain as she was loaded inside. It was an even tighter squeeze now, with the Candy Cadet so awkwardly placed and the Lefty body being bulky. It was probably the only option she had with Jeremy's car soon to be filled up- in hindsight, they probably should've expected space to be an issue. Charlie noticed that the black bear was slumped awkwardly and that its eye stared with a vacantness beyond just pretending to be dormant.

"Did you deactivate him…?" she asked tentatively.

"Just for the drive. His decision so he didn't have to stay awake for it, but he might've reconsidered if he knew you were coming with us," Fritz explained as he continued to tether Candy Cadet down. The last thing they needed was him to shift during the drive and fly out the back doors and onto the highway. The technician noticed how the Security Puppet was looking at the bear. "…You know, it would feel a lot quicker if you wanted me to do the same for you. It would feel like a couple of seconds," he offered.

"I don't know. I've never been deactivated before," Charlie admitted. She was hesitant to even consider it since it would involve her giving up full control of her body. Yet the idea of having the trip flash by in a second was rather tempting. Especially since she no longer had a distraction. "Okay, let's try it."

"Just get yourself in a comfortable position and I'll see what I can do. I haven't really worked on you before, but most animatronics have their release at the neck. All I'll have to do is find it," Fritz assured. Charlie nodded and slid back towards the wall before leaning against the bunched-up tarps. She watched as he finished securing the Candy Cadet before changing his attention to her. "This should only take a second," he assured as he reached for her. He got as far as tapping her neck before she abruptly shifted out of his reach.

"Actually, I change my mind," Charlie said. He looked startled by her decisional whiplash and she defended. "I think I'd just rather stay awake. I need the time to think."

"Sure. It's your call," Fritz affirmed with a smile. "If you change your mind I can stop and do it whenever." He then continued by shutting the door and going to get into the front of the van. She was immediately relieved by him not pressing the issue any further. It was just a terrifying thought, being shut down without any control. It might've been different if it was Marionette, but he wasn't here, and even if he was she wasn't sure if she would be willing to ask.

This was going to be a long drive.

* * *

Strangely enough, while the circumstances were frustrating and things were less than exciting, the booth felt a lot less uncomfortable when it was just Mike and Jeremy. Maybe because Lefty was in a van driving away from where they were. The further he got the better that both felt. Though this didn't help with the tedious last hours manning the booth. Just to break the boredom they took turns getting up and checking on the animatronics, and during these trips they had managed to secure the slightest bit of information about their competition.

Firstly, they had both noticed that while El Chip's was showing at the convention, Glenn was not there. They also caught word that Music Man was picked up by a 'funcade', which suggested it was probably Hickory Dickory's. They hadn't even seen a stall for Hickory Dickory's, making it slightly more bizarre. Thankfully, nobody came proclaiming that they were from Freddy Fazbear's Pizza or Afton Robotics. Just a few other restaurants with less advanced animatronics and forgettable names.

It was about thirty minutes before they were planning on leaving. The two had already put up all the booth decorations for use the next day and again ran out of things to do. Mike was currently putting away the last of the sample candy while Jeremy was skimming through a magazine. There was nothing really gripping him, but he was so zoned out that he barely noticed someone walking up.

"Jeremy?"

As soon as he heard the voice, he recognized who it was. Suddenly let the page drop and looked up in front of the stand to see a young woman looking down at him. She looked to be about his age, but he knew she was a couple of years older than him, because he knew who she was. It had been years since he saw her and yet he recognized almost everything about her; her almond shaped brown eyes, her dark, curly hair in tight kinks- though it was shorter than he remembered.

"Bree?" Jeremy asked in surprise. She nodded eagerly, just as excited to see him. He certainly never thought that he would see her again.

"I'll take 'types of cheese' for five hundred," Mike jokingly guessed from crouched behind the booth. Apparently, he didn't hear her come up and Jeremy didn't know whether to be embarrassed or just still in shock. So, instead of responding to the security guard, Jeremy sprung up from his chair.

"Bree! I didn't- I _never_ thought I'd see you again! I thought you moved out east, what are you doing here?!" Jeremy asked. He didn't know whether to shake her hand or hug her, so he just stood there with his arms out until she leaned over the table and boldly took him into a hug. Now noticing that the other man was clearly talking to someone, Mike finally popped his head up and saw what was going on.

"I did, but things happened and I moved back. Turns out this was as far east as I was getting," Bree answered as she pulled back to smile brilliantly. "You look great! To think the last time I saw you, you looked like you hadn't eaten or slept in a week. You look so much better."

"I started eating and sleeping," Jeremy joked back with a lopsided smile. Then he noticed Mike and gestured to him. "Oh! Bree, this is Mike. Mike, this is Bree. You both worked at Freddy's, so that pretty much sums up a lot of any questions you probably have."

"Freddy's usually is the answer to most questions," Mike agreed with a slight smirk. He offered his hand which Bree eagerly shook. "Mike Schmidt."

"Bree Armstrong," she introduced. Though her smile then turned more sympathetic as it returned to Jeremy. "Speaking of Freddy's, I… I heard about your accident."

"You did…?" Jeremy asked hesitantly. He had the urge to rub his shoulder.

"Scott told me. He told me you were going to be here too when I told him I was going to be here, so here I am. Coming to look you up," Bree explained.

"I didn't even know you and Scott were still talking. He never mentioned anything."

"I work with a programming company and Scott does a lot of freelance work with it. Usually we end up on the phone together one way or another."

"Huh. Phone Guy really gets around," Mike jokingly added.

"He's in the know alright," Bree agreed. Her smile regained its vigor as she looked towards Jeremy once more. "I never thought you'd work with animatronics again after that, but you look great! Scott made it sound like you were covered in scars, but it's like no time has passed!" Mike wondered if Scott had been hinting towards his own scars and unintentionally gave her the wrong impression.

"Oh, I have scars, they're just under my clothes. I could show them to you later," Jeremy offered. Bree didn't reply right away, but it wasn't until Mike slowly looked at him that he realized how suggestive what he said was. "Under my _sleeve_. They're all- They're up here. All on this shoulder," Jeremy rushed to explain as he waved his hand over the area.

"I was wondering. Should've known that you probably didn't get that bold in only a couple of years," Bree teased lightly. Both exchanged a laugh, hers light with joy and his just a slightly bit embarrassed. "But really, I didn't think you'd come back. Not when they had you working that night shift with the… You know."

It was only then that Mike realized how much she was aware of. He knew there had to be dayshift or desk workers who weren't aware of the animatronics' nature and assumed she was one of them. That vague comment alone was a staple of someone who knew too much.

"It wasn't just me. Mike used to work the night shift as a security guard at the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza that opened after ours, and he worked there a long time on and off," Jeremy pointed out. Mike didn't know if he was using it to defend himself or bragging for him, but he latched onto it immediately. He couldn't remember the last time he got to talk accomplishments at Freddy's without the risk of authorities finding out, and she looked interested.

"I was working Monday to Saturday, midnight to six, on and off. They kept trying to get rid of me but right on schedule, usually less than a week later, they'd be calling back asking for me to come in for a particularly rough night. Either I was just that good or they were just that desperate," Mike explained with slight smugness. "The bottom line is that I'm no more afraid of the animatronics now than I was then."

"Speaking of the animatronics," Jeremy chimed in, interrupting what would've been the security guard's continued explanation. "…Would you like to see them? They're back in the storage room."

Both Mike and Bree were equally surprised by the offer. Bree asked, "Are you sure?" but it might as well come from both.

"Sure! They're just in the back. Mike, do you mind watching the booth?" Jeremy asked. Mike wouldn't have said no but especially couldn't when the man looked so excited.

"Yeah, cool. Just don't be back there too long," he agreed. He then watched as Jeremy hurriedly ushered Bree off, reluctantly stuck playing security guard to the booth now. "Nice meeting you," he called after them. Then he dropped back down into the chair and checked his wristwatch. This day was never going to end.

Jeremy took Bree back to the storage room. "Here we are!" he introduced and playfully knocked on the door three times- the signal that he wasn't alone. He then unlocked the door and stepped inside. As expected, Foxy was up against the wall and Marionette was under his stand. Jeremy caught a glimpse of his strings moving to secure him in place. The Minireenas were standing off to the side, feet turned out and arms poised above their heads, as still as could be. "And here's the crew! If you saw the show earlier, we're actually missing one that Fritz had to take back."

"It's a shame I missed it. Whoa, is that the same Foxy from Freddy's?" Bree asked, eyes popping open as she saw him. "I thought you found a new model or something, like one of those Rockstar designed ones. I didn't even know any of those old ones were still around! Oh- Oh whoa, and you've got the Puppet." Her voice lowered out of reflex, as though she thought he would hear her. "How did you get them?"

"Well, uh- Mike! Mike brought in the Puppet and Fritz inherited Foxy with a warehouse, so we got really lucky," Jeremy quickly explained. It was technically the truth, but he decided not to give her the chance to ask further questions. "And these three tiny dancers are the Minireenas! We got them out of a closing animatronic factory."

While Bree was looking at them as Jeremy explained, it was clear that she was hesitant to get closer to Foxy or Marionette. Almost like she knew to be wary of the animatronics, and that comment about 'old ones'-.

Marionette couldn't say that he remembered her, but between her wording and Jeremy's familiarity it seemed very likely that she was a former Freddy's worker, even though he didn't recognize her. Apparently, she knew him, so she probably avoided the Prize Corner, no doubt a dayshift worker, and women workers at Freddy's weren't exactly plentiful. Maybe she hadn't stayed at the business long, but she obviously knew some of business' secrets. She obviously knew Jeremy well too.

The striped one glanced to his older sibling with minor concern and expected a reaction. Instead, Foxy looked positively mellow, and it wasn't just the faked kind to give off the non-sentient vibe. His eye followed them, but his motions weren't tense or tight. Almost like he wasn't bothered by it. It somewhat surprised Marionette, who expected something. He knew he was concerned by the return of any former workers at Freddy's. At least she seemed nice.

"So, the new stage is working. Which is great, because we can't have kids picking them up. They're too fragile for that," Jeremy continued to explain. He then hesitated a moment before leading her over to Foxy. "And Foxy's looking a lot better than you probably remember."

"He was always out of service," Bree agreed. She only took a step closer and he smiled reassuringly.

"You can come closer. Trust me, he's the perfect gentleman," Jeremy assured as he patted the pirate's arm. Bree dared to step closer as she looked over the animatronic. It seemed so weird to see the old body be fixed up like new. Even his legs were perfectly repaired, though the lower parts looked to be a slightly different shade of red.

"He was always the favorite of the gang for a reason… You're so comfortable with them. After what happened with the Mangle I never thought you'd get anywhere near a Foxy again. Even if it was a different model," the woman admitted. He slowly rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to answer her.

"Well, it's kind of- Being around Foxy had helped me get over that. Foxy's not like the Mangle was and Foxy's is nothing like Freddy's. That's not just non-disclosure talk either; everything is so much better." Jeremy looked to the pirate with a lopsided smile and patted his shoulder proudly. "This is what we wanted from Freddy's."

The pirate felt a little spark up his spine, a mix of pride and adoration at Jeremy's passionate proclamation. If it was anyone else, Foxy would've thrown an arm around him and yanked him in, but that would have to wait. He wasn't the only one who looked convinced either, with Bree getting a more content smile afterwards.

"Well, I'm glad. It's about time someone made up for all that. And compared to what could've happened to them out there, I think you gave them a good home," Bree said as she looked over towards the Puppet. She then looked back to him. "It's… Actually a relief to see all of this. When Scott told me you were at a place called Foxy's, I was a little worried about you, but it looks like you have everything under control."

"I wouldn't go that far," Jeremy modestly said. He readjusted his glasses and gestured to the door. "We should probably get back to Mike before he gets stir crazy. And hey, we have a lot of merchandise left over if you want some."

"Might take you up on that," Bree answered with a playful wink. She headed out first and he followed, leaving the light on and stepping out. He quickly made a waving motion inside, without her noticing, and locked the door behind him. Then the two headed back down the hallway.

They were just about to step out into the convention hall when Bree stopped him. "Hey, so how long are you going to be in the city? Just for the convention?"

"Right. We're leaving tomorrow night after the show. Unless it runs late, then we might just stay an extra night and leave in the morning. Why?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"Well, I was hoping I could take you out to lunch or something to catch up more, but I guess I'm running out of time… Maybe we could do dinner?" she offered with a small, hopeful smile.

Jeremy was immediately torn. He certainly wanted to talk more with Bree and was curious about what she had done with her life since she left Freddy's. Part of him wondered if it would be unfair to Foxy. Chances were that if he asked then Foxy would insist that he went, and it would just be strange if he came up with an excuse to go back to the storage room without answering. So, he made his decision.

"Sure! We're not going to be here much that longer. That would be great," Jeremy agreed with a smile. "Mike's going to have to take my car, so maybe we'll meet up and take your car? I wouldn't know where I'm going anyways."

"Sound's great," Bree agreed with a smile. Maybe today was finally turning around.

* * *

When Chance eventually roused it was dark outside of the van's windows. It took him a moment to focus his eyes- even with its peculiar features he could see out of the blackened one- and took in the scene at hand. Fritz had clearly woken him and was currently working with Natalie to get the Candy Cadet out of the back of the van. Chance watched them for a few moments before he spoke.

"Where are we?" the bear whispered gruffly. Fritz briefly glanced to acknowledge him but continued working on moving the hefty animatronic out the back.

"Just at the warehouse to drop off Candy Cadet. It's going to need a little work and a candy refill before he's ready for the restaurant. But don't worry! We're still going home after this," the technician explained. He slid out the back with the bot, him and Natalie lowering it onto the dolly underneath. He then nodded towards the corner. "You might notice that we got another tagalong on the way."

Chance followed his nod and saw the other puppet curled up on her side against the mound of tarps. He was confused to why he was supposed to be interested, though he supposed he didn't have much ill will towards the bot. While it looked like Marionette and had evaded him, it had done nothing aggressive to him. Its voice sounded like a young woman's; perhaps she only recently had become like this.

Fritz reached over and gently tapped her shoulder. The Security Puppet roused quickly and looked up to him, who proceeded to point behind her and towards the black bear. She turned over and looked to him, and for a moment they just stared at each other like that. Fritz moved over to continue with the Candy Cadet. "Be back in a second," he said as he and Natalie wheeled the bot back and shut the van doors behind them.

Now Lefty and the Security Puppet were left alone in the van. The bear turned his gaze to the floor quickly, disinterested in the stranger, but she scooted a little closer on her knees.

"Uh, hello…" the other puppet greeted tentatively. "Chance? You're Chauncey Johnson, right? Or Evans, Fritz said you changed your name. You probably don't recognize my voice, but I'm…" She cut off, voice hitching with a loud clicking in her chest, and tried to get that last bit out. Before she could finish, he answered her grimly.

"I'm not Chance," the bear responded. His whispering wasn't easy to hear in the van, but he couldn't convince his speaker to raise its volume. "I'm just this burned out bear he left in the fire."

"That's not what I meant, but I get what you mean. The same thing happened to me… Not in a fire, of course, but there was an accident and I lost my body," the Security Puppet explained. He was listening but he wasn't looking at her at all, so she couldn't tell if he was. "I was at a place called Magictime Theater and there was a man kidnapping children-."

"William Afton," Lefty interrupted.

"Dave Miller," the Security Puppet corrected.

"Dave?" While this did take him off guard momentarily, he couldn't say he was entirely surprised. Dave was unhinged, frequently sneaking off from work and coming back with unfocused eyes and a much too relaxed smile. Though he was aware that William used Dave's name more than once when trying to throw employees under the bus, just as had been done with Fritz. Lefty didn't say anything more.

"I know he worked at Freddy's with you," the puppet offered. "He went to work at a place called Magictime Theater and was keeping kids in the basement there-."

"I don't want to hear this," Lefty interrupted again.

"It's not what you think. The kids are fine and he was caught and, well, died shortly afterwards of heart failure. But that's not important. The important part was that I know you worked at Freddy's and I know you obviously know about how animatronics are created and I…" She was continuing to ramble and so he spoke again. He really was tired of reliving the mistakes of Freddy's.

"I know you think you want to know about Freddy's, but you don't," he whispered to her. "You want to find answers about why this happened and why we're in these suits, and I can't help you. All I know is that Freddy's created something foul and unholy, and I failed to fix it, and now I'm trapped in this bear. Forever."

His tone was final and cold. His words were dismissive, putting a distinct wall in between them. He wanted nothing to do with her or her questioning, but she didn't come this far to be turned away.

"I'm not trying to ask about Freddy's… I'm trying to tell you that I'm Charlie," the Security Puppet finally admitted. Now Chance was listening. No dismissing it, not interrupting it, he snapped his head up and stared at her. She stared back and waited for a reaction beyond the shock.

"Charlie?... No, you can't be. She moved to St. George. She goes to college out there," Lefty defended. It sounded like his voice was trying to raise again, but it stubbornly refused to.

"I came back when Aunt Jen was fixing up the house to resell. When she couldn't sell the house I stayed a little longer and that's when I had my accident," Charlie explained. He stared at her longer. "Grandpa, it is me. I am Charlie. I know we haven't talked in a long time and I know I'm like this, but I wouldn't lie about who I was."

He knew she was being honest and that only made it worse. Unlike his, her expression could change and showed no deception, and her words sounded nothing but honest. It had been so long since they communicated beyond the occasional letter or package in the mail. Maybe a call here and there, but that too had fallen on the wayside as she had grown up, and he blamed himself. Especially now when he saw, to his horror, that she was suffering the same terrible fate as he was.

"Charlotte… My God…" Chance choked as he looked her over. "…How long have you been like this?"

"Not too long… Months," Charlie admitted. "I try not to keep track. I thought it would just be easier if I didn't."

After a moment of deliberation, he boldly asked, "It was the Puppet that put you in that body, wasn't it?" She gave a slow nod of agreement. "I should've known how he was holding on to you like that… You know you're not the only one he's done that too. He's told you that?" She nodded again. "…This shouldn't have happened to you. We- Your father and I never wanted anything like this," Chance admitted with guilt on his voice. "All we ever wanted was to protect you and that- and now this happened."

Something in his voice made her feel a shame that she hadn't in some time. Maybe because of the way he looked at her; no doubt glaring at her form like it was an atrocity. Like her existence as this was abhorrent.

"…And now we're both trapped like this, in these bodies," Lefty said as he began to stare distantly at the other side of the van. "Who is there to free us now? Not the Puppet. He will always bring us back."

"It's not that terrible, Grandpa. I know things have been hard and that we didn't expect like to be like this, but maybe they'll get better," Charlie offered sympathetically. She reached out to lay a hand on his arm. "We're still alive in a way. We still have time and opportunities to live."

"I don't know what he's been telling you-… Where have you been staying? At the pizzeria, right? Not in that house with him?" Chance turned towards her so quickly that he jerked his arm and her hand recoiled back, startled by his change in tone. Still a whisper, but a frantic and infuriated one. She almost considered lying to him with how he was reacting but didn't, and when she nodded his eye widened in horror. "Has he touched you? Has Mike made any passes at you?"

"What?! No!" Charlie answered in aghast. She pulled back in shock and insisted, "I don't know what you're thinking-."

"Has he ever worked on you while you were shut down? No, wait, do you have that programming like the Puppet with the music box putting you to sleep? You can't trust yourself with him. He's not healthy."

"Grandpa, _no_. I already told you no. I've been living with him and Mari for months and they've never done anything like that!" Angry at them or not, she wouldn't stand aside while he suggested something like that had happened. Though his aggressive reaction did seem to back up Marionette's reasoning for not coming out about his relationship sooner.

"I just don't want them twisting your mind around, making you think that this is how it's supposed to be… This is _not_ how it's supposed to be, Charlotte. We're not supposed to be like this." Chance's anger all but melted as that sadness returned. He couldn't bear looking at her and seeing what he believed he let happen and turned his head away. "We could've been with your father now if it wasn't for all this. Instead we're stuck here…" He slowly raised his head. "…But now that we're together, maybe-."

It was then that he heard footsteps outside of the van. Chance lowered his already hushed voice. "We'll talk about this later."

Charlie was too startled by what was said to come up with a reaction quick enough. Before she could do more than just struggle for words, the van door opened and Fritz climbed in. Natalie followed on her side shortly afterwards and now the Security Puppet lost her chance altogether. The blond woman leaned between the seats with a smile.

"So, what's the plan, Charlie? Do you want us to drop you off at home or do you want to come stay the night with us? We've got room for one more." From her overly cheerful voice and direct invitation it was obvious that she was worried about the younger. Probably not wanting to leave her alone after the upset of today. Scott wouldn't be there to feed the cat until morning, meaning she would be alone the whole night. Honestly, Charlie might've preferred it, but she didn't get a chance to answer.

"She's coming with us," Chance said with firm determination. It was the first time he had spoken to Natalie and really the first time he didn't act like a lifeless body since his pleading in the warehouse. Fritz and Natalie were surprised, but as the Security Puppet wasn't willing to fight with the finality in his voice and they took it as a good enough answer.

The drive then fell into silence. It was during this silence that Charlie started to think more about her grandfather and the dispute he had. Specifically, some of the things that Foxy had implied. It reminded her of what Mike had told her about the burning.

" _Some guy found out that the animatronics were alive and decided that it was best for everyone if he took them all out at once."_

Back during the fight in the storage room, she hadn't thought of it at all, and it wasn't until the long drive that she wondered if Foxy had been mistaken. She now knew that he wasn't. After what he said, there was no doubt in her mind that her grandfather had been this unnamed man who tried to burn all of them. Yet another thing that had been hidden from her.

But this time something else came from it. If Marionette was willing to hide that Chance did this, then maybe he had hidden other things. Maybe something about her father. Something always seemed odd when Marionette talked about him, and Mike flat out didn't discuss him. She wondered if her grandfather would know, or Baby, or anyone else so she wouldn't have to ask the two who she knew had the answers.

They arrived at Fritz and Natalie's house shortly afterwards. Natalie got out to open the garage door while Fritz backed the end of the van into it so that they could unload the animatronics. She opened the doors and smiled inside, trying to ignore the discomfort of the whole situation. Trying to pretend that she wasn't just going along with this for Fritz's sake. She was convincing.

Charlie slipped out the back and then waited alongside the two humans as they waited on Chance. The black bear seemed hesitant but then began to maneuver himself. It was clear that he wasn't used to any advanced movements from how awkwardly stiff he was as he coerced the thickened body out of the back. He managed to stand on his own and Fritz smiled and took his arm. The yellow eye dropped to it.

"I can walk on my own," Chance grumpily whispered.

"Really? I didn't notice," Fritz playfully answered. It might've been a while, but he was used to the older man's mood, even when it was coming out of a Freddy. "Let's get you inside."

Fritz led Chance into the house while Natalie shut up the van and the garage door. Charlie lingered back in the garage just long enough that the blond noticed and approached her.

"Hey, are you sure you want to do this? I noticed he was answering for you back there. If you want, I could still take you home," Natalie offered kindly. It was a tempting offer, but that would mean spending a whole night alone with herself, so Charlie shook her head.

"Thanks, but… I don't know. Maybe me being here will help?" she asked. Natalie shrugged inconclusively, and the two headed into the house together. They found Fritz trying to help Chance down the basement steps.

"Careful. These steps are a little awkward," Fritz instructed as he led in front. Almost like he did with Baby when she had stayed, but without the risk of her rolling off. Just the constant awkwardness of the black bear's feet not fitting on the steps. They managed to make it into the furnished basement and to the room where Baby had been kept. Both guest rooms were in usable order now, but this one was larger and more set up, which seemed necessary for the bear. Chance stepped into the room and stared at it blankly.

"I don't mean to be a bad host, but I could really use a shower," Fritz said. "But I'll be quick and then maybe we could try catching up? There's a lot I could tell you." The bear did not respond, which the technician took as a bad sign. He gave a small sigh and back out of the room. "So, I'll be back in a few minutes. You can go wherever you want, you don't have to stay in the room. I just wanted to give you a room of your own." He then turned and took a few steps away, only barely catching the response at the last moment.

"I'm sorry you got saddled with me, Kid," Lefty said. It was one of the first times that the technician thought he heard the real Chance, the one he remembered from so long ago. He sighed and looked back towards the bear.

"I'm not saddled with anything. I want you to be here," he assured with a somber smile. "I'll be right back, I promise." He then headed towards the stairs where Natalie was waiting.

"I guess I'll throw something in the oven?" Natalie offered and he responded positively, so she followed him to the stairs. She looked back towards Charlie to see if she was following and found the Security Puppet approaching the bedroom door. She silently wished her luck and headed upstairs after her lover.

Charlie looked back to the door to see that Chance was now standing in the doorway, watching and listening to Fritz and Natalie climbing the steps. He turned his head upwards and listening to the footsteps until he was certain that both weren't coming back, then he beckoned the Security Puppet into the room. She was confused but followed him inside, to which he shut the door behind her.

"Charlotte, I know a way to fix this," Chance began in a desperate whisper. "Now it might sound crazy, but I know of a way to make souls leave animatronic bodies."

"What?" Charlie asked quietly. She had a bad feeling that she knew what he was leading into. "…How?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but you need to believe me on this… When I died in that fire, I was trying to burn the last of the animatronics so I could free the souls trapped in their bodies. Things didn't go as planned and William attacked me and here I am, and this body survived the fire… _But_ if we had a bigger furnace, like the one down in Afton Robotics-."

"Wait, are you saying- Are you trying to tell me that you want us to burn ourselves?!" Charlie asked in disbelief.

"Shh. Don't be so loud. We don't want them hearing," Chance said in paranoia. He looked up towards the ceiling. "The Puppet either, but I know he's not here. I can feel when he's nearby. That's pretty much all this body's good for." He looked back to the Security Puppet and his voice softened. "Charlotte, I know this is a hard idea to swallow, but it is the only way to free us."

"So, Foxy was right. You did try to burn them…"

Apparently, this was not what Chance was expecting as he stared at her for a long time. But then, finally, he spoke. "Yes." She dropped her head slowly to the carpeted floor and a dismayed look settled on her mask. He sighed, coughed, and stepped a little closer. "Charlotte, I know that what I did might sound cold now, now that we're like this… But I only did what I could to fix the mistakes of the past. I was just trying to right the wrongs of Freddy's, to save our family."

"What family?" Charlie flatly asked. She said it without even thinking about it. "There isn't a family anymore. Even before I became like this." Her hands tightened. "And maybe I'm not ready to burn myself to get out of my body." This comment seemed to go completely over his head as he focused on the beginning point.

"I… I know I haven't been a good grandfather to you. I missed out on being a part of your life because I couldn't handle my own problems," Chance admitted with honest guilt.

"That's not what I mean," she corrected. Slowly she raised her head to look at him again. "The family gave up on itself years before that even happened. Everyone drifted away… You weren't the only one to give up." A slow, prickling anger began to build inside of her. "You weren't the only person to pass me up. It was like I was a burden to everyone."

"Charlotte, that's not true. Your father loved you more than life itself, and your mother-… She loved you. She still does, wherever she is. She just couldn't handle losing Henry. None of us could."

"This has nothing to do with my father," Charlie spat as she straightened herself and faced him down. "Father wasn't ever home even when he was alive. He gave me toys and trinkets to show his love, but he wasn't there. How is that any better than Mom leaving? Or you leaving? Or everyone else who just disappeared as soon as they were gone? I was always stuck in that shadow."

"Shadow?" Chance asked in confusion. He then ignored it to press further. "We all loved you and we all wanted to be a part of your life, especially your father. We just couldn't-."

"Nobody wanted anything to do with me once Sammy was gone."

That quieted Chance up immediately. It was the first time that Charlie had said it out loud, let alone admitted it to herself. All that anger hidden for years towards her parents, her aunt, her family spilled out at once. A pressure started to grow in her chest until something suddenly sprung and music started to spill forth. 'Ring Around the Rosie' again, but this time she didn't try to stop it. She ignored it and let herself ring like a bell. This was what she was, after all. Just an animatronic, not a human any longer.

"Charlotte…" the bear began quietly. His voice was hesitant and shaken to the core. "I-… Your father loved you more than anything. Even after we lost Sammy all he ever wanted was to protect you. He worked so that he could try and help you, so that you wouldn't see the pain he was going through. If he knew what was going to happen, then I know he would've chosen you over the business. He would've chosen you over anything else. He loved you more than humanly possible."

"Then why didn't he come to me when he was like this?" Charlie demanded. "If he loved me that much, then why didn't he ever even try to reach out to me?"

"…What are you talking about?" Chance's voice took a strange tone as he stared at the Security Puppet. "What do you mean 'like this'? I don't know what the Puppet's told you, but Henry wasn't in a character."

"Grandpa, I met Mari because he came to tell me that Dad moved on and to tell me about the hauntings, and the murders, and the truth about the things happening at Freddy's. Up until then, Dad had been an animatronic like us inside of a springlock Fredbear suit," Charlie firmly stated. "That was maybe a year ago."

"He was lying." Chance's voice was firm and defiant. He was in complete denial of even the thought of it. "He was lying to you so that he could get close to you, probably because he knew you were Henry's daughter. He got your head all twisted around. None of it's true." He was chanting it almost like a mantra, almost like he was afraid to say anything else. "Your father was a good man."

"My father got into a business with a psychopath who killed children and knew he was doing it- Don't shake your head! I've been in his office, _Grandpa_ , why else was he recording calls?! He _knew_ , and if he didn't then he knew once he was an animatronic! But he didn't do anything, and he didn't warn us!" Charlie's anger flared. "And maybe Marionette didn't tell me he was related to William, but maybe he didn't because you tried to set them all on fire and he's scared! And maybe, just maybe, I don't mind being an animatronic! Maybe I _like_ it! Maybe I feel happier now than I did when I was a 'real person'!"

"Charlie, you're not-."

"Where was Dad when Mom left?! Where was Dad on those long nights when I was alone in my room, needing comfort but knowing I wasn't going to get it from Aunt Jen?! When I was expected to stay quiet?!"

"Charlotte-."

"Where was Dad when William took Sammy?! Why were we alone?! Why did I have to live with the guilt being the one who wasn't taken?!"

" _Charlotte-._ "

"I'm not going to burn myself in a furnace to make anybody happy and if my father doesn't like it, then he can _come tell me himself!_ " With that, Charlie grabbed the door and slammed it shut, effectively blocking out her grandfather and then storming towards the stairs. She could hear him calling after her and fumbling with the doorknob and took a slightly sadistic pride that she made it more difficult for him to follow. Her anger was still boiling by time she reached the stairs.

The jingling and ringing were still going so she took a note from Baby and thumped a fist to her chest. The music maker inside jumbled and skipped just enough that she got control of it, like yanking the needle off a record player. The amount of control was almost a relief as she continued up the stairs. This also meant that nobody heard her coming and she was able to hear a hushed conversation between Fritz and Natalie.

"You have to tell her," Natalie insisted. She sounded at the end of her rope, probably hearing the fighting downstairs.

"I can't be the one to do that. Mari or Mike should tell her. I'm not even entirely sure about the whole thing, I was outside!" Fritz defended. "I'm nobody, it's going to hurt a lot more coming from me."

"At this rate, he's going to get her so confused that she's not going to even going to talk with anyone, and I can't tell her because I wasn't there!" Natalie insisted. "She needs to know the truth."

Charlie wasn't sure what they were discussing, but she was at the end of her rope- or perhaps strings. Exhausted and needing to do something, as Chance would eventually get the door open, she finished climbing the stairs. They fell silent as they saw her, as expected, and she continued to go for the garage to cool down. Then she could ask them about it. Or that was the plan until Natalie nudged Fritz's back and he followed.

"Charlie, wait," the technician blurted out. She came to a stop in the hall outside the garage door and he hurried up to her. He looked torn for a moment as she looked back to him but then made up his mind. "There's something I need to tell you about your father…" He exhaled slowly and rubbed his face. He hated having to be the one to do this. "The day after the fire, there was an incident at the warehouse."

* * *

 **Mable: Though you better believe that Fritz probably won't be giving this information to Chance. That… Would probably end in a disaster. Even more so than the one at hand I mean. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!**


	62. Chapter 62

**Mable: Hey! So, going to keep this brief, but my birthday is on Friday. Happy Birthday to me and all that. XD Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-Two_

Dinner had been a great idea. Bree had taken Jeremy to a small Italian restaurant about five miles away from the hotel and they had stayed a couple of hours. During which they had fully caught up on as much as they could. Jeremy hadn't quite remembered how well Bree and he got along until they were alone with nothing to do but talk. No wonder her leaving had left such a gap in his life.

As Bree said earlier, she worked with a large programming company. What she hadn't said was that they didn't just work on animatronic programming, but video game design both inside and outside the arcade. Which Jeremy found fascinating, especially when she gave some of the details on upcoming projects they were working on. She seemed a lot more passionate in this line of work than she ever had at Freddy's. He likewise started talking about the restaurant and she was genuinely interested and honestly surprised that it wasn't like Freddy's.

Eventually the night wore on and Bree drove him back to the hotel. It wasn't until then that Jeremy started to feel the slightest touch of guilt. He tried to shrug it off- he and Bree were just friends- but something still irked him. He had mentioned he was relationship, with extremely light details, but still wondered if he had made the right choice. He managed to cover it with a smile as the car parked in front of the hotel.

"We've got to do this again sometime. It's a shame we live so far apart now. I remember when it used to be easy to catch an early breakfast before work," Bree reminisced with a smile. "You promise you'll call me the next time you're coming to the city and we'll meet up?"

"Sure! The same goes if you ever come back to into town," Jeremy offered with a lopsided smile. "Good luck with everything. I'll make sure Scott keeps me up to date on how it's all going."

"And next time we need a game tester, I'll be sending it your way," Bree offered. He wanted to say it was a joke, but she sounded like she really planned on doing it. "Take care, Jere! No more night shifts!"

With a small laugh, Jeremy waved her off and watched as her car pulled out of the parking lot. There was a sadness in having her leave because he knew that he wouldn't be seeing her for some time. There was always a chance that they would lose contact again. In fact, Jeremy pessimistically had his own doubts that he would hear from her again. But there was always hope, and there was that tether through Scott.

Jeremy headed to the hotel room and tried the door. He wasn't too surprised to find it left unlocked for him and he half expected to walk in and find Foxy waiting up for him. Instead, he found the lights off and Foxy sprawled out on the further bed. He was laying face down with his head tucked between the pillows. His arms were sprawled out and his legs were stretched out down the bed. He had thrown the blanket over himself, but it only angled enough to cover his legs and halfway up his back. In short, it was positively adorable and Jeremy couldn't help but get a goofy smile.

" _This is why I need to get a second bedroom,"_ Jeremy thought as he slipped off his shoes, grabbed his night clothes, and snuck into the bathroom to change. He decided not to take a show and just washed up in the sink and switched clothes.

He stepped out of the bathroom and walked up on Foxy sitting upright on the foot of the bed.

"Gah!" Jeremy slightly choked as he flinched back. "How- How did you do that without making any noise? Were you just pretending to be asleep?"

"The secret is, ya wait until the shower's on," Foxy answered. It was worded like a joke, but his voice sounded groggy. He rolled his neck to stretch it before looking up at Jeremy. "Woke up when you came in. How'd dinner with the lass go?"

"Great! As great as dinner can go, I mean. I can't remember the last time I had clams. Would've brought you a dessert, but they were serving them in mason jars, and I felt weird asking them to put it in a to-go cup," Jeremy rambled. He gave an awkward sort of smile and Foxy gave a snort of amusement.

"Must'a had a good time. Yer as nervous as a buccaneer 'bout to dance the hempen jig," the pirate teased. This only seemed to make the blond look more uneasy, to which Foxy outright laughed. "I'm just pullin' yer leg, Lad. Why don't ya sit down and take a load off?" So, Jeremy did, sitting alongside him on the bed and dropping the towel into his lap. "How'd it go with the Lass? She ask about us?"

"She asked a lot of questions. About you, about the business, about me… She didn't ask if you and Marionette still 'wandered around' at night, so don't worry, I didn't tell her anything about that."

"Good," Foxy simply said. He stared off at the floor of the hotel room while he listened. "What else?"

"I told her about some of the shows we've had since the renovation. Then we talked about video games. She said she thought there might be old arcade machines based off you that might still be floating around. It would be neat if we could find some of those… As long as we could somehow erase any Fazbear Entertainment logos on it." Jeremy noticed Foxy's lowered ears and his unusual silence. "You're not… Upset that I went out with her without asking you, are you?"

"What?" Foxy looked over, paying more attention. "No, Lad. Nothin' of the sort. I just ain't meself tonight." He gave a wheezy sigh and shook his head. "Just been a long couple 'o days.

"Oh…" Jeremy felt a little silly worrying about Foxy being jealous when he had more important things to worry about.

"But I don't want to talk 'bout that. I want to talk 'bout yer big blast from the past," Foxy reassured as his voice perked again. This time, he decided that distraction was the way to go. "Ya didn't really think I'd be upset about her, did ya? I trust ya more than that, Lad!" he said with a light chuckle.

"I wouldn't have gone if I thought it was going to upset you that much… But it's still a relief," Jeremy answered semi-honestly. He got his own nervous chuckle. "Considering the whole thing, it would've been so easy to take it the wrong way. She's a girl I used to know, she invited me out to dinner to catch up, and she knows about Freddy's and everything."

"Yer me first mate. I'd trust ya with anything," Foxy remarked as he hooked an arm around him and pulled him in. "'Specially not after that little speech ya gave 'er." He leaned in to nuzzle into his neck and shoulder, right beside where his scars were tucked under his shirt. There wasn't even the slightest flinch, beyond the small shiver Jeremy always got when he was getting flustered. "How could anyone be jealous after that?" he murmured.

"Well, I- you know I meant it," Jeremy said as he put an arm around the pirate in return. He couldn't imagine what Bree would think if she knew what he was doing right now. She would've been positively floored. "But it would've been okay if you were a little uneasy about it. I wouldn't want you to be, but it would make sense since Bree and I were close."

"Lad, friends be friends, crew be crew. We got something closer than that," Foxy murmured with another low chuckle. "Ain't like ya ever let Bree drop anchor at your port."

"Well, no," Jeremy agreed. He knew that Foxy was purposefully trying to get him flustered; he always did. In fact, he wondered if he could return the favor. "Nothing like that… We went out a few times, but it was never serious." There was a dull click signaling Foxy's ears perking up. He was paying closer attention. "This was the nicest restaurant we've ever went to. Except maybe that time we ate at her parents'."

"Her parents? What was it, 'bring yer coworkers home night' or somethin'?" the animatronic asked with amusement. He was trying not to sound like he cared.

"Nothing like that. Apparently, she had been telling them so many good things about me that they just had to see me. They invited me to come back and visit again, but I didn't get a chance before we lost contact. They used to joke about me being their 'future son-in-law'. You should've heard Bree stutter and fumble after that!" Jeremy snickered a little. "And then there was that time she accidentally walked us under the mistletoe at the Christmas party. She leaned in to kiss me with her eyes closed, so she didn't see I was sucking on a candy cane and nearly broke her tooth on it."

"That's, err… Where was this? Freddy's Christmas party?" Foxy was outright staring by now. His shoulder twitched slightly.

"No, no. Her sister's. Bree's sister used to throw the best parties and she used to bring me along as a date so that her sister wouldn't use to try and hook her up with anyone. We'd tell everyone that we were dating and pretend we were a couple; putting out hands inside each other's pockets and feeding one another. We had a lot of good times…" Jeremy reminisced. He then smiled at the fox, "And we're going to have plenty more soon. Bree told me she's moving back to Hurricane."

"She said that?" Foxy asked in alarm. "Ya just said she had a job here."

"She said it would be worth it for us to connect again. She even told me that she hasn't been able to find a boyfriend better than me. She was kidding, but still- Once she moves in, we're going to start getting together on the weekends and having Friday family nights at her folks' house. She's going to start looking for an apartment in my building on Monday. Which is great, because the one beside mine is open now. We could be neighbors!" This time, the other was completely silent, staring with wide eyes and patch raised. He just looked dumbstruck. "…Foxy, _I'm kidding_."

"About which part?" the pirate asked in paranoia.

"About all of it! We didn't do any of that. I don't even know her parents!" Jeremy broke into laughter. He was half surprised he had managed to keep a straight face that long. "You should've seen the look on your face! I didn't know if you were going to internally combust or just- Where are you going?" The animatronic started to turn away. "Foxy, I was just kidding!"

"I'm goin' back to bed," Foxy said as he turned around to lay face down on the bed again. Now he was going to pout. Jeremy snickered a little as he watched him bury his face in the blankets. Once he realized that Foxy was intending to sleep like that, or pout longer, he simply laid back on the bed beside him.

"Well, I thought it was funny."

* * *

After two, long, excruciating days it was finally about to end. The second day of Animatronicon had been so slow and uneventful that it felt like it never would. The actual show seemed to go by in only a couple of minutes, which hardly felt long enough when Mike had to again wear full face paint. Though he was so bored that day that he kept it on even after the show just for the chance of having someone ask him about it as he and Jeremy manned the booth. More people did come by, but they had run out of conversation topics long ago.

It wasn't any better in the storage room. Neither Foxy nor Marionette wanted to risk exploring after the day before, so they were stuck confined with the Minireenas. The dolls weren't much better either. Apparently they only had enough patience for one day of standing in the room, because they became restless. They climbed whatever they could, including Foxy and Marionette, got into little tussles with each other, and let out fussy noises of complaints as they waited for the day to finally be over.

Nobody wanted a third night in a hotel room. Sacrificing their chance for proper sleep, Mike and Jeremy decided to begin the long drive home.

That too was largely uncomfortable. The Minireenas no longer had free range of the backseat and were largely confined to the spot above the back seat and by the back window. They ducked down when cars would get behind them, but most of the drive went without any other cars, so they had free reign to do as they wished. Fiddling with their little toys and occasionally breaking into small fights that the third would have to break up. Marionette mostly moved from the floorboard to leaning between the two front seats from time to time.

Foxy was the most uncomfortable. He had to remove the fabric off his legs and feet just to fit in the backseat comfortably and then he was still awkwardly stuffed with little room to move. He couldn't be hidden well either, so when they passed anyone, he would just go limp. Still a bizarre sight but not one that looked suspicious. The only good thing was that the car was much cooler in comparison to the van, so that form of discomfort was no longer an issue. Especially since most of the drive was at night.

Still, it felt like a miracle when Mike drove past the first sign mentioning Hurricane. He was taking his turn driving while Jeremy got some sleep in the passenger's seat. Foxy seemed to be asleep too or was being quiet for Jeremy's sake. The radio was on low to some call-in program, but Mike wasn't paying attention to it beyond it being background noise.

"Not too much longer now, is it?" Marionette's voice from behind his seat almost startled Mike. Arms crept out and encircled the head rest as he leaned over Mike's shoulder to watch the road.

"I didn't know you were still awake," Mike admitted as he sent him a quick smile. "Maybe thirty minutes. It's going to be good to get home and get those three hours of sleep."

"Yes…" The Puppet sounded uneasy as he kept his eyes on the dark road before them. "…Do you think Charlie's going to come home?"

"Honestly? Yeah. Might take her a few days, but eventually Chance's disgruntle-ness will drive her out of the house," Mike answered. He noticed the lack of a response or amusement and sighed. "If you going to keep beating yourself up like this then let's at least get it all over with at once… I got it. As soon as we get home, you're getting fifty lashes, and we're going to have to use your strings since we don't have a whip."

"Oh no. Mike, have mercy," Marionette played along. "The only whip I do well is Cool Whip."

"No mercy, and we're out of Cool Whip."

"It just gets worse and worse," the puppet proclaimed. He then sighed and leaned further between the seats, returning his head on Mike's shoulder. "I promise I'll be easier on myself about this. Because I already know what I'm going to do. No lashes required."

"Are you sure about that? Because I'm in the mood to give something a lashing, and if it's not you then it's going to have to be Foxy," Mike lightly joked. Though he was still curious. "What's the plan?"

"I'm going to call Charlie in the morning and apologize… And say that I'm willing to tell her anything she wants to know… And then I tell her anything she wants me to. Even the things that hurt. Even the things I know she won't want to hear," he quietly explained. He hung limply against his companion's shoulder. "It worked with you so hopefully it works with her."

"I think it's the best chance we have," Mike agreed. "Just lighten up on yourself, even if it doesn't work. Everyone makes mistakes."

Marionette nuzzled into his shoulder before simply resting his head there. The man was unsure if he started to nod off or just didn't want to move because he stayed that way for a while. The warmth was a little too comforting and more than once Mike felt his gaze start to drift. He got so desperate at one point that he was willing to drink out of the coffee that had gone stale and cold after hours of sitting untouched. The disgust worked just as well as the caffeine to get him through the last leg of the journey.

By sheer irony, Mike felt more awake than ever when he finally pulled into the driveway. He parked without turning off the car and rubbed over his face. "I'll wake Jeremy, you grab our stuff," he said to a thankfully awake Marionette who gave a nod and disappeared into the back. The security guard exhaled slowly before leaning over and tapping the other man on the arm. "Jeremy, we're at the house. You want to crash here and head home in the morning?"

The blonde slowly shifted and roused from the seat. "Thanks but I'm okay to drive," he said groggily. He replaced his glasses as he got his bearings. "You didn't have to drive all this way. I could've taken over."

"No problem. We made better time not switching," Mike reassured. He reached for his cold, unappetizing coffee and tested another sip of it, cringed at the taste, and then offered it to Jeremy. Unsurprisingly, the other declined.

Marionette was getting the face paint container and Mike's costume pieces when he felt a hand pat his back. "Take care, Lad. Get some sleep," Foxy mumbled to him. He was still laid back on the seat, his other arm still as to not wake the Minireenas that were curled up on his chest. The Puppet sent him a smile and a chime before passing the things to the front. Then he teleported into the house.

It was quiet inside the house with only a few of the lights on. He couldn't help but already feel a little lonely even when he just left the car. He slowly turned towards the door and waited for Mike to come in behind him, only to hear movement and looked into the living room. It was only then that he noticed he wasn't alone.

There was Charlie uncurling herself from the armchair and standing. It was like she had been waiting for him, which was surprising as he didn't expect her to be here.

"Charlie…" he quietly began and instantly ran out of words. She seemed just as hesitant and almost spoke, only to stop herself when Mike came through the door. The man was halfway through when he saw the scene, looked between the two, and then slowly shut and locked the door behind him. As soon as the lock clicked, Marionette began to blurt out, "Charlie, about what happened-."

"I need you to take me to the warehouse," the Security Puppet interrupted. The striped one looked shocked for a moment, horrified, thinking that she was saying she was moving out until she clarified. "I want to see the… To see Golden Freddy. I know he's in there, or what's left of him, and I need to see him." She now looked in between them. "…Will you take me?"

To make his own answer clear, Mike simply unlocked and reopened the door.

The warehouse felt darker and colder than ever, even when the lights were flicked on and bathing it in a dull glow. Marionette led the way with his hands tightly clenched and it was clear that he was uncomfortable. Mike was close behind him with Charlie following a little ways behind them. Things were incredibly silent; Mike had tried to make some form of small talk twice on the drive over and neither puppet took the bait. So, he just gave up and went along with the silence, hands in his pockets as he followed into the back.

When they arrived at the door, Marionette stopped in front of it for a few moments and just stared at it. He could've probably unlocked it on his own but didn't. He just drifted out of the way and looked to Mike, like he needed him to do it, and so Mike did so without complaint. When the Puppet didn't move further Mike took the liberty of leaning in and turning on the light. The bulb flickered forebodingly over the suit inside.

Golden Freddy looked just as he had when they moved him in here. He was slumped on the floor with his head tilted, mouth gaping, wires hanging through his suit, and arms laying at his sides. While seeing it made both uneasy, there was no heavy feeling coming from the suit like when it had been active. No, the soul that been inhabiting it was long gone. Mike couldn't help but be relieved, though still subconsciously took Marionette's shoulder to hold him protectively. The striped one sent him a somber look and yet clearly felt the same way.

Mike stepped aside so Charlie could move past and approach the abandoned springlock suit. She didn't know what she was expecting; this was exactly what it should've looked like and yet not what she imagined in her head. Maybe it was just something she never imagined seeing in real life. A long moment of silence passed where she just stared at the bear. The other two exchanged a look, with Marionette looking concerned and Mike gesturing his eyes in Charlie's direction. This was as good a time as any to come clean.

"Charlie, there's… there's no excuse for what I did," Marionette began, hanging his head in shame. Mike moved his hand from his shoulder to his back, coaxing him like he had on stage. "I expected you to trust me and I didn't do the same. I was just… I was just so ashamed. I didn't want you to know because I wanted to distance myself from him. That doesn't make what I did any better, but I hope maybe you understand why…" He fought back the tears that tried to intrude. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I was protecting myself, not you."

"But you were trying to spare my feelings when you didn't tell me that it was my grandfather that tried to burn you," Charlie pointed out.

Marionette slightly winced at the comment. "I'm sorry," he said meekly.

Mike decided to speak up in his defense. "That's not all on Mari. I could've said something too the night we were talking about the fire, but I didn't," he admitted to her. "And I'm against keeping information from someone for 'their own good' or 'the greater good'. It's just hard to say something when you know someone's going to get hurt." He looked towards Marionette and let his own remorse show. He felt just at fault.

"Is that why you didn't tell me that my dad attacked you?"

Marionette's head snapped up at the comment and he looked to her in shock. "Who told you?" He then looked to Mike questioningly. Mike looked back with equal surprise, raising his free hand and shaking his head.

"Fritz told me. He said that the day Dad moved on, he trapped you in here and nearly killed you both," Charlie revealed. She slowly looked back at the two who now stared back at her, both still taken aback, not expecting her to know. "Mari, Mike, please. I need to know everything now," she nearly begged. "I want to know the truth about my father and you're the only ones who can tell me."

Mike slowly looked back to the puppet at his side and watched as brief emotions flittered across his mask. Finally, there was a resolve and the striped one began to explain. "Charlie, your father always did everything he could for everyone else. He loved you, he loved the business, and he wanted nothing more than to make people happy."

It was exactly what her grandfather would've said. She looked away with disappointment, believing he too would cover what she knew was being hidden.

"…But Goldie couldn't control himself."

Charlie looked to Marionette again and he looked away. "Henry was creative and loving, and a good father and guardian. He taught me everything he could… But over the years, Goldie got more frustrated and desperate when we couldn't stop the Purple Man, my father, from going without punishment. Goldie started going to greater lengths and in the process he lost himself more and more to that anger. He made us do things without us knowing the truth. He told us things that we were supposed to believe without question. We still trusted him. I trusted him."

He almost seemed ashamed saying it and Mike began to pat his back again to work him through it. With a shaky, off-tune noise, Marionette continued. "What happened that night was that Goldie had convinced himself that me still being alive was keeping him from moving on and he tried to convince me to move on with him… And like with other things, when he couldn't get his way, he became unhinged. He didn't have his way that night, but Goldie still tried, and I still have trouble accepting the lengths he went to. He had been a father to me. It felt like a betrayal."

Charlie could only silently listen with the shock stealing her voice. Marionette didn't stop either, determined to get it all out. "But your father wasn't a bad person, Charlie. He wasn't like William; he was just human. Maybe he made mistakes and maybe he could be cruel at times, but it wasn't all on him…" Then he got a fierceness in his eyes when he looked to Charlie. "But no matter what anyone says, no matter how it might've seemed, I know for certain that he cared about us. He cared about me and-… And the bite was an accident."

Up until that moment the thought never crossed Charlie's mind. She hadn't even realized that it was the same suit that bit him, even though he seemed to believe that she knew. He also seemed to believe that others thought Henry bit him on purpose, and she couldn't understand it until she looked towards Mike. Because unlike Marionette's fierce determination, Mike looked somber and doubtful. That was all she needed to know that he believed Golden Freddy had done it. This time neither of them were sparing her feelings. This was their honesty.

Suddenly Charlie knew why all this had been hidden from her. Not only had Marionette hidden that his father was a monster, but he had also hid that her father was borderline the same way.

As she raised her hands to her face, holding her head momentarily as it sunk in, the other puppet got a look of concern. "Charlie?... I really am sorry. I just- I don't want you to find out about these things like I did. I promise from now on I will tell you everything," he insisted with that desperation and guilt.

"…Can I just ask you one thing?" the Security Puppet tentatively asked. "How long was it until you found out about your father being the one behind it all?"

She had to know already. She either knew and this was a test or this was a horrible coincidence. "It was… Scott who told me the truth. And it was that day when he told me the full extent of it. That was how I found out about Springtrap being Michael." He hesitated a long moment before adding in, "And by then I couldn't do anything. He was already gone."

Charlie knew exactly how that felt. In an instant she stepped forwards and took him in a tight hug, which he wasn't expecting. Marionette hesitated briefly and then hugged back with a needy sounding trill.

"I'm sorry… And I forgive you. I shouldn't have left like I did without letting you explain. I just-…" Charlie trailed off with a low ring. "I'm just so used to being let down that I'm just always expecting something to go wrong… I know it's silly, but you- both of you- you're like family. You're more family than mine ever was, and when I found out about your father, I didn't even care that _he w_ as your father. I was shocked, but it was just that I thought… I just thought I couldn't trust you either."

Marionette had devolved into chimes and out of tune twangs instead of a voice as he reached up to pet over the back of her head. He held her like a child; she wasn't sure which of them would be the child though. Deciding to give into it too, she made a soothing jingle sound, as though communicating in another language. He chimed louder and squeezed tighter.

This was also when Mike stepped in to put an arm around her. "We're not going to let you down, Charlie. We're just new to this 'family' thing and we're still learning."

"Yeah, same," the Security Puppet agreed with an honest smile. They drew back, Marionette now positively beaming and Charlie looking much more relieved. Mike felt like he could let his guard down. "I think I'm ready to go home now… I'm glad you brought me here and I'm glad I got to see him, but I'm ready to go back to being okay."

"That's great, because I've been looking forward to a bed that doesn't smell like cheap cleaner and plastic," Mike said playfully. He started to guide her out, trying to silently reassure her while getting them out of the warehouse, but stopped when he noticed that Marionette wasn't following. He looked back to find that the Puppet was still at the door to the closet, staring inside at the slumped bear. Mike realized he had forgotten to lock it but had a feeling that wasn't why the other lingered. "Mari, you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'll be there in a moment, you go on ahead," the puppet assured.

"Alright," Mike agreed. Though once they were a few steps away, he quietly said to Charlie, "He needs a minute."

"Should I have said something to him?... My dad, I mean. Not Mari," the other puppet asked a little uneasily.

"Nah. This is just something Mari needs to do for himself. You're not obligated to do anything you don't feel like doing," Mike reassured her. He then flashed her a smile. "How am I doing on this supportive family role model so far?"

She returned the question with small smile and an honest, "Pretty good so far."

This left Marionette alone with the body of Golden Freddy. He still felt uncomfortable being near the empty suit. It was one thing being with an animatronic that wasn't haunted, but one that had once been possessed and the abandoned. It felt close to standing alongside a corpse. The room itself brought back the horrible memory of him trapped in the back room as a child. Though then there was something unspeakable forced into the suit- he decided not to think about it and faced the bear slowly.

"Hello, Goldie. I'm almost certain you can't hear this, but if you can… Well, maybe you've succeeded in moving on and are now watching us. If that's the case, then I really don't need to tell you what's been going on. You probably have your hands full with the others, doing whatever you're doing out there…" Marionette stopped his rambling long enough to fold his arms behind his back. "…Charlie wanted to see you… And as you probably see, she's like we are now. But she's doing wonderful. She's so strong, Goldie. I know you'd be proud."

The bear stared back silently, and Marionette's face fell. "…I'm sure you would be upset that I kept her with me… I just wanted to give her that chance, Henry. I think maybe I can give her a better life than the others. It's going to be different now. We're going to do this differently." Again, silence. It wasn't as though he expected a response. "I meant what I said to her, by the way. I'm not angry at you anymore. Still a little in shock… Maybe even in mourning… But I understand you now and I'm ready to move on."

He suppressed a chime and started to back out of the doorway. "I shouldn't keep them waiting. Goodbye Henry…"

Marionette then turned off the light and shut the door. He made sure to lock it, not wanting anyone to disturb the golden bear, and then turned away. He slowly made his way through the warehouse. He felt strange; maybe a little sad, but like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders too. He headed towards the door, passing by Candy Cadet.

"Hello there," the puppet greeted. He reached out to brush the bot's arm and felt a tingling on contact. "I hope you are well." Candy Cadet was deactivated, naturally, so he gave no response.

"So, he does have an off switch. I thought he just came on whenever he wanted to." Marionette hadn't even noticed that Mike was still there, walking over from the warehouse door to check on him. "Charlie's already in the car and ready to go. How are you holding up?"

"Me? How am I doing?" A brilliant smile broke across Marionette's mask. "I'm doing fantastic! The convention was a success, we got home without harm, Charlie's coming home with us, and I feel freer than I have in ages! And I think that maybe this is a good sign that our luck is turning around." He offered his hand to Mike. "Don't you think?"

There always seemed to be a touch of sarcasm in Mike's responses. He always used it to ease a tense situation and it would've been so easy to make a joke right now. But just seeing Marionette with so much confidence, unsure if he was truly this relieved or putting on a front, he found that he didn't want to think of the more pessimistic side. Marionette was right, things were better.

"I think you might be right, Stripes," Mike agree with a growing smile. He gladly took the other's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "And to think we thought this running a business thing was going to be hard."

"And starting a family, to whatever extent this is," the puppet playfully answered. He led his companion to the door. "Let's go. I'm ready to get out of this warehouse, go home, and put this behind us all behind us."

"Yeah, sure," Mike agreed. Though as he started opening the door he got the ghost of a smirk. "We'll be back here by next week."

Marionette gave a chime of laughter and pulled Mike in, cupping the back of his neck and pressing his forehead to is. "I don't know what I'd do without you Mike," he admitted. Then his smile twitched into a smirk. "Except be just a little saner, perhaps." He then pulled back and guided his companion to the door.

The warehouse door was shut behind them and Mike locked it before going with Marionette to the car. From inside the warehouse, one would be able to hear the hum as the car drove through the late night and back home. All was well once again as silence fell over the dark shelves and cold concrete. It was time to finally go home; things were back to normal.

…

" _But he could never leave them."_

* * *

The only warning that Jeremy was home was the sound of rapid footsteps and the jingling of keys. Max's eyes flickered over from the TV screen while Balloon Boy dropped off the couch and nearly skipped over to the door. He climbed up onto the chair beside the door and sat there waiting, fully aware that they would most likely not notice him at first and completely fine with startling them. Max had to admire that.

The front door was flung open before a figure barely covered in a jacket hurried in. It was obviously Foxy even before the jacket fell off halfway through the entrance. He held the Minireenas in his arms and they were all acting like they were trying to sleep. Though it was doubtful that they really were. More than likely they wanted a free ride and knew they could convince Foxy better if they pretended to be asleep.

"I'm home!" Jeremy called into the apartment as he went to shut the door. "How was-?"

"Hello," Balloon Boy greeted loudly right as Jeremy's eyes landed on him. He had gotten used to the animatronic enough that all he gave was a slight shiver instead of a jump. Still he was surprised, and Balloon Boy gave a proud, "Hi," followed by a laugh. The blond rebounded with a quick smile.

"Hey, BB. I didn't think you'd still be up. You didn't get your nighttime schedule turned all the way around, did you?" he asked dotingly and reached forwards to pat his head.

"Ain't no schedule that he's gonna follow. BB does whatever he feels like. Ain't that right, BB?" Foxy asked while grinning in his version of a smirk. Balloon Boy laughed again, this time in agreement, and the fox headed towards the hallway. "Gonna drop these three off in yer room an' then I'll be back."

"No plans to make a quick escape through the window tonight, eh Captain?" Max asked after him. He gave a somewhat nonchalant 'eh' as a response, with the magician's focus quickly returning to Jeremy.

Foxy stepped into Jeremy's bedroom to find the bedside lamp on and every other mini-animatronic standing right inside the doorway. They had all heard him coming and he just stepped over them without a word. Lilium excitedly skipped behind him as he headed to Minireenas beds, eager to see her siblings home again, and stood alongside them attentively as Foxy crouched down and piled them into one of the bigger beds. Even with the fourth Minireena's excited giggling, he couldn't help but hear whispering behind him.

"I knew it was him. Max was right, he's the favorite," one of the Bidybabs fussily complained. Though her tune changed instantly. "Which means… Daddy's home!"

Without another word, the Bidybabs dashed out the door. Plushtrap followed behind them with a squeaky gait and chattery teeth. As annoying as they could be, or outright offensive when they wanted to be, it was endearing to see how much they cared about Jeremy. Going as far as to think of him as their parent. Foxy couldn't deny that Jeremy fit the role well, being just as supportive and warm as any good father would be.

Yet on the back of his mind there lingered that detestable word they just happened to say: _Favorite._ Just one of those words that loved to bring up feelings.

He gave a weary groan as he walked over to Jeremy's bed and sat down for a minute. This would give the little ones time to get Jeremy's attention while he had a moment to rest. He flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling above. It felt like such a naturally human thing to do, even when his hook was digging into the bedding.

"Favorite, bah! Phone's favorite, Bree's favorite, everyone's favorite. All the kiddies love Foxy," the captain muttered under his breath. He sighed and bent his right arm under his head, still staring up at the ceiling at turned off light fixture. "Guess I can't blame 'em. I loved him too." That just sounded wrong saying it out loud. Just acknowledging that slim line where Foxy and Gabriel became one was always so strange. "Sure don't remember Gabe bein' anyone's favorite," he muttered.

He was taken off-guard when he felt a soft tugging at the bedding. He turned his head to see that Rose was awake and climbing onto the bed. She crawled over to him before crossing her arms on his chest and resting her head on them. She continued to watch him as she relaxed, completely content in just laying on him. He gave a small rumble of a chuckle and reached up to pet the back of her head with a finger.

"Come to use Foxy as a pillow, have ya lass?" he playfully asked. Rose nodded in agreement. "Well, yer welcome to stick around fer a lil bit, 'til I get back to Jer'my." This seemed just fine to her.

Foxy raised his gaze to the ceiling once more before closing his eyes. He didn't go to sleep, he just let himself meditate in his thoughts for a few moments. At least he finally had a moment of peace.

 _It had just all been too much. Too many strangers and so many yelling children; purple people and confusing screams. So many sights and smells overloading servos that weren't used to feeling this overwhelmed. He couldn't do it, he needed a quick out, so he did the only thing that he could. There was only one thing he knew would get him out of the performance. So, Foxy broke down on stage in what almost felt like a real malfunction, if not for him having to help it along a little._

 _He spent the rest of the afternoon hiding behind a purple curtain and an 'out of order' sign that was planted on the stage. It should've been horrible and yet he found being alone assuring. Not to mention the control of being able to shut down his own show. He almost felt safer hidden behind the sign than he ever did on stage. Even as he listened to the singing of his three bandmates outside._

 _Eventually afternoon led into evening and soon the restaurant cleared out. It wasn't until around midnight that Foxy could hear activity again and even then he knew that it wasn't the employees. He recognized the clunky footsteps as someone approached the stage. He had a good idea of who it was even before the curtain was drawn open. It revealed none other than the visage of Freddy Fazbear standing on the other side._

" _Hey there, Bud," Freddy greeted him. He watched as the fox raised his head and was almost relieved to see that he was still able to move. "How're you holding up?" he asked sympathetically._

" _I be fine. Just gettin' me sea legs still," Foxy excused quickly. Freddy was still staring, now seeming a little more concerned. "Gonna need a shot o' rum after this. Be a shame there ain't a pub in walkin' distance."_

" _Good! We were worried about you after earlier. With you shaking like that and all…" Freddy's blue eyes lowered a moment to the floor. Then they snapped back up as he got the nerve to say more. "…The show is over, you know. The place is closed and there's nobody here except us…" When Foxy didn't seem to catch on- he had but decided not to say anything- Freddy added quieter. "Gabe, you can come out of character."_

 _There was a long pause between them. Freddy just stared at him and Foxy wanted to hide. So he did, easily sliding behind the guise of an unphased pirate captain._

" _Nah. Don't feel like it," the pirate dismissed quickly. "An' I think I might be takin' a few more days off. Gives me a little bit o' a vacation, don't it? You can man the ship without me!"_

" _Well, yeah. Of course… Just… They're going to want you back eventually. If you stay broken too long, they might- I don't want you to get taken away, alright?" Freddy tried to convince. "Besides, the kids will miss you… Foxy's their favorite!"_

" _Aww, you've got this ol' salt blushin'. Iff'n ya could see it past me fur, of course," Foxy said in a tone that sounded playful and appreciative. In actuality, it was dismissive, sweeping Freddy's concerns right under the rug. The bear looked back to the dining room and he knew that he was looking at Bonnie and Chica. They were probably worried too but sent Freddy over to broach the subject. "I be alright, Lad! Just not feelin' up to comin' out and wanderin' about tonight. Ya understand, yeah?"_

" _Sure. If you change your mind then we're out here," Freddy offered. He slowly closed the curtain to a crack. "See you in the morning, Gabe."_

" _Night, Matey!" Foxy said back. As Freddy headed away, he slowly lowered down and sat down on the floor of the stage, trying to rest his tense body with a sigh. "See you tomorrow, Chris…"_

* * *

 **Mable: Whether it be 'Baby', 'Favorite', or 'Scoop'- or 'Ice Cream'- word activated discomfort still runs rampant in the animatronic community.**


	63. Chapter 63

**Mable: You've been waiting long enough for this, so without any further delay let us start. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-Three_

 _It was a familiar scene, but this time Mike was more aware of it. It only took a few moments of being stranded in the surreal forest that he recognized the crunching grass and close nit trees. He pushed his way through until he caught sight of a familiar red lake in a clearing up ahead. It was only once he was within a few feet that he noticed the red figure sitting alongside the lake._

 _This time Mike was surprisingly lucid and as he cautiously approached the lake, he kept distance from the man. He was certain that he was dreaming and somehow that alone didn't wake him up. As he was watching, the man started to reel in his line as to cast out again, and as he did so he looked towards Mike with that wide grin. Its empty eyes stared him down and he stared back with hesitance._

" **Hello, Mike,"** _the red man finally said. His voice was distorted and deep._

" _Hey," Mike greeted. He studied the creature for a moment before asking. "So, what are you supposed to be? A crocodile or a bulked-up Foxy?"_

" **I'm Old Man Consequences,"** _the man introduced. That name alone gave Mike the wrong idea, which the being must've noticed._ **"Don't be frightened. I'm just a fisherman, casting lures and seeing what I catch."**

" _Yeah…" While Mike approached the lake, he made sure to keep a comfortable six feet of distance between them. "Catch anything good lately?" He looked down into the red water; empty of anything._

" **Yes. You."** _Once again, the security guard was uneasy by the comment, and this time went so far as to take a step back. As though he could outrun his dreams or would try to. The red man shook his head to answer a question that wasn't asked._ **"Don't take that the wrong way. You won't be here long, I only brought you here to warn you."**

" _To warn me… Alright," Mike repeated doubtfully. The man patted the grass alongside him. The human raised a hand in dismissal. "I think I'd rather stand if you don't mind."_

" **I don't as long as you listen,"** _Old Man Consequences agreed. He pulled the fishing line out of the water and in a split second recast it out across the water. Once he was settled again, he continued with a cryptic comment._ **"He's watching your house again."**

" _Who, Burke?" Mike guessed. The red man gave a slight shake of the head but didn't clarify who it was. "No, come on. You've got me out here, who is it?"_

" **You know who it is,"** _the man affirmed._ **"You would do well to get back tonight."** _Mike's eyes widened at the comment, slightly uneased by the suggestion._ **"And watch your six."**

 _And before Mike could get a chance to ask, he_ was waking up in bed and the dream was over.

Except that he knew instantly that it wasn't like a normal dream. It was all too clear and the memories of it seemed fresher. It uneased him and he sat up to go find Marionette when he noticed the suit hanging on the bedroom door and exhaled slowly. Right, he had to be somewhere today. Now he had to worry about someone stalking the house while he was hours away.

" _Couldn't just tell me who it is. Had to be mysterious just for giggles,"_ Mike mentally complained as he got out of bed and changed. He wouldn't put on the suit yet, knowing that the drive would be a lot easier if he changed once he got to his destination. He then steadied himself and headed out of the bedroom.

He found Marionette wrapping their gift at the dining room table. The coffee was already made and timed perfectly, though a glance at the clock showed that Mike had gotten up on time without the alarm. He wondered if Old Man Consequences had purposefully woken him then. It was disturbing to think that he would have a concept of time at all. Mike tried to shake aside the thoughts and headed into the kitchen and greeted his companion with a kiss on the head. "Morning."

"Good morning!" Marionette trilled as he finished taping the side of the box. "I didn't think you'd want a big breakfast before the drive, so I left a couple of cereal bars out by the coffee pot for you to choose from."

"Thanks." Mike headed over to pour a cup of coffee. He didn't feel like he direly needed it to stay awake, but the habit was a comforting one. As he stirred in a packet of creamer, he thought back to the dream. "I had some weird prophetic dreams last night. I was out in the middle of this forest-." He cut off as Charlie entered the kitchen. "Speaking of which; Charlie, I had a dream last night and the long and short of it is that if anyone comes by today while we're not here and starts causing trouble, call either Fritz, Jeremy, or Scott. Scott if it's after ten. Tabby if you need her handgun."

"You had a dream about someone coming by while you were gone?" Charlie asked in confusion. "Like what, a robber?"

"I don't know, but when a red crocodile tells you to watch your house, you watch your house," Mike affirmed. She only looked more confused by this.

"How doth the little crocodile improves his shining tail and pour the waters of the Nile on every _crimson_ scale,~" Marionette jokingly recited as he tied the ribbon on the present and fluffed the bow. "How cheerfully he seems to grin! How neatly he spread his claws! And welcomes little fish in with gently smiling jaws.~"

"Yeah, that. Except he was using a fishing rod and wasn't catching anything," Mike added in. "What was that from?"

"Alice in Wonderland," the Puppet answered. He began to fussily check over the wrapping paper.

"Yeah, that's what we need. More trips down the rabbit hole with people with screws loose," Mike remarked as he swigged a mouthful of coffee.

"Put your finger in Foxy's hole.~" Mike barely turned around in time to spit the coffee right into the sink. "Foxy's not at home. Foxy's out at the back door picking at a bone,~" Marionette finished reciting as innocently as could be.

"Jesus Christ," Mike muttered, having nearly inhaled his own drink.

Marionette sent an unenthused look towards Mike, barely masking a slight smirk. "It's a nursery rhyme, Mike."

"Don't ever turn that into a song. We'll get into trouble so fast." He turned around to see the Puppet's smug look. Charlie, meanwhile, had thrust a couple of fingers over her mouth to stave off the low jingling that the other two could clearly hear.

"What a shame, I thought it would be an excellent song to play before closing," Marionette teased as he stood and took the present. "How long until we leave? I don't want to be late."

"The ceremony's not until this afternoon, so it's not like we have to blow out of here. We'll get there when we get there," Mike dismissed as he chose and opened an apple cinnamon flavored bar. He began to rush through it, reluctantly aware that the striped one did have a point about the time. He paused in his makeshift breakfast to offer to Charlie. "You can come if you want."

"No thanks. This is sort of a family affair," Charlie declined. It wasn't that she was especially nervous about being around Mike's mother, but more that the concept of sneaking around an intimate family event just felt like too much. "Besides, I need to stick around for if burglars break in," she added jokingly. It sounded like she was fine with this.

Mike almost wished she wasn't so that he would have an excuse to leave early. Just the thought of what was coming caused an uncomfortable fluttering in his stomach. It wasn't even that he was against what was happening; he was for it once he got over the shock of finding out only a week earlier. More it was just that he knew this would bring up memories of his father and of past events that were always awkward to confront. At least it wasn't going to be a big affair.

"If you say so," Mike casually dismissed. "Still, I'm planning on getting back tonight, so if you hear someone blindly wandering through the house at three in the morning, it's probably us." He looked back to Marionette, who had knelt to pet and coddle Moppet. At least he seemed to be in a good mood.

It wasn't until Mike and Marionette were on the highway that the dream came back up. Mostly because it would be a rather uneventful drive, though nothing compared to the slog that was driving to the convention.

"Have you heard of anyone or anything called Old Man Consequences?" Mike asked. This got an understandably perplexed looked from the puppet, who was slid down in the passenger's seat. "It seems too precise and convoluted to be something I just pulled off the top of my head."

"I can't say I have. I can't say I've heard of a red crocodile animatronic either, which would almost make sense. The ability to invade dreams isn't exactly a foreign concept if Goldie and Max know how to do it," Marionette pointed out. He got a slightly disturbed look. "That's really all he said? That someone was coming by the house?"

"Actually, he didn't even say that. He just said that someone was watching the house and that we should get home tonight. Which is ominous but could also just be paranoia. Maybe just my own paranoia elaborately manifesting itself so that I can give myself a reason to stay at home and lounge all day."

"Maybe I shouldn't have left Charlie alone. Isabelle would've understood," Marionette suggested worriedly. It still wasn't too late to turn back if they really needed to, which Mike was aware of. But the thought of doing this without Marionette there- about having to face this event alone- made him uneasy. He was surprised at how uncomfortable it made him.

"I kind of need you to be with me during this. I just, you know, it's a difficult spot and knowing that everything going to be different after today…" Mike glanced to the listening puppet and trailed off with an exhale. "Maybe I'm being selfish. If there is something going on, then I don't want to ignore it."

"Or maybe you're right. Maybe you're more stressed out and worried than you're willing to let yourself admit. We'll just get home at a reasonable hour and make sure that if there is someone watching the house that they don't see me on the way back inside," the puppet assured. He smiled to Mike. "This is going to go great."

That was exactly why he needed him here. Mike got a dry smile and added, "It would be going a lot better if I wasn't stuck giving a toast. You know it's going to be weird if I don't bring up Dad and even weirder if I do. No matter which way I go it's going to kill the mood."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm right behind you the whole time!... Except during the ceremony, when I will either be in your car or at your Mom's house," Marionette said lightly. It did ease the mood a little bit considering the rather delicate situation. "From what I've heard of it so far, I think your toast is fine. Keeping it short is good, it gets to the cake faster."

"If she lets me, I'll bring you back the cake toppers," the man offered with a small smile.

"You always know how to give me a smile," Marionette playfully chimed. "And yes, please."

By time they had gotten to Isabelle's, they were pressing on time. This meant that Isabelle's typical elongated greeting of hugging and gushing had to be cut short so that Mike could change. Soon he was in his old bedroom, changing into a suit and tie. He was lucky that he hadn't been pressed to rent a tuxedo, considering the smaller scope of things it had been decided that it wouldn't be needed. Now it was just a matter of getting himself presentable.

"Here, let me help," Marionette offered as he moved in and brushed back Mike's hands. His grip was shaky, and his mind wasn't entirely there, so it would just be easier if the puppet took the initiative. Soon the tie was adjusted and the suit smoothed down. "There you go."

"Thanks." Mike noticed the red bowtie that Marionette had put around his own neck and raised a brow. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I'm not, but I still wanted to get dressed for the occasion. Just in case you bring back cake and pictures and we decide to reenact the whole ceremony in your bedroom. To give me a better idea of how it went, of course." When that brow stayed raised, Marionette drew back and raised his hand with a playfully exaggerated shrug. "Or something along those lines. All I know is that I didn't come all this way to not get a dance."

"Tell you what, if I make it out with my legs intact then I'm yours once I get back," Mike offered. Yet as playful and childish as it all sounded, there was part of him that knew this would be their evening, and he was more than happy with that. "Guess I should go make sure Mom's ready."

"I'm proud of you, Mike. You'll do fine," Marionette assured him with a pat on the shoulders. "Go out there and put on a good show."

That was exactly what Mike intended on doing too. He didn't let Isabelle see any doubt on his face as he drove her in her car to the location. It was a simple building that seemed to be rented out specifically for these occasions. The room they had gotten was set up nicely and easily fit the twenty or so family members invited to the event. There might've been whispers, but Isabelle didn't notice them. She was beaming the entire time and Mike couldn't deny that she looked beautiful. He thought it without bias; his mother was beautiful.

"Do you, Patrick Schmidt, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife through sickness and health, poverty and wealth, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

It seemed so strange seeing his uncle in a tuxedo, and not just because he was the only man in the room wearing one. Mike would be sure to elbow him about it later, but for now he just watched him with the upmost respect. He wasn't his brother, he couldn't be, but Patrick was just fine being his own person. Mike always respected that, and it didn't change now. "I do."

"And do you, Isabelle Schmidt , take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband through sickness and health, poverty and wealth, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

Mike was half surprised that she wasn't crying. Instead, she just looked so happy and he clung to it. Any doubt was erased by how happy she was. It was time for her to move on and while Mike wasn't sure if he was ready for it, he was ready to trust his mother with this decision. She knew what she was doing, she looked as certain as she ever had. "I do."

He watched quietly and said nothing when given the chance. Even when a solemn feeling crept up, even when he vaguely thought about his father and the family they once were, he had no desire to say anything.

"Then by the power invested in me by the state of Utah, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the pastor finished. Isabelle and Patrick did so with restrained eagerness and the room erupted in clapping. The wedding ceremony was over and the two were married. Mike didn't exactly get emotional, but there was a joy in it, and he was confident that he made the right decision to come and be a part of it.

The wedding had been small, so the reception had much more attention put into it. Tables had been draped in lacey, white tablecloths with succulents arranged in their centers. Mike had been sat at the head table with his mother, Patrick, one empty chair, and his grandparents, whom he caught up with briefly during dinner. It wasn't until after dinner that the toasts were brought up. Mike got a brief reprieve while Aunt Lisa and Grandpa Wally gave their toasts, but as the last person he couldn't help but feel like there was extra pressure.

Mike stood from his seat and raised a glass of non-alcoholic champagne as he began his toast. He took a deep breath and recited what he had memorized from the paper currently in his pocket.

"I'm going to try to try and keep this short, because there's so much that could be said and the cake's already starting to lean from the heat," Mike began, pausing for a laugh. "And I don't think there's much that needs to be said. Mom, you are a wonderful, caring woman and you deserve to be happy with someone who will give you the same love and support that you've given those around you. Patrick, you have always been there through thick and thin, unwavering. You have stood by your ethics and your family and didn't make any compromises on either."

He briefly hesitated, second guessing how far he was willing to go with this. There was that one part of the speech that was borderline inappropriate and he still wasn't sure whether it was worth coming out with it. He stalled his decision by continuing the toast.

"I couldn't imagine a better couple to complete each other's lives. I know you two are going to have a good life together. It's about time that you worried about your own happiness," Mike insisted. He hesitated a long moment. "…And I know that Dad would've been happy about this too." That was it. One fell swoop, then he tried to end the toast as quickly as possible. "To you Mom, Patrick, and to the bright future you're both going to have."

Thankfully, this didn't result in immediate outrage from anyone. It went over well enough, with Isabelle even hugging him a little too tightly when he sat back down. Apparently she needed it, and Patrick looked appreciative that he had said it. Someone had to, and Mike wasn't afraid to avoid the difficult statements.

Mike was thrilled for them both. He missed his father, but he knew this was for the best. He was ready to accept it and move on.

* * *

While the idea of a dark, rainy night seemed to be the perfect backdrop for a horror movie, Charlie had never been unnerved by the weather. It wasn't until after her accident that it began to subconsciously raise her dread. Suddenly the tapping of raindrops on the roof made her more fidgety. She ignored it as best as she could with distractions. First her textbooks, and then when she realized she wasn't absorbing what she was reading she switched to the television. The storm must've disrupted the cable as most of the channels were staticky or completely unresponsive.

"Maybe I'll just head to bed…" Charlie considered. She looked down at Moppet who was curled up in the center of the couch then smiled. "Think you can keep an eye out for monsters for me?" she asked as she pet the cat's back. Moppet woke with a stretch and turned her head to nuzzle back into the hand. Then she looked up towards the back of the couch, staring like she was looking towards the dining room.

Charlie looked over the back of the couch as well, but there was nothing to see. The kitchen light was on and the dining room was empty. She decided she would probably leave that light on.

With a hollow sigh, Charlie leaned over to turn off the lamp beside the couch. She turned down the television but left it on, thinking that it made the house feel somewhat more welcoming for when Mike and Marionette got home. It would be easier than waiting up for them. She stood from the couch and headed to her bedroom, textbooks in hand and Moppet following behind her. The cat slipped into the room before she shut the door and climbed on her bed while she set the books down on the dresser.

Without the sound of the television, the rain was much more audible. At first Charlie thought that was why she felt so uneasy, but she knew that wasn't all it. _"Thanks for creeping me out before you left, Mike_ ," she thought as she looked around. She wasn't exactly tired yet, so maybe she would be able to find a distraction in here until Mike and Marionette got home.

Her eyes just happened to fall on the cracked closet door and she wandered over to it. That seemed like viable option. Marionette had casually offered for her to look through the things in the closet if she wanted to and she occasionally did, but there were plenty of boxes left undiscovered. She opened the closet and stepped inside. It was still packed as always, save the hiding spot in the back. It was just a cleared-out area behind some of the boxes that she used to hide in back when she needed that extra protection.

She leaned to look inside the spot, almost tempted to climb back there again, when she noticed a small box of toys. Her eyes lingered on it for a moment before pulling it closer.

"I wonder if these were Baby's old toys." Opening the box the rest of the way seemed to suggest that they were. There were fashion dolls with extravagant dresses and scruffy hair, a couple of plush toys, and a single pink arm. She blinked and fished it out. "What did this come off of?" She turned it over in her hand before pushing some of the top toys aside. It was then that she came face to face with a Freddy plush. Except that it was colored white and purple. "Which version of Freddy was this?... Oh, there's a leg."

Someone had hidden Freddy toys underneath the normal ones. She assumed Marionette didn't know about them, because as far as she knew the recolored Freddy was not in his collection, and she doubted he would leave this other toy broken apart. The head was tucked into the back corner and it was only then that she realized it was probably a Toy Foxy doll. It looked strangely familiar.

In the back of her mind, Charlie swore she had seen a toy just like this before. In the foggy recollection she remembered a girl who had it and she assumed she had been so curious of it because of her father's relationship with Freddy's. Though she couldn't remember if that was before or after he died. What she could remember was that the girl had stood out.

" _Wait a minute… Was that Baby? Did Baby and I know each other a long time ago?"_ Charlie wondered. It was a surprising thought, but there was also something exciting about it. She wondered how Baby would react if she knew that there was a possibility they played with each other when they were just little girls.

A rumbling noise interrupted her thoughts. It almost sounded like it had come through the wall and Charlie looked back out of the closet in paranoia. Moppet was laying on the bed staring off at nothing. She seemed relaxed, with only the tip of her tail twitching. It had to have been thunder, but the Security Puppet still felt a little uneasy. She sent one last lingering look into the box before leaving the closet.

"Maybe I could call Baby. She should be up." A distraction like that sounded like a good idea. Charlie headed out of her bedroom and back down the hall, turning around to see if Moppet was going to follow. Apparently, the cat decided it would be too much work.

A dull knock caught Charlie off guard. Still stopped in the hallway, she looked towards the wall and Marionette's bedroom door. It sounded like something had moved inside and she wondered if he had somehow teleported home. After a moment of consideration, she opened the bedroom door to look inside.

But there was nobody there. She could see straight through the darkened room and saw nothing. Maybe the noise had come from outside, or maybe it had been strange sounding thunder. Now much more uneasy, Charlie shut the bedroom door again and continued into the living room. The television had gone out fully and was now just stuck on a snowy screen. She ignored her plan to leave it on and shut it off, then headed to the phone. She quickly dialed Scott's home phone number and waited for an answer. Thankfully, there was one.

"Hello?" Scott greeted. It wasn't too terribly late, so she wasn't surprised that he was still awake. Though she also wasn't certain if he was him or Ennard.

"Hey, it's Charlie. Sorry to call so late but I was wondering if I could talk to Baby?" Charlie asked. She noticed a dull humming on the line that too seemed to be interference.

"Sure thing! Give me just a second." She could hear a wheeling office chair followed by the man calling. "Ennard, can you tell Baby that she has a call?" She thought she barely heard Ennard's response, but it was muffled by that growing humming, which was starting to crackle and pop a bit more. "She's be r-ght on. How's it go- er there?"

"It's going alright. I think the storm's taking out a lot of the electronics. I guess I should be glad that the power's still on." She hesitated before asking, "But you wouldn't know where the fuse box is in case it does?"

"It's ov- the w-shing mach-ne," Scott responded. There was a clicking noise that signaled another phone picking up. "Hold on, here's B-." His phone clicked off and through the interference she heard Baby's soft voice.

"Charlie?" Baby asked. The phone warped her voice, crunching on syllables as it transmitted the sound. A heavy feeling weighed down Charlie's back as she gripped the phone cord. The kitchen felt cold- though that would've been because she was standing beside the pantry.

"Hey! I, uh, know it's late, but I was going through the closet and-." There was a loud thump from somewhere in the house. She raised her head and listened carefully. She couldn't tell if it was inside or out, and the peal of thunder that followed only complicated it. A low tone began to rise in her own chest as she began to feel more unsafe.

"Ch-lie? I ca-an't hear you. Some-… Break… rlie?" Baby tried to speak through the phone. Charlie stayed quiet as she listened. There was a slowly rising creak through somewhere in the house, followed by a thunking noise. "Char-? Are you th-re? Ans- me."

"I think there's someone trying to get into the house," Charlie whispered. Panic started to creep over her as a chill like fingers rested on her shoulders. Baby said nothing. "…Baby?" It took a few seconds to realize that beyond the static there wasn't any voice at all. The call had been forcibly ended. Charlie hung up the phone and tried to redial but noticed quickly that she had lost the dial tone. The phone was dead, and she was on her own.

By now the noises had stopped and Charlie couldn't help but wonder if she had just exaggerated them. They didn't sound like thunder though and she started to slowly head to the hall, needing to get back to her room where it would be safe. It was once in the hall that she heard a shifting, scraping sort of noise. Like the sound of something being dragged coming from one of the bedrooms. It almost sounded like it came from Marionette's until she was outside the door and realized it was from Foxy's old room.

Charlie knew that she would have no choice but to check on the sound. She stayed quiet as she courageously approached the door and rested her hand on the knob. She slowly turned it, being as quiet as she could be, and slowly opened the door to peer inside. She got the door only a crack open when she saw the source of the noise.

Springtrap was climbing through the window.

She barely withheld from slamming the door shut. One hand flew to her chest to suppress the music that she knew would try to come forth as she backed from the door. He was here and Mike and Marionette weren't, and she didn't know when they would be back. She couldn't handle him on her own; he was both bigger and stronger than her. There was nowhere to run, so she would have to hide.

It only took a few seconds to make it to her bedroom and close the door behind her. _"Maybe I should go out the window? No, wait."_ Charlie looked towards the still open closet. _"There! He didn't see me and he must think the house is empty, so if I hide he'll just leave… Unless he's here looking for me."_ She shuddered lightly. _"Then I'll go out the window."_

After a moment of consideration, Charlie carefully lifted Moppet from her bed and made her way to the closet. She could hear thumping footsteps as she closed the closet and slid into her safe spot in the back. She pet Moppet in stressed motions, struggling to keep the cat calm as they sat in the darkness. Her music kept trying to play and every time she desperately fought it back and forced herself to stay calm.

It was then that the heavy footsteps started to creep down the hall. Charlie squeezed further down behind the boxes as she heard the rabbit get closer. She could've made the wrong choice in trapping herself. But at the last moment his footsteps turned and headed to the master bedroom. She heard him let himself in and tracked him all the way to the closet. She could hear him open the door through the thin wall and began to hear the rustling and clattering of a file cabinet. Along with a deep groan. It sounded agonizing and animalistic.

The Security Puppet gripped tighter at the cat in her hands without realizing it. This disturbed Moppet just enough to climb out of her grasp, slipping through her arms and leaping off to the floor where she proceeded to head in the direction of the door. Charlie scrambled to grab for her, but in the motion the toy box that had moved earlier and was now sitting precariously on the edge of another box, started to fall. She had just barely caught it from falling but that didn't stop the rustling sound, the scraping of cardboard against the closet wall, the jingling, and she knew he heard it too.

She also noticed that the noise on the other side of the closet wall had suddenly silenced. She held her breath and stayed still, hoping that he would ignore it, but then she heard the footsteps again, and this time they were faster. There wouldn't be enough time to get herself out of the closet and out the window. The closet had become her box; she felt trapped inside of it. Charlie hid further into her hiding spot, fitting herself further behind the boxes.

Just as the Security Puppet stilled, the bedroom door was thrown open and soon afterwards the closet. She could smell the telltale odor of ash and some sort of burning rubber. He smelled like a walking electrical failure and his glowing eyes scanned through the small closet. Springtrap knew he had heard something and intended to find it, she knew that.

One of her hands clutched the edge of a box while the other held the bell at the end of her point to keep it quiet. She could hear him leaning further towards her, maybe noticing the cleared space. If he got any closer, he would see her. It didn't matter how tightly she was crammed back there he was just too close. He started to slide his foot across the carpet to step inside.

Then came a low noise. A warning yowl of another kind. Springtrap's head snapped in the other direction so fast that Charlie could hear the cracking of his neck. The rabbit leaned in and could see Moppet staring out from the opposite side of the closet, crouched down low beside a couple of pairs of abandoned children's shoes. Her eyes were wide, and her fur stood on end. She gave another warning yowl as he leaned in further to see. He stopped and stared at the animal, contemplating if this was the cause of the racket.

As the rabbit started to turn, Moppet decided she had enough and gave a shrill cry before darting forwards. She gave a few swats at his feet before darting out of the closet and out the bedroom door.

Springtrap stood there at the closet door for a few long minutes. During this time Charlie continued to stay quiet and wait, hoping that Moppet had been the distraction she needed. It was confirmed when the charred springlock suit backed out of the closet and headed back out into the hall. She could hear through the wall as he returned to the master bedroom's closet and continued to scour. Seconds dragged on as she listened to him and it felt like an eternity before she heard him leave the room and head down the hallway.

Charlie wasn't sure how long she waited there before she decided to creep out of the closet and to the bedroom door. She stopped there and listened in closely but couldn't hear him any longer.

" _Did he leave? Maybe he wasn't looking for me after all. He must have been looking for something else… In the file cabinet,"_ she thought as she glanced towards the master bedroom door. It was probably not safe enough to go exploring, but she knew that Mike kept a bat under his side of the bed anyways. She could use it even if she returned to hiding in the closet. Slowly she crept over and slid into the room and shut the door carefully behind her. That way if he came back, she would have a second before he got into the room.

The closet doors were left open and the file cabinet had been nearly ransacked. Files were dropped in messy stacks on the floor with a few loose papers scattered on the carpet around muddy footprints. He had been looking for something in here, and if he left then that meant he probably found it.

" _Maybe he really did leave… Maybe I should check the house to make sure."_ Charlie made the risky decision to go see if he was truly gone. She couldn't imagine what would happen if he was still here when Mike and Marionette got home. Then again, she couldn't imagine how she would be able to fight him off if he was still there.

Charlie steadied herself and got the baseball bat out from underneath the bed before heading back out into the hallway. The door to Foxy's room was open and she could see the window left wide open. The sound of rain was as clear as day, but there was no sign of the rabbit. She swallowed her unease and crept further along. It was once she was at the bathroom door that she heard a heavy thumping noise. She jumped and stopped quickly, listening closely, but noticed that the sound almost seemed muffled. As though through the wall.

There was a fleeting hope that the sound had come from outside and was Springtrap making his escape, but Charlie realized this wasn't the case when she stepped out from the hallway and looked over to see the pantry and basement door both left open. He had gone downstairs.

The safest option would be to go hide again and Charlie knew this, but at the same time she couldn't help but thing about that long set of stairs. Animatronics had such trouble getting up and down stairs. If she shut the door and put something on it, chances are he wouldn't be able to get back out. She could trap him and secure everyone's safety at once. Elsewise, he might wait to ambush the others, and she wouldn't stand aside and wait for that. Charlie carefully approached the trap door and looked down the stairs.

The light was on in the basement and she could hear him moving things around. From the banging around, he clearly had the same grace down there as he did with the file cabinet. She set the bat aside and carefully lowered down the trapdoor with both hands, almost certain that he wouldn't hear it. Not with the banging he was making downstairs. Since the door didn't have a lock on it, she looked around for something weighty to cover it. Stacking can goods wouldn't be enough. Even something that would be weighty for her like the microwave would probably be light to him.

" _But maybe I don't need something heavy. Maybe I just need something I can wedge in there…"_ Charlie looked back towards the dining room table before hurrying over to grab a chair. She dragged it back and started to fit it between the lowest shelf, which she put back, and the door. It barely worked, with the chair having to be laid down and even then having a few inches of give. It was better than nothing she supposed, and she moved some of the heavier cans down onto that lower shelf. _"If this works it'll barely work."_

Charlie returned to the phone and this time tried to dial Mike's cellphone number, but the static was still deafening and the dial tone was still absent. The phoneline was still down.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs stalled her already hopeless efforts and Charlie snatched the bat back up to protect herself. She watched the trapdoor intently as the heavy steps came closer, slowly creaking their way up the stairs, until the door started to open. It only raised about two inches before the chair above it thumped against the shelf. The weight of the chair alone hadn't been anything at all. The golden rabbit paused like he was realizing something had changed, then tried again to the same results.

The third time Springtrap hit the door with full strength and it was then that her plan began to unravel. The entire shelf, cans and all, shook at the blow and the door came up an inch further than it was supposed to. Charlie started to back away when a hand slid through and grabbed the door above it. He was preparing to use more force. In an instant, she did the riskiest maneuver she could think of and threw herself onto the door, trying to use her own weight to assist in the makeshift barricade. Unbelievably, it seemed to work, as Springtrap's grip momentarily faltered.

Turning herself around, Charlie angled the bat before thrusting the end forward to knock his fingers off the door. A few quick hits and his grip gave, but he was still ramming up into the door. He fit both hands through and started feeling around on the carpet, back up against the door. But the Security Puppet was just as quick. She got up on her knees and swung the bat down between the hands in a warning blow. It would be the only one; if he persisted, she would go for them and she would do damage. A forewarning mix of music and static echoed from her chest as she swung at the carpet.

For a few minutes they played game of chicken, with Springtrap shifting and moving his hands for a grip as she swung down and hit the carpet. Eventually he yanked his hands back in and the door dropped closed, jostling the Security Puppet and throwing her off balance. She managed to brace herself and listened for the rabbit below. Her music began to quiet as she tried to listen in closer, knowing he was doing the same to her. Her internal metal coils tightened and she readjusted her grip on the bat, only to notice her left hand stuck.

Charlie looked down to find her strings having slid out of her wrists and wrapped around the bat. She hadn't even noticed she had done it and slowly pulled her hand back, watching as the string untangled.

A heavy thump stopped her efforts and she grappled the bat again as she waited for the rabbit to bang against the door. The rabbit did not. Instead, the noise was an awkward step down the stairs, followed with the heavy footsteps as the rabbit receded into the basement below. She knew he had to be planning something and listened carefully, shortly later hearing loud bumping and sliding as he continued to rearrange the basement. Perhaps looking for another way out, or worse a weapon.

Charlie wasn't sure how long she stayed there, just like when she was in the closet. It felt like an eternity and only seemed to stretch longer once Springtrap went eerily quiet. She was on full guard and prepared for whatever he intended to do next, waiting for something, anything to happen. Unable to see the clock and not yet comfortable enough to judge her internal clock.

Lights eventually shined in the window as a car pulled up in the driveway outside. Charlie's hopes were raised as she watched towards the door expectantly and waited for her housemates to come in. But Marionette never teleported inside. She was instead greeted by a knocking on the front door, signaling that someone other than Mike was at the phone. She was already on edge and stared at the door silently. It wasn't as though she could move anyway, no longer trusting the chair to hold the door on its own.

It was a surprise when she heard the jingling of keys followed by the door opening on its own. Charlie stood so quickly that her back hit the edge of the shelf, and it felt like she hit it almost as hard as Springtrap had tried to. Panic turned to a mix of confusion and relief when it was Scott who stepped through the door.

"Charlie?" Scott called in as he looked around. It didn't take him long to spot her. "Baby said… Something was wrong. Are you okay?" Halfway through he had noticed the bat and the strained look on her features.

"Golden Bonnie's down in the basement!" Charlie blurted out with a flood of music. "He broke in and I have him trapped down there, but I don't know what he's doing, and I don't know if I can hold him if he comes back!" She wasn't sure if it was possible, but his face seemed to grow two shades paler.

"Okay, just- uh- have you- does the door have a latch or a lock or anything?!" Scott asked in growing desperation. She shook her head. "Oh wow, okay, uh… Maybe I can find something heavier to put on it." He started to look around frantically and Charlie listened through the door again.

"He's been quiet for a while… I heard him moving things downstairs and then nothing, so I don't know if he's waiting or what's going on," Charlie admitted. Now the man looked back to her. "And I don't know when Mike and Mari are going to be back, but last time he and Mari ran into each other it ended in a fight."

This seemed to be what sobered Scott up the most. Now he shared the same worries as she did, but it was a bit more personal for him. While Charlie certainly feared the suit that had been involved in her brother's kidnapping, Scott was associated with the person who was inside it. He had known Michael. Maybe Michael and he weren't close, with the young man always rather bitter towards him, but knowing him on that human level gave him an advantage. Maybe he could use that advantage.

Scott came over and crouched beside her. "M-Move over. I'm going to go try to talk him down."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Charlie said. She could barely believe he was serious and didn't budge from her spot. "I don't think he wants to talk. He heard me from another room and ran in looking for me like he would've attacked. If it wasn't for Moppet, he would've found me too." This seemed to visibly unease him, but he still seemed determined. Or at least, he was still waiting for her to move, so she finally did. "It's not much, but we have the bat if he does something."

"That's- That wouldn't do anything on that suit. It's made like a tank. It could survive pretty much anything," Scott cryptically forewarned. He then reached shakily into his jacket- it was only now that Charlie noticed he was wearing nightclothes underneath it- and pulled out a taser. He shook it. "But this might do something."

"…What _exactly_ did Baby say?" Charlie asked slowly.

"Uh, it's not what she said. When you've been in the business as long as I have, heh, you go into every late-night call with one of these," Scott said with a small smile. He was obviously still stressed, and he knew this was probably a terrible idea, but he still wanted to try. All he needed to do was get close to Michael; springlocks didn't do well when shocked.

But when the trapdoor was opened, the basement was still strangely quiet. There wasn't even so much as the smallest shuffle coming from the basement. Taking a deep breath, Scott started to step down. Charlie tried to follow alongside him, but he reached out an arm to block her and silently moved ahead. His grip tightened on the taser as his hands shook from stress. He slowly crept down the stairs and then cautiously leaned to look inside the basement room. His fear came back tenfold as he saw what waited inside.

Springtrap was nowhere to be seen and the room had been nearly trashed. It was almost unnoticeable when compared to the heavy dresser that had moved out from the wall beside the stairs, revealing a hatch that had been hidden underneath it. A hatch that matched the ones Ennard had mentioned and Marionette had described from Henry's house. From the lack of noise coming from inside, there was no doubt that the springlock animatronic was long gone.

"Scott?" Charlie whispered over from the stairs. He shook his head slowly. "What?"

"He's gone," Scott choked. He swallowed thickly as she rushed over to look inside. She saw the hatch just as he had and knew exactly what it meant. "He's already gone…"

They both had a feeling that Springtrap wasn't finished.


	64. Chapter 64

**Mable: Hello again! I'm going to keep the author's note brief again, so Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-Four_

It only took a few rings before Mike answered his phone with a simple, "Hello?" The hum of his car could be heard in the background, meaning that he was still in the process of driving home.

"H-Hello? Hello, Mike, hey. Uh, we- I'm over here at your house with Charlie and there was a break in," Scott explained. He tried to keep his voice from stuttering even when he was in distress. He was currently staring out the window into the front yard, watching for signs of any movement, twisting the blinds' cord in his fingers and looking uneasy.

"…I'm sorry, _what?"_ Mike asked in disbelief.

"I-It was Michael. Springtrap. He broke in through one of the windows and ransacked the basement, but he's gone now. He snuck out through a secret hatch."

"Are you kidding me?! You can't be serious, this can't- I leave the house for five minutes-!" Mike cut off and Scott could hear what sounded like Marionette growing static in the background. Though what he made out more clearly was a comment the other man made under his breath. "That old man was right. He was watching the house…" He snapped out of whatever trance he was in and asked, "You said Charlie's okay?"

"Charlie's fine. She's- I mean, she's a little shaken, but so am I and I didn't even see him!" Scott gave a nervous chuckle. "But anyways, so I'm going to stick around here until you guys get back. Where are you?"

"About forty-five minutes out. Forty if I push it. Hold on a second." Mike moved the cell phone aside and could be heard talking to Marionette. "She's alright. Scott said Springtrap's already taken off." Instead of a real answer, there seemed to be a garbled static noise of growing frustration. "Yeah, same here," Mike agreed. He then raised the phone again. "Thanks for this, Scott. If he comes back, then take her and the cat and just leave. I don't care about the house-… Okay, I care about the house, but I can fix whatever he breaks. I don't want him getting ahold of anyone. You included."

"Duly noted. But considering the circumstances at home…" If Ennard knew about this-. "Yeah, I think it would just be better if we waited it out here. Besides, he already left. I don't think he's going to be wanting to come back. Just be careful and don't speed. It's dark out there and we don't need an accident on top of all this… I'll tell her. Take care." He ended the call and turned to Charlie. "They're on their way."

The Security Puppet was sitting at the dining room table with a distant look. She still held the bat in her lap tightly as she looked up at him and nodded in understanding.

"Alright… Now on to the hard part…" Scott gave a shaky sigh and dialed a second number. After a few moments, a familiar voice answered the phone, his own. "Hey! Uh, it's just me! I'm here at Mike and Mari's."

"Well, hey there! Long time no see! Or hear, ha ha!" Ennard chirped over the line, returning to his own voice. "So, what's the buzz? What's going on over there?"

"Not too much now. So, uh, nobody's over here and the house is secure, but Charlie's a little uncomfortable so I'm going to stay until Mike and Mari get back. I just called them; it should only be three quarters of an hour." This was one of those non-lies. Scott was technically not lying but omitting a good portion of the truth. When Ennard wasn't instantly ready with a response, the line falling silent for a few seconds, it was clear that the clown was catching on. "Charlie's pretty upset and I just don't feel right leaving her alone. Better safe than sorry."

"Aww! Well, why don't ya just bring her over here? Baby would love a sleepover!"

"I would but I already talked to them and you know how worried Mari can get. He'd probably pop in right as she got to our house-." He was briefly interrupted by a 'the more the merrier' from Ennard and got a smile from it. "I won't be here that long. I promise I'll be heading home as soon as they get back. You just hold down the fort until then."

"Can do!" Ennard eagerly replied. Though his tone then changed just slightly. "You stay safe over there. I can't protect ya when ya don't let me."

"The only thing you would be protecting me from over here is an overly affectionate cat," Scott assured as he felt Moppet rubbing on his leg again. "Just let Baby know that Charlie alright, okay? Love you."

Sneaking that in at the end would always pacify the clown, and then he would pay less attention to the man's abrupt ending of the call. With a sigh, he returned his cellphone to his pocket and looked back to Charlie. All at once he felt a little shameful for his actions.

"You know I wouldn't ever lie to Ennard under normal circumstances. And I guess I didn't lie, but I didn't really tell him the truth," Scott confessed as he sat down across from her. He lifted Moppet to sit in his lap and began to pet her with shaking hands. "I just can't have him trying to get over here. One of these days he might not be careful enough and then- Oh boy. I'd rather not think about that. It's amazing enough that Springtrap's making his way around being spotted… But if they're both taking the same tunnels, then that's a recipe for disaster."

It was bringing up the rabbit again that made Charlie remember how long Scott was involved at Freddy's. She glanced across at him and saw the unease on his face. Probably still from the revelation that Springtrap and Ennard could probably run into one another any day now. She didn't need context to know that it would be bad. Instead, she focused on the subject at hand.

"Did you know Michael? Or how he ended up in that springlock suit? If that was William's suit, I guess he could've had access to it…" She exhaled static and tapped her fingers on the table. She felt wired- her left hand still wound to the bat- and wanted answers that she feared she wouldn't get. "Mari doesn't talk about Michael, and Mike only knows about what happened after he became Golden Bonnie."

"Mari wouldn't know much about Michael. See, he left home when he was still pretty young, not too long after William's wife passed away. I think he went to live with relatives for a while and William pretty much disowned him. I met him a few times though. He didn't like me very much and considering the circumstances I don't blame him," Scott explained. He then got an uneasy look. "…That suit though… You're right, it was William's. It disappeared for time to time, but it was never really gone. He just hid it."

"But why would Michael get in the suit?" Charlie insisted. "I think Mike and Baby might've said that Michael was one of the ones who were targeted in Afton's to be used as a suit, so how did he get back out and in there?"

"That I couldn't really say. Ennard's been a little more open about the scooping since he got some of his memories back, but he- I don't know if he knows much about Michael… I do know he gets uncomfortable when I mention him. Maybe he knows something more than he lets on, but if it's just that he witnessed him being scooped too, then it's not worth making him recount that." An uneasy pause settled on the air. Scott decided to fill it with chatter once more. "But those springlock suits never worked right. I'm honestly surprised this one held up this well."

"Me too. I've seen some of those springlocks outside of the suits before and they just don't hold up. Pressure, water, rust-." Charlie listed them off on her fingers. "Dust, sweat, a light breeze-."

"Any amount of electricity," Scott finished. Charlie glanced to him curiously. "If you can get them on a joint- something connected to the endoskeleton and not just the suit- a quick jolt will cause springlocks to fail. And they fail spectacularly. Even if they're in character mode they'll seize and release- they'll do everything short of bursting into flames." She looked surprised and he got a slight smile. "Just for future reference."

"You know a lot about these suits," the Security Puppet remarked.

"Everything there is except how to rebuild them," the Phone Guy answered, almost bragging. He looked down at Moppet and pet over her back. Cats always made him feel calmer, made it easier to talk without his voice catching. "Especially William's suit… I must've helped him put it on and take it off at least a dozen times. I was the only one he let help him, but I don't think he really needed it. He just did it to make me feel like I was needed." A long time ago he would've thought this was to boost his confidence, but over the years Scott had realized it was only for one person's gain, and it wasn't his own.

Charlie looked to him with both surprise and sympathy. "…You were close?" she dared to ask.

"He was," Scott answered vaguely.

Now she was starting to understand. Now she had a little more context to how he had known so much about Freddy's, and why he had those dull scars on his cheeks. Charlie's voice softened, "Is that why-?"

Everything was silenced by the house phone beginning to ring. Both looked over at it like it was Springtrap himself barging into the room. They silently stared until Charlie gave a quiet, "I thought the phone was out."

"Maybe the line's back up. The storm's kind of dying out there," Scott offered as he stood and headed over. He was much more uneased by the fact that someone was calling this late, especially with what was on the loose. He took a deep breath and answered. "Uh… Hello?"

* * *

A dull thumping noise roused Natalie out of what was nearly a dead sleep. Groggily, she raised her head from where it had been tucked into the back of Fritz's neck and looked past him towards the window. There was something there, but she didn't get a good enough look before it skirted to the side and out of the way. She blinked a few times and tried to focus as she roused quickly, knowing that hadn't been her mind playing tricks. After a few seconds, she nudged Fritz in the side lightly.

"Hey, I think there's somebody outside," Natalie whispered to him. The man didn't even move, so she nudged him a little harder. "Fritz, I think there's someone walking around outside."

"You're probably asleep," the man vaguely answered. She frowned at him but paused in her efforts to wake him when she heard another thumping from around the sliding glass door. She clenched her teeth and sat up the rest of the way in bed.

"I'm going to go check," Natalie whispered before climbing out of bed. She crept to the door, stopping by the dresser to fumble over it before finding Fritz's heavy-duty flashlight. It was just weighty enough to be a weapon just as well as a source of light. She stepped out into the living room and looked towards the sliding glass door, but there was nothing there. She went over and checked to find it still locked. Content with that, she started to head towards the front door to check it as well.

Only to stop in her tracks when she heard what sounded like someone trying to open the window beside the front door. The shades pulled down she could only see the shadow cast from the outside light. The light had to be playing a trick on her, for the shadow was too tall and broad to be accurate unless the person trying to get in was monstrous. She could hear it rattling at the windows and then the footsteps as it climbed over the bushes outside.

Natalie hurriedly crept across the carpet to the front door right as she heard the footsteps outside and looked through the peephole.

Apparently, her suspicion had been correct; it was a monster trying to get inside. A tall, burned monster with rabbit features and a bared grin. Natalie's blood ran cold as it limped past the door and over to the garage. She barely held back until it was out of sight before bolting to the bedroom. She rushed to Fritz's side of the bed and began to shake him frantically.

"Fritz, get up quick! Springtrap's outside! Or I think it's Springtrap- whatever it is, it's trying to break in!" Natalie whispered in growing panic. It didn't take long for the technician to get the jest and shoot up in bed.

"Are you sure?!" She nodded confidently and Fritz scrambled out of bed. "The doors are locked, right?!"

"I think so… I don't know! It looks like he's trying the windows too!" The blond watched as the brunette leaned over and scrambled to look through the bedside drawer. "Do you have a taser in there or something?"

"I thought I did, but it's not- I must have put it in the van for the trip," Fritz said with a thick swallow. He knew that was where it was and straightened with a shaky breath. "Let's just not panic. Springtrap can't get in here, so we'll just go in the garage, get the taser, and hole up somewhere until either he leaves or sunrise… That way if he does get in then I'll be able to stop him," he explained with attempted rationality. He took the flashlight- Natalie handed it over almost reluctantly- and started to the door. "Wait here."

"I'm not letting you go out there alone! Don't even make me bring up how bad that goes in horror movie. Blondes and couples already die left and right, I can't afford a triple whammy!" Natalie whispered. She sidled up beside him. "We go together. Springtrap won't know what hit him."

"Well… If he stands in the driveway too long, I've got an idea of what might hit him," Fritz added with a tiny smile. A stressed smile nonetheless, which dropped as he turned and led them out of the bedroom.

They headed past the kitchen and living room, with Natalie grabbing a knife out of the strainer as they went. Fritz considered pointing out how little that would do on something like Springtrap, but the sour feeling of dread in his stomach convinced him to let her have that amount of security. He was just about to open the garage door when he heard noises from inside. He froze up as he heard a loud bang followed by the signature squeak of the garage door sliding open. He stepped back, pushing Natalie with him.

"He got in," Fritz whispered frantically. He shoved her back towards the living room. "Back door! We'll sneak out the back!"

Part of him worried about Chance still downstairs, but he had to get them to safety. Maybe Chance would be safe; maybe Springtrap wouldn't risk using the stairs. They sprinted back to the sliding glass door and Natalie unlocked the door and tried to open it, to no avail.

"It won't open?!" Natalie continued trying until Fritz took over, trying to brute force the door open. "I don't understand, it's unlocked! What could've-!" It was then that she spotted a broken broom handle shoved in the door's track and her eyes widened in horror. "Fritz, he blocked the door!"

"How could he-?" Fritz was cut off by Natalie grabbing his shoulder and pointing to the broom handle. Not only did that confirm that this escape route wouldn't work, but it suddenly suggested something much more devious: Springtrap was trying to keep them from running. "Okay, okay, new plan. We get downstairs _now_."

They turned and began to hurry back towards the stairs when the garage door was flung open. They stared down the short hall as the hideous rabbit stepped into their home and stared across the room at them. His eyes glowed in an unholy way as his gaze leveled on him. It was in that second that their worst fears were confirmed, because it was clear that he was there for them.

With a cry of, "Run!" Natalie made a break for the stairs with Fritz close behind. Both raced down them, hearing the footsteps following. Fritz noticed that Springtrap wasn't immediately following, as though he wasn't afraid of them getting away. Perhaps he had circled the house. Maybe he knew the only window leading out of the basement was too small to crawl through. They could hear a low groan from the rabbit as they disappeared down the stairs.

The technician hurried across the downstairs sitting room and barged into the guest room. "Chance?!" he called and looked around. But the black bear was nowhere to be seen. "Where-?!"

He bit his tongue as he heard the squeaking of footsteps on the stairs. Natalie rushed up to him and frantically asked in a whisper, "What do we do now?! We're not going to fit out the window!"

"I don't know!" Fritz looked around frantically before stopping on the door to the crawlspace underneath the stairs. "Maybe I have something under the stairs."

He could only hope there was another tazer or a tool for taking animatronics apart on the fly and rushed over. He dove inside, hearing Springtrap's heavy footsteps above, and began to dig through the uppermost box of electronic parts. He wasn't finding anything when he felt Natalie's back brush his as she skirted into the crawlspace and shut the slated door behind them. Suddenly this was their hiding spot and he stopped his searching, quieting down, and hoping that Springtrap would walk right by and leave the stairway open.

Fritz squeezed past her so he could look through the thin crack in the door. He saw Springtrap making his way over to the guest bedroom door that had been left open. He was dripping rainwater onto the carpet and each staggering footstep sent chills down their spins. If he just moved on to the next door then they would have enough room to rush past.

Except that Springtrap was much too aware of his surroundings. He looked around before stopping on the door underneath the stairs. Fritz knew he must've heard him looking for a weapon. The rabbit started to close in on the door and there was simply not enough time to get out. Or, at least, there wasn't enough time for both of them to get out, and there was no way Fritz would leave Natalie behind. He swallowed thickly as the suit closed in.

Natalie hugged him around the middle as she stared past his shoulder with wide eyes. Fritz watched through the crack with an equal look as he slowly reached out to grab for the edge of the door. There was no handle on the inside, so there was no chance he would be able to keep it closed. He was nearly shivering as Springtrap crept closer to the door. The odor of wet and burned fabric and muck wafted in as it stopped on the other side of the door. The rabbit leaned in with a squeak as a single eye looked through the crack.

Springtrap's eye fell on the two humans for a second before he drew back and threw the door open. Natalie gave a short cry and Fritz choked as the suit cocked its head and stared at him. It was looking for him, he knew it from how it stared, and he had only a second to brace himself.

Because then came a few heavy thumps and a black arm swinging out to clock Springtrap in the side of the head. The springlock suit staggered from the sucker punch while his attacker turned to the two humans.

"Run! Get out of the house!" Chance cried in a whisper. He waved his arm frantically. "Get out! Get out of here!" Natalie didn't need to be told twice. She nearly shoved Fritz out of the doorway and yanked him back to the stairs. The black bear watched them leave before turning back to see Springtrap righting himself. "You want a fight? I'll fight you, William. I'll rip that rabbit skin clean off!"

With the word 'William', Springtrap's head snapped up with his eyes widening and teeth tightening. He shuddered in anger before charging. Chance braced himself to catch him, but he wasn't ready for the maneuver as the rabbit caught him around the middle. He drove the black bear into the bookshelf in the corner so hard that it cracked in protest, and between that and the motion the black bear lost his balance and dragged Springtrap down with him to the floor.

That was the last thing Fritz saw before he was following Natalie up the stairs and towards the garage. The adrenaline was still pumping and forcing him along but as they arrived at the garage he slowed to a stop. Natalie grabbed her car keys and made a run for it, only to look back and find Fritz going into the back of the van.

"Fritz?!" She raced over and found him going through a toolbox. "Fritz, we have to go! Chance won't be able to hold him back forever!"

"I know, but this might!" Fritz grabbed his tazer and hopped back out of the van and hurried back inside. "I can't leave Chance with him, he'll kill him!"

"Fritz, he'll kill _you!_ You can fix Chance! Fritz?! _Fritz_!" But her calls fell on deaf ears. He was determined to go back. "What am I supposed to do?! Why is this happening now?!" Natalie muttered frantically to herself. She then threw herself into the van and began to scour for some sort of weapon. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything like the tazer that would magically stop an animatronic in its tracks. She would have to use something else.

Springtrap had gotten himself off Chance but was continuing to violently attack him. Fritz came around the corner to see him stomping on the bear's chest, trying to break through his hatch, and when it didn't work, he instead changed targets. He kicked Chance's grabbing hand back, pinned it under his foot, and then reached for a glass candle holder off the bookshelf to bludgeon him. Chance wasn't helping matters.

"Do it, I dare you. You think I'm scared of you? It's not going to do anything. I couldn't get out of this body if I tried," he challenged in a whispering hiss. Springtrap's hand tightened in anger as he crunched down on his wrist and ground it into the carpet. "You're going to have to try harder than that, _Will_."

Again, Springtrap reacted violently to the name, and dropped onto one knee on the bear's abdomen. He grabbed Chance by the ear, even as the bear was trying to fight back, and raised the holder with the intention and cracking it right into his black eye. But in that second of hesitation Springtrap was able to hear the footsteps past his anger. He released Chance and turned just in time to catch Fritz's forearm, right before the tazer could jam into his side.

This took the technician off guard as his face twisted into a look of horror. The rabbit twisted and yanked his arm to the side painfully, just barely holding back from breaking it. It was enough to cause Fritz to cry out and lose his grip on the tazer. He tried to grab for it with his other arm when Springtrap jumped to his feet, shoved Fritz back, and slammed his back painfully against the closest drywall.

Fritz flinched as Springtrap leaned in with that wide grin. He pinned Fritz's arms to his side, holding him in place, and even though the technician fought he couldn't get free. Chance was struggling to try and right himself behind them, yelling after them as he rolled himself over and tried to push himself up. Not that he would be able to stop Springtrap in time. Fritz was completely at his mercy, and that wide grin began to spread open with a low creak as the teeth slowly inched apart.

He could almost see what lay inside. He almost saw what remained of the man inside.

And then the teeth snapped back together abruptly and the rabbit twitched. Fritz flinched back at the motion, expecting to be attacked, but instead the animatronic's twitching was continuing. Its fingers tightened painfully as its joints creaked. It began to hunch forward with its eyes staring ahead and blinking violently. There was a static noise growing along with a new smell, one that almost smelled like burning plastic or rubber. Fritz's eye widened as the shaking stopped long enough for Springtrap to give a low groan of pain.

That was the same noise that Springtrap had made earlier. Added with the smell and the shudders it looked like he was malfunctioning. Like there was something broken inside of him that was actively short circuiting. _"Is that why he's here? Is he breaking down?"_

This thought was cut off by Chance finally getting to his feet and charging in. Springtrap yanked Fritz off the wall and forced him between them to block himself, with one hand digging into his shoulder and his fingers edging towards the technician's neck. Chance stopped right where he stood and stared, glared, but didn't move in further. His eye glanced briefly down at the tazer and back, and the rabbit's quickly to Fritz and back in a silent warning. The springlock animatronic started to back towards the stairs.

"You're a monster," Chance snarled after him. Broken music box noises rattled through his chest as his speaker wheezed in coughing. Trying to clear smoke out of lungs when neither existed. "You leave him out of this, Will. This is between you and me." The rabbit let out a wheezy sort of noise, but it vaguely sounded like a scoff. This only infuriated the black bear more. "You touch so much as one hair and so help me-!"

But Chance's whispers didn't travel as well once Springtrap went around the corner and began to back up the stairs. He continued to guide Fritz from behind, yanking him along and being the only thing keeping the man from tripping on the steps and falling backwards. They turned the corner at the landing and continued on, with the technician catching a brief glance of Chance watching them go. They stopped on the last step where Springtrap froze up momentarily. He trembled again, but not as much as last time.

Just long enough for Natalie to pop up behind him and crack him over the back with a crowbar. She was rewarded with a painful sounding thwack but little damage, as Springtrap immediately turned back towards her. He hooked an arm around Fritz's neck, cinching in enough to choke him, and deflected the crowbar's second blow with his arm. Springtrap then grabbed for the weapon which Natalie noticed and yanked it out his grasp. He started to close in on her as Fritz wheezed and clawed at the arm.

"D-Don't come any closer!" Natalie cried as she swung. Springtrap responded by bending over and grabbing the edge of the coffee table which he then proceeded to flip at her. She just barely scrambled out of the way with a cry as it crashed to the ground. In the second she had to back away, Springtrap drug Fritz over to the garage door. The blond noticed and dashed around the couch. "Stop! Fritz- No!"

Springtrap slammed the door on her hard enough that it made contact and knocked her back. In that second, he grabbed the metal shelf alongside the door and threw it on its side to block it. Then he turned and took a few plodding steps towards the open garage door, with Fritz fighting him the entire time.

"Spring- Michael, don't do this!" the technician frantically begged. "I don't know what you want but doing this isn't going to solve- oomph!"

The animatronic opened the van door and nearly threw Fritz inside. He wrenched his arm and pressed him in so tightly that the man's back was nearly bent over in the seat. The rabbit then leaned over him threateningly with those teeth spreading again. He could smell that burning scent wafting from the inside of the suit as he was hit with something else, a voice.

"Take me to his warehouse," Springtrap spoke in a raspy, forceful voice. Yet even through that threatening tone the technician recognized something else; desperation. Before he could even consider whether he should be sympathetic, especially since the animatronic seemed to be in pain, his voice lowered. "Or I finish what I started _ **with the bear**_ **.** "

That was an obvious threat towards Chance, one that Fritz knew he would keep. And even if he was willing to risk it, who would say that he would stop at him? He obviously knew that Fritz could repair animatronics, so he would keep going until he found something that would work. Knowing he was out of options, Fritz nodded slowly with a thick swallow. Springtrap pushed him the rest of the way in and shut the van door before walking around to climb into the back.

Fritz didn't even try to run. He knew he couldn't.

* * *

Scott was reeling as Natalie babbled over the phone. One hand on his head, the other clutching said phone, and him silent with his mouth agape.

"And- And the last thing I heard was something about the warehouse and I'd follow him, but I don't have any weapons or anything! I think someone stepped on the tazer, because I can't get it to come on, and I thought Mike might- I don't know what to do!" The woman was hysterical and her cry for help had been unfortunately intercepted by the wrong person. Or perhaps the right person, as Scott felt the familiar weight of his own tazer reminding him. "What if he kills him?!"

"He- I don't think- I don't think Springtrap would take Fritz there to kill him. I mean, I hope not… No. He wouldn't, it just doesn't make sense if he did. But…" Scott felt his pulse quicken and blood pressure rise. "I'll go over there and see if I can… Talk him down." Charlie looked surprised by the comment, as was Natalie on the phone.

"I don't know… God, I don't want to leave Fritz out there at that warehouse alone with Springtrap, but he could turn on you just as fast. It could set him off and then he could attack both you- Maybe- Maybe you could take Ennard and Baby over there to straighten him out?"

The thought alone horrified Scott. Just imagining taking Ennard over there when he knew how aggressive the rabbit got towards the clown, and vice versa, and throwing Baby into the mix, especially if she caught wind about the delicate situation with Charlie. It would be a disaster. They could get hurt, Ennard could get damaged, and he was quick to try and concoct another solution.

"Wait, I don't have to do that," Scott insistently defended. "I have a tazer if I need to, but I can talk him down. Trust me, just-… Call Mike's cellphone and warn him. I have to go." He ended the call quickly, pausing as his hand shook on the receiver, and then turned back to face Charlie. "I know you heard that."

"Are you going to take Ennard and Baby over there?" Charlie asked. He shook his head simply and she couldn't exactly say it was a bad call. "Then take me with you."

"I don't think… He's not exactly… Well, you saw him."

"I did see him and I know he's dangerous," the Security Puppet agreed. "…But I also saw other things. He's paranoid. He can be distracted easily and will drop everything to follow noise. We could use that to our advantage if he's not willing to be reasoned with." Scott still seemed hesitant and she stood. "I know I'm not exactly as advanced as some of the others when it comes to defending myself." She nearly had to pry the bat out of the string wrapping it. "But just because I'm not as strong as Springtrap doesn't mean I can't use his weaknesses against him."

"That's… actually a really good idea and I'd rather not go alone… But aren't you afraid that something might- Aren't you afraid?" Scott asked with his own fear on his voice.

"I'm afraid," Charlie admitted, "but not as afraid as I used to be. He's not as scary when it's three against one."

"I guess not," Scott said with only the slightest more relief. "But yeah, thanks. I'm not really comfortable in going alone. Even if it is Michael- though Michael's never even liked me… Let's go before I talk myself out of this." Scott started to head over towards the door, with Charlie pulling her hood up and following. "Or before Ennard catches on and pops up. Whichever comes first."

The car ride felt much too short for Scott and much too long for Charlie. They discussed the plan, or what was their vague idea of one, on the way and stopped only once pulling into the parking lot alongside Fritz's van. They were here, just like Natalie had said. It was a shame too as Scott had never liked this warehouse. Still, he got out of the car and headed inside on his own. The overhead lights were out but a glow came through the shelves, which Scott followed until he spotted the source from the open office door.

Scott tried to keep his footsteps quiet as he closed in on the office. He could hear the clattering of what sounded like a toolbox and once he was within only a few feet of the doorway he could see Fritz's form. He was knelt by one of the lockers against the back wall and looking through something. It didn't look like he was in danger or frantic. Thinking that maybe Springtrap was somewhere else in the warehouse, Scott nudge the door open more.

"Fritz," the Phone Guy whispered. The technician's head shot up and he looked back at the other man. His eyes proceeded to widen in horror as his mouth dropped open. "Are you okay?"

"You're not supposed to be here. What are you _doing_ here?" Fritz asked in a quiet, panicked tone. Then he suddenly switched gears. "You need to go home, now, _please_. Don't tell anyone I'm here, don't call anyone, just go home. I'm just working late." The lie took the man off-guard.

"No, Fritz, I already know. Natalie called me," Scott assured as he stepped in all the way. Fritz only looked more horrified as the man came closer. "Where did he go?"

Fritz's gaze suddenly moved to look past Scott and he knew he had made a mistake.

There was a slow squeaking as the door started to close behind him and Scott spun around to see Springtrap standing behind it. He had been there the whole time listening. Once the door was about halfway closed, he slammed it shut the rest of the way. The sound was deafening in the quiet room, and it signaled his only escape route closing off to him. Fritz had been trying to warn him. He could've walked off, Springtrap might've let him go, but that wasn't about to happen now.

"Oh no…" Scott took a step back and bumped the desk. His hands reached back to catch himself and fumbled blindly onto blueprints, but he was too busy staring at the state of the suit before him to notice. Soot and dirt stained it and there were more tears in the softer exterior. There was something in its gaze that made the man feel like he was in imminent danger. "I… Uh… Michael?"

Springtrap straightened abruptly, broken ears bobbing and shoulders squaring, and took a step closer. Intimidated, Scott started to slide around the desk, with Fritz watching in horror from against the lockers.

"Michael, I-I know I'm probably the last person you want to see, and I know what happened at your father's house and I know what going here, and I- I came to try and talk some sense into you because… This isn't you," the Phone Guy said shakily. His voice stuttered and stumbled, coming out more pleading than he intended it to, and did nothing to stop the animatronics' slow, methodical gait. "This isn't you, Michael! You- You would never do something like this… To anyone! N-No matter what. You weren't- You're not like that."

But Springtrap's eyes held that same look they had. He only stopped once he was standing over Scott. Even though he was only slightly taller than the average human he seemed to tower over him. Scott fumbled under his jacket and nightshirt to grab at his cross as his heart pounded underneath it. He had honestly thought he could reason with him. He couldn't believe he thought that.

"Michael, please," Scott nearly begged. Springtrap's fists tightened and his eyelids lowered like he was narrowing his gaze. It was only then that a new realization appeared.

" _What if he's not Michael?"_ The horror that gripped Scott was unlike any he had ever felt before. _"…What if he's William?"_

Right as Springtrap took one last step in and Scott's foot bumped the wall behind him, right when it felt like everything was about to fall apart, something unexpected happened.

'Pop Goes the Weasel' played through the now cracked office door.

Springtrap's head snapped to the door. He stared momentarily before starting to step closer. Grabbing a heavy socket wrench that had been left on the desk, he opened the door the rest of the way and stared out into the warehouse. The music was retreating deeper inside, and he stared into the darkness like he was considering whether to follow it. Apparently the draw was too much as he stepped outside into the warehouse, shutting the door behind him, and prepared for a fight.

As soon as he was gone, Scott turned towards Fritz. "Now's our chance! We can just slip out the back!" he exclaimed in a whisper and gestured to the office door that led outside. "Or- Or you could just get yourself out and I'll stay and see if… If I can do something." But to his alarm, Fritz just shook his head in defeat. "What? Why?!"

"I can't. If I go out that door, Springtrap's just going to go back to my house and attack Chance… Again." Fritz swallowed thickly while Scott stared in alarm, more shocked by the other man's refusal to escape while he still could. "But you need to leave _now_. See all this?" He gestured to a spread of parts, tools, and blueprints on the desk. "Springtrap wants me to fix him. He needs me, but when he comes back he could turn on you, and I'm not going to let someone else get hurt protecting me."

"This is nonsensical to me. Help me understand this. You're not leaving because you're afraid Springtrap is going to walk all the way back to your house-."

"He broke into my house while I was sleeping, Scott! I almost slept straight through it! He would've just snatched me right out of bed if Natalie wasn't a light sleeper!" Fritz exclaimed frantically. The older man only looked more disturbed and the younger exhaled. "Maybe… Maybe Mari can stop him… He's got a way of getting through to other animatronics," Fritz offered desperately as he looked towards the door. "Maybe he can stop him."

But Scott only felt dread as he knew Marionette would do none of the sort. Apparently, Fritz hadn't noticed that ringing replaced the usual chimes. Neither did Springtrap, but they would know soon enough.

He could only hope Charlie could hold her own.


	65. Chapter 65

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-Five_

The warehouse went quiet as Springtrap started to take his labored steps down the aisle. He limped when first coming out of the doorway, riding through another shiver of malfunctioning pain, but then straightened as he trudged on. He turned back only once to check the door and make sure the Puppet wasn't slipping into the office behind him. It wasn't, so he turned ahead and continued to search, listening for the music.

He believed Marionette would face him directly and he might've been right. However, it wasn't Marionette who made the sounds, and who was currently watching him through the shelves from the safety of the next aisle. With him away from the office, Charlie expected Fritz and Scott to rush out through the back. Yet she couldn't hear anything beyond some whispering from inside. They weren't trying to escape.

" _Why aren't they running while they can?"_ An answer came quickly. _"He must have done something to the door… Of course he did. He couldn't trust Fritz to not make a break for it when his back was turned. They'll have to come out this way, and they'll be right in his path again. He won't let them walk out of here without a fight."_ She turned around and leaned against the shelf as she listened to his distant footsteps. _"…I need to stall him or stop him. I just need something less lethal than a taser…"_

The Security Puppet's eyes began to gravitate to a large cardboard box on a shelf on the other side of the aisle. Considering that the line of shelves was mostly empty it wasn't surprising that she locked onto it. It looked like there were old animatronic parts stacked inside so it would be heavy. If something like that dropped on Springtrap from that height then he would maybe get knocked down, or at least stagger, and then she could deal with him while he was.

" _A good enough idea, but how do I knock it down? I guess I could coax him over here, climb through, up the other side and push it through… He would hear me. There's no way I'd be quiet enough with him that close. And if he sees in the dark then he'll see if I climb to the top…"_ She could already hear him starting to come closer to her aisle. It would've been so much easier for Marionette; he would've just used his telekinesis to knock it down. _"But I don't have powers like him… Right?"_

It was then that a curious thought started to come to her. _"I didn't think I had strings, but I do. Maybe I'm not so different than him. Maybe I just need to try?"_

Charlie looked up towards the box. She wasn't sure how to do this, moving things with her mind, but she raised a hand and attempted to focus. She fixated on the box, flexing her fingers, springs and spools tightening, and tried to get it to move. Just a little, just the smallest bit, just enough to show she could, but to no avail.

She dropped her arm in defeat. _"Okay, no. No mind moving powers."_

Springtrap started to walk past the end of the aisle and Charlie quickly slipped back into the bottom level of the shelf again. She hid between an old vacuum and a box half full of plastic utensils. He didn't hear her as he simply looked down the aisle and, upon seeing nothing, continued towards the back. She dropped her arms onto her folded legs in relief. It was then, with her body hunched and hooded head angled down, that she noticed her one string still hanging out a small bit from earlier with the baseball bat. She lifted it in her fingers and had an idea.

Charlie pulled one of the attachments off the vacuum and threw it towards the end of the aisle. It clattered against some of the stacked chairs, catching Springtrap's attention and causing him to spin around and hurry over to it. While he was on the move, she quietly darted to the other side of the shelves and carefully climbed to the box at the top. She looked through the parts stacked inside before finding that a guitar that was sticking out was more stuck than it seemed. Just enough to be used as leverage.

She wound her string around her fingers and slowly coaxed more out until it looked like enough then guided the string to the guitar. Charlie planned on having to tie it to the item, so she was more than a little relieved when it willingly slid around the instrument like it had a mind of its own. Or like an involuntary reflex of some kind. Once it seemed adequately secured, she began to climb back down the shelf, stopping on each step down to take out more string. Her spools had never been so unwound and it felt odd, though not in an unpleasant or painful way.

Once back on the floor and sure the bottom shelf had a place to retreat, she knew she was ready. _"Here goes nothing…"_

The Security Puppet began to ring out the Puppet's warning music as she climbed into the bottom shelf. Within seconds she could hear Springtrap's approaching footsteps.

He was a little more cautious this time, becoming more suspicious of the music. He still followed the song and was soon looking directly at the spot where she was holed away. But he didn't notice the string hanging down, even when he was standing right underneath the box. Both of her hands held tightly to the string as she watched him slowly started to lean over. His face appeared in her line of sight; that wide, tight smile and those fixated eyes were aimed directly at her.

She yanked the string with all her might. He had only a second of warning from a rustling above before the box tipped over and came crashing down. It spilled parts as it fell and landed on him heavily, causing him to stumble. The guitar fell out beside his leg and she snatched it up as she slid out of the shelf and swung it at the back of his legs, hoping to knock him off his feet. Springtrap staggered but refused to fall.

" _No good. Have to get some distance,_ " Charlie decided. She tossed the guitar aside and stood, making a break for the other side of the aisle and diving through the space she had left.

Springtrap threw the box aside with a crash and went looking for her. He started after her when he noticed something she hadn't yet, that she was still dragging the guitar. In an instant he stomped his foot down and trapped it and her string underneath. Her string tugged before unraveling more, and even though she had made it to the other side of the shelf she knew this was a bad situation.

" _Come on, release!"_ His foot was more on the guitar than her string, so it seemed like she could pull it free. Yet no matter how she tried to will it to it gripped tightly to the instrument.

Springtrap didn't give her the chance to figure it out and instead snatched up her string and gave a harsh yank. Her tightened spools sent her thumping into the shelf before beginning to release more. He was planning on reeling her in, and as soon as she realized that her music began again. This time the Marionette façade didn't hold up and instead 'Ring Around the Rosey' took its place. He perked as he heard it, now recognizing that something was amiss, and gave another sharp tug.

Her string was rapidly unwinding when she heard someone running and looked over to see Fritz and Scott appear. Fritz made a mad dash towards her and reached out his hand, to which she desperately reached back. Unfortunately, they couldn't get a proper grip by time her spool ran out and she was pulled through the shelf. She couldn't fight the sharp jolt as her spool attempted to hold its last bit of string.

Charlie was dragged out at Springtrap's feet. In a second he grabbed her by the shoulder, shoved her back against the shelf, and leaned in close to see underneath her hood. Now he could fully see her face and recognized right away that she was not Marionette but the other puppet he had seen at Henry's home. She stared back at him, the fear returning to her just as quickly as it had then.

Scott dashed around the corner and yelled down the aisle, "Stop!"

Springtrap's head snapped over, but he kept his vice grip on Charlie's shoulder. Scott swallowed thickly and took a few steps closer.

"She's not who you think she is. She's not Mari, a-and the only reason she's here is because… I brought her here. It's my fault, not hers." The springlock animatronic started to look back towards her, seemingly curious of her, and Scott didn't take that as a good sign. Animatronic fixation could always go terribly wrong. He needed to lure Springtrap away.

"Please just let her go," Scott begged. Springtrap looked back to him again, staring, perhaps considering using her as leverage like he did with Chance. "P-Please, she's not- she's nobody who's going to hurt you. Fritz already explained everything and I- I'm just going to leave and let him work, okay? Or I can stay or whatever you want. Just please let her go."

But he knew from the distant look on Springtrap's face that he was thinking. Springtrap remembered that Marionette had appeared very quickly after this puppet had been in Henry's house. That this puppet was the one living with Marionette at his father's house. She was close to the Puppet, who would no doubt catch wind and come after him after finding out what happened with Fritz. Unless he had a reason to keep his distance.

He had gone too far to go back now.

When Scott took another step forward Springtrap yanked Charlie in front of him like a shield. He readjusted his hands so that one was tightly grabbing her shoulder, dangerously close to her neck, and the other held her forearm tightly. His intentions were clear, and Scott stared in horror. Like with Chance before her he would use her as his personal hostage.

But the movement was just enough for Charlie to get her one arm into her jacket, which Scott noticed before looking back to Springtrap. He had to distract him and so he did in the only way he knew how.

"Michael, I'm sorry, but I have no choice…" The older man then looked past the springlock suit and further down the aisle. "Ennard! Baby! _Grab him!_ " Springtrap recognized the names and turned back to confront the two animatronics who the man had commanded to attack.

Except that there was nobody there. In the second he wasn't paying attention, Charlie reached into her jacket, pulled out the taser she had hidden inside, and jammed it into his wrist.

What followed was sudden. Not only was Springtrap wracked in a surge of electricity but so was Charlie herself, even if it was a lesser current and only climbed her arms. It was painful enough that she ripped herself out of his frozen grasp and stumbled forwards, somehow still clutching the weapon. Scott and Fritz ran to her side immediately.

"Are you okay? How much of a shock did you get?" Fritz asked in alarm. Her voice crackled as she tried to answer and handed the taser off to him.

"I'm okay," she got out. "It stings, but I'll live." She shuddered as her internal metal quivered. "It was either him and me or just me."

"You did what you had to. Don't worry, you'll be fine… Him, not so much," Fritz remarked quietly as he caught sight of Springtrap. Charlie noticed he was looking past her and looked too.

Springtrap was seizing like the electricity was still coursing through his body. Joints trembled and his teeth locked and opened, chattering as his eyes stared ahead, and his limbs beginning to lock. Scott was the only one to recognize it, but it looked uncannily like a springlock malfunction even though his body was not in suit mode. The rabbit began to slowly bow over before his stiff body collapsed. He continued to shiver on the floor as he tried to fight whatever torment his body was going through.

"I… I didn't kill him, did I?" Charlie asked in dread. She stepped a little closer and looked at his state. That wasn't what she wanted, not even to her worst enemy or source of fear.

Fritz shook his head. "No. He's already got some sort of electrical failure. I think you might've just triggered it to flare up," Fritz offered as he looked at the writhing rabbit. "Think of it like pouring salt in a wound."

"I don't know about that. That looks a lot like his springlocks are malfunctioning… They don't handle electricity well," Scott offered.

"Springlocks don't handle anything well," Fritz pointed out matter-of-factly.

"I really didn't mean to do this… but I didn't have a choice," Charlie quietly defended herself. Though it didn't seem like either man was questioning it. "He was out of control."

" _That_ is an understatement," Fritz affirmed. He then gave a winded sigh as Springtrap's shaking started to slow down. "…But he won't stay like this forever… Scott, I hope you were serious about Ennard and Baby being nearby, because we're going to need them to help lug him into the office. We can keep him in there and I can try shutting him down for now… And then he can be someone else's problem."

"He's, uh, still our problem. I was bluffing," Scott admitted. "But there's the cart, right? We can probably do this. Let's do this."

So, they did. Springtrap was pretty much unresponsive, so Fritz was quick to move in and shut him down manually through the neck. Then all three of them lifted and tethered Springtrap onto the dolly to move him into the office. It wasn't just that his body was heavy, it was also awkward and stiff, with his springlock malfunction causing all his joints to lock. It took them much longer than anticipated to move him into the office. The dolly was then sat down on the floor, Springtrap still bound to it, and they retreated quickly from the room.

Then it was just a matter of waiting. Fritz called Natalie and informed her of the situation, and then practically had to beg her to get her to not drive over immediately. He also called and informed Mike of the situation. Scott stayed even when both Fritz and Charlie gave him the option to go. He felt obligated to stay and waited alongside them.

It was only ten minutes or so before a car careened into the parking lot and only a second after that Marionette just appeared in the warehouse. Both Scott and Fritz jumped, their nerves still frayed, while Charlie- who was laying down- pushed herself up eagerly to greet him. He rushed to her and immediately started to look her over, lifting her chin and checking her face. His eyes had their pinprick glow to them and there was low static coming from his chest.

"I'm not hurt. I was just laying down to pass the time," Charlie reassured as she deflected his frantic onceover. "You're just as bad as Fritz," she lightly teased.

Marionette looked over towards the two men and simply asked, "Where is he?"

"Out like a light in the office," the technician answered. The Puppet straightened once more and Fritz's brow raised, "I don't think you should go in there."

"I don't care if he's my brother," Marionette started. His hands tightened into fists as venom spilled from his voice. "He's threatened too many lives tonight. He is not walking away from me this time."

Though before he could turn to leave, the warehouse door was flung open and Mike jogged inside and up to the group. "Alright, what's going on?" he asked, looking over everyone. "Where is he?"

"Out like a light in the office," Fritz repeated.

"Get up. You're waking him up and we're straightening this out," Mike affirmed. Fritz exhaled slowly, looking reluctant, but stood and drug himself towards the office. Marionette began to follow when Mike stopped him. "If Springtrap sees you then he's going to get defensive and fly into a rage. Let me talk to him first, then you can strangle him." The puppet looked like he wanted to protest while the man looked over towards Charlie to check on her. Seeing she was fine, he gave a simple, "Hey."

"Hey," Charlie simply answered. She got an uncomfortable smile, "Looks like the crocodile was right."

"I know. This night just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Mike smirked at her before following Fritz. Marionette frowned after him, obviously disagreeing, but turned his focus back to Charlie. Then both looked to Scott as he announced his presence again by standing with a sigh.

"I guess that's my cue to leave. I don't really want to be here when he wakes up… Believe me, if anything's going to make him fly into a rage it's me." Scott rubbed over his neck and hoped that Springtrap didn't remember where he lived. "I should get back before Ennard realizes something's wrong and tries to trek over here. You guys take care." He started to head to the door when Marionette rushed to stop him.

"Wait, before you go… Thank you for everything," Marionette said graciously. He regained a warm smile. "Fritz said that it was your taser that Charlie used to stop him. Let alone that you came over here of your own volition when you knew that it wasn't going to go well. I appreciate that more than anything."

"It's no problem. You would've done the same for me if the shoe was on the other foot," Scott said and smiled back. He looked between them, "Here's to hoping next time happens earlier in the day?"

"I'm not sure. A six-foot-tall rabbit breaking into houses in broad daylight?" Marionette teasingly asked. He then looked to Charlie a little warily and added. "And we may still be looking at that if he isn't secured."

Scott paled and cleared his throat. "Let's hope that doesn't happen. Good night, you two." He then hurried out the door and shortly afterwards they could hear his car starting to leave.

"You held your own today. I'm very impressed," Marionette complimented as he turned his attention fully to Charlie. "Even had your first jolt. I hope it wasn't too painful."

"Only for a few seconds but I've felt a lot worst. Wasn't even as bad as the time I wrenched my elbow trying to jump off a swing. Or it didn't last as long," Charlie answered confidently. In hindsight, she really had handled that better than the last time she ran across Springtrap. She was proud of herself even though it didn't all go according to plan. Though there was one thing still bothering her. "I'm starting to get control of my strings, but no matter how much I tried I couldn't… Move anything with my mind." Saying it out loud sounded silly. "Nothing happened."

"I can't say for sure that you will get powers, but I also can't say I'm surprised they haven't appeared yet. It might take a little longer with how much physical control you have on your body," Marionette offered. He tented his fingers thoughtfully. "Though practice could always help."

"How exactly do you practice something like that?" Charlie asked with mild amusement.

"It starts with a lot of staring. Usually at paper cups or something equally light," the other chimed. "Don't expect to move anything with substantial weight right away."

" _Wait, was the box too heavy?"_ It was odd; she never had been that focused on acquiring telekinesis, but that though roused a strange hope. She tried not to get those hopes up too high. "I might take you up on that. Maybe tomorrow. If we're not too busy installing bolt locks on all the doors and hatches and what have you."

Marionette gave a chime of amusement, but it seemed a touch strained. Almost like he wasn't fully convinced it was a joke. He reached out to put an arm around her and patted her arm comfortingly. Then they began to wait for what would come next.

Meanwhile, the two men were heading to the office. Fritz gave a yawn as he approached the door. "I'm exhausted. Let's just get this over with fast, because I need to get home and get some sleep."

"Same. I didn't come out of two hours of driving and one hour of macarena just to spend the rest of my night chasing rabbits," Mike agreed. Fritz stopped with his hand on the knob and looked back curiously.

"Huh, your mom didn't strike me as the macarena type," he remarked with another stifled yawn.

"She's not. Mari is. She's on a plane to Belize and there I am dancing in her living room. In hindsight, I should've stopped about twenty minutes in."

"We ought to get you home quick so you can get in a few more rounds before sunrise," the technician quipped before opening the door. His smile dropped instantly, his eyes popped open, and he slammed the office door shut once again. "He's up!" he whispered harshly. "I shut him off! _I had him tied to the dolly!_ He's standing right there!"

"Wait, you shut him all the way down and he started himself back up?" Mike asked in equal alarm. "How did he do that?!"

"I don't know! I just… Hold on." Fritz tentatively started to open the door again and peer in. He caught a glimpse of Springtrap before a fan was thrown at him. He managed to shut the door in the nick of time. "Oh yeah, he's up, and he's definitely not playing around." The doorknob rattled as his hand began to shake. "If I go home, he's going to follow me back. He's going to hunt me down and bring me back!"

"Don't panic. We were going to wake him up anyway. Just- Okay, get away from the door." Mike pulled his friend away and took his place. "You just stay back. I'll go in and handle this."

"Please tell me you have a something if he gets out of hand…" Fritz half-asked.

"I won't need anything," Mike assured. Though then proceeded to mouth, " _On my belt._ "

Then he started to open the door and head inside. He looked in just in time to see Springtrap snatching up the office chair with every intention of throwing it. The security guard was more than prepared to duck back out of the office, but to his surprise the animatronic just stared at him. He just held the chair in place, waiting for something. He had his back to the corner by the lockers, completely on guard and expecting a fight, and looking worse for wear. Mike slowly stepped into the office and shut the door behind him.

"Long time no see…" Mike cautiously began. He looked over the rabbit's burns and tears. "You're looking… Like you survived Freddy's."

Springtrap made a noise akin to an impatient sigh or groan and set the chair on the floor again. His hand rested on the back of it as he stared Mike down. He continued to stay silent which didn't surprise the man.

"Fritz let me in on what's going on," the security guard revealed. Even if he hadn't, it would've been clear from the evidence in the office. On the desk were things that Springtrap had stolen from the house; blueprints of his own suit, various replacement parts and spools of wire from the basement, and tools that had either come from the van or lockers. "But even if he didn't, I'm sure whatever state you left the house in would've explained enough."

Springtrap's hand tightened on the back of the office chair. Mike assumed he was starting to get agitated again. He couldn't say he was that concerned, not now when Springtrap couldn't handle a tazing.

"Things have changed since the fire. There was an incident with a guy named Dave Miller who tried to kidnap some kids, and now we've got detectives reopening the missing children cases and watching the restaurant. The people in this town used to forget things quick, but not this time. Too many opening and closing businesses, and clowns roaming the streets at night, and you're the last thing we need right now," Mike sized up the animatronic as he took a deep breath. "So, I'm going to make you an offer. If you- What are you doing?"

At first, he thought that Springtrap's shaking was out of anger, but that changed when the animatronic began to bow over the desk. His eyes widened and his body twitched like little jolts were running through it. This had to be the malfunction that Fritz said he had seen and now Mike stared at with surprise. Part of him had been half convinced that this was all an elaborate hoax, yet here was the evidence. Springtrap let out an agonized groan and leaned further forward as he rode out the shocks.

"…That looks a lot worse than I was expecting… You really are damaged, aren't you?" Mike quietly asked. The office chair started to slide under Springtrap's weight and Mike stepped in to grab it out of reflex. It wasn't like the rabbit was in a state to fight back anyway. Now closer to him, he could see that distant look as he finished riding out the pain. "I thought you were bluffing. What is this?" He noticed a loose wire jutting out of his elbow and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Open wiring. How long have you been walking around with this?"

Mike reached out and lifted the wire. Just as his fingers lifted it, even though he was touching it gingerly, Springtrap reacted violently. He snapped out of his post-pain daze and lashed out with the injured arm. It caught the man off guard and he barely got a chance to react before he was shoved into the lockers. It knocked the air out of his lungs.

" _ **Don't touch me**_ _!"_

There was a long pause then. Mike fought the urge to grab for his taser as Springtrap stared him down, returning the silent stare, both waiting. The clock on the wall was ticking so loudly above them that he could nearly count the seconds that slowly ticked by. Then Springtrap slowly drew away his arm and stepped back to the desk. He stood tall, he was obviously not fearful of the guard, but he gave the distance. Mike slowly pulled off the lockers and took a single step back.

"That couldn't have been from Marionette. I know you didn't leave Henry's house like this," Mike said firmly. "What was it? Did you get in a fight? Did you get hurt climbing around in the tunnels?" Now that he knew Springtrap was still capable of speech he intended to get the truth. The suit still seemed defiant in its silence. Mike narrowed his gaze again. "Work with me, _Michael_."

That was the first time that Springtrap had broken eye contact. It was such a quick change that it couldn't go unnoticed. More long seconds ticked by. The hand tightened on the edge of the desk again.

"It was the humidity," Springtrap answered. It was the last thing Mike expected to hear- he almost didn't expect an answer at all. "It saturated the air. Rising out of that stagnate sewage and soaking through. It found its way into the holes and into the metal and wires that hold me together, eroding them, rusting them, fraying, wearing down until the circuits started to break. The pain soon followed." His hand tightened into a frustrated fist. "Everything is rotting inside me now."

That colorful picture alone was disturbing enough without witnessing it firsthand. "You can't walk around like this," Mike affirmed with a shake of his head. Springtrap still wouldn't look at him. It was almost like he was ashamed to admit to the weakness. This also put Mike in a very uncomfortable situation where he was looking at Fritz's kidnapper, the man who broke into his house, and knew that he needed real help.

"I'll make you a deal right now. We'll put aside what you did tonight and I'll fix you myself, with or without Fritz," Mike affirmed. Hopefully with Fritz if he wanted to actually fix anything. "But here's the trade-off: you're never going to lay your hands on any of us again. Not Marionette, not Charlie, not Fritz or Scott, or anyone else. I don't care what excuse you have; _you will not touch them._ And you will not _threaten_ them. And if you do, then you can look forward to spending the next decade dissolving in the sewers with the rats and the garbage."

It was clear that Springtrap did not have a choice in the matter. Mike just hoped he wasn't stubborn enough to refuse it or to try and fight again. By now it was clear that he had been worn down. Not by the man's words but by the spells of suffering. He was already beginning to twitch like another was about to come; they had only come quicker since the tazing. This was the only remaining option and he was desperate.

" _Fine._ "

That was it. Just that single, stubborn agreement. Apparently he took more after Foxy and Baby than Marionette in that regard. It was still good enough for Mike.

"I'm going to need until tomorrow to figure out how we're going to do this. I'll be back in the morning, I promise," Mike agreed as well. He then turned to head to the door and stopped a few steps later. "…And just to be clear, I'm not doing this because I'm afraid of what you'll do if I didn't. I'm doing this because we both know Chance would've gotten me killed that night. Just consider this me paying you back."

With that, Mike left the office. He sent one last glance back to see that Springtrap had turned to grab onto the desk again as to ride out the coming fit. The security guard shut the door and allowed him to have his privacy. He then turned to come face to face with a very unsettled looking Fritz.

"I don't know if we can do it," he started, having listened in. Mike raised a brow in questioning. "Fixing Springtrap, I mean. And not because I have a mental hang up or something. I just don't think we're anywhere near qualified enough to repair a springlock suit. Let alone one that's had smoke damage, broken circuits, and won't stay down for more than two minutes."

"We'll figure it out. If we can't then you can just duct tape him up like you did with Chance," the younger dismissed as he passed by. "Come on, let's get going. We're already on borrowed time."

* * *

It was clear that Natalie wasn't holding herself together well. She was pacing constantly around the living room and into the kitchen, then to the front door and back. Occasionally she would sit down and stare at the television that she had turned on to pass the time for both her and Chance, but it worked for neither of them.

In the time he had been living with them, Natalie and Chance hadn't spent much time together. This was probably the longest they had spent in the same room. It wasn't out of any maliciousness, but because Chance usually secluded himself downstairs and kept quiet. He was certainly quiet now, sitting awkwardly in the armchair and trying to wait alongside her. He was nearly overflowing out of the chair; it would've been comical if tonight hadn't been such a harrowing ordeal.

Natalie was sitting again and was staring at an old sitcom rerun without really paying attention when she heard a noise from the garage. She perked and looked back towards the door abruptly, noticing that Chance too was looking back like he heard something. The blond sprung up and hustled over to the door before throwing it open. To her relief, there was the van pulled into the garage, and Fritz already climbing out.

"Thank goodness," she gasped out as she rushed over. "Fritz!" He opened his arms just a moment before she threw herself into them. She clutched onto him tightly. "You said you were going to call…"

"That would've ruined the surprise," Fritz playfully answered. He sounded so exhausted and she petted his hair and pulled him closer against her. "And I didn't come back alone."

Natalie tensed up at that comment. "Please don't tell me…" She slowly looked towards the van and waited expectantly. But instead of the back doors swinging open, he heard a car door close out front. She turned her head just in time to see Mike walking in. "Oh, it's just you! That's so much better than what I was thinking."

"I think we've had enough pop-ins for the night," Fritz assured with slight anxiousness. He managed to smother it down. "They're here on business. Have you seen Chance?"

Speaking of the bear, he was still currently wrestling with the armchair that he had gotten wedged in. He finally got to his feet with a stagger and just managed to keep from teetering into the coffee table. It had already survived one assault from an animatronic body tonight, he doubted it would live with his weight collapsing onto it. He could hear the softest pattering on the carpet, clearly not Fritz, and turned back just in time to see a familiar black and white figure standing by the garage door.

"Charlotte…" Chance sounded dumbstruck as his right eye widened in surprise. She shuffled on her legs a little bit but seemed to be alright, so he wasn't certain why she was there. "I didn't think you'd come back…"

"I wanted to see how you were. Fritz said that you fought off Golden Bonnie yourself," Charlie said as she came to the back of the armchair. "Did he hurt you?"

"He got in a couple of cheap shots, but it'll take more than that to take me out," Chance answered reassuringly.

Charlie smiled a little. "If it makes it any better, I electrocuted." This caused the black bear to perk. His eye widened again and then he closed his mouth in what looked the closest to a smile that she had seen from him.

"Atta girl! If anyone would find the soft spot of that-." The encouragement dropped abruptly as his mouth dropped open. "Wait, what were you doing with him?!"

His reaction surprised her, like he was genuinely that concerned about her welfare. Like he was acting like a protective grandfather. She wasn't expecting that. "It's a long story."

"I've got nowhere to be," Chance grumbled as he crossed his arms as best as he could. He completely ignored their last fight and fit right back into this role he had never been in before. Well, if he wanted that responsibility then she wasn't going to stop him. Maybe he would finally start to realize how proficient she was in her body- if she left out some of the details.

Meanwhile in the garage, Fritz, Natalie, Mike, and Marionette were all getting updated on the plan for the next day. A plan that Natalie especially wasn't fond of and wasn't afraid to voice her disagreement with.

"Just… How do we even know Springtrap's going to keep his end of the deal if you do fix him up? Even if he hasn't outright lied to our face, I'm having a little trouble trusting a guy who broke into our house and chased us around it," Natalie pointed out. Her irritation towards the rabbit was obvious and Fritz wasn't exactly doing much to ease it.

"I can't argue with that…" Fritz looked towards Marionette, who had his arms crossed and his mask twisted in a thoughtful frown. "What about you, Mari? He's your brother, do you think he'll keep his word?"

Marionette shook his head. "I couldn't say. I only really met Michael once, if we don't count when I was too young to remember." He rubbed over his mask with a tired look. "But judging on his past decisions, I can't even be certain that he won't turn on us afterwards. He's a mystery to me." He already sounded like he had little faith in the idea, though Mike had a feel that it was misplaced worry. Or frustration at his lack of control on the situation.

Now Mike offered his two cents. "Honestly, I don't think it really matters whether Springtrap is going to keep his word or not. Where's he been since you and Charlie found him at Henry's? He just split, disappeared, wasn't our problem. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if we fix him that he'll probably go off on his own again. Think about it, the one time we saw him since the fire he obviously didn't want to get caught."

"You've got a point there…" Fritz muttered as he glanced towards the door. He could still hear Chance talking in the living room. "Okay, but here's the thing: what if we really can't fix him? Like I said, I'm not qualified to work on springlocks, and fixing Chance's electrical problems took a lot longer than one day. Even with both of us working together we're in over our heads."

"It would be beneficial to have someone who knew more about these kind of repairs with you," Marionette vaguely answered. Fritz perked, thinking he meant he would help, but then received another cryptic look. "I think we both know a 'technician' who might be capable of working on Springtrap a little more efficiently… As long as Springtrap has no idea he's doing it."

"Please don't tell me you're suggesting the clown."

"If you have to ask, then you know that I am," Marionette said with a small, teasing smile. "What is the worst that can happen? Other than two animatronics tearing each other to bits."

"Now that would be a show for the ages…" Mike muttered. He exhaled with resolve before looking to Fritz. "But he's got a point. You should've seen Ennard crack open Baby when he was giving her a facelift. He knows what he's doing." He paused before looking to the puppet. "Or a broken clock is right more than twice a day."

"I know Ennard _can_ do it, I just don't know how we can convince him to do it. He'll require a hefty bribe just to get him to a place where we can negotiate, and Springtrap would already have to be shut down for him to get anywhere close to him, but I believe it's possible," Marionette assured. "He's our best bet."

"…Well, I'm going to bed," Fritz abruptly announced. "If I'm expected to deal with the rabbit _and_ the clown tomorrow then I'm going to need to get some sleep. Goodnight everyone."

"I'll be there in a second!" Natalie called after him. She turned back to Mike and Marionette and smiled at them. "I don't know how to thank you two for getting him back home safe."

"If you figure it out by morning then we'll probably still be here, waiting for Chance to turn Charlie loose," Mike pointed out. "But hey, that's what we're here for." As she headed off to bed after the technician, he turned to the puppet beside him. "I'm starting to regret turning down Mom's offer to go to Belize with her."

Marionette gave a chime but didn't say anything. His smile twitched momentarily before beginning to fall. He hesitantly looked over to his companion. "Mike… do you think-?" He cut his question off as Mike looked back at him. His blue eyes held weariness and exasperation, but no doubt. He wasn't second guessing his decision and he didn't show even the smallest shred of worry. So, Marionette let it drop, regaining his smile. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

They would handle tomorrow when it came. It was already coming sooner than they wanted.

* * *

 **Mable: I think at this point it's not a matter of 'will this come back to haunt us' and more 'what gives us more time before this comes back to haunt us'. It's not like they could truly get rid of Springtrap for good. He always finds his way home eventually, whether he likes it or not.**


	66. Chapter 66

**Mable: Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-Six_

Mike kept his word and by the next morning he and Fritz returned to the warehouse. By now they already had a plan in mind, but everything had to be precise if they wanted it to work correctly. This meant they would have to convince the rabbit to allow them to shut him down. Under normal circumstances this would've been in line with the repairs they were intending on doing.

"Alright, it's go time," Mike announced as he stepped into the office. Springtrap was already awake- unless he hadn't ever slept- and was hunched over the desk looking at the blueprints. He raised his head to stare at the security guard, then at the technician standing in the doorway behind him. "What's that look? You knew we were coming," Mike reminded to try and dismiss any suspicion. "You're going to let us shut you down to work, right? Because you won't want to be awake for this."

The rabbit stared at him for a moment longer. The animatronic remained silent as he raised himself from the desk and slowly staggered over towards the wall. He kept his gaze on Fritz, almost as though he suspected something, but both knew there was no way he could've figured out their plan by his nervousness alone. Not when Mike himself was staying so calm and collected in comparison.

Springtrap sat down against the wall and turned his head away, offering his neck towards Mike. His eyes rolled to stare down Fritz with that intimidating glare, silently warning him, and the technician finally decided it was too much and tried to busy himself with the tools on the desk. It was almost impossible to ignore the springlock suit that was currently leering at him. It didn't last too much longer though, as Mike knelt beside him and began to reach into the wires of his neck.

"It should only feel like a second. Remember your end of the deal," the security guard reminded.

"Let him tamper with me and _**there is no deal**_ ," Springtrap answered. His voice was low and threatening, and still clearly able to be heard by Fritz, who clenched his teeth and refused to react.

"As though us yanking around live wires isn't tampering already," Mike said unfazed. "Just take it easy. We know what we're doing." His fingers traced over a familiar cord towards the back. He plucked it with little warning and the animatronic's body slumped once more.

Fritz cautiously walked up behind his friend. "Is he really out? Because he woke himself up last time."

"Only one way to find out…" Mike said. He then leaned in and nudged Springtrap harshly in the side. "Hey! We're going to go pick up Ennard and bring him back to poke at your insides!" There was no response. "Yeah, he's out of it," the man finished as he stood and turned to the technician. "Let's go and get back fast. We don't have all day."

The two left the warehouse as quickly as they came in. Mike stopped briefly to knock on his car window, signaling to the puppets inside that Springtrap was under and that it was safe for them to move in once the coast was clear. Though they would need to be careful as it was broad daylight. He knew they could handle himself, so he climbed into the van with Fritz and they began to drive to Scott's house.

The plan was simple enough. They would convince Ennard to come to the warehouse and help them fix Springtrap. That way Mike and Marionette could then go to the pizzeria and finish up the rest of the day. While Fritz and Charlie both insisted on being at the warehouse to assist, both would be taking the day off. Which wasn't an issue as Jeremy, Natalie, and Foxy had all been brought up to speed on the plan and were currently in the process of opening the restaurant and running it like usual.

It would've been so much easier if they could've done it after hours, but nobody trusted Springtrap to stay put, and they couldn't risk him finding a way out of the warehouse and following them. His programming was still unknown, but if it was anything like what they had encountered in the past then he couldn't be anywhere near the pizzeria. They couldn't trust how he would react to being around children.

It was apparent that Fritz's anxiety had not lowered. After the night before, the usually collected technician was a sleep deprived mess, and Mike couldn't help but sympathize. Being kidnapped and dragged out of his house in the middle of the night was one of the few things he had yet to deal with, thankfully, but Fritz wasn't handling it well. The best option at hand seemed to be to ease his mind.

"Just try to relax, Fritz. The hard part's over. Remember, no matter how much Ennard freaks out he's not going to attack us. Worst case scenario: he says no and we have to work on Michael ourselves."

"That really is the worst-case scenario, because I have no idea how I'm supposed to do that," the technician admitted. "I wasted an hour this morning looking through the Handunit and found nothing on springlock repair. Which either means that they weren't supposed to be repaired, or that this is something Henry and Fredrick took to their graves." He gave a low chuckle and added, "You know there's no way Scott's going to let us take him even if he does agree, right?"

"We'll butter up Scott first. With literal butter if it'll convince Ennard faster," Mike answered. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Fritz flinched and got a funny look. "Don't get that look. We both know what's going on in there, so don't act so shocked."

"I'd rather stay in the dark as long as I possibly can, thank you," Fritz remarked as he pulled up outside the house and backed up against the garage. He shut the van off before steeling himself with a deep breath. "Let's do this. You do the talking and I'll grab the burlap sack in case the talking doesn't work."

"Since when did I becoming the good cop?" Mike asked as Fritz got out of the van.

"Because I've got a lot of unrepressed anger after last night and I'd rather not risk it coming out at Scott," Fritz partially joked. "I'll just take it into work and get in a fistfight with Foxy. Easier to patch up."

The two headed to the front door and knocked generously. Neither had called beforehand, so it was lucky that Scott was already awake to answer the door. It was almost surprising after how late he had been out the night before.

"Morning guys! I didn't expect to see you two here. Heh, guess that's either a good sign or a really bad one," Scott said, his smile faltering on that last comment. He moved to the side and opened the door more. "Come in, come in. You want some coffee? Or breakfast? I just put on a pan of hash that should be ready any minute now."

"No thanks. I don't like to mix business and pleasure until ten minutes before closing time," Mike answered. He followed alongside the unusually quiet Fritz into the kitchen. Scott went right to tending to a large pan full of potatoes, melting cheese, and rapidly scrambling eggs waiting on the stove. "You sure you weren't expecting us? Because that's a lot of potatoes."

"I try to make bigger portions when splitting with Ennard. See, he doesn't really eat, so I just give him more to taste. Keeps him off my plate," Scott joked with a light chuckle. Mike and Fritz exchanged a look. "So, what brings you two here?... I'm guessing it's about Michael. Did he leave last night?"

"Well, you'd think so, but no. It's kind of related to Michael, but not exactly directly related to- Let me start over." Fritz stopped, reset his explanation, and began once again. "So, we've come to an agreement with Michael and we've got the situation under control. Kind of… Barely, but we need Ennard's help."

The Phone Guy tensed immediately, pausing his spatula in the pan, and looking over suddenly. "You… You need Ennard's help," he repeated. "…With what? With… Trying to figure out where Springtrap's been staying? Or to- to ask about the vents? Or the scooping?"

"I made the deal with him," Mike volunteered. He shrugged and added, "and I can't be sure he's going to keep it, but it was the only thing I could do to reign him in. He's in a lot of pain, so the deal is that Fritz fixes him and he agrees to keep his distance and not attack anyone else. We're hoping that once he's fixed, he'll just go on his way back into whatever hatch or house he came out of, and we'll all live happily ever after."

"We don't really have a choice. He knows where I live," Fritz added in. "…But Springtrap is a springlock suit and his main issue is with his wiring-."

"So, you- oh no- you can't be saying that you think- that you want _Ennard_ to _fix_ _him,_ are you?" Scott asked in horror. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Ennard doesn't like Michael… At all. He still talks about him this long after the fire and they aren't pleasant things. He's not- He would never willingly agree to go anywhere near him. Let alone agree to work on him," he explained as he continued trying to work on the food. "So, unless you're looking for advice-."

"We need more than advice. We need a miracle," Mike offered. "Ennard was able to call Mari's injury just by hearing it and has been working on Baby with whatever he finds around the house. We need that amount of skill, because we're looking at a suit full of deadly springlocks- with a body already in it, mind you- and we have no idea where to even begin." Scott looked uncertain as he turned back to the pan of food and Mike leaned on the counter, pressing further, suspecting the man was about to cave.

"At least let us ask Ennard. If he says no then we can get his advice and walk out of here," Mike rationalized. "Just let him make that call."

Scott gave a slow, indecisive exhale as he stirred the food, keeping it from burning. "…I can't stop you from asking him," he finally said. "But if he says no then that's it, it's a no. I'm not going to try to push him into doing it." Both men agreed, and Scott put some food on a plate and handed it over. "Here, you can take this to him. It'll help him wake up quicker."

"Thanks for this. We won't be long," Fritz assured as he took the plate and headed to the garage door. Scott called out before he could open it.

"Baby's asleep out there. Ennard's in my bedroom," he said. He noticed Mike giving him a slight smug look as he stood from the dining room table again. "…I can't really work with him on the couch. I just let him use my room…" the older man tried to excuse. Neither Mike nor Fritz looked like they bought it, but time was too pressed to dwell.

Fritz let Mike go first and knock quickly on the bedroom door. He expected the clown suddenly barge through moments afterwards, but he didn't, so Mike let himself in. The bedroom was dark with the curtains drawn and the only source of light being from a clock on the nightstand. With it, Mike was vaguely able to make out a lumpy shape underneath the comforter.

"Ennard?" he quietly asked. He tugged at the blanket lightly, not wanting to startle the amalgam. "Ennard, it's me, Mike. Fritz is here and we need your help."

There was shuffling under the blankets and a low humming noise. Which was followed with a quiet mutter of, " _Too early for this_ …" in a crackled, unfamiliar voice that only partially resembled the clown's true one. More shifting and sliding along with a dull squeaking as wires twisted and reset against each other. A single arm slid out to grab the mask resting on the nightstand, which Mike only now realized was there.

"Keep your shirts on, I'm coming! Ha ha, you two get started early, dontcha? Oh boy, I bet this is gonna be good news," Ennard chirped as he returned to his usual tone.

"You don't even know the half of it," Mike mumbled as he glanced towards Fritz. He looked back as the clown nearly rolled out from under the blankets and was to his feet in seconds. He looked them over before focusing on the plate in Fritz's hand, then gave a low chuckle.

"What's that, a bribe? Ha ha!... Oh, don't look so nervous, Fritz! You know I don't bite,~" Ennard continued to tease. Though Mike noticed that something seemed a little off. His boisterous behavior wasn't nearly as believable as it usually was. He still took the plate when offered, but then just held it with seeming disinterest in the food. Something was off. "So, what are you two doing here at the crack of-… Ten?"

"Nine, but good guess, and the food's from Scott," Mike explained. He crossed his arms as he began the tedious ordeal of trying to convince the clown. "We need your help with some technician work. We've got a complicated case back at the warehouse and we need someone who can-."

"Wait a minute," Ennard interrupted with a raise of his free hand. "Wait, wait, just a second." Mike raised a brow and wondered if he had already caught on, which would depend on whether Scott told him about the night before or not. Though if he had then that would explain Ennard's weird behavior. Mike started to piece it together only to have the puzzle fall apart when Ennard continued.

"Let me get this straight… You two are asking _me_ to fix a bot for you?" There came the smugness, along with an eagerness in his eyes and tone. "The only technician to outlive the big bad Freddybear himself and he and you're coming to ask me for help? Say it ain't so!" He giggled before his tone lowered. "Just kidding, please say it's so."

"You hit the nail on the head there. This is way out of my league," Fritz agreed. Under normal circumstances he might've been a little offended by such relentless teasing, but he really didn't want to risk talking himself out of getting the clown's help. He had no confidence in going anywhere near a springlock suit's live wires. "So, you'll do it?"

"Do it? I'll _nail it!_ Don't let the costume makeup fool you. I might look like a clown, but give me a wrench, a blowtorch, and about three dozen washers and I can put any broken piece of garbage back together," Ennard said with upmost confidence. He then nearly barged past them both. "Let me just go tell Scott I'm splitting."

"Don't you even want to know what you're working on?" Mike asked after him in disbelief.

"Does it matter? Trust me, I'm an expert!" Ennard embellished with a laugh before dipping into the kitchen. Mike and Fritz were left standing there dumbstruck for a moment. The younger looked to the older.

"As hilariously easy as that just was, one of us is going to have to tell him the truth before we drag him over there. I can guarantee you now that Ennard is the type of person to punch first and ask questions later," Mike pointed out. Fritz rubbed his neck and looked a little unsure.

"I don't know… This is a pretty good advantage he gave us. And it's not like we're lying; he didn't even ask what we were planning on working on," Fritz tried to rationalize. Mike gave him an unenthused look. "Springtrap is already shut down. If I can get Ennard over there and show him he's under then maybe I can convince him to help. I can even explain that it would keep Michael away from Scott."

"That's a good plan, but how do we convince him to work? Eagerness or not, Scott had a point about him not liking Springtrap. Frankly, I don't think he's too keen on Michael either."

"Mike, you saw how excited he got when he thought he could show me up. Me asking him to do anything went straight to his head," Fritz pointed out flatly. "All I have to do is butter him up and he'll do it just to show that he's the better technician… And if that doesn't work, hey, I'm not above groveling." He got a playful smile. "Keeps my hands out of Springtrap's gut."

"I'm only slightly above throwing myself at Ennard's feet to not have to poke around Springtrap's innards, but that's only because I've seen what's in there," Mike pointed out cryptically. Fritz suddenly got a look of realization, to which the younger smirked in amusement. "The mummification didn't work out so well so let's hope the fire helped."

"Thanks for that mental image. I'm skipping lunch today."

As they whispered out by the couch, Ennard strode into the kitchen just as confidently as he accepted the job. "Sorry to duck out quick, Scottie, but Mike and Fritz got a job for me. An _actual_ technician job. Ha, I haven't been able to get wrist deep in another animatronic since Baby let me tinker around on her ice cream maker! Hey, speaking of Baby, this would be a great time to put them up for the parts I'm gonna need to keep working on her. That could be our payment plan!" the clown excitedly babbled as Scott watched him.

The man was understandably confused. Perhaps Ennard was just covering, but he seemed too happy for what they had just offered. Usually he was able to see through that. "Are you sure about this…?"

"Course I'm sure! How hard can one animatronic be? Ya just pull a few cords here and snip a few things there," Ennard said. He turned back to wink, showing that he was joking, but Scott noticed his wording.

"Wait… They didn't tell you which animatronic it was?"

"Nah, but I'll figure it out once I get there!" Ennard chirped as he piled more breakfast onto the plate. "I'm gonna just take this with me, m'kay? Gives me something to do in the car." He took a bit and gave a noise akin to a cross between a squeak and a hum. "This is great! Ya really outdid yourself this time, Phone."

"Wait a minute, they didn't…? Ennard, it's not exactly what you're thinking," Scott started to explain. He didn't want to be the one giving the bad news, but it seemed like he had been left doing so. "They don't want you to just work on any animatronic. It's-."

"Try this!" He was cut off when the clown spun around and offered the fork to him.

"Ennard, you're not listening-." Ennard pretty much poked the fork right into his mouth, silencing him with potatoes and eggs.

"What's to listen about? I know what I'm doing!" the amalgam encouraged. Scott was going to protest, he knew he would, and so he lifted his chin with an assuring smile through his mask. "Trust me, Scott. I know exactly what I'm doing. Just let me go handle this." The man had a slightly uneasy look back nodded, and the clown pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Aww, you're the best! You take it easy today, okay?"

He pressed his mouth to Scott's forehead, right under his hair fringe, right as Fritz and Mike came into sight. The two glanced to each other silently, again. Ennard then pulled back from the Phone Guy and strode past the two and to the garage door. "Let's get this show on the road! You back the van up and I'll hop in. Just try to be quiet so you don't wake the Baby," he instructed as he opened the door.

"I'm already awake," Baby said flatly from inside.

"Hey, great! Then you can try some of this," Ennard offered as he eagerly headed in. Fritz looked between Mike and Scott before pointing a thumb towards the door and saying he was going to get the van. With him gone, Scott came close and lowered his voice.

"Just keep an eye on Ennard. He can get… A little overexcited… And he might not be as willing to fix things as he sounds," Scott cautioned. It was clear that he was worried. "And you'll bring him home afterwards?"

"Don't worry. I'm not going to drive Ennard around town again. I'm still planning on going into work this afternoon," Mike reassured. He then lowered his voice, not wanting Ennard or Baby to listen in. "Everyone's going to stay calm and everything's going to stay under control. We're going to make sure that a fight doesn't break out, that's the main reason Mari and I are sticking around."

"Well, good… Good luck," Scott tried to encourage. He watched Mike head out into the garage before returning to the kitchen. Now it was just a matter of trying to distract himself until the ordeal was over.

Baby watched Mike come in before keeping her eyes on the door behind him expectantly. To her disappointment, nobody followed him, and she looked back to him. "Charlie didn't come with you?" He shook his head, to which she gave a disappointed huff. "You should tell her that friends shouldn't leave their friends waiting after a dropped call. She never called me back."

"It was kind of a rough night last night," Mike casually defended.

"I know. Scott told me what happened. I would have appreciated her to do the same," Baby said like she was pouting. "If I would've been worried, then I could've worried all night about her."

"Wait, Scott told you about what happened?" Mike since a glance over at Ennard. The clown was trying to load up a rusty toolbox while stabbing potatoes with the fork in the other hand. He didn't look like he was listening in, but Mike stepped closer to the female clown and lowered his voice. "Did Scott tell him?"

"If he told _him_ , do you think _he_ would still be here? Because I don't. I think he would've found a way over to the warehouse himself," Baby responded. Though still a little sourly in tone. He had a feeling that this was all a ruse to cover actual concern for Charlie, and Baby was just abrasive enough to act that way. She did still have a point about Ennard. If he was willing to hunt robbers halfway across town then he would've been capable of making his way to the warehouse.

"Yeah, you've got a point," Mike agreed. He then decided to toss her a bone. "I think Charlie said something about coming back with Ennard when Fritz brought him back."

"Oh… That would be nice," Baby admitted. She almost sounded a little sheepish and fell silent as the garage door opened. She rolled back out of the way and towards the corner of the garage.

Since Mike had been there last, either Ennard or Scott- probably a combination of both- had gotten a twin mattress and managed to fit it against the wall. It was made up like a normal bed with a yellow comforter and a couple of pillows stacked. Up until this point, Mike hadn't really been certain if Baby was going to stay permanently at Scott's or not. In fact, he had expected that eventually she would want to follow Charlie back to their house, but this seemed to confirm that she was setting down roots here. It was a little endearing.

"Hurry it up, Mikey, or we're going to leave you!" Ennard called as the van backed into the garage. He eagerly opened the back and climbed inside, plate in one hand and toolbox tucked under opposite arm.

"I'm coming!" Mike called back. He tipped his hat at Baby, who only tilted her head slowly like she was confused, and then went around to climb into the passenger seat. "Let's get a move on. We need to be in and out before the party at three." Checking his watch showed that there was plenty of time, but he wasn't entirely confident in this plan. _"Chances are by three I'll be up to my knees in sewage, chasing one or both of them halfway across the city. I ought to put money on it now."_

The drive didn't take too long. Both Fritz and Ennard were quiet, the one from anxiousness and the other focusing on his breakfast plate. Mike didn't mind it and instead kept himself busy thinking. Wondering about everything that could go wrong in the next few hours. Wondering why Old Man Consequences had not reappeared in his dreams the night before. It was all so confusing, but he didn't get too much time to think about it before they pulled up to the warehouse. Then it was a matter of getting Ennard inside.

Marionette was mildly surprised when Mike and Fritz brought Ennard in. It genuinely surprised him that the clown would agree to work on the springlock suit that had hunted him. Then again, he had turned things around with Baby, but something just didn't seem right. At least he was acting excitable when he came in.

"Hello, hello! Ha ha, how are my two favorite puppets doing today?" Ennard greeted with an excited chirp.

"Oh, you know… Could be worse," Charlie hesitantly answered. She seemed a little more perplexed than Marionette was and looked to Fritz and Mike like they would explain.

"The story of my life! So, where's this animatronic I gotta rip open and climb inside?" The amalgam eagerly looked around the warehouse. "It's not ol' Golden Freddy, is it? He was a bunch of pent up wires, right?"

It was then that the Puppet realized that they hadn't told him. He looked over towards Mike and Fritz, noticing that even Mike was looking a little tense, and gave a slow exhale. He would do it.

"Actually, Ennard. That is not what we brought you here for… But before we get into that, why don't you come with me and see our new Candy Cadet?" He smiled warmly and took Ennard by the wrist, like he was about to escort a child. "He's a little broken up too, so maybe you could take a look at him?"

"Only if I get a piece of old candy and _maybe_ a story," Ennard joked back. Marionette chimed good naturedly and looked back towards the others.

"Why don't you three make sure everything's in order while we're gone?" he offered. He was looking directly at Mike, who nodded in understanding. Then the puppet led the clown back into the warehouse.

"The Candy Cadet?" Charlie asked doubtfully.

"Mari's going to go break the news. Ennard was so eager to come over here that we didn't tell him what he was working on," Mike said. "He's better at this sort of thing than I am. Remind me to thank him later."

"We can thank him now by going and getting everything set up," Fritz offered. "...Which pretty much means moving Springtrap on the floor and setting up whatever else we're going to need. Maybe move that lamp on the desk closer so we get more light. I don't really want to find and hook up the industrial one." He started to head down towards the office.

"I'm right behind you. I just have to grab something." Mike headed down the aisle by the office a little bit before stopping on the left side. He moved a few boxes before pulling out a crank that had been strategically hidden behind them. He didn't know if he would need this for the work they were about to do but figured it would come in handy.

"Is that a hand crank for springlocks?" Charlie asked in surprise. He offered it to her, allowing her to look it over.

"That's right. Thought maybe it'll come of use if Ennard really does need to climb inside him to fix him. With how clunky and complex these suits are, I wouldn't put it past them to have the emergency release hard to get to." The familiar weight was a comfort. Just in case something did go wrong he would have this as a backup. "Let's go." He started down the aisle, resting the crank on his shoulder.

Only to be met right outside the door by Fritz scrambling back out. The man was wide-eyed and his tanned skin was paler than ever. Mike raised a brow at him and was about to ask but realized he didn't have to.

On the other side of the warehouse, Marionette and Ennard stopped in front of the deactivated Candy Cadet. The puppet gestured his arm to it with a quick 'ta-da!' and the clown responded with a whistling mimic.

"That's a cadet alright. A space cadet, ha ha!" the amalgam cracked. He leaned in, hands on his knees, looking up at the bot with a sort of fascination in his gaze. "Never thought I'd see one of these again. You know, they used to have one of them back in ARI, except it was all broken up. I think it was an older model too."

"So, this would be a product from Afton Robotics?" Marionette inquired curiously. "Interesting… And concerning, but mostly interesting."

"No, you see, they did repairs too. Or I think they did. It makes sense since renting out animatronics is only gonna bring in a little cash. Not enough to keep a big place like that afloat," Ennard pointed out. The striped one was about to question how 'afloat' ARI could've been if it was barely staying open, but he changed focus when he noticed how curious the other was in the bot. He was already looking over it for damage, like he was prepared to crack it open and begin to work. His excitement made the puppet feel guilty.

"Ennard… There's something Mike and Fritz didn't tell you about why they went and got you," Marionette tentatively began. He crossed his arms uncomfortably and tried to look anywhere other than the clown.

"This thing is totally busted and I'm not getting candy or a story out of it," Ennard guessed. He sounded serious but it was apparent that he was joking.

"No, not that. The truth is that they didn't bring you here to work on Candy Cadet. They actually-." Right when he was about to force it out- whether it upset his friend or not- he was caught off-guard by something. The only reason he noticed it was because he turned towards Ennard and it suddenly appeared out of the corner of his eye.

All at once, Marionette sprung forwards into Ennard and tackled him in the middle. The amalgam was taken off balance and fell back to the floor, barely dodging the last second swing of a sledgehammer.

Both animatronics looked up to see Springtrap standing behind them with the weapon clutched in his hands. He was shuddering in a mix of pain and rage, but gladly ignored the former to address the latter. The hatred in his gaze could be seen even by Marionette, who was clearly not the target of said anger. The rabbit would've swung again if not for the puppet now in his way, who got more in his way by jumping up and rushing forward to block him.

"Michael, stop!" Marionette exclaimed as he raised his hands in defense. Springtrap pulled back a step and stared him down, as though expecting the striped one to attack. But Marionette wasn't going to give him any more reason to fight and quickly calmed his voice. "He's here to help. I know you and Ennard have a history together and I understand why you don't want to trust him, but you must listen to me: we need him."

To his surprise, Springtrap started to slowly lower the sledgehammer. He switched to only holding it with one hand as he looked to the striped one, then reached to lay a hand on his shoulder. Marionette only noticed a second too late that it was odd that he put his hand on the opposite shoulder.

Without warning, Springtrap shoved him out of the way. It was enough force that Marionette flew and fell into Charlie who was coming around the corner. Without a hitch, Springtrap raised the sledgehammer again and took a swing at Ennard. The clown skirted out of the way right as the hammer dented into the locker, which he then yanked out to use as a shield. The springlock suit hit it again and caused the heavy piece of furniture to fall over. Instead of scuttling away while he had the chance, Ennard shielded himself with his arms, holding them like he planned to catch the sledgehammer.

He would've loved to see the clown try, but he raised the weapon back far enough that he knew he couldn't. It was precisely then that Mike saw what was happening. He threw the crank into Marionette's arms and ran forwards to grab the hammer right when it was craned back. Springtrap turned on him quickly, probably thinking that he was Marionette, but came face to face with the security guard's glare.

"What did I say about putting your hands on him?! Twelve hours in and you can't even control yourself long enough for me to keep my end of the deal! Raging around like a goddamn psychopath!" Mike lashed out.

Beyond all reason, the yelling had an effect. It was like Springtrap only then realized what he was doing. Not that he was attacking the clown- he seemed fine with that- but that he was jeopardizing his own recovery. That he had to keep himself reigned in, no matter what the cost. Mike was still glaring, but he was starting to get the other to lower the sledgehammer. It looked like he had ended the fight.

" _Ennard, don't!"_

Until Springtrap turned his head just in time to get cracked over it with a toolbox. It was just a heavy enough of a blow to knock him over and drag Mike with him, Springtrap landing heavily on top of him. To no one's surprise, Ennard tried to rush in and fight while the springlock suit was down. Marionette passed the crank to Charlie and sprung back into Ennard, ensnaring him in his strings and fighting him. The amalgam's hands were crackling with electricity, but he was avoided touching the puppet, keeping his hands above him while tried to get past.

Springtrap rolled off Mike and staggered to his feet, with the man getting up quicker and grabbing him by the shoulders to force him back. "Don't you dare, _don't you dare_!" Mike clearly had no chance of fighting the suit off and instead tried to keep him from reaching down for the sledgehammer. "Both of you get a grip!"

Fritz scrambled to get his taser off his belt and Charlie looked to him in alarm. "Are you going to-?!"

"Just a scare- Just to keep them apart," Fritz answered. He wielded the taser confidently and turned it on, hoping the sound would be enough to catch their attention. Except that the taser didn't respond. He looked over it in confusion and tried a few more times to no avail. "What- _What?!_ Now?! This cannot be happening now!" He tried it a few more times. "It is! It's dead! I can't believe this!"

Ennard was finally starting to get around Marionette, moving his wires enough to shift the puppet's strings. Charlie now tried to step forward with the intention of trying to either help or plead with him. She had just spent enough time around him that maybe he would listen to her. What she didn't expect was that as soon as she stepped into line of sight, Springtrap saw the crank and reacted to it just as severely as he would a taser. He stepped back and stared like a frighten hare looking at a predator, recognizing exactly what it would do.

This had a domino effect. Ennard noticed the reaction and looked to the crank with renewed interest. In this second Marionette decided to stop the clown in the one way he knew how.

He reached up with both hands and snatched off his mask. Ennard reacted instantly; he covered his face with his arms and gave a mechanical cry of horror. To which Springtrap then looked over with his new renewed interest at how the amalgam turned himself away with his guard down.

Mike reached back for Charlie who passed over the crank, and then promptly pointed it at Springtrap. The 'rabbit in shock' look returned.

"Stop," the security guard commanded. "Go back to the office and stay there until I come back there." He stepped back to allow Springtrap to pass. The suit sent one late hate filled glare at the clown's back before heading towards the aisle. He stormed off with a renewed anger and a heated fury that seemed unlikely for someone in so much pain. Mike watched him go before picking up his cap and putting it on.

" _Now I will tell you a story."_

The familiar mutter caused Mike to straighten fast and Marionette to flinch, as the voice came from right behind him, from the Candy Cadet. Mike sent one exasperated look at the flickering robot and then to Fritz.

"Fritz, did you turn _anything_ off?" he lightly snipped.

Fritz sent him an apologetic smile and lifted the taser. "Apparently this." He then turned it on and off a few times to no response.

"For crying out loud…" The security guard huffed, set the crank on the shelf, and crossed his arms. "Can you just go after him and make sure he doesn't try to sneak back out here?"

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do. Just don't expect a miracle, because he could pretty much knock me over and walk back," Fritz reminded before going. Mike watched him before looking back to the scene at hand. Marionette was still holding Ennard's mask as he stood by the flashing, twitching Candy Cadet, and the hunched over clown who was shielding himself.

"He's gone now! W- **Will you g-** ve me my ma-ask back, _**please**_ **?!** " Ennard asked frantically. His voice wavered between its usual tone and its true one as it stuttered and broke.

"Are you going to calm down and act rationally?" Marionette challenged. The amalgam nodded in agreement and finally the puppet handed it over. Ennard greedily snatched it to put it back on while Marionette gave him a disapproving frown. "We could've had that under control a lot sooner if you wouldn't have done that."

"Oh yeah. _I'm_ at fault for attacking the zombie. I'm so sorry," Ennard sarcastically mocked. "He had it coming! The guy swung a hammer at me, what was I supposed to do?! Wasn't like I had much of a warning!"

"I… No, you didn't… And I guess that's our fault. We were supposed to tell you and I should've paid more attention," Marionette said apologetically. He looked down as the clown knelt to get his toolbox, putting some of the spilled contents back together. "The truth is that Fritz and Mike brought you over here to do more than fix Candy Cadet."

"Gee, really? I wouldn't have guessed! They were so clear on all the details that I couldn't have possibly thought anything else!" the clown sarcastically remarked again. This was what Mike picked up on.

"Wait a minute, you knew something was up and you still- You _did_ know about Springtrap." He stepped up to stand beside Marionette as he looked at the amalgam who didn't return the look. "Scott told you what happened last night and you knew he was over here. That's why you were acting so weird, and…" Mike promptly stopped to smack a hand to his face. Marionette looked to him in confusion, to which the man looked back and explained. "And that's why Ennard agreed to come over here without asking questions. Because he already knew."

"But if you already knew, then why would you…?" It was then that Marionette took a good look at Ennard's toolbox. There were a few normal things inside, but he also noticed two sets of wire cutters. There were few circumstances where Ennard, an animatronic made of wires, would need heavy-duty wire cutters. Marionette's eyes widened and then flashed with anger. "You weren't coming over here to help us! You were coming over here to sabotage us!"

"Ding-ding! We have a winner!" Ennard exaggerated. He slammed the toolbox shut. "No need to thank me or anything. Since none of you could've got the job done."

"Did you think we were just going to stand aside and let you break him further?!" the Puppet asked as he stood over him. "Didn't you think we would notice you snipping wires?!"

"With how burnt out Fritz was and Mike saying he's splitting later? I was pretty sure nobody was gonna catch on!" Ennard said back. Then he abruptly stood to loom back over Marionette. "And why are you protecting him anyway?! What, do we just forget everything everyone does if they're busted up?! That guy's still a raging lunatic!"

"He's my brother!" Marionette defended.

"Oh please, you still believe that?! You still believe that after last night?!" Ennard asked with a laugh of frustration. "Here's a news flash for ya, Mari: that's no brother of yours! That's Willie Afton!"

"Ennard, no. He's just in our father's suit," the puppet persisted. He tried to even his voice to get through to him, starting to understand a little better. "That's my older brother Michael. The one from the tape."

"He attacks people, he breaks into houses, he kidnaps people- he even knows where all the vents are! The only reason I know where they are is cause I practically lived in 'em!" Ennard counted off on his wire fingers. "And that guy is _nothing_ like Michael."

"And how exactly do you know that?" Mike chimed in. Ennard stumbled over his words momentarily, looking a bit flustered by the question.

"I just- I just do. I just know! It doesn't matter how," the clown vehemently insisted. There wasn't even a shred of doubt. "And I wouldn't go trusting a guy whose got a history of snatching kids." With that final bitterness, Ennard turned back towards the Candy Cadet. "Now if you excuse me, I've got a talking vending machine here that needs to get cracked open."

He dug right back into his toolbox and brought out a screwdriver to start taking apart the robot's paneling. While Marionette was still upset, he caught himself when he realized that the clown had just insinuated that he would not work on Springtrap. Meaning that they were stuck at square one again, even if he wasn't sure whether to even trust the amalgam with it.

"Ennard, I know you want to protect Scott and I know you think he's William, but I promise you that he's not. And he's in bad shape-."

"Just forget it, Mari. He's not going to do it," Mike interrupted with an annoyed tone. That annoyance aimed at the amalgam and not the puppet. "I'll just figure it out on my own. Me and Fritz will do it ourselves. That's what we should've done." He then turned to storm off down the aisle. Ennard paused in his motions before turning and calling back.

"Don't hold it against me, Mike! If you knew what I know, you'd do the same thing!" he called after the security guard. "…But we're still okay, right? We're still pals?"

"We're fine, Ennard. Just don't pull anything and don't come back here," Mike called back. Honestly, he was frustrated with Ennard, but there was a small part of his rational mind that understood it.

Mike knew Springtrap wasn't William- he was certain considering the Fredrick situation- but it would've been difficult to convince Ennard with how the rabbit had been acting. Yet Mike would stick with his deal, with or without Ennard's assistance. He stood by his word.

Now it was just Ennard, Marionette, and Charlie standing there. Marionette's concern about his oldest sibling was renewed and he looked back to the amalgam, watching as he started to unscrew some of Candy Cadet's bolts. He considered trying to reason with him but knew it would be pointless. It had been foolish to believe that Ennard would be so easily swayed.

"Can you at least… Just tell me what you think it is?" Marionette quietly asked. Ennard said nothing but stopped his movements and turned his head slightly, like he was listening. "He's in pain. Every couple of minutes he stops with full body shivers that cause his joints to tighten. Fritz said that it smells like something's burning when this happens."

Charlie added in to help Marionette. "When I tazed him, he fell down shaking and Scott said it looked like a springlock failure. After that he went rigid and didn't relax even when Fritz shut him off."

"Does that sound like anything familiar to you?" the puppet pressed lightly. The clown hesitated almost thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the screwdriver, and Marionette reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Ennard. Just this much? I promise it's not a mistake."

Ennard gave a noise between a groan and a sigh. His wires squeaked as they tightened with stress. It almost hurt to speak. "He's got open circuitry. But it's not just loose wires on the extremities. It sounds like it's going to be somewhere in the chest cavity or neck. Maybe something got lodged in there that's starting to burn. Crack him open, clean out whatever gunk's caught up in there, and wrap up the wires. They're going to want to wear gloves or they're looking at a bad shock."

"Mike will surprise you. He may sell himself short, but he is skilled. Fritz too," Marionette lightly assured. He then patted Ennard's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it…" Ennard muttered. "…Seriously. If you tell him I told you that, he's not going to let you work on him."

"I'm just going to tell Mike and Fritz," Marionette agreed. He then turned to leave, lightly beckoning Charlie to follow with him before continuing out. Charlie hesitated a moment and looked back at Ennard.

"Thanks, Ennard. That's really going to help," she told him. Ennard nodded and listened to her leave. Then he slumped a little, disappointed on all accounts. He couldn't keep with the plan after they had figured it out. It was one thing to derail them secretly, but a second if it risked putting everything in his life in jeopardy. Springtrap wasn't worth it, even if just the thought of him was enough to get his hands sparking.

Just when Ennard was about to lose himself into angry stewing a familiar voice spoke up. One that he hadn't anticipated on hearing.

" _I am Candy Cadet. I have candy all day every day, and maybe a story?"_ Candy Cadet suddenly quoted. Ennard sent a confused look inside of the open front and wondered if he had somehow activated something. Everything inside did look tangled up and in need of a good wipe down. _"Candy. Candy. Candy."_

"…Ha ha, sure! I'll take that story, Buddy," Ennard agreed as he scooted closer and leaned in. "You just keep going while I poke around in here. Don't mind me." To which he began to work, and it began to recite.

" _Once there was a spoiled little girl who got everything she ever wanted. She had ice cream for dinner and candy for dessert, and all the toys she ever wanted, and she was loved. One day her father brought her a beautiful doll, but he told her that she was too little to play with the doll and put it on a shelf where she could look but not touch. But she couldn't help herself and went to the doll's shelf. She reached out and broke her. After that, her father no longer spoiled her. No more ice cream for dinner or dollies for gifts, and she was sad. One day, her father sent her a new toy to play with…"_

"…That's it?" Ennard asked. It was hard enough swallowing the story when it sounded so foreboding, let alone the ending dropping off. "You can't leave it like that! What happened?"

" _She broke it too,"_ Candy Cadet finished.

"…Gee, that's sort of a downer. You should've just ended it after he cut her off," Ennard muttered as he continued to work. Suddenly there was an uneasy feeling hanging over the warehouse. The clown didn't feel comfortable with the 'talking vending machine'. Its story was a little too curious, and just a little too familiar.

Right when the silence was becoming uncomfortable, something small dropped down onto Ennard's head. He looked down to see that it was a piece of candy.

" _Candy for dessert. Candy for dessert,_ " Candy Cadet began to repeat. More pieces began to pop out of its chute and drop onto the amalgam. _"Candy. Candy. Candy."_

"Jackpot!" Ennard chirped as he unwrapped the piece and tossed it past his teeth. "I hope this was just a lucky break and I didn't yank out the wrong thing. That would be a nightmare to fix!"

Ennard's cheery tone covered the uneasy feeling as he lost himself to his work. He wouldn't think about anything else. Not the story, not Springtrap, not Michael, just his work. Just like any good technician would.

* * *

 **Mable: Might take more than a few technicians to fix these guys, but at least it's a start. I hope you enjoyed!**


	67. Chapter 67

**Mable: Here's the new chapter! I hope you Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-Seven_

Mike should've known things weren't going to go much better in the office. He heard the feverish pacing even before he stepped inside to see it. There was Springtrap limping and pacing back and forth quickly. His hands were clenched and his mouth tight, making it look even more like he was grimacing. Fritz was standing innocently beside the door watching without stepping in. Mike considered doing the same, but as he nudged the door closed it squeaked and caught Springtrap's attention.

The springlock suit turned and rushed Mike before staring down at him with an intense glare. This time he decided to drop the silent act and be clear with what was bothering him.

"What were you _thinking_ defend that- that _**parasite**_?!" Springtrap exploded. He showed no restraint, shoving Mike back by the shoulder and glaring with a reignited heat. "Did you think I wouldn't find out that you brought that thing here?! Did you think I couldn't smell that sugar-coated mat of rejected organs coming from a mile away?!" He growled and pulled back, but only because of a quick jolt of pain. "And you would shut me off and give it access to my body…"

"It wasn't like that. My train of thought was that if he somehow kept himself together that maybe he'd be able to get your issues straightened out," Mike flatly said, partially joking. It only made the animatronic look angrier, if that was possible. "Just don't even worry about it. That plan is off the table and we're just going to work on you ourselves."

"How am I supposed to trust you? Your word means nothing," Springtrap spat. He began to pace again but slower. "Bringing that butcher in here…"

"The last time I checked you and Ennard worked together before. I know you two hate each other, but I thought you could put that aside long enough to get this wiring thing straightened out. Isn't that what you did during the fire?" Mike asked. It was clear that he was unenthused by the miniature episode. "Something like self-preservation over hatred?"

"I do many foolish things to keep myself alive. I make _deals_ that I shouldn't," Springtrap muttered as he glanced over out of the corner of his eye. Mike didn't have a reply to that. "Do you have any idea how many technicians died at the hands of that thing? Workers doing their job, strung up or cut open, leaving behind friends and family…" He trailed off as his eyes glanced to the door. He stared for a moment, listening, and then turned away from both it and Mike. "Marion's outside the door."

Mike handed the crank off to Fritz and stepped out the office door. As predicted, there stood Marionette with Charlie a few steps behind him. "Any luck on your end?" Mike asked.

"You'll be happy to know that Ennard told me what we need to look for… I'm actually surprised he did after everything," Marionette said pensively. "He thinks it's broken circuitry around the chest or neck, and he said we might be looking at cleaning and repairing wires. He didn't sound like he had much faith in us."

"Considering that Springtrap just chewed through me, I can't say I'm surprised," Mike muttered. He readjusted his hat with a stressed exhale. "But that's good. Gives us a direction to go in and doesn't sound too difficult." He started to head back into the office before looking back. "You're going to come in and make sure we don't kill him, right?"

"If he lets me then that's the plan," Marionette agreed. "Tell him Charlie's a technician. Maybe you can get us both in."

"At this point, I'm lucky if he lets _me_ in," Mike said with a small smirk. He reentered the office. "Okay, Michael. We're still going to do this if you're going to let us."

Springtrap was still silently standing off in the corner, seemingly refusing to speak. Mike exhaled and removed his hat, still not content with it, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, I'm sorry I brought Ennard here without discussing it with you. That's not going to happen again… In fact, so there's no more surprises, I'm going to tell you right off the bat that we need Marionette in here to make sure we don't lose you. Will you still let us do this? We're still ready to work."

Springtrap's fists tightened and his head slumped forwards. He obviously wanted to stay stubborn and refuse but said nothing of protest. Maybe because he knew that said puppet was listening outside the door. To both men's surprise, he gave a slow nod. Fritz raised his brows and looked to Mike, who looked back with equal surprise and relief. This was the closest thing to a victory that they were getting.

The technician stepped up with a throat clearing noise. "I'm going to have to shut you down again. You're not going to want to be awake for this." Springtrap looked over at him with a cold glint and Fritz raised his hands in defense. "No tricks, I promise. This is all better for me in the long run, so I won't have to listen to Ennard going on about how much of a better technician he is."

Springtrap either made a noise mixed between a scoff, a cough, or some sort of crackling growl. He still returned to the floor as he had been before and leaned back to allow himself to be shut off. Fritz knelt alongside him before beginning to reach towards his neck.

"No." At Springtrap's protest, Fritz recoiled his hand. The animatronic looked towards Mike and nodded at him. "He does it."

" _Yeah, because I did such a good job last time."_ While he thought this, Mike said nothing as to not rock the boat, and came over to do it. He knelt beside the springlock suit and reached towards the neck. "Here, watch this," he directed Fritz. "I don't think it's the same as Baby's, and I know for a fact that it's not like Marionette."

"He knows Marionette like the back of his hand," Fritz clarified to Springtrap.

"He knows. He heard Chance's self-righteous rant about me corrupting Mari," Mike pointed out. Springtrap gave an impatient groan as the shivers started to return. The security guard hurried to reach inside and unplug the wire again. Once again, the rabbit's body slumped, and his eyelids partially shut. Immediately, Mike turned towards the door. "You can come in now. I don't know how long he's going to stay under, so we need to work fast."

Marionette came into the office and knelt alongside Mike while Charlie more hesitantly stood near the bot's feet. Fritz grabbed for the crank off the desk behind him.

"The easiest way for us to work is to put him in suit mode, but I'm warning you now, be careful where you put your hands," he firmly directed, waving the crank to punctuate. "If he seizes up then you better believe those springlocks are going to fail and he's going to snap back from suit mode so fast that he's taking anything left in him with him. Watch your fingers."

"So, basically you're saying he's a finger-trap," Marionette said. He gave Mike a playful nudge in the arm.

"I'm already getting flashbacks to that movie where they were doing chest compressions and the guy's chest opened up with all those teeth and just-." Mike finished with a click of his teeth that finished the picture. "Except the arms aren't going to look as rubbery jutting out."

"Not unless they're mine," Charlie casually added. She then watched as Mike and Fritz struggled to roll the rabbit onto his side so that the hand crank could be inserted.

"I think I've got it. You just hold him right there," Fritz instructed as he leveled up the crank and slipped it inside. Then he began to turn it, briefly glancing to Marionette for confirmation and getting a nod. He continued twisting until Springtrap's body shifted. All at once everything seemed to loosen up. His mouth opened of its own accord, his legs and arms seemed limp in a dislocated way, and his full weight was held by Mike as Fritz carefully pulled the crank back out. They rolled him back onto his back once again.

"Now let's get this chest open. It should open now," Fritz said as he took the lead. He started trying to remove the fabric. "It's just like Foxy. We can remove the exterior and- Oh." As he unhinged and removed a large portion of the chest, they were all hit by a pungent odor. The smell of decay that Mike had smelled in the backroom, which had seemed to dissipate, had renewed itself with the opening of the chest. "Oh wow, that's…" Fritz choked into his sleeve, then did so again when he saw inside the suit. "Yup, that's a corpse."

It was more the remains of a corpse than a whole one. Parts of it had rotted and shed but some of the mummified flesh remained trapped in the springlocks. Some wires that should've been pulled away by the activation of suit mode remained stuck in mats of waste. One of the wires was frayed but barely held together, only to be enwrapped in the decay. Springtrap's own body was causing his suit to decompose.

"That just-," Mike began only to cut off with his own cough. As much as he tried to keep his compositor he couldn't. "That's so much worse than last time."

"That smell is never getting out of this room," Fritz pointed out with his mouth still covered.

"Look at all of that…" The security guard dared to lean further over and look inside. " _This_ is Springtrap's problem. This has got to be causing the wires to break. Look at how they're stuck in it, and even if they weren't this is going to start rusting the metal and eating through the suit. He's lucky he's not crawling with maggots right now." Fritz's face scrunched in disgust and Mike looked to Marionette to continue, but the puppet was turned around to look back at the wall. "Mari?"

"I'm fine," Marionette assured. That defensiveness was an immediate tip off, but the glossiness of his tear tracks confirmed any suspicious. It hurt seeing his brother's body in such a state.

"What do you think; will cleaning this out do anything to Springtrap? It won't kill him, right?" Mike carefully asked. Now Marionette looked to him.

"You mean moving his remains? No. It's been… Much too long. It'll be fine." The Puppet sighed and looked back to the open suit yet again and the mess inside. "This is long overdue… Give me a moment." He vanished out of the office. Mike almost thought he was going to hide and clean himself up and was a little uneased, but Marionette returned quickly through the door with the cleaning spray and wipes.

Fritz got up to get the wire brush and Charlie took his place while he was gone. "Let me start. I think I can get most of it out without activating the springlocks," she volunteered. That, and she was at least moderately certain that they would be able to reattach anything to her if the worst did happen. Not that it would since she was confident that she could work around them. Not to mention that the smell was much less impactful for her. She could certainly smell what was coming out of the body, but it was dulled, and she lacked a stomach to twist in disgust.

A pair of rubber gloves suddenly flew past her and landed on Springtrap's shoulder. She quickly pulled them on, making them work even with the different hand shape. She looked down at the neck of the suit and noticed the thickly congealed mass there. "Is there any way to get the neck and head open the rest of the way?"

"There's should be a release on the underside of the head. Maybe a button or a release switch," Marionette offered. He sprayed a healthy amount of cleaner onto one of the already damp wipes and handed it over. "This is quick drying but be careful putting it anywhere near the springlocks. One fails and they all might fail. I'll get the head." He reached under Springtrap's jaw and felt around the deterioration and slight fire damage, eventually finding two things deeper inside that felt like releases. Pressing them in caused something to click, but Springtrap's mouth remained prone. "Mike?"

"I'm on it." Mike carefully opened Springtrap's mouth further and revealed the remains of the head inside. He hissed through his teeth as he looked at the bolts and metal that still pierced the head. "I don't think this is coming out… But it's holding up a little better. Either I'm getting used to the smell or this is less powerful up here."

The area around the head was cleared more of the buildup of refuse. He half wondered if Michael had somehow figured out how to open himself and had been keeping it cleaner. Mike looked up to see an old toothbrush offered to him and took it. "I'll get the neck."

"Thanks. I'm going to check the arms and legs just in case," Fritz volunteered as he sat down cross legged beside Charlie. "You know, this wasn't what I expected when we figured out it was an electrical thing."

"I know what you mean. The last thing I ever thought I'd do to Springtrap is brush his teeth." Mike sprayed some cleaner on the brush and began to work, with Marionette holding the releases to keep the mouth from locking or snapping shut. They fell into silence as they continued the slow work.

It took at least an hour of cleaning to get Springtrap's interior somewhat presentable. By now they had collected a bag filthy wipes and had two scares where the springlocks twitched or squeaked in protest. Both instances resulted in everyone yanking their hands back like the suit was about to bite down on them; both times was a false alarm. Finally, the wires were more exposed, and they could see how many of them were damaged. One stood out.

"Right here, back by the spine," Marionette said as he pointed to the wire. It was thicker than the others, made of a few wires that were then sealed together. It looked like something sharp had cut halfway through the bundle. "I can't be sure, but I think this is causing the problems."

Fritz looked at it and clenched his teeth as he saw the open wiring. It would need more than just tape. "You called it. That's got to be causing the shakes… But here's the bigger problem. This isn't something I can just duct tape and leave like this, I'm going to have to solder it back together. Which means I'm going to stick a hot iron against a wire that, when prodded enough, causes the entire body to seize up. In a springlock suit. In a springlock suit that's already threatening to close in on us."

"So, you can't do it?" Mike asked.

"…No, I can do it, but we're going to have to get creative here…" Fritz tapped his fingers on his leg as he looked over the animatronic, the damage inside of it, and then the crank. He had an idea. "I've got an idea that might work. Big emphasis on the 'might'. We turn him on his side and put the crank back in and you two hold the crank and in place." He pointed to Mike and Marionette. "If my theory is correct, the triggering mechanism will be stuck as long as the crank is in it to hold everything open. If you can keep a handle on it long enough for me to do the repairs, then we might fix this."

"Sounds like an idea. What if it doesn't work?" Mike asked as he helped Fritz turn Springtrap on his side again, then accepted the crank from him.

"Then I'll need you to drive me to the hospital. We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Fritz quickly dismissed as to not think about it. He got his soldering iron out and ready along with a replacement for the wire's casing. Mike and Marionette got the crank back into place and both held it steady. Seeing them in place, Fritz took a deep breath and handed a flashlight to Charlie. "Hold this, please."

The technician then laid down on his belly to look in the springlock suit's cavity. It was an unfortunately awkward angle for a situation that involved exact precision. Swallowing thickly, he took the screwdriver and nudged it into the animatronic's body.

"I'm going to try and stimulate the springlocks, okay?" With nods from the crank holders he reached to the nearest springlock that was fully exposed. Using handle of it, he lightly thumped the springlock, to no response. He tried a little harder and still nothing. Finally, he gave a firm strike.

This would've done something because Mike and Marionette could both feel the crank trying to pull. But with both of their grips it didn't move, and the suit didn't close. The body was forced to stay open.

"Okay… I'm going in," Fritz finally agreed. Now wearing the rubber gloves, he reached in with the soldering iron in one hand and a pair of rubber tipped pliers with the other. He got ahold of the bundle with the pliers and looked it over. Then he gave an impatient huff and handed the soldering iron back. "No good. Going to have to strip the wires. Charlie?"

"I'm on it." The Security Puppet handed him the tools as he carefully worked to remove enough of the casing to fire the wires. It was only more difficult since the wires were mostly stuck together, but he managed to get the job done, and the springlocks hadn't reacted at all. He handed back the tools and got the soldering iron back. "Here's the moment of truth. You guys keep ahold of that," he insisted as he slid in closer.

The smell of rot was barely covered by the smell of the cleaner, making it only more apparent that he was halfway lodged in a deathtrap. With a thick swallow he reached in with his right arm and pressed the soldering iron into the frayed wires.

As soon as the heat touched the wires, there was a loud clicking, a ticking, and a shuddering of the suit. The crank yanked so hard that it was like it was trying to pull free of the grasps on it. It turned slightly and the metal on the inside of the suit quivered. Springtrap's mouth even snapped close.

"It's fighting us," Mike warned. There was another surge and the crank nearly twisted again. Marionette dropped forwards to wrap his arms around it and hold with all his might while the security guard tried to do the same. "Fritz, this thing's about to fail!"

"I'm almost there. Just hold it." Fritz sounded surprisingly focused. Not a trace of strain, entirely fixated on the wires mending together, even when he was nearly sweating through his clothes. As soon as the wires bonded, he said back to Charlie, "Insulation, quick." He grabbed the handle of the soldering iron in his mouth- so close that he could feel the heat on his cheek and knew any wrong movement could result in a nasty and visible burn- and took the replacement for the wire exterior. Once the wire was covered, he carefully moved the iron close to bind the plastic to the wire.

"Fritz, hurry it up," Mike forewarned. By now he was having to use all his strength against the crank. It was slowly starting to turn and inside the suit Fritz could hear the ticking again.

When the plastic was bound enough, Fritz released the wires and quickly yanked himself out, bumping the suit as he did and triggering another protest. This time the crank couldn't be stopped and spun freely. Marionette flailed awkwardly as he fell against Springtrap, Mike hand was wrenched painfully, and the suit snapped back into animatronic mode instantly. It could've easily crushed through skin and bone, but Fritz had his hands out of the suit and raised to safety.

"Done!" the technician proclaimed in both shock and relief. He stared down at Springtrap for a few moments before breaking into a smile. "It's done! Fixed!"

"You did it…" Charlie was in equal shock. Though she sent him an excited smile too. "I can't believe you did it! Fritz, that was amazing!"

"That was amazing," Fritz agreed. It was only then that the full impact started to sink in. "…Amazingly stupid." And then the rest of it sunk in. "I almost just got both of my arms crushed right then."

"Sounds like that adrenaline's wearing off quick," Mike lightly teased as he rubbed his wrist. "Don't overthink it. What could've happened didn't happen. You did it, so don't go dwelling on the other possibilities." He now nudged the Puppet who had just recovered. "Besides, we had your back." The Puppet chimed lightly amusement and relief.

"Yeah… Yeah, I did it. All's good," Fritz agreed as he rubbed his face. "I'm not going to risk hooking him up to the Handunit, so it's a waiting game. If it worked, if he's good to go… Then I'm going home, getting back in bed, and taking the week off."

It was all smiles and good humor at that point. It felt like a victory.

* * *

Everything felt strange. Springtrap was groggy and his mind was a muddled mess. He shifted wearily as he slowly started to rouse, seeing dim lights beyond his eyelids. There were footsteps from somewhere behind him. Something was wrong but his mind was remembering things wrong, like he was still caught between a dream and waking. There was movement behind him before he felt a hand on his arm.

"Hey, we're done," Mike Schmidt suddenly said. It was only then that he realized he wasn't on a couch, not in the warmth of a comfortable living room, but on a tarp on the hard floor of the office.

Springtrap pried open his eyelids and immediately regretted it. Everything was bright and distorted, and something felt wrong inside of him. The pain of the shocks was gone but there was something gaping in his core. He felt empty and cold. He started to turn his head and out of the corner of his eye he could see Mike crouching over him.

"I'm heading into work with Mari. You just try to sleep this off until we get back," Mike half-suggested and partially instructed. Springtrap released a gurgling noise from his chest to answer. The security guard patted his shoulder. "Trust me, you're going to just want to sleep through it. Fritz had to break out the soldering iron and I'm going to take a wild guess and say you're going to feel it."

How odd; the man should've still been infuriated with him, but instead he sounded like he was trying to comfort him. It was the last thing Springtrap thought of before he started to drift again. It had been ages since he had slept and even though he didn't want to he didn't have a choice in the matter. His eyes closed and the light that crept through them vanished. The office was gone again and so was he.

* * *

" _She's down there."_

 _As horrifying as the thought was, there was a part of him that believed his father. He was so clear with his words, so convinced and honest sounding, but on the other hand he knew that his father could be twisting the truth again. He always did so when he wanted something, but this was the first time he had ever needed something. Especially when punctuated by such a disturbing reveal._

 _Elizabeth's disappearance had been sudden and unexplained. There was always a part of Michael that knew there was something his father wasn't saying. She was the favorite, his little princess, so it didn't make any sense that after she went missing their father became so subdued. He didn't go looking for her at all. He had made more of an attempt to find the missing children than her, and Michael was convinced that was just for show to make him look less suspicious and Fazbear Entertainment like it cared._

 _Elizabeth's disappearance was odd. Even Gabe had said so when he had visited him last, which his father did not know about. Elsewise he might've not brought it up at all. From what Gabe said, she just left one day with their father, as she always did, and then she was just gone. He hadn't seen her since and neither had Marion, and William had only called a few weeks afterwards after the search was long over. Yet here he was calling about Afton Robotics and her and saying that beyond all reason she was down in the business that he no longer owned._

 _He sounded very convincing. Michael could've believed it easily, if not for one thing; his father always wanted something more._

" _You're such a terrible liar, Father."_

 _He had never hung up so quickly. He wouldn't allow him to fill his head with more empty begging, with pointless lies about his sister, or with whatever reason he really wanted back into Afton Robotics. The abrupt ending left Michael feeling unfulfilled, but he ignored it to head back into the living room and drop onto the couch._

 _The show was on. Clara was currently weeping over a lipstick mark on a shirt collar while Vlad was sleeping in his coffin obliviously. A dramatic scene that he couldn't feel much for when he was too busy steaming about his father and pretending that he wasn't curious about what he said about Elizabeth. She couldn't be down there. His sister wouldn't still be in that place._

" _What was that about?"_

"… _It was my father," Michael admitted._

" _I got that much. I meant, what was that about?"_

 _The bowl of popcorn was thrust into his lap and Michael stared down at it. He wasn't hungry, but it smelled too good to pass up. Movie theater butter was his greatest temptation, other than flat out stress eating._

" _He was trying to get me to go to his old business. He wanted me to get a job there or something like that," Michael excused. "Probably just wanting a spy in the company now that he doesn't own it." In hindsight, that was a good deduction and probably was the real reason William wanted him to go. Though using his missing sister as bait was tactless and inappropriate. In short, something his father would eagerly do._

"… _Wait, he's asking you to get a job at his old robotics plant? Like, a real job in your field?"_

" _Don't get so excited. It's my father, so there's strings attached somewhere," Michael easily dismissed. He then frowned as he tightened his hand around a handful of popcorn. "I don't need William's charity."_

" _You're right. You don't want to get mixed up in that… Think he'll give me the job?" Blue eyes sent a glare at the other side of the couch. "Just an innocent question!"_

" _Don't even think about it. It's not worth it. Firstly, my father doesn't even own it any longer, and secondly, you wouldn't want to work with him if he did. I don't want you to go near him. Don't even answer the door if he somehow finds his way here," Michael insisted. He threw the crushed popcorn into his mouth. "You'd do better getting a job as a dishwasher."_

" _Easy words from a guy with a cushy job."_

 _Michael didn't consider moonlighting at a bar a cushy job._

" _Eh, I don't want it anyway. Last thing I need is to get in the middle of a family feud. What happens if he invites me to Thanksgiving and then I have to go meet your family while you sit here alone eating TV dinners? Until you pop up at the house in the middle of the night and have a mushy reunion with your dad. I suddenly become the guy who saved Christmas and never live it down."_

" _That would not happen," Michael dismissed unamused. "As sickeningly saccharine as that would be, my father is not the 'mushy' type, and he cares little about family." The words became a cold ball in his stomach as he thought about his sister, his brothers, and his mother. Everything he left behind. "Life isn't like a sitcom special… You would know that if you got out of the house more."_

" _Yeah, I would, but to do that I would need a job."_

 _The smug smile that followed that comment was just enough to weasel a small smile out of Michael. He always did know how to push his buttons, and right before he shoved his hand back into the popcorn bowl._

" _Don't sweat it. One of these days we'll get our act together."_

 _Michael hoped so, because he never wanted to be in the situation where he would have to take his father's offer. Not yet, not ever._

* * *

When Springtrap woke again, he was much more alert than he had been earlier. He was still on the office floor and hadn't moved at all, and there was still a strange gnawing feeling inside, but he seemed to be fine. Nothing had been damaged further at least. He listened closely but couldn't hear anything except the dull hum of a fan. Slowly he turned himself over and scanned the room.

Mike was long gone but Fritz was still there. He was slumped in the office chair, feet propped up on his own toolbox, hat pulled over face, and fully asleep. He didn't even rouse when Springtrap started to roll over to stand. Everything felt a little off, but he noticed that the nagging pain that he could always feel was gone. There hadn't been any jolts yet either and no burning or twitching. There was an overwhelming lemon smell wafting through his suit, but he could live with it. It was a small price to pay.

The remains of his surgery were strewn about. A few tools not put back in the box were sitting out, including an unplugged soldering iron, and there was a plastic bag that looked to have cleaning wipes in it. It was only then that he realized they had cleaned out his inside, and for a jarring moment he wondered how much.

Shrugging it off, Springtrap headed to the office door and let himself out. Fritz didn't even hear as he headed out of the room and down the aisles. The warehouse wasn't as quiet as he had grown to expect. He could hear talking, and it didn't take him long to recognize that it was the clown talking with what sounded like a woman.

Of course the clown was still here. Of course it intruded into his life and took whatever it wanted. He couldn't stand being in the same building with it any longer. If he didn't get away then he would have to stab something sharp through its chest. It wouldn't be anything worse than what it had done to others. But he would keep his word, if only because Mike seemed like the only sane person in this entire city who was still a human. He couldn't afford to burn that final bridge. It was time to accept that his survival relied on more than him just running on his own.

Speaking of which, it seemed like it was time to go on his way. Mike would understand, Marionette would live with it, the others would be relieved, and Springtrap would be free. He ignored the voices and made his way to the front door of the warehouse. Then, without any fan fair, he opened the door to let himself out into the world. Then recoiled when he was met by blinding sunlight.

Springtrap hadn't even considered what time it was. The warehouse was always so dark that he just assumed he slept until evening, but to his dismay it was broad daylight. With a low growl he yanked the door shut with a clatter and was stuck standing there directionless. Nowhere to go and nothing to do to escape this. He resigned himself to his fate exhaustedly and sat down beside the door to wait. He had become very used to waiting, but nighttime couldn't come fast enough.

That was how Charlie found him, sitting on the floor with his arms resting on his legs and his head dropped forwards. Instead of looking dangerous even without a weapon, he looked almost defeated, and maybe even a little pitiable. Charlie had mixed feelings about him, especially after they had gone head to head, but she did feel sorry for him. Especially after what she saw inside of him. She wondered if it was worth trying to reach out to him, if only to face her own fears.

Just the thought of getting close to the golden rabbit suit made her anxious in a way that was only comparable to staring down a set of headlights. She held her ground and took a few steps forward. One of his ears twitched and he raised his head to look at her, causing her to stop in place and stare back. They did that for a few, long moments. She didn't know if he was going to attack and he didn't know why this other puppet was here. Eventually he decided that he didn't care and returned to his previous position to wait.

The Security Puppet relaxed slightly but kept watching the animatronic with hesitance. She dared to step closer and watched him for a reaction. His lack of one encouraged her to stop against the wall beside him. She slowly slid down and sat with only a few feet between them. Part of her still wanted to run, but the other part refused to do so. She couldn't be afraid of him forever, and this was probably the only time she would get a chance to confront him like a human being.

When it became clear that he wasn't going to speak, she did. "I apologize for electrocuting you," she said quieter than she intended to. "Normally I wouldn't have done that, but I was desperate. Just like you were." The other made a low hum or groan, maybe a light growl, but she still sat there. More silence followed, and she wondered if it was worth saying anything more.

Springtrap, meanwhile, couldn't tell why the other puppet was trying to speak to him. Considering their past confrontations this behavior was odd. Maybe she was fishing for information, or maybe one of the others told her to keep an eye on him, and he was suspicious and standoffish. Though on the other hand it had been so long since he had a real conversation with someone. He gave a wheezy sigh.

"Does he know you're here?" Springtrap finally asked. It was odd hearing such a normal, if somewhat grizzled voice coming out of that body. Even when she heard it earlier through the office door. He had the same accent that Marionette had too.

"Who, Ennard?" she guessed.

He gave a low growl at the name. " _No_. Marion."

"Right. Yes, he knows I'm here," Charlie replied. She looked down at her legs and shifted them. The floor was almost as uncomfortable as the conversation. Springtrap gave a hum and returned to silence. "Why do you hate him so much?... Not Marionette, I mean. You know who I mean."

Springtrap didn't even know if it was worth telling her. It was clear that she was at least somewhat convinced by the amalgam's flimsy guise of benevolence. Elsewise she wouldn't be talking with him. Unless she didn't know. It was possible that she hadn't any idea what the clown had done.

"He took the lives of good men," Springtrap admitted. She looked to him in surprise and he didn't react. "And he gets to live as someone's pet. He gets to live the lives they no longer have. It's a crime against nature."

She didn't expect him to have an actual reason. She wondered if that made her a hypocrite, not seeing him as being as human when that was what she herself wanted. It was pushed aside for the time being. "I'm guessing one of those technicians was you… I'm sorry."

"I could care less about me… I had no one to go home to," Springtrap easily deflected. He then slumped a little more, eyes falling and hands tightening. "…Which of the restaurants did you come out of?" To her it sounded like an innocent question; to him it would be a way of figuring out the exact circumstances of her death. He could narrow it down from that fact alone.

"I didn't come out of one. I've been working in Foxy and Mari's pizzeria, but that started recently. They don't make me perform or anything like that, I just use it to do something productive with my time. It feels like such a waste sitting around with nothing to do." Charlie hadn't intended to give her life's story without any provocation. Especially when Springtrap just silently listened and she was unsure if he even cared. She changed her tone and target. "I'm Charlie. I'm the Security Puppet."

"…Charlie?" Springtrap squinted his eyes like he was furrowing his brow. "Not Charlotte Emily. Couldn't be."

"That's it." Charlie was just as surprised at the recognition. "Have we… Met before?"

"You wouldn't remember. You couldn't have been much older than two or three, maybe even younger…" Springtrap trailed off and his voice grew quieter. "My apologies about your brother."

"Thank you," she said, not sure what else to say. "I appreciate it."

"Is my father still alive?"

"What?" Charlie asked in confusion. Springtrap looked at her for the first time during the conversation. She wasn't sure why he waited until now to look at her, but she was almost glad he had waited since she felt like flinching under his intense gaze. He continued looking to her expectantly and she figured it out. "Oh, you mean-!... No. Marion said he died a couple of years ago. It was someone else, a man named Dave Miller."

The animatronic gave a content sort of hum and turned away again, satisfied by the answer. Just the brief thought of William still being alive horrified him. Especially when the last he heard the man was dead and buried. It would've been too easy for his father to just dispose of another identity and pick up a new one. Now comforted, he felt the need to say something more.

"I didn't know what he was doing. It was something that came after years of hindsight, or I would have done something more to stop him," Springtrap defended. His voice sounded weary and drained, like there was no life in his words. She assumed it was from the tenseness of the conversation but knew it could've also been from the surgery.

"No, I understand. I don't know what I would've done in the same situation…" Charlie hesitated a moment, tapping her fingers on the floor. "…Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but why choose my dad's house to stay in?" She thought maybe there was some sort of significance. Maybe he would reveal a secret that she didn't know.

"It was the only house connected to the vents that wasn't blocked or being lived in. You have few options when you look like this." Or maybe the simplest answer was the right one. He shifted uncomfortably and straightened his back. The turned his head and looked towards the shelves attentively.

It was then that Charlie noticed the sound of hurried footsteps. " _Is that Fritz_?"

Almost like he was answering her, Fritz ran around the corner at the end of the aisle and only stopped when he saw Springtrap and Charlie sitting there. He exhaled in relief and slumped on a shelf. "False alarm."

"What happened?" Charlie asked- as though she didn't know. It was clear what had happened; he woke up, saw the rabbit out of the office, and panicked. Not that he would admit to it.

"Nothing. I just got confused and thought I overslept. No problem," Fritz waved off. "I'm going to get ready and take, uh…" He looked towards Springtrap and noticed him still staring. He remembered the outburst in the office and decided to watch his words. "I'm going to take the tools I borrowed from Scott back. You need a ride still?"

"Sure. I need to check in with Baby, she's been waiting to hear back from me," Charlie said with a small smile.

"There's just one thing I need to take care of. I'll be right back," Fritz said as he turned and headed back into the warehouse. Scolding himself for falling asleep as he did.

Now Charlie and Springtrap were left alone once again. The two sat together on the floor in silence, with him now looking ahead distantly like he had before. She wondered if it was right leaving him here alone. It seemed like he could open up to people, even if he was incredibly reluctant.

"What are you going to do?" Charlie finally asked.

"…What am I going to do," Springtrap repeated quietly, distantly, matching his thousand-yard stare well. "What am I going to do," he repeated. He followed with a period of silent thought that ended with a noncommittal, "I don't know what I am going to do."

"Well… I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably don't want to come to Scott's," Charlie guessed. "…I know you probably want to leave as soon as you can, but Mari wanted to see you after work. He was worried about you when you didn't wake up right away, so I think you should stay until he gets back." Springtrap didn't answer but looked like he was thinking about it. "It's just an idea. Nobody's going to force you to do anything you don't want to."

"Nobody could," Springtrap insisted, almost to assure himself that he had a choice. "…I'll think about it."

The Security Puppet got a small smile, her first angled towards him, and stood from where she was sitting. He watched her turn to leave and wondered of things. Before she disappeared, he spoke.

"My name is Michael," Springtrap called after her. She turned back to him.

"It's nice to meet you, Michael."

Meanwhile, Fritz had dragged himself over to the other side of the warehouse. There he found Ennard riffling through the tipped locker and no longer working on the Candy Cadet, which had already been fixed and closed. A few lights flickered on its head, but it remained silent. He looked back to the clown.

"Ennard? Ready to get going?" Fritz asked. The amalgam responded by dumping whatever he could into his toolbox.

"Ha ha, sure thing! Just give me two seconds. I'm gonna borrow some of this junk to keep on working on Baby. Perfect trade off for this guy." He pointed a wire thumb at the cadet. "But don't get this guy started telling stories. He's got a real dark sense of humor and can't write an ending to save his life." Fritz watched as Ennard continued to fill his toolbox. "How'd it go with Springdong?"

"It turned out- I love that name, by the way- Turns out you were right. There was a frayed wire in the back. Looked to be directly connected to the spine, which is probably why it made everything so twitchy. I mended it and threw a new casing over it, but he almost closed on me twice." Ennard snapped his head over and Fritz smiled a little, edging into bragging. "I was elbow deep and the springlocks started to fail. Mike and Mari had to keep him open with the crank while I finished up."

"Whoa! You know you could've bled out all over the place, right? Heh, you would've been in just as much danger if ya climbed in the suit to fix it!" Ennard always seemed to regard Fritz with a degree of disinterest, focusing usually on whoever else was in the room. He only noticed this now because of how curious the amalgam looked. "Alright, ya got me, I'm impressed! You pulled off the one job that I wouldn't do. Don't like springlocks myself. These wires snap through just as easy as skin does."

"At least you don't bleed. Or sweat. The inside of the suit was so hot and the smell, I can't even describe it…" He trailed off quietly and looked over to make sure Springtrap wasn't listening from nearby. This roused a giggle out of Ennard and Fritz got a lopsided grin. "Let's trade next time."

"Oh yeah? You think I'd swap getting pelted with old candy and told creepy stories about kids for getting both my arms chopped off in a gross, old human trap?" Ennard asked. "…Because sure I would!" Fritz looked to the Candy Cadet curiously, wondering what stories they were, while Ennard gathered his toolbox and stood. "Let's blow this joint. I hang around too long and ol' Willie's gonna come hunt me down."

"You really don't think Springtrap's Michael?" Fritz asked curiously. "I thought you just said that like in a metaphorical sense. Like he's in his dad's suit so he's become his dad."

"Metaphors? Nah! That's this guy's job." Ennard knocked on the cadet's chest with a hollow clang. "I mean what I say and I say what I mean!"

"I don't know. He seems to fit the bill," Fritz said with a shrug. "How are you so sure?

All at once the tone of the conversation changed. Fritz noticed it right away. The amalgam's head twitched and he stayed silent for longer than would've been expected. Just long enough for Fritz's curious look to fall into one of concern, and when that happened Ennard stepped in, leaned in close, and whispered his answer through sharp teeth.

"Because _ **Michael was-sn't this go-ood of a liar."**_

The comment sent chills down Fritz's spine, and he wasn't sure if it was because Ennard used his real voice or because of the certainty in it. It was convincing, and it was that alone that made Fritz wonder if he was right. How would they be able to tell if Springtrap was Michael or not? The fact was that they couldn't.

"But that's not important right now," Ennard murmured as his voice returned to normal. "We've got some unfinished business to take care of, don't we…?"

"We do?"

"We sure do… Now we have to figure out which of us won bragging rights for the hardest job!" Ennard swung his free arm around Fritz's shoulders and yanked him in, nearly knocking him over in the process. "Now I know you almost had your arms crushed but hear me out: I had to put up with psychological torture. You should've heard this story about a snake eating kittens. Lemme tell ya, if there was a snake trying to eat my kittens, ha ha- _There would be no snake._ "

Fritz played along and snickered a little and tried not to think about the implications that Ennard brought up and was now back to ignoring. He already spent the day working to fix Springtrap, so he was too exhausted to even begin to think of who was inside him. He just hoped that Ennard was wrong this time. Fritz really did.

* * *

 **Mable: A guest reviewer named Tabby brought up an interesting theory if you would like to check it out, because this might be the best time to start questioning both Springtrap and Ennard's words. As far as we've seen, they aren't the most reliable of narrators… But that's to worry about next week! I hope you enjoyed!**


	68. Chapter 68

**Mable: Sorry to post later than usual but had some familial events that got in the way of finishing up. So, here we are! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-Eight_

Baby wasn't too unused to boredom, so she made do with what she had. She spent time writing songs and making routines for Charlie- and occasionally herself, but she kept those hidden since they would never be used- or watching television. Normally Ennard was a tool of distraction when it became too unbearable, but he wasn't here to make the waiting any easier.

It was a relief when she heard the van pulling up to the garage door. Scott let himself in to open the door and let Fritz back the van in. He had been a nervous mess since Ennard left. Baby could tell from how much she heard him pacing around looking for things to do. Like her, Ennard's absence left a large gap in possible distractions.

Soon the doors were opened and Ennard hopped down into the garage. He lugged the toolbox in and dropped it beside the wall while sending Baby an eager wave. Then he turned to the approaching Scott and seized him into a quick hug. Maybe Scott was expecting it because he didn't even flinch.

"Someone's in a good mood. I guess it went well?" Scott asked with a smile. Ennard hesitated and looked off towards the corner. "...Okay, not so good. But nobody got hurt, so that's something," the man offered. There was still a pause and now his smile became strained. "You, uh… You didn't _kill_ him, right?"

"What? No! If anything, the joker almost got me!" Ennard defended. A sort of smug amusement came into his voice. " _Almost_ , but it's gonna take more than a bunny with a bad attitude to knock me down." Scott regained his smile for a moment. "Even with a sledgehammer."

That smile disappeared completely. "Uh, sledgehammer?"

"Don't worry about it! His aim's as bad as his eyesight, coordination, smell, and sense of humor, so I pretty much rolled right under the thing," the clown dismissed with a wave of his hand. He glanced out of the corner of his eye back at Scott, teeth glistening under his mask like he was grinning, and playfully nudged him. "I gave much more than I took."

"You electrocuted him," Baby guessed.

"I clocked him with a thirty-pound toolbox. Would've done more too but I got all tangled up in Mari and it ruined the flow," Ennard bragged. He turned back to Scott. "But, _but_ , that's not the only thing I did! I fixed a Candy Cadet- I hotwired a talking gumball machine. You should've seen the mess inside of that thing! Ha, finished in record time too, and I even grabbed some parts for Baby."

"That's great!" Scott exclaimed. More because he was relieved that Ennard hadn't been working on Springtrap. He wasn't entirely sure on what he had planned to do when he got there, but this seemed like the best outcome of the possibilities. Not that he wasn't proud of what the amalgam had accomplished. "You were only gone a couple of hours. Usually a job like that would put an animatronic out of service for weeks…" He got a coyer smile. "But I guess they weren't getting worked on by the best technician Freddy's ever had."

"Aww, you're just saying that," Ennard said with a low rumble deep in his chest. He moved in just a little closer, looking as though he would be beaming down at Scott.

"You know I mean it," Scott assured. It was right then that he noticed Fritz out of the corner of his eye, coming to shut the van doors as Charlie climbed out. He suddenly became aware of what he was doing and his face flushed. He cleared his throat and reined himself in. "So, Fritz. How did it go?"

"I almost got my arms crushed and I'm taking the day off. I'm fantastic," Fritz quipped with similar, tired-sounding confidence. "But I've got enough work at home to keep me busy. My taser won't come on and unless I want to scour the internet for another Freddy-grade taser I'm going to have to fix it. Or go spelunking into ARI for a new one."

"Let me do it!" Ennard eagerly chirped. He rushed over to his side and leaned into the van so he could begin eagerly searching for it. "Something that small ought to be a piece of cake!"

"Are you sure? You might get shocked. I've had them discharge on me just trying to replace batteries," Fritz said with a raised brow.

"I can handle it, trust me! I'm pretty much a walking taser as it is, ha ha!" Ennard joked. "Come on. Give the best technician in Hurricane a shot."

"That's what I was planning on doing before you offered," Fritz joked with a small smirk. "But, hey, it saves me the work. I've got plenty of other things I need to catch up on… Like sleep."

"Don't be too surprised if Bonnie follows you into your nightmares. I know he drops in now and then for mine," the clown responded. He giggled lightly and snatched up the taser. "I'll get on it tonight. And if you want to make it up to me then _maybe_ you could get me a welder that I don't have to return after a couple of days?" Fritz looked contemplative about this, wondering how much that would cost. "You're gonna need it as much as I do if you're planning on keeping Foxy together. Spoiler alert: Foxys don't have a long shelf life."

"That is… Unfortunately accurate," Scott added in. "But Foxy's getting a lot more care than some of the- ahem- _others_."

"You should've seen the wires that came out of Funtime Foxy. They smelled like jerky and they looked like heck," Ennard said quietly enough that Baby wouldn't hear. He then thumped Fritz in the shoulder. "But yeah, with all those kiddies and shows it's only a matter of time before he starts falling apart."

"You've got a point… Okay, first thing when I get home I'll get on the computer and start looking… Or I'll take a powernap and eat a sandwich first. It depends on how long it takes my computer to boot up," Fritz agreed. He shut the doors and started around the van with a wave. "I'm gone."

While they were distracted with their conversation, Baby noticed Charlie coming out of the van and perked in excitement. She didn't rush in to not wanting to look too eager, but she couldn't help but be relieved that she was there after the night before. If she wanted to hear the whole story, then she would need Charlie's side with every detail. Just seeing her safe wasn't enough to sate her curiosity.

It wasn't until Fritz left and Scott headed inside with Ennard on his heels that Baby fully turned her attention to Charlie. "I didn't know if you were coming. Mike said you might, but I couldn't trust his word alone. Not when it hinges on whether on Ennard getting himself killed or not," she remarked. "But I'm glad you came. I want to show you something."

"I wanted to catch up after last night. Ennard said you stayed up last night worrying." Baby wanted to go in and throttle Ennard herself for that. Charlie smiled and added, "But I knew he had to be exaggerating. You? Worried? I think it would take more than Golden Bonnie to get you worried. What did you want to show me?"

"I don't get worried; I get impatient. Always with Ennard," Baby answered. She led Charlie to her corner of the garage. "You can look at the bed too. It wasn't here when you last came."

"It's perfect for you. Though I wouldn't take you for the type to go for something so…" Charlie hesitated, wondering if 'cheery' would offend her. "…Yellow."

"I don't have to look at it when I'm asleep. But that's not it, this is." Baby easily lifted her mattress and reached into a stack of papers hidden underneath. She fumbled through loose sheets before yanking out a magazine it was folded out to a page that showed woman's fashion. She pushed it into the Security Puppet's hands so she could see the pen scribbles over it, and where she had circled a blouse repeatedly and then drew variations of the blouse made of plates. "What do you think of this?"

"For your chest replacement?"

"Yes. Once I choose a design it will have to stay because I can't fit into clothes like you can," Baby explained to her. She looked down at her front with a discontent sigh. "I'm tired of looking down and seeing exposed wires. I want to be fashionable."

"I think you made a good choice, not that I'm the best opinion on fashion. This shouldn't be hard to put together," Charlie assured. She flipped to another folded page and found a selection of shoes. Of which Baby had eagerly circled every set of boots and doodled all over the pages. "What's this?"

"Don't look at that." Baby snatched the magazine back before Charlie could see anymore. "But you have a better idea than I do. I haven't been around real humans wearing fashionable clothing in so long. I can't use TV either; everyone in Ennard's show dresses like they stepped out of a funeral parlor. Last time I checked Halloween didn't start coming early." The Security Puppet got an amused smile at the comment. "But this one is different. This would look good on me, especially once I get my wig. You will have to help me style it."

"I know even less about hair," Charlie pointed out.

"It doesn't take a genius to make pigtails. I just don't have the hands to spare." Baby then gave a discontent sigh. "And I would have that wig by now, but Ennard has become fixated on fixing my ice cream maker. I'm going to spend every moment distracted by that cold, _sweet_ ice cream _spinning_ inside of me like- like silk- smooth, silky ice- Ugh!" She thumped her claw to her chest. "That has happened _twice_ today."

Charlie was about to assure her and remind her that they could fix the programming again. Or suggest that maybe they could figure out a way to break the obsessive thoughts. This was all sidelined when she remembered what she had come to talk to Baby about. This seemed like as good a time as any.

"That's not all I have to show you. Come look at this and tell me what wall it would look good on," she coaxed. Only to notice that the Security Puppet still looked distracted and tilted her head. "Is something wrong? Are you thinking about Golden Bonnie again?"

"No, it's not that. It's something else," Charlie denied. She still wasn't sure whether to be forthright with Baby, knowing how she didn't want to discuss her past. The clown didn't entirely believe her.

"He couldn't follow you here. Even if he did, we wouldn't let him get near you," Baby insisted. She then wondered why the puppet would be so worried. It only made her imagination run away into unpleasant ideas. "He didn't… Hurt you, did he? Scott said he grabbed you, but you fought him off. You weren't hurt by him, were you?"

"The only one who hurt me was myself when I forgot that metal conducted electricity," Charlie joked to try and ease the mood. "It's something else, but I'm a little afraid to say it because I don't want to upset you."

"If he didn't hurt you, then what did he do to you that would upset me?" Baby asked testingly. Between that tone and the tightening of her claw it was clear she expected the worst. "Just because Fritz put him back together doesn't mean I can't take him back apart. I'm not afraid of him."

"No, Baby, it's got nothing to do with Michael. It's about you and me," Charlie defended. Baby loosened her claw and cocked her head in confusion. Now Charlie didn't really have a choice but to explain and stood to do so. "When I was looking around your old bedroom, I found some of your old toys. One of them I remembered from a long time ago… I think we knew each other when we were children. Or maybe we played together once? It would've made sense since our fathers worked together."

"What?" Baby sounded genuinely surprised. She looked down in confusion, trying to remember this but still finding nothing. There were no memories of her playing with anyone except maybe Marion, and even those were faded by time. "I don't remember that…"

"I don't really remember it either. If it wasn't for the toy I would've completely forgot. It was a take-apart Toy Foxy doll. Or maybe a Funtime Foxy doll. All I know was that you could take it apart and put it back together… I can't remember if that was what it was supposed to do, but it came apart so easily that I'm guessing yes." Looking at Baby showed that same flickering of her eyes as she tried to remember. She was desperate and yet finding nothing, so Charlie reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I wasn't telling you to get you worked up. I was telling you because I thought it was cool."

"And how is that?" Baby asked in confusion, green eyes back on Charlie. The Security Puppet smiled.

"Because we knew each other! We could've been childhood friends and just can't remember it," she explained. "Long lost friends don't usually meet up again."

"…You must be mistaken," the clown dismissed. Her less than pleased answer somewhat surprised the puppet, which was only strengthened when Baby turned her head down and away. Almost like she was ashamed of something. "I wasn't a good child. I don't think I had any friends… Except my father." There was something eerie in that last comment. Maybe it was genuine belief that Baby had that her father was her only friend. Even now his strings ran deep.

"I don't think that's true," Charlie corrected. Baby looked to her doubtfully. "You didn't have to tell Scott to come check on me, but you did. You knew I needed help and if I wouldn't have gotten that help then the night could've ended a lot worse. And not just for me. Fritz could've gotten hurt, and if he would've tried to work on Springtrap alone he could've gotten killed. All because you thought _I_ needed help. I have trouble believing that you suddenly became the type of person who would care that much. This is something you've always been."

Nobody had ever said something like that to Baby before and it was enough to shake her usual apathy. There was always a part of her that preferred the superiority of being barely affected by emotions or aloof. Caring weighed her down too much. But constantly denying herself that was starting to become tiresome, so she said what she felt like saying.

"…I was worried about you." Charlie looked only a little surprised; mostly because she didn't expect Baby to admit it. "You're not the type to get scared easily, but I could hear it in your voice in the call. Even if I didn't hear it long. I had to make sure you were alright… because you are my friend."

"Right," Charlie agreed. "Maybe longer than we even remember?"

"Maybe," Baby answered. She tried to ignore the soft sparks in her chest. "But I can't remember it. Let's focus on something I can remember and come look at this. You've caused me enough worry today." She took the Security Puppet's wrist and almost forcefully dragged her over to the washing machine, so that she would get control of the conversation again. Thankfully Charlie caught the hint and let it drop.

Even if Baby's mind wasn't as willing. It would keep trying to remember and maybe, eventually, something would come back. Something involving two little girls playing together in the grass together without a care in the world. Something about a life and childhood she had almost had.

* * *

This was the first time Foxy had witnessed something like this at the pizzeria. Which was shocking considering that so many children passed through the restaurant. Not all of them could be polite crewmates or rambunctious little scallywags. Eventually a real problem child would come into the pizzeria and make his job harder. Unfortunately, today was that day.

The kid was a bully, straight and simple. In the time Foxy had watched him he had snatched dropped tokens up and insisted they were his, mocked kids who were playing arcade machines on how they were playing, and stole a piece of pizza from a table in plain sight and showed no remorse when Louise confronted him about it. He was acting like a brat, and apparently he didn't have any parents there to stop him. Foxy was waiting for someone to do something and kept a careful eye on the boy as he continued to work.

Unfortunately, nobody stepped in before the boy had set his attention on a younger child walking around the arcade with a bundle of tickets and a plate with a slice of cake on it. Really the boy shouldn't have been allowed to walk into the arcade with food, but nobody had noticed him and Foxy hadn't gotten free time to go over himself. He had been too busy watching the bully, who then began watching the boy in Foxy's stead. He stalked over to the younger and demanded he handed over his tickets.

The boy was just young enough that he refused and didn't seem to realize there would be repercussions. It wasn't until the cake was smashed into the front of his shirt and the tickets were snatched away that he knew who he was dealing with. Then the bully smugly went on his way while the boy, devastated, ran off to the table where his father was sitting to tell on him. Not that he would be able to do anything. The bully had been an unstoppable menace. He was everything that Foxy hated and remembered once being.

It wasn't like Foxy could go and straighten the bully out in the traditional sense. One wrong move and they would be looking at a room full of fearful children screaming and panicking. He had seen it before. But there was one plus to being a machine like he was: any accidents wouldn't be considered malicious. Just small mistakes in programming.

" _So, ya want a food fight, do ya, Brat?"_ Foxy thought wickedly. He caught a plastic cup of soda in his hook. _"Let's see how ya like a cupful 'o warm, flat pop."_

Every part of Foxy knew this was a bad idea and still wanted to do it. There was nothing worse than an unchecked bully. He only wished someone would've put a cup of soda over his head at that age.

Only to be blindsided when Jeremy suddenly strode over and snatched the cup out of his hook. "Nope," was all he said as he continued walking past. Foxy turned to disagree, and to get the cup back, but the blond kept it out of reach. "Nope. I know what you're doing and I'm not going to let you do it." Foxy gave a grumble but couldn't argue in a full dining room. "I think you're needed somewhere else, Captain."

Foxy wasn't quite sure what he meant and Jeremy pointed back towards the bully's victim. The child was now crying as his father tried to comfort him. It didn't look like he was getting any results with it. Foxy's ears lowered as he looked at the pitiful scene.

"I'll deal with that kid. You've got a new recruit to get on board," Jeremy encouraged with a smile. With little more than a nod, Foxy turned and headed straight to the table, now transfixed on a new goal.

The blond man watched the scene from where he was standing. The father noticed the fox coming and turned his son towards him before pointing. "Mathew, look. Foxy's coming to say hi," he said. The boy's head snapped up and the crying already started to dissipate. He wiped his pink eyes and cheeks as Foxy leaned over and introduced himself.

"Ahoy, matey! I be Cap'n Foxy an' I be lookin' fer a crew to join me on a treasure hunt. What say ye, Lad? You lookin' to join?" Foxy offered. The boy perked up already and his father looked quite relieved, and completely unbothered that a mechanical fox had commandeered his son. Foxy would be sure to replace the boy's tickets quickly, but more importantly would leave him with memories he wouldn't forget.

Jeremy smiled at the scene before looking back into the arcade. Now for the less pleasant job of keeping his end of the deal. He headed into the arcade section and looked around before finding the boy standing beside the Fruity Maze game, impatiently waiting for someone else to finish their turn. Though 'waiting' was giving him too much credit, as Jeremy could hear him muttering and fussing even before he came up.

"Hey, excuse me," Jeremy started. The boy looked up at him and a look of dread passed his face, that look knowing he had gotten caught without knowing what for. The look was replaced quickly with annoyance and indifference. "I saw what you did back there with that boy and his tickets."

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything," the bully quickly denied. Already he knew the kid would try his own patience.

"I saw you shove a piece of cake into his shirt and steal his tickets. We don't tolerate that behavior-."

"No I didn't," the bully denied again, interrupting him. "I'm just waiting to play a game."

"Again, I saw you do it," Jeremy flatly said. He took a deep breath. "We don't tolerate bullying at Foxy's, so I'm going to have to ask you to go apologize to the boy and return his tickets to him."

"These are my tickets. I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything!" the kid vehemently denied. Now he got a nastier look in his protest. The child playing the Fruity Maze game discreetly finished and hurried off.

"Once again, _I saw you do it._ And now I'm not asking, I'm telling," Jeremy said a little more firmly.

"Whatever. You can't tell me what to do," the kid said blowing him off. He strode right past him to the game machine and popped a token in to start playing. Jeremy just stood dumbstruck as the boy started up a new game. "Are you just going to stand there or what? Because I don't have to do anything some stupid purple guy says."

"… _This is why animatronics bite kids,"_ Jeremy thought. He shook the dark thought away and knew he had to be an adult about this. Mike and Fritz weren't here to do it for him, and even if they were it was an embarrassing thought that he would need them. It was just a kid with a bad attitude, he could handle it. "…Okay, you don't want to apologize or give the tickets back. That's fine, you can keep them… But they aren't going to do you any good. Because you're going to be able to get any prizes with them."

"What?!" Now the bully was paying attention. He snapped his head up. "That's not fair! I got these tickets myself!"

"And you're not going to be getting anymore tokens either… Not that I'm guessing you bought any of those tokens. So… Have fun with what you have!" Jeremy started to turn and leave, before turning back. "Oh, and one more thing. You won't be allowed back into Foxy's once you go, so make sure not to leave any personal items behind, okay?"

"That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair. Life wasn't fair to that little boy when you stole his things and ruined his cake, and life's not going to be fair for you either. Tough break, Sport." Feeling somewhat vindicated, Jeremy turned and headed towards the Prize Corner to forewarn Natalie. He'd keep an eye on the boy afterwards, but he needed to make sure he wouldn't weasel by and trade in the stolen tickets. Part of him felt a little bad about it, but it was smothered under an out-of-character annoyance. A nagging stress bothering him.

Then he looked over and saw Foxy with the boy at one of the rockets on the other side of the pizzeria. The boy was now smiling and laughing, far from the tears of earlier, and Foxy seemed completely at ease. Jeremy's smile returned once again. _"I'm doing fine,_ " he mentally encouraged. _"I can do this! Do it for Foxy, do it for the Minireenas, I can do this."_ Though right before he entered the Prize Corner a deceptive thought slipped in. _"But I can't do it forever."_ Then it was gone like it had never been there at all.

By time Jeremy returned, he wasn't too surprised to see that the kid had neither returned the tickets nor apologized. Now he was just storming around the arcade in a huff, watching the floor like a hawk. Jeremy could only guess that he had run out of tokens. Not that playing the games would yield any sort of result now.

Jeremy watched the bully for a little longer before his attention was caught by Mike and Marionette entering the dining room from the hallway. Mike was carrying the puppet in his arms almost like one would carry an overly large dummy. Marionette was slump on his shoulder believably and only broke this character right before entering the Prize Corner, when he raised a hand to wave to Jeremy. He gave them a few moments to get settled before going in after Natalie came out.

"Head's up, you two. We have a problem child in the building. If you see a kid wearing a green and orange shirt with a twelve on it don't trade out any of his tickets. They're fraudulent," Jeremy forewarned.

"Kid must be pretty desperate if he's bringing in counterfeit tickets just to get a couple Foxy erasers," Mike joked. Jeremy lightly rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean. Anyway, just don't do anything with him. I'm going to try and see if I can coax him into doing the right thing… Or leaving. He's already stealing stuff so that's a pretty good option too." Jeremy headed out to keep an eye on the situation, along with Foxy's adventures with his new little friend.

Mike watched Marionette climb into his box and get settled in and leaned against the counter with a tired exhale. It was going to be hard adjusting to a normal workday after everything that happened that morning. He checked his watch to see that there were still hours of it left, which wouldn't be as unpleasant if it wasn't for the still unfinished business at the warehouse.

"Mind if I stick around with you for a while? I don't feel up to wrangling kids just yet," Mike asked.

"Sure! I could use the company. Just as long as you're willing to help me restock." The puppet gestured down at the candy selection that was starting to get low. He could only wonder how many children had been through here today and he was almost disappointed to miss it.

"Anything that makes me look busy," Mike said with a playful smirk. He looked around before noticing a couple of cardboard boxes stacked in the corner. Looking inside revealed the stocking supplies. "I'm guessing we dodged a bullet if it was busy enough in here that Natalie was ready to restock. That or we missed one kid rocking a credit card and a massive sweet tooth," he added. He began to stock the shelves with 'Plunderbars' that wore Foxy's visage on their wrappers.

"What do you think of lollipops? Maybe in black and white striped wrappers. I don't see that being a candy that would cost too much to order," Marionette suggested. He watched Mike work with his head propped up by his arm, leaning comfortably on the edge of his box. "Maybe in strawberry and grape. Or Pina Colada."

"I think I'd be in here restocking a lot more often," Mike teased with a knowing smile.

"I can control myself! I could easily stop at, oh, one a day. Maybe two. One per flavor still counts as one," Marionette excused with a playful shrug. Though he then hesitated for a moment, glancing towards the doorway to make sure nobody was there. "…Do you really think he'll still be there when we get back? Be honest."

Mike knew exactly what he meant and decided to be truthful to maybe soften the blow. "No. I don't even think he's still there now. He probably split the second we left."

"I appreciate your unwavering bluntness, even though I hope you're wrong. Even though I know you aren't," Marionette agreed with a small nod. "…I guess we'll just have to wait and see?" He gave Mike a small smile, but it was clear that he had his mind made up like Mike had. They both knew what to expect.

The workday was slow. Marionette came out to assist with the main party and circled the dining room and arcade once, but like Mike he was having trouble focusing on the task at hand when there was that pressing issue hanging over his head. Mike spent longer in the Prize Corner than he had anticipated, coming out only a few times before retreating to the safety of the room. The hours slowly crawled by until closing time.

And then, without much conversation and little fanfare, Mike and Marionette left the restaurant and headed back to the warehouse. By then Fritz was long gone and had taken both Ennard and Charlie with him. The building had the telltale silence of being empty and most of the overhead lights had been shut off. It wasn't a positive sign already, but they pressed on.

Marionette couldn't help but be disappointed. He gave a low, out-of-tune sigh as he rubbed his arms and looked around at the building. He couldn't blame Springtrap wanting to leave this place as quickly as he could. "Let's at least check the office. There's a slim chance he's in there."

"Right," the man agreed. He went along with it and led the way back towards the office. The light had been left on, but that wasn't anything unsurprising. He opened the door and stepped inside-.

And there was Springtrap at the desk fiddling with the Handunit. Mike wasn't sure which of them was startled more, but from how the rabbit stood sharply it was clear that he didn't hear them coming up, having been fully engrossed in whatever it was he had been doing.

"Oh. Hey," Mike blinked and recovered. "I didn't actually expect you to still be here."

Springtrap didn't seem enthused by the answer. He calmed down and yanked the office chair to sit down again. It creaked uncomfortably under his weight and Mike was half surprised it hadn't broken.

"I don't believe it…" Marionette's voice was soft and full of shock. Springtrap must've still heard it as he slowly raised his head. Right on cue, Mike stepped out of the way and waved to usher the puppet in. Marionette hesitated, seemingly uncertain, but the security guard persisted.

"Come on, he doesn't bite," Mike assured. As the puppet inched by him, he quietly added under his breath, "Just don't go near his chest."

Marionette partially suppressed a nervous chime and faced Springtrap, whose eyes were flickering between the striped male and the Handunit he was holding. Even when the other animatronic came closer to the desk he seemed reluctant to do much else. Mike watched the awkward scene and had to restrain himself from any further prodding. Instead he just looked expectantly between the two.

The Handunit made a few noises as Springtrap tapped through the options. He stared at the screen intently to ignore the other and the striped one tightened his hands at his sides.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Marionette suddenly asked. Mike was cut off from whatever he was going to say and Springtrap suddenly mis-tapped on the unit, triggering it to randomly start blurting out directions for animatronic scooping and cleaning. He shut it off quickly, sat there for a long pause, and then defeatedly set the unit down on the desk.

"I don't have anything to say," Springtrap answered simply. Marionette perked momentarily before fading at the words themselves.

"To me?" he asked.

"To anyone."

"I disagree, Michael. I think there is still plenty we have left to say," the puppet somberly replied. He turned slightly in Mike's direction before straightening and looking back to the rabbit again. "You don't have to leave again."

"I don't have a choice any longer. It's only a matter of time until someone finds the tunnels now that they opened the investigation on Freddy's. Now that _he_ is no longer here to sweep it under the rug," Springtrap said in excuse. "It won't be long until they are in Foxy's. You would do well to keep a low profile."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but they've already been in Foxy's. They crashed our last Halloween party," Mike said with an exasperated shake of his head. Just the memory annoyed him while it had a slightly different effect on Marionette, reminding him of the risk. All Detective Burke would need was a warrant and he could come into the warehouse looking. The thought suddenly startled him.

"It's not safe for you to stay here and going back to the sewers is out of the question. Come home with us. There is plenty of room for you and we could keep you safe," Marionette boldly offered. His companion looked to him in shock, having not anticipated the offer without at least discussing it, while Springtrap didn't even look up.

"I can't return to that house. I only went back for what I needed… And such a waste it was." Springtrap sent a weary look at the unused parts spread out on the desk. "Have you been in that basement, Marion? I could feel him there, staring down my shoulder, watching me with that Cheshire grin. That basement and house is cursed. I couldn't bear to stay there."

"…I understand. Lizzie was the same way. She won't come into the house," Marionette admitted in a slump of defeat. "If things change, the offer still stands. I won't have you or anyone else to be taken by Burke."

"You should be more concerned with Foxy. He is the one in the spotlight. He is the one they will look to when questions start to surface," Springtrap pointed out. Marionette knew he was right, but he also knew that the state of Springtrap- and the remains inside of him- would be much more incriminating than anything found on the fox or himself. "Foxy is Gabriel, isn't he?" the older asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, he is, and he remembers it. He even has his own voice still, just hidden underneath Foxy's," Marionette explained. Springtrap nodded and it fell into silence. A long silence that seemed to end the conversation.

Then the puppet turned to his human companion with a signaling look. A silent look saying that he thought it was time to leave, which Mike picked up and ran with. "Well, we're going to head back home. Curse or not, we've got to live there. The phone numbers are up on the corkboard if something goes wrong."

"Wait," Springtrap stopped them. He drew his attention fully away from the Handunit and looked towards his sibling. It felt so strange looking directly at him; for both of them really. "I need to ask you something." He looked to Mike and clarified, "Alone."

"I can take a hint," Mike answered. He looked to Marionette, making sure it was fine with him, and got a nod in return. He stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him.

Springtrap waited until he heard him walk away before he turned his focus back to Marionette.

"Marion…" he began. "I came to see you and Gabriel years ago. Back when you were still a child and I was not in this suit. I came to the house when I knew Father wasn't there to check in on how you were both fairing since I had just found out that Elizabeth had gone missing… I found you playing alone in the backyard. I think I brought you a toy, I can't remember what it was."

"It was a robot," Marionette clarified. Springtrap's eyes were back on him and widened slightly in surprise. "I remember that. Not too well, but I do remember. It was one of the only times you came home."

"You looked terrified and I couldn't tell if it was something Father told you about me or if it was just the natural fear of a stranger… But over the years I thought back frequently on how you looked. Quiet, shaken, and it only occurred to me years later, once I had lost all contact with anyone, that you must have had seen something. That had to have been it." Springtrap paused momentarily before asking a question that he had been waiting to get answers from for years. "What did you see?"

It would've almost been easier to list the things that he hadn't seen. But one memory always stood out in the back of Marionette's mind. It always found its way back, even if it no longer scared him.

"…Once I was locked in the backroom of the diner. It was the storage room where they kept the spare parts and the suits. Gabriel and his friends had locked me back there as a cruel joke and thought that my yelling and crying was me overreacting to being stuck in there… They hadn't checked the room before they locked me in there. They didn't see what I saw in there."

Marionette's spools tightened as a low hum of static came from within. Not out of anger, but just out of the emotions brought on by the memories. Even in hindsight it seemed so ugly, so repulsive, what he faced.

"I think it was the Fredbear suit, but I could've been wrong; it could've been Bonnie. The head had been removed and all I could see was just the neck of that slumped suit… And there was human hair sticking out of the top." His striped body trembled momentarily. "There was a child in that suit. An unmoving child, a body, hidden in that suit in that backroom. I think it might've been a boy, I never checked… I had been the sole witness to a crime scene, and I stayed with that silent, lifeless child until I was found."

"Oh dear God," was Springtrap's only reaction.

"Now I know the truth about what was going on at that restaurant and that it wasn't the animatronics I should've feared… But that memory still haunts me. It could've been someone else who stumbled onto that body. They might've not been fortunate enough to get back out of that room… Gabriel had come so close."

"…Did Father kill Gabriel?" Springtrap asked in a mix of disbelief and disgust. He had always suspected it and the puppet's nod confirmed it. "Did he kill Elizabeth? Did he kill you?"

"Father killed us all in one way or another… Some of us just died a lot more quietly than the others." Marionette bitterly said. He had to calm himself down before any more emotions rose up. The last thing he wanted was to cry from frustration in front of his eldest sibling. Instead he changed his tone and turned the subject. "Believe me, Michael. I wasn't afraid of you. I was afraid of everyone and everything."

While Springtrap said nothing his eye contact and relaxed features seemed to suggest that he believed him.

"…I suppose I should go back home with Mike soon. Our offer still stands if you change your mind," Marionette suggested. Springtrap gave no indication that he had. "Then I'll be off. Unless there's something else?"

"Not now," Springtrap declined as he looked down to the Handunit. "But I'm not going anywhere."

"I suppose that's true." While the older took this as a shame, the younger smiled a little to himself. At least they could manage a conversation. "Take care of yourself."

Marionette let himself out and Springtrap sent one last look after him. Then his focus returned to the Handunit. He tried not to think of what he had just been told, or of Freddy's or his father. Without the pain to distract him he would need something else to drag him out of the present, and hopefully the Handunit would do that. Even if it meant dragging him into an equally unpleasant past.

" _Welcome: Eggs Benedict."_

* * *

 **Mable: So, this is clearly not the end of our time with Springtrap, but this is the end of the chapter. Thank you for reading and I'll see you next week!**


	69. Chapter 69

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Sixty-Nine_

Mike nearly tripped over a package left on the front step when he was going out for a run. He quirked a brow in confusion and checked the label to find that he didn't recognize the return address. Abandoning the run temporarily, he took the box back into the house to open it up. He couldn't help but be a little paranoid considering recent occurrences but still set the box on the table and went to get a knife out of the drawer to cut it open with. While he was getting it, Marionette curiously hovered in.

"What's this?" he asked with a tilt of his head. He looked at the return address as well and, like the man before him, couldn't recognize it. "Hmm. Not a souvenir from your mother. I wonder…"

"Well, we're about to find out," Mike pointed out as he returned. He quickly cut the tape and opened the box carefully. " _No ticking. That's a good sign."_ The inside was filled with packing peanuts and he pushed them aside to reveal a small box wrapped in plastic. He unfolded it and was surprised to find a video tape. He looked to the label and his eyes widened. "I didn't think we were going to get this anytime soon."

"What is it?" Marionette asked. Mike answered by handing over the tape and let the striped one read the label. There, printed in clear black ink, read: ' **Foxy & Friends – Pilot**'. "Wait, it's the cartoon?!"

"Looks like it. Looks like there's some other tapes in here too." Mike set them aside to address the envelope in the bottom. He opened it and read the letter inside out loud, "Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Fritz, this is the current draft of the Foxy's Quest pilot including nearly completed animation, finalized voices, and outro. Intro and music composition have not yet been implemented. Please give comment if needed or if there are any other concerns. Also included are copies of the Super Squad and Baby pilots at your request. Feel free to keep the tapes, do not resell or make copies."

"They're all here?!" Marionette snatched up the other tapes and eagerly unwrapped them. Like Foxy's they were both labelled. This time with **'Fazz Squad'** and **'Baby's Circus'**. "I can't believe this! They're all here!" the puppet exclaimed with a chime of excitement. "I never thought they'd get the pilot to us this quickly, let alone send us the others!"

"You're going to have to thank Fritz. He must've asked for them because I wasn't even thinking about it," Mike admitted. He got a mischievous smile, "Want to watch it?"

"Yes!" Marionette grabbed all three and turned to hurry into the living room. Just as quickly he stopped and turned back. "No, wait. We have to get Foxy here. Foxy has to watch it with us!"

"Foxy doesn't strike me as the type who's going to like watching this with a group of people. I don't have to remind you of the freak out with the commercial," Mike said, smile turning into a smirk. Marionette lightly chimed in partial agreement. "He didn't exactly look like he was jumping through hoops about this cartoon either."

"Maybe not, but Foxy's more interested than he lets on. All I have to do is call and ask and he'll be here on the hour, you'll see." The puppet then headed to the phone to call the pizzeria.

While he did that, Mike noticed Charlie looking over the back of the couch and pointed a thumb towards the stack of tapes being carried around. "There's a Baby tape in there too. I'm guessing back from the old, failed Circus Baby's Pizza World. You might want to look at it," he said. This seemed to pique her interest more.

"There was actually a Baby cartoon? The business didn't even open, why would they jump the gun and make a cartoon?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"I was under the impression that they got a lot of money out of the Freddy show and were looking for another hit. He said something about it being cancelled because they got the characters wrong."

"Okay, now I have to see it," Charlie decided. "I was supposed to go see Baby today or tomorrow, so maybe I can get her to watch it with me. Might make for interesting conversation."

"Might make for some interesting blackmail too, but you didn't hear that from me." Mike then looked back to Marionette, who rushed to get off the phone. "You got through to Foxy?"

"I did! He's... I won't say he's excited, but he said he would come watch it with us. That's something!" The puppet was bubbling over in light chimes as he flittered over to the couch to hand Charlie the one tape. "Here you are! We can watch it together whenever you get back… Which I suppose depends on how bad the pilot is."

"You can never tell with Baby. She might not care about it at all or she'll get so worked up about something small, like an off-voice or a dress recolor, that she shuts the whole thing down and I have to leg it home," Charlie pointed out as she studied the tape. Looking over it to see if there was any further labelling. "Which is fine by me as long as I don't get stuck taking one of Ennard's sewer shortcuts."

"That reminds me…" Marionette trailed off thoughtfully for a moment before looking back at Mike with a curious look. "You said they finalized the voices?"

"That's what they said," Mike agreed.

"Right. Which means that Foxy and I will be hearing the voices that are going to be broadcast to everyone. Or to wherever this cartoon is going to be airing. That's a bigger deal than I thought," Marionette admitted. His smile became smaller and more strained. "That's actually a little nerve-wracking if you think about it. If that aired to children who didn't come into the business, they wouldn't know what I was really like."

Just like that, excitement turned to anxiousness. Mike noticed it right away and put an arm around his shoulders with an assuring shake. "Don't start thinking too far ahead. They offered for us to give input so if there's something that terrible, we can tell them to change it. We can say it will affect our public image or something." He smiled more playfully. "And I might regret asking this, but I'm going for it anyway; how badly can they possibly screw this up?"

"Baby's was cancelled after one bad pilot."

"Maybe, but now we have to ask who it was who complained about it, and no matter who that was their agenda was probably off-kilter," Mike excused. He seemed unconcerned by it, still feeling like he had an amount of control, and while Marionette was feeling a little better there was still some discontent. "It's your show, Mari. If there's anything you don't like then we'll fix it," the man restated.

"Yes… Yes, of course! I don't know what I'm even worrying about! It's not even finished yet!" the puppet affirmed loudly, like he was trying to force out any doubts. "This is going to go great!"

"That's the spirit!" Mike encouraged. "Just don't be too surprised if Foxy pulls a Baby and flips his lid over something insignificant. Like if his fur is a shade off."

Marionette chuckled in amusement before continuing with a dead-on Foxy impression, " _Yar, I be russet red! They got me lookin' as orange as a carrot- I won't stand fer it!_ Something like that?"

"You forgot the part where his hook's on the wrong hand," Mike joked.

"Now that would be enough to cause Foxy to flip. That and the eyepatch on the wrong eye," Marionette said, tenting his fingers and giving another chime. "…By the way, if they don't get my stripe count right then expect a massive tantrum."

The plan was set, and they expected someone to bring over Foxy in the next hour or so. This didn't happen and instead they were held up by both Fritz and Jeremy being surprisingly absent, Foxy having contacted both and received vague answers. Impatience grew as the waiting continued.

Baby wasn't quite as patient. As soon as Charlie called and informed her of the plan- though leaving out the detail about the pilot- the clown was adamant that she come over immediately. Shortly after that, Mike drove Charlie over to Scott's and then was left waiting with Marionette again. They were both tempted to just go ahead and watch the tape, and eventually broke down and fell onto video games. It wasn't until it was twilight when the van could be heard pulling up in the driveway.

"About time they got here," Mike remarked as he saved and shut off the game. He got up to answer the door while Marionette switched the television back on and got the VCR ready. To Mike's mild surprise, both Jeremy and Fritz were there to move the tarp covered Foxy into the house. "There you are. I thought you got lost or something."

"Or something," Fritz answered vaguely. There was something odd about his brief answer and Jeremy's rather quiet greeting. "But hey! We got here. Better late than never."

"Ya say that again next time yer waitin' three hours fer a ride," Foxy muttered sourly as he sulked into the living room. "Alright, where be this toon tape?"

"Alright in and ready to go!" Marionette chirped. He reached up and grabbed his brother by the wrist, pulling him down to the carpet beside him. "Sit beside me like we did that one time."

"Meh." It was clear that Foxy wasn't too excited in watching the video, but he went along with it. It would be easier to get it over with now before it would be shown to the public he supposed.

"You two want to stick around and watch?" Mike offered the other two men. Jeremy looked a little nervous and Fritz rubbed the back of his neck.

"Actually, you know I was thinking that its been a while since the three of us did something. What do you think of going out?... With Jeremy and me and just going for a drive?" the technician offered. He then got a very suspicious smile that, when mixed with Jeremy's uneasy glance into the living room, cued that something was off.

"Something's up. What's really _g_ oing on?" Mike bluntly asked.

"Nothing's going on. We were just thinking that, uh…" Fritz trailed off at the unenthused look he received. Mike was going to catch Foxy and Marionette's attention at this rate and they couldn't afford a scene. He gave a defeated exhale and a pleading look. "Just come out to the van and I'll explain."

"Okay…" That shift in mood sent a small chill down Mike's spine. Something was wrong and he leaned over the back of the couch. "You two go ahead and watch it without me. Fritz and Jeremy are dragging me off kicking and screaming. I'll just watch it with you and Charlie whenever."

"You're leaving?" Marionette asked in surprise. He looked back and saw the obvious change in Mike's expression. "…Is something going on?"

"Something's always going on somewhere," Mike vaguely said with a raise of his brows. "We'll exchange highlights when I get back. Promise."

"…Alright," the puppet said with a small sigh. "Just be careful. I trust you won't get in over your head without calling."

"Cellphone's charged. Love you," Mike finished. He then grabbed his coat and headed out the door after Fritz and Jeremy. They both knew now that the delay in arrival was caused by something more serious than just Fritz getting tied up at home. The puppet was especially uneased by it.

"Foxy, did Fritz tell you why he was late?" Marionette asked in a hushed voice as he looked back to the fox.

"Nah. He be sneakin' around again. Prob'ly somethin' to do with Chance, to which I'd rather not know," Foxy declined quickly. It was a little clearer now that his mood wasn't just from the cartoon. He too knew something was wrong but neither men were willing to fess up to it. Jeremy's silence would especially rub him the wrong way, but he hadn't persisted. Or if he had it seemed like it failed. "Don't worry 'bout it. If they ain't gonna let us in on it then we ain't wastin' our time. Turn on the tape."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Marionette agreed with a salute. He pressed play on the VCR and returned to his side, his excitement beginning to return. Even Foxy grew reluctantly curious as the footage started unceremoniously, without even a finalized intro, and guided into the cartoon episode.

 _The cartoon opened on a bottle moving along the through the ocean. The animation looked a little choppy, perhaps not fully finished, but was properly colored. After bobbing a few times, the cork was suddenly pierced by a fishing hook that swung into view. It was yanked out of the water and reeled up beside what was clearly a pirate ship._

 _The screen shifted and revealed three Minireenas stacked atop each other and manning the fishing rod as one. The Minireenas looked like the real thing, save that they lacked ballerina tutus and instead wore pirate themed bandanas. They were also chubbier with body shapes that resembled the Bidybabs'. They swung the rod back and snapped the bottle out of the water, flinging it across the deck where multiple other Minireenas scurried around, and into the arms of a fourth one. It carried the bottle above its head as it ran across the deck._

 _Other Minireenas were shown to be at work carrying closed treasure chests, wheeling around cannons, and being perfect obstacles for the Minireena to run past. She then made it to a large door that towered over he, one with 'Captain' printed in bold letters on its wood. Then the camera dropped to a tiny door right beside it with the word 'Crew' printed on it. The Minireena scurried through and into the captain's quarters._

 _She approached a tall desk where the sound of snoring could be heard, then hopped in place and tossed the glass bottle up. It spun and landed upright on the desk. The small thump caused the pirate sleeping on the desk to sit up abruptly. It was revealed to be none other than Captain Foxy himself, who looked almost identical to his in-restaurant counterpart, just with a pirate jacket and captain's hat._

" _Hmph- Huh- Wha-?" he sputtered awake, noticed the bottle on the desk, and leaned in. "Hmm…?"_

 _He raised his patch with his hook to look closer, though at the angle of the shot it's wasn't seen if he had another eye. He snatched up the bottle, stabbed his hook into the cork, and popped it out before dumping the rolled-up scroll onto his desk. It unrolled on its own and he stared down at it, revealing that it was a map showing islands leading up to one with an 'x' planted amongst a few sparse landmarks. It was a treasure map._

 _It cut to Foxy throwing open the door so fast that he nearly hit the Minireena that had come in. "All you scallywags stop what yer doin'!" he bellowed. He raised the map triumphantly. "We're goin' on an adventure!"_

"…Well blow me down, it sounds like me," Foxy admitted in shock. "Can't be the same guy from before. Guy can't still be doin' voices, right?"

"I don't know. It sounds an awful lot like the voice from Fredbear and Friends, and they would be the ones who were still in contact with him. I think this might be the real thing," Marionette agreed. That alone was already enough to make him a little more confident in it. "So far, so good."

Foxy was unwilling to admit to any confidence yet. He simply crossed his arms and watched the screen with defiant stoicism. He couldn't afford to get his hopes up. He had seen the Freddy cartoon; they would make a big mistake somewhere.

" _What? Already? But we haven't gotten anywhere!" It was now that a female puppet was shown on the deck. It was clearly supposed to be the Security Puppet, with only a few aesthetic changes. She had feminine eyelashes and her body was a shapelier, with her only additional clothing being a compass worn around her neck. Her voice didn't sound like Charlie's, but it seemed to fit her character so far. "What's that?"_

" _This, Lottie me good lass, is arr ticket to treasure! Fished right out of the deep blue- a gift from the sea!" Foxy exaggerated as he unrolled the map to show it to her. "Take a look."_

" _A treasure map?" Lottie looked at the map and her eyes opened wider. "That's the island we just passed!" she exclaimed, pointing to one of the islands at the edge of the map. "Are we going?!"_

" _You bet yer bells we be goin'! Go set course fer this here island, and step on it! Booty be waitin'!" Foxy commanded. Lottie ran offscreen and Foxy pulled a spyglass out of his pocket- one that looked too big to fit in his pocket- and looked out over the water. The screen showed the view through the spyglass._

" _Don't you think it's a little weird that you just happened to find a treasure map right beside an island with treasure on it?" A new voice asked. The scene shifted back to show another puppet standing beside Foxy. The Puppet looked almost identical to Marionette just with a black and white striped neckerchief added. "And that a bottle carrying a treasure map just magically appeared beside the boat?"_

" _Eh. Always gotta be a killjoy, don't ya, Mari? It be a lucky break fer sure, but this map be real as it comes!" Foxy slapped the map into Marionette's hand. "Feast yer eyes!"_

" _That is a map, alright," Marionette flatly agreed, blankly looking at the paper. "But where did it come from? It just appeared from the ocean blue, right beside the ship, right beside the island where the treasure is?"_

" _Yar, well… It fell off another ship?"_

" _Nice save."_

" _Don't take the wind out of me sail, Mari! An' you 'member the Pirate's Code: 'No pirate worth his plunder passes up a chance fer buckets o' booty!' It would ruin me reputation," Foxy said as he brushed off his coat._

" _Yes, the Pirate's Code. The Pirate's Code written and enforced by Foxy the Pirate," Marionette coyly pointed out._

" _Bah! You just wait, Mari! There's gotta be somethin' worth finding at this island, and ain't no landlubber's gonna get between this fox an' his doubloons," Foxy proudly proclaimed. "Now go on and get the Minis ready fer docking!"_

" _Aye-aye, Captain," Marionette agreed with a sigh and a salute. Then he left the scene as Foxy continued to look through the spyglass._

"Huh. Gotta admit, it kinda sounds like ya. Just without the accent," Foxy pointed out. He then tapped his hook on his chin with a hum. "But there is somethin' a little weird 'bout it."

"I think I noticed it too, it sounds familiar. Maybe one of the voices from Fredbear and Friends?" Marionette offered. "Oh, wait! Maybe it was the guy who voiced Bonnie in the cartoon. It sounds like him."

"That might be it," Foxy agreed. He then grumbled a little bit as he scratched his ear. "Missed the ball on how he acts. He ain't nothin' like you, he's just some sourpuss salt."

"I like it!"

"Course ya do. It's Schmidt."

"Because it's a good foil for your character. He's the voice of reason with a cynical side," Marionette defended. He got a teasing smile. "Cartoon Foxy isn't nearly as jaded as real life Foxy."

"Me standards just be high is all," Foxy dismissed. He then turned his focus back on the cartoon. "Just know that if ya accept it now yer livin' with it later." Marionette couldn't say he was entirely pleased with Foxy's continued pessimism but wasn't ready to give him the luxury of spoiling his own fun.

 _The camera drew out to a further view of the pirate ship and zoomed into the view of another character looking through a spyglass of their own. The view changed to show a female bird who wearing a pair of thick glasses, typical pirate themed clothing, and was colored like a parrot. She turned and ran to a door on the ship, letting herself into the shadowy captain's quarters of another pirate._

" _Captain, that foolish fox has taken the bait! They're already turning towards the island!" the parrot excitedly chattered. "Now by my calculations, there's a seventy percent chance they'll land on the southern side of the island in seventeen point two minutes."_

" _Perfect." A deep voice growled from the shadows, but all that could be seen were grey furred claws tapping each other. "I expected nothing less from him. His greed will be his downfall, and that majestic ship of his will finally be mine."_

Marionette smiled wider as he realized that it had to be the Wolf, or whatever his name was now. Apparently, they had succeeded in getting the rights to him and now here he was looking like a threatening villain. Another perfect foil to Foxy, which Marionette was about to point out when he looked over and noticed how intently the fox was watching the screen. He was starting to get interested in what he was watching. That was a better sign than any verbal confirmation he could give.

Thus, Marionette fell as silent as his sibling and continued to watch the cartoon. _Their_ cartoon.

* * *

"So, is one of you going to tell me what's going on, or are you going to make me guess?" Mike asked as he climbed in the back of the van and sat behind Fritz's seat. He peered up in between the seats and noticed that they were still uneasy. "…How bad are we talking about?"

"Jeremy saw something outside of the pizzeria," Fritz began. He nodded at the blond, "Tell him."

Jeremy turned around in his seat to face Mike. "See, it was like this. Foxy called me and asked if I could pick him up in the van. I didn't have anything going on, so I drove over to get the van from Fritz and headed over to the pizzeria… But when I got there, I noticed a car in the parking lot. I thought someone just parked there, it looked like a normal car. I drove around back, I got right around the corner… And I see a man going through our dumpster." The blond got a grim look. "It was an undercover cop searching our trash."

"Are you sure it wasn't just someone dumping their trash in our dumpster? I've been suspecting that someone's been doing that, because it fills up way faster than it should," Mike suggested. Jeremy shook his head.

"I checked the car on the way out and you could tell it was an undercover cop car. I left as soon as I saw him. It wasn't like I could move Foxy with him standing out there," Jeremy said almost like he was defending himself. Nobody questioned it, but Mike's eyes widened in alarm as he realized that the other was certain and serious. He didn't question Jeremy's judgement. "Even though Detective Burke said we're not suspects… We're suspects. We're on a list, we're on their radar, they're in our garbage."

"That's a lot worse than what I was expecting you to say. I knew Burke was bluffing when he said we were off the hook," Mike muttered. He could only be relieved that they didn't throw away anything incriminating. Not that much evidence came out of Foxy's. "And just a couple of days ago Springtrap was saying how he was going to try and get into the business."

"Ironic that you bring up Springtrap…" Fritz mumbled knowingly.

"…Oh, don't tell me." A look of exasperation fell over Mike's face. "Springtrap took off again and is running around right now when we've got the cops onto us. That's just _great_."

"Oh no. Not bad enough," the technician corrected. "For if you think back you might remember that we have a bag of extremely incriminating evidence currently in the warehouse… A bag a napkins covered in human DNA and dried blood. Both of which belong to a man not only _connected_ to Freddy's, but a _missing_ man who is the _son_ of the _former owner_ of Freddy's."

" _Oh Christ, the bag. All that gunk that came out of Springtrap is just sitting in that office. All he needs is a warrant and he's going to walk right in and find it!"_ Mike's teeth clenched as the thoughts raced by. Suddenly he knew why Fritz and Jeremy were looking so nervous, because that anxiety was creeping over him too. He swallowed thickly and gave a simple, "We need to get rid of that bag."

"Right," Fritz agreed. "As soon as we can. As far away from us as humanly possible."

"I didn't want Foxy to find out… I don't know how he'll take us trying to get rid of a body. Or, err, what remains of a body," Jeremy awkwardly corrected. He readjusted his glasses as he slid back into his seat. "It's not like that. We're not doing anything wrong; we're just protecting ourselves… Right?"

"Right," Fritz affirmed. "It's… Not exactly what I would want to do, but we're desperate."

"When in doubt, blame Burke. He's got a bone to pick with us- pun almost intended- and that's the only reason we have to sneak and do anything like this," Mike pointed out as he leaned between the seats. "Let's get over to the warehouse, get that bag… And then figure out where to put it. We might have to drive somewhere out in the desert. Maybe out past where we went caving."

"That's what I was thinking, but there's a lot of trails out there. Someone might find it… We'll figure it out! Hey, we've worked on the fly before, we'll manage," Fritz encouraged, seeing the other two younger workers' looks turn more dire every passing moment. "…And if we get caught, I can always frame one of you."

"Fritz, you're the one who changed his name. We're framing you," Mike clarified. Though then sent a sly glance at Jeremy. "Though one of us does have a criminal record."

"Hey, I wasn't the one digging around in Springtrap's belly!" Jeremy frowned and Mike returned with a smirk. "And if we were going to frame someone, wouldn't it just make sense to frame William? There's got to be a ton of evidence in your house."

"Yeah. In a lockbox in the basement," Fritz cryptically remarked. His eyes widened and he was feeling the same dread as the other two. An uneasy silence fell over the van as they pulled into the warehouse parking lot.

Not wanting to walk directly into the office and risk startling Springtrap, the three headed in through the warehouse entrance and walked to the back. Mike knocked on the door and when he received no response, he let himself through, finding the office light on but Springtrap nowhere to be seen. _"Maybe he's off sleeping somewhere. Might be a good thing he's not here to see this,"_ Mike thought as he grabbed the bag. It had been unmoved and he carried it out of the office easily, ignoring the vague scent making it through.

"Alright, let's go," he simply said. Neither of his companions disagreed and they headed down the aisle towards the front of the warehouse. They were just about to step out of the shelves and reach the door when he noticed the sound of encroaching footsteps. He slowed, Jeremy and Fritz followed sync, and they watched as Springtrap stepped out at the end of the aisle. His eyes almost looked to be glowing and he was clutching the Handunit in one hand. Mike played it cool, "I was wondering where you ran off to."

Springtrap silently looked down at the bag with an unreadable expression. He held on for a long pause, just long enough that Mike started to wonder if there was about to be a problem. But then-.

"Finally," Springtrap muttered. His voice was low and gravelly like usual but showed no aggression. Mike quirked a brow when the rabbit added, "I wondered how long you would risk keeping that here."

"Only until we had no choice. Jeremy saw an undercover cop digging through the trash," the security guard said while pointing a thumb back at said blond. "Now we've got to get this out of the city without being spotted. We're thinking of maybe shoving it in a cave and spare ourselves the bonfire." The rabbit looked down at the bag again with a slow look. "…That was a joke. We're going to go bury it somewhere."

"You should go to Silver Reef and bury it there," Springtrap randomly suggested. Mike was confused by the suggestion, not even sure if he had heard about a place called Silver Reef. If he had, he obviously hadn't been there. The animatronic must've seen his uncertainty as he explained. "It's a ghost town outside of Hurricane. I believe it's where my father buried the victims he didn't have other uses for… If given the choice, I would rather have my remains buried amongst his victims than near our family."

"I think I've heard of Silver Reef… Sort of… You really think he was burying bodies there?" Jeremy asked quietly, disturbed. "Aren't people living out there?"

"I don't know. All I know is that he and Henry took us there once to explore the town. You would be surprised what my father could get fixated on, especially once Henry passed," Springtrap excused. He paused a moment before looking back to Mike, seemingly deeming him as the one worth addressing. "I don't care where you take it but know it would be safer for you if this evidence was hidden amongst William's own. Let him take the fall for his own mistakes."

"That's actually a pretty good idea. We were talking about framing someone," Mike admitted. He considered it for a moment and then made his decision. "You know what? Sure. Silver Reef it is. How far's this place?"

Springtrap lifted the Handunit and began to turn it on. It welcomed him- or welcomed 'Eggs Benedict', to which Mike wondered exactly how much Ennard had tampered with it- and he began to tap through.

"You found a map on that?" Fritz asked in disbelief. He came up beside Mike and tried to peek at the screen. "I've been working on that thing for ages and I've never found a map on it."

"That's because I _put_ a map on it. I had nothing else to do with my endless, empty time. You hook it to a working computer and save and download a file. Disguise it as a blueprint."

The screen came up with a map that had been set on a blue, lined background. Indeed, the map looked like it was supposed to be a blueprint, but it was instead a map of Hurricane. It reached north to outside Toquerville, another city near Hurricane, and almost to St. George. It mostly focused on the main roads surrounding Hurricane itself. Springtrap pointed off by the highway north-west of the city.

"This is where Silver Reef is. You turn onto this road and drive until you see it… There won't be anyone there this time of night. I doubt it sees anyone during the day," Springtrap explained.

"Looks close enough to do it in one night and far enough that it might never be found. Perfect," Mike agreed with a nod. "Can we write down these roads?"

"It would probably be easier if we just took the Handunit," Fritz suggested. He started to take it from Springtrap's hand. "Do you mind if we just-?"

" _ **No**_." The change in tone was so sudden that it took all three men off guard. That and the animatronic pulling the Handunit away and moving it out of the technician's reach. He looked towards Fritz with wide eyes for a few seconds, more akin to a startled animal than anyone who could've worked on the machine, and only slowly began to loosen up. He slipped out of his defensive posture but still held the Handunit anxiously. "I need it. I can't spare it even for a moment."

"O-kay…" Fritz let his hand drop. "Uh, then let's just… Let's get the notepad out of the office and draw a map or something." Jeremy nodded and hurried off to get it, leaving them to stand there uncomfortably. Even Springtrap seemed uneasy with how he cradled the tool in his grasp. It felt like an eternity until the other got back and only then did the animatronic, albeit reluctantly, hand the Handunit over to Fritz so that he could hold it while the blond sketched a map.

"We might not be back tonight. So, if you don't hear from us, either assume that I'm at the house with Mari or sitting in a jail cell somewhere," Mike said. "So, in case I don't see you, thanks."

Springtrap murmured something that might've been a 'it's fine' and Mike took it as his version of a 'you're welcome'. The rabbit took the Handunit back and retreated into the office even before the three workers left.

"Hey, can I ask you both something?" Fritz asked as he shut the van door and buckled himself in. "…Do you find it a little weird that he knows where William was dumping bodies?"

"I'd say yes, but there's a chance Foxy and Mari know where he dumped them too," Mike pointed out as he climbed in the passenger side. "Why?"

"I don't know, I just thought it was weird considering that Michael split town and everything. That somehow he still knows all about what his dad was doing. And this whole thing about dumping him over in Silver Reef just, I don't know… Seems suspicious," Fritz admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze. "…It's nothing."

"You don't… Think Springtrap is actually William, do you?" Jeremy asked in confusion. Now Mike looked over and paid a little closer attention. Fritz raised his hands in defense.

"No! No, no… Okay, maybe a little bit, but I'm not hung up on it. I mean, we saw that tape." Fritz gestured to Mike. "That was Michael's body in the same Freddy's where the suit was. Makes enough sense that it is Michael in that suit. Makes more than enough sense." He put the key in the ignition and turned on the van. "Just ignore me. Ennard got my head turned around."

"Ennard made it pretty clear that he thought Springtrap was William pretending to be Michael," Mike clarified to bring Jeremy up to speed. "And who can blame him? Ennard's got every reason in the world not to trust him. Even ignoring the sledgehammer incident from a few days ago, Springtrap's been aggressive with him at every turn. He doesn't know the full story about what really went down with Afton either."

"…But he does have a point," Fritz quietly interjected. Mike looked over at the technician like he had sprouted two heads. "Can we be honest for a second? Even with what's going on, Springtrap acts really weird. Did you see how he got with the Handunit? Why was he even adding maps to it anyway? Not to mention that he really could just flat out lie to us. Was it Springtrap who introduced himself as Michael first, or was he just going along with it?" That was an excellent point. It was almost enough to have Mike somewhat contemplative, but then he pointed at the technician and corrected.

"I'll tell you exactly who it was. It was Henry who said Springtrap was Michael, and I don't think he'd be wrong," Mike said. This finally got Fritz looking a little more convinced. "I'm not just trying to defend Springtrap either. I wish he was William, because then I wouldn't have spent so many years slaving around for a psycho like Afton. But Henry was laying it all out in that warehouse and I don't think he would've protected him if he wasn't just Michael."

"Yeah, that's… That's an even better point. Okay, gotcha. For now, we just keep going along with Springtrap being Michael and just pretend all this other stuff is him being quirky and not red flags," Fritz agreed. "Let's focus on finding Silver Reef. Which way do I even start?" Mike pulled out the map to begin directing him.

All while Jeremy lingered in the back seat. Silently wondering which side of the argument was the right one and not entirely convinced by either.

* * *

" _Yar, and there goes our chance at treasure…" Foxy grumbled as he watched the island, or what was left of it, disappear out of view. He sighed and looke_ _d towards the two puppets. "I owe ya both fer helpin' hoist me outta that hole back there. I shoulda listened to ya before I went chargin' in."_

" _I guess this is a lesson that all that glitters isn't gold?" Marionette playfully joked. The captain continued to sulk and Lottie elbowed her twin. "I'm kidding! It's not that big of a deal, Foxy. Everyone makes an honest mistake now and then."_

" _Yeah! I almost believed Silver Fox when he said he wanted to change his ways…" Lottie added. She looked down sadly before shaking her head. "But that doesn't matter now! Maybe we didn't find any gold, but we got the ship back and we sent that liar running with his tail between his legs!"_

" _Or the fire did," Marionette chimed in._

" _But we started the fire, so it was technically us," Lottie corrected._

" _That's it!" Foxy interrupted. "From this day on, I be takin' a new oath!" He held his hook to his chest and raised his head. "I, Cap'n Foxy, Scourge of the Seven Seas scourin' the Seven Seas, swear that me crew and me ship comes first. No more runnin' off on flights o' fancy, we hunt fer the treasure we know is there. Cross me heart, take me good eye." He made an 'x' across his chest with his hook. It was then that a Minireena started to run over and grabbed Foxy's tail, giving it a firm yank. "And then we- Huh? Whuzzat, little lass?"_

 _The Minireena pointed back to the others and the camera moved over to show the three Minireenas from before dragging over Silver Fox's wet and singed coat. They must've fished it out of the sea just as they had with the bottle. They opened the coat and a wet piece of paper flopped out and onto the deck. Foxy hummed and crouched down, hooking the paper with his hook, and carefully opened it. He reached up to raise his patch with his eyes wide._

" _It- It be a treasure map! It be Silver Fox's own!" the fox exclaimed._

" _Oh no. Foxy…" Marionette began with a tone of dread. Before he could say anything more, Foxy stood with a triumphant smile and a glow in his eyes._

" _This be perfect! While he be lickin' his wounds, we be swiping his booty! Ya ha har!" Foxy laughed boisterously and then pointed off towards the front of the ship. "Get this ship turned west! We're goin' on a hunt!"_

" _Here we go again," Marionette sighed, but was smiling a little._

" _Think we'll actually find treasure this time?" Lottie half-heartedly asked. They were cut off by Foxy throwing his arms around them, yanking them in tightly._

" _Ya bet yer bells we are! Cap'n Foxy ain't gonna stop until he's got this whole ocean turned over. So, you two best hold on tight, cause we're settin' sail!" Foxy proclaimed. As he said this the screen panned out._

Marionette paused the video as the credits appeared on screen and looked to his brother. "So, what do you think?"

"Wasn't that bad," Foxy vaguely agreed. The striped one smiled a little more slyly. "Coulda been worse. Coulda had me look like a total buffoon. Instead it just made me look like a money hungry ninny." He looked over to see his sibling beaming at him and huffed. "That look ain't makin' this easier."

"It's okay if you liked it, Foxy," Marionette encouraged him. "Isn't that what we wanted? To have a cartoon that we could be proud of? Or at least not completely embarrassed by."

"…There weren't no skateboards, so that was good," Foxy vaguely complimented. "And, uh… The way they had me goin'… It wasn't that bad. Kind of a little rum-headed, but kids are gonna like it."

"I thought so too! After all-…" It was only then that he noticed a more melancholy look on his siblings' face. "Foxy, what's wrong? Did you really not like it? It's okay if you didn't, I didn't mean to push you."

"It ain't that, Lad. It's just… I be put in a bad position right now. The Foxy they got on screen is great, but he ain't all me, an' kids'll notice. Which is better: them hatin' the Foxy on TV and never knowin' 'bout me, or them lovin' Cap'n Foxy and then meetin' me… And bein' disappointed?" The fox hung his head. "It be worse than I even imagined, Marion. The show is _good_ , which means what'm I supposed to do?"

"Oh Foxy… For starters, I think you might be going about this all wrong," Marionette assured as he put an arm around his brother. He patted his arm with reassurance. "There was a reason you were always the favorite of the group, even when Freddy was portrayed as the flawless hero. Children are going to love you. They already do!" He smiled wider as he continued to encourage. "And is Captain Foxy really that different than you? Maybe more absentminded, but I've seen you be plenty reckless on your own."

"That be true… Maybe you got a point, Lad," Foxy agreed. He glanced back up at the TV and then back down again. "Eh, turn the credits on. I want to see iff'n it's that guy er not."

"Can do!" the puppet chirped as he turned them back on. He watched the screen and names that passed by without music, waiting for something familiar to appear. "If it makes it any better, you were my favorite."

"…Ya really think kids are going to love this as much as Freddy's?"

"Yes! Certainly yes. It is the perfect balance of adventure and story. Not as heavy as the later Fredbear episodes, but not as slow as the earlier ones. All the characters are likable, nobody was outright annoying, and even the extra characters were a lot of fun. Best of all, we can already see from this episode alone that there's so much potential for future storylines. We could get at least three seasons! And I don't know if you noticed, but I think they were setting up a mystery that- _SCOTT CALDWELL?!"_

Foxy jumped at the yell and snapped his head over to see Marionette shocked look. He turned back to the screen just in time to see the blip of still credits listing who had been voicing the cartoon Puppet.

"Oh… _My God_. That- hah- That was the Phone Guy," Marionette awkwardly said as he tried to regain compositor. "I am being voiced… By the Phone Guy. _I didn't even know he was a voice actor._ "

"Ain't he a hermit? How the bloody 'ell they get his voice if he don't leave the house?" Foxy asked curiously. "Guess that's why it sounded like we knew 'em. Blow me down."

At that moment, Marionette broke into unexpected laughter. "Foxy, I act like Mike and I have Scott's voice. How did this happen?" his brother bluntly asked, still reeling, almost hysterical. "And we were worrying about the kids liking you- I don't even know who I am anymore!"

"Yer a good lad, Marion. You've always been. Yer always there for me," Foxy assured as he reached out and put his hook on the striped one's shoulder. He gave a gentle pat. "…It ain't yer fault the toon version of ya is a living saltshaker."

"Gee, Foxy. I feel a ton better now," Marionette sarcastically remarked, though with a small smile.

"That's gettin' into character! Embrace it, Lad, cause there's a good chance that each of our little mateys gonna be watchin' this show in only a few- whenever it come out on TV," Foxy encouraged. He seemed to be smirking. "It could always be worse, Lad. We could've had catchphrases."

"That's true…" Marionette lifted the remote. "Want to watch it again?"

"Eh, why not?"

* * *

 **Mable: It could always be worse. One of them could've spoken in dated surfer lingo… But there's always time for that in the future. XD See you next week!**


	70. Chapter 70

**Mable: Here we are! To answer a question from a guest reviewer, the Handunit is not sentient, but the Candy Cadet… Well, the jury is still out on that one. XD Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy_

For being an alleged ghost town and being out in the middle of nowhere, and difficult to find in the middle of the night, Silver Reef wasn't nearly as abandoned as Springtrap had suggested.

It was bad enough when they had to nearly drive through someone's yard to get to the main road leading back to the town, but it was even worse when they could see the lights from various houses dotting the distance. Instead of looking like a ghost town, it looked like they had driven into a budding development.

"I take back whatever I said about Springtrap being Michael. He has to be William because this is just some sort of sick joke," Mike sardonically remarked. "It would be one thing if it was enough houses that we wouldn't stand out. Someone's going to notice a random van with a fox painted on the side driving past their house at night."

"I'm turning around as soon as we hit another branching road… If we can even find our way out from here," Fritz mumbled as he squinted ahead. "You'd think with this being flatland that I could see these roads better. Everything's just blending in with the dirt."

"Then just turn around here. Nobody's watching. Or if anyone's watching then this isn't illegal," Jeremy said. He pointed past Fritz to a wider spot on the road. "There, where there aren't bushes."

"I can't. The van needs new tires and we can't risk a flat out here. Then we would really get people watching," the technician defended. He then perked as he noticed another fork in the road up ahead. "I'll just turn around up here and we'll head back. We'll find somewhere else." Jeremy was on board with this plan and Mike nearly was too, but then he remembered the bag that was still sitting in the back, stinking up the van, reddening his hands more with every passing second. He grew anxious and paranoid; they had to get rid of it.

"Forget it. We're already out here, just keep going," Mike persisted. Fritz looked prepared to question this decision when the younger pointed to the left road. "Go that way. All the houses are on the right, so maybe that's going to take us out to undeveloped land or something. Just anywhere where we can bury this thing." The technician nodded and turned to the left.

"What if Springtrap was right about there being bodies out here… Do you think any of them will be found if it gets built up more?" Jeremy tentatively asked. "Think about it: you've been waiting years to hear about a friend or family member who went missing and then they suddenly find their body while digging foundations for houses… And who knows how many bodies there could be."

"You know, you're not exactly helping," Fritz pointed out.

"Yeah, Jere, lighten up! It's not every day that you get to skirt the law… Well, not for us. You've got that criminal record and all," Mike quipped with an appearing smirk. Jeremy sent an unenthused look at him and the younger raised a brow. "Too soon?"

"Considering that we all might be going to jail tonight, yes," Fritz chimed in. He looked around before giving a low sigh, tightening his hands on the wheel, and coming to a decision. "I think we're away from most of the houses… We're going to have to just go ahead and do this." As much as the other two didn't want to, they reluctantly agreed with quiet mumblings. Taking a deep breath, Fritz drove about twenty feet more and pulled over on the side of the road.

Soon the three men were walking out into what just looked like desert. In the distance Mike could see what looked like an old west styled building with carts out front. Probably part of the display for the ghost town. They were there, but just far enough away that the likelihood of someone walking upon it would've been less likely. Above the stars lit the way for them, as none of them were confident enough to turn on a flashlight and risk being spotted wandering around.

They stopped behind a large boulder. Jeremy and Fritz took turns digging with the shovel while Mike stood guard and held the bag. It felt heavy even though it was nothing but a bag of wipes. Perhaps just an illusion because of what he knew was inside.

" _This can't be right,"_ he thought to himself. _"But Michael was fine with it. Nobody's going to know about it if we're lucky, so why do I have to feel guilty? It's not like we're burying a real body."_ Even through his defenses he didn't feel right about this, but he knew they had to do it.

"We're ready," Fritz alerted, and Mike came over. He opened the bag and dumped the wipes into the hole then balled the plastic up and jammed it in his pocket.

"I'll get rid of this somewhere else. It has my fingertips all over it," Mike excused. Neither of the men disagreed, and Jeremy took a turn in burying the mass of evidence for a crime they didn't commit.

Everything was cryptically quiet once they got back in the van. Fritz silently drove ahead to try and find a road to turn around on, but instead ended up looping around and coming back near some of the houses. They just decided to continue as they were close to the highway. The whole time Mike watched out the window and stared at the passing houses in paranoia. Wondering if any of them would be watching. Until-.

"Hey, stop," Mike suddenly spoke up. Fritz hit the break so hard that Jeremy thumped against the back of his seat, then looked over with a wild look.

"What? What is it? Did you see someone?" the man asked in growing fear. "Is someone following us?"

"It's not that. It's that car over there." The security guard pointed at a house not too far away with an orange jeep sitting in the driveway. "I recognize that car."

"…Please don't tell me that's Burke's undercover car or something," Fritz muttered as he peered past his co-worker. "…No, it can't be. Nobody would ride is something that gaudy to look inconspicuous."

"Actually, it would be genius. Most undercover cop cars are either black and white and they're usually not jeeps," Jeremy pointed out from the back.

"Probably needs a jeep to drive out here… Mike, what are we doing? Why are we staring at this car?" Fritz asked as his exasperation started to catch up with him.

"I know that car," the youngest insisted. He tapped his fingers on the armrest for a moment before snapping them, the answer coming to him. "That's Charlie's aunt's car. I'd recognize it anywhere."

"Charlie's aunt? The one that went hysterical during the funeral? Are you sure?" Jeremy questioned. He squinted at the jeep. "It'd be hard to forget a van like that, but I don't know. We just stumbled upon her aunt's house while driving around… Whoa, look at that dent!"

"In the back-right bumper? Yeah, I noticed it when I saw it the last time…" Mike tapped his fingers again as he stared at the house. "…You know, part of me wants to go over and knock on her door. Looks like she's still awake so she might answer. Don't know what I'd say, but… I don't know. I'm considering it."

"…You do know you can't do that, right?" Fritz asked with dread. "Mike, if she told anyone she saw us out here-."

"I'm not going to do it. I'm just-… I don't know. I guess it just took me off guard." But it was more than that. It mixed with the actions they just committed were creeping up on Mike in an unexpected way. They left him feeling strange and displaced, thinking about death and mourning. "But I've got to call her sometime. Maybe she needs a friend. It's not like Burke's going to do it." Jeremy and Fritz exchanged a look that Mike noticed out of the corner of his eye. "Don't go getting that look. I'm fine, I'm just thinking out loud."

"I mean, you could. It might be nice to reach out to her after what she went through. She might need the support and- is that someone by the window?" Just as Fritz asked this, the blinds of the window rolled up revealing someone- probably Aunt Jen- looking out towards the road. "It's her! She's looking right at us!"

"Drive, now, go!" Mike commanded. Fritz started to slowly drive along the road. "A little faster than this?!"

"If I peel out it's going to look suspicious!"

"Fritz, you're going five miles an hour! She's going to think we're casing her house!"

"Guys, you can stop now. I don't think she can see us anymore," Jeremy intervened to break up the miniature fight. The two promptly fell quiet and went back to staring at the darkness for a few moments.

It was stifling when Mike's thoughts were still racing. Eventually he had to vent them. "It just seems too quick. Charlie, the missing kids, even the workers in Freddy's; they didn't walk into those buildings prepared for what was going to happen if they didn't walk out. I did, but that was only because I had a head's up waver to break the news."

"I know what you mean. Nobody wants to die like that, and it could happen to any of us. We could be alive and well and then just, poof, gone," Fritz said. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel either out of thoughtfulness or disturbance. "Sometimes I think about how I want to die. We're going to die anyway so I just think of what could be the best death I could have."

"You mean like suffocating in a vat of chocolate or dying in a blaze of glory that's remembered throughout history?" Mike asked a little more playfully. Fritz gave a partial snicker.

"No, I meant realistically. Like how I'm actually going to go. I think my perfect death would be to just go in my sleep. Maybe one-hundred-something years old and leaving behind a successful robotics company. Getting one last great day with Natalie and our kids and grandkids. That doesn't sound so bad. I think I could live with that. Or die with that, whichever."

"You never mentioned that you wanted kids," Jeremy said with surprise.

"Sure, why not? Someday we're probably all going to have kids, then-." Fritz then remembered who he was talking to. "…Well I'll have kids. Maybe two or three. We've talked about it but we're not there yet. We're not even married yet so don't expect Fritz junior to pop up next year. He glanced in the rearview mirror. "What about you Jeremy?"

"…Are you asking me how I want to die or if I'm going to have kids?"

"Death."

"Okay…" Jeremy seemed uneased by the aim of the conversation but went along with it. "I think… I'd like to be old and I'd like it to be painless… And I'd like to know that Foxy and dolls were all taken care of once I was gone. Maybe I could come back as a ghost and watch them?" Jeremy shivered a little. "I'm starting to get a little creeped out. Mike, you go."

"Eh, I don't know," Mike said with a noncommittal shrug. "Maybe I'll just skip that whole death thing and get Mari to throw me into an animatronic. One of us will have to stick around to run the business."

It was mostly a joke. He wasn't exactly thinking much of anything except that it was late at night and this whole trip had been a downer- and that whole 'death is so sudden' line of thought. Yet he received silence instead of amusement, and he looked back in time to see Fritz and Jeremy exchanging that look again. He sat upwards immediately.

"What was that? What did that look mean?" Mike called out as he looked between them. "Come on, it was just a joke. About ninety-five percent of what I say is cracks at my own expense."

"We weren't giving a look. We were just- I don't know. Thinking about it?" Jeremy tried to quietly defend them both. The younger man looked entirely unconvinced by this excuse. "I mean, was it a joke? If any of us decided to go with something like that, it seems like it would be you."

"And what does that mean?" Mike asked. His eyes narrowed as his voice filled with suspicion. "What, I'm the designated creep of the group? All three of us buried that pile of rags."

"You know that's not what he means," Fritz added in. "He just meant… I don't know, you're the one most open to this. Even with Jeremy's thing with Foxy, you're the one who gets close to the animatronics. You got close to Mari before any of us, you pretty much converted Ennard with Scott, you got Baby homed, you've got Springtrap talking- I don't have a clue how you managed to pull that off. It's just that… I never really thought about any of us willingly becoming animatronics. In our line of work it could happen."

"…My _thing_ with Foxy?" Jeremy asked, now sounding a cross between mortified and offended.

"Then we'll think about it now. If you had the choice, would you do it?" Mike questioned. Fritz seemed hesitant. "This is a conversation we have to have, because we could die any day now and this is an option. We might not live to old age if Burke has anything to say about it, because he's going to drive one of us into the nuthouse."

"He can drop you and Jeremy off while he's driving me to the slammer," Fritz muttered. Then he gave a weary exhale. "Okay, okay. Uh… Maybe. If I died young and I needed to stick around for some reason, like if Natalie and I died at the same time and I needed to stick around for kids, then maybe I'd go through with it. Not if I'm ninety years old and completely exhausted." He turned down another bumpy road. "And if I had to choose a character, I think it'd be a Freddy. They're sturdy."

Mike felt his tension ease up a little. "Now we're getting somewhere. Was that so hard? Just a normal conversation about death." He leaned back in the seat again and drummed his fingers on his leg. "I guess if I had the choice, I'd go for a puppet body. Not just because of Mari but because the bodies work so well- Don't look at me like that, you know what I mean." Fritz silently smirked. "I wouldn't be carrying around two or three hundred pounds of extra weight. Seems like it would be easier to adjust."

"…Toy Bonnie didn't seem too bad," Jeremy quietly added. "I know he doesn't exist anymore, but he was pretty human shaped. I could see getting used to a body like that. Knowing my luck, I'd get stuck inside Plushtrap and spend the rest of my life too tiny to even reach doorknobs."

"Guys, I don't want to freak you both out, especially not when we're talking about death and all…" Fritz spoke up, his face looking grim. "…But do either of you see the highway?"

It took twenty minutes for the three to find their way back to the road and back to Hurricane. All three looked rougher than when they went in- perhaps even rougher when they dug the hole. Fritz drove Mike and Jeremy back to the house and after a moment of consideration, Jeremy decided to stick around to see the cartoon. The technician headed home and the two let themselves into the house.

Marionette heard them coming and paused the video before rising from the floor and facing the front door expectantly. He greeted Mike as he came through. "I was wondering when you were getting back. How did it go?" the puppet asked with a warm smile. It was always hard to lie to him when he was so welcoming. This time Mike found it nearly impossible.

"It went well enough, all things considered," the man began as he shut the door. He gave a brief glance to Jeremy, silently signaling what he was about to do, and the older didn't have enough time to consider stopping him before Mike turned back to the striped one and confessed. "So… You remember that bag we had after we cleaned out Springtrap?" The puppet nodded with slight hesitance. "We took it out and buried it in the desert."

"I see. That must have been uncomfortable for you…" Marionette empathized. He reached out for Mike's hand and gave it a sympathetic squeeze. "But it was for the best. We couldn't afford to have that much evidence sitting out in the open. Why don't you come sit down and try to get your mind off it?"

It was clear that Mike was positively dumbfounded. He couldn't believe how nonchalant Marionette was being about all of this. "…You're not upset? You're not even fazed at all. Mari, we dumped a body."

"Mike, you didn't dump a body," the puppet said with small smile of amusement. "You just disposed of some cleaning supplies. I'm sure Springtrap would rather not have the reminder."

"'Sides, wouldn't be the first time we got rid 'o evidence," Foxy casually added. A look of dread passed Marionette's face, like he had said something damning, and Mike got a questioning look. Apparently, the fox took the silence for doubt. "Didn't ya ever wonder what happened to them bodies?"

"You stuffed them into the suits to bring them to life. We know about that," Mike answered. Marionette was looking a little more anxious, which was catching his attention. "You mean other than that?"

"Wasn't just that. Ya think we woulda lasted as long with bodies all over the place? 'Fraid not, Lads. We used to take 'em and hide 'em where we could. Sometimes between the walls, or in a crawlspace or under the stage. Wherever nobody'd be lookin' fer 'em." He gave a light scoff. "Not that any of them layabouts were lookin' for the source 'o that bad smell."

"…What?" Mike was gob smacked. He looked to the puppet in disbelief and said puppet looked away with shame. "You were hiding bodies? I thought the whole goal was to have people find out about what was going on and stop it from happening. Marionette?"

"Nobody was going to find out, Mike. One of the owners was the one putting them there… We didn't want him to take them back," Marionette quietly defended. He looked uncomfortable; folding his arms behind him and repeatedly breaking eye contact. "There was still a chance that someday they would be found. If he took them then they were lost forever… But it was the wrong choice. That was probably what he wanted."

"And it don't matter no more," Foxy suddenly butted in. "That an' this are two different beasts. We ain't coverin' up no crime. Lettin' Michael walk around stinkin' of blood 'n guts be a crime of its own!"

"I'm just glad you're not mad! Geez, what a relief!" Jeremy exclaimed as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Unlike the very uncomfortable Mike and Marionette, shocked and shamed, he was completely unbothered by this news. As though it simply didn't apply to the present. "I wanted to tell you in the car, but I thought it would kill the mood. Or worse, that you'd want to come with me."

"I can be a bit stubborn," Foxy agreed with a chuckle. He patted the floor with a thump. "Get over here, Lad, there's somethin' I want to show ya! Just lemme rewind this real quick."

Jeremy obeyed eagerly and went to sit down, leaving the two still standing to continue doing so. It was an uneasy pause that the puppet broke with an off-tune sigh.

"This wasn't how I wanted to begin our night. What with the cartoon and everything…" Marionette looked to his companion again with a look of remorse. "I hope you don't think less of me."

"Actually, I'm more surprised at how long it took me to figure out that bodies disappeared. Guess that debunks Michael's theory that they're out in Silver Reef…" Mike noticed that look again and recovered quickly. This time it was he who reached out and took the puppet's wrist, bringing it out from behind him and rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand. "Foxy's right, it's not a big deal. You all were doing what you thought was best. And who knows, maybe it was. Fazbear Entertainment doesn't strike me as the honest type."

"That's true…" Marionette got a small and sheepish smile. "Let's start over? Come watch the show with us. There's a big surprise at the end and a good amount of irony that I don't think will be lost on you."

"Wouldn't miss it," Mike agreed with a smile. Marionette started to turn, but at the last moment he pulled him back. " _We're talking about bodies anyway, right? It's as good a time as any."_ The striped one tilted his head and the human began to explain, "But before we do that, you know that- you remember that time we were talking about what would happen if I ended up dying?" The puppet got a startled look. "Not exactly that. It was after Charlie came home and you said that if I died you would put me in a suit."

"I remember that," Marionette agreed with unease. He thought this would still lead into the conversation about the hidden bodies. "Why were you thinking about that?"

"I guess it's hard not to think about things like that when you're doing what we did. We were stuck driving around for a while, so I had the time to think… And I thought about what you said." Mike considered letting it drop but seeing Marionette's concern, and remembering his dread from earlier, he went through with it. Just to get it over with and hopefully ease them both in the long term. "And I thought that I've gotten close to dying a few times since we've been together."

"More than a few, really," Marionette quietly agreed. "I think I know what you're saying, but if you died-."

"I'd want you to put me in an animatronic," Mike rushed out. The puppet did a double take and then blatantly stared, just as the security guard had a short while earlier. "I know this is a weird time to bring it up, but I don't want something happening and me not having a chance to choose."

"But- Mike… Are you sure? I know that Foxy and I look like we're well adapted to this, but that would be- I don't think you realize the weight of that!" Marionette was reeling as he pressed his free hand to his forehead. "Where did this come from all of a sudden?"

"…It isn't sudden. I think I've felt this way for a while now and just was ignoring it as long as I could," the man confessed somberly. He rubbed over Marionette's hand. "Just promise me that if anything happens to me, you'll try to do it. If it doesn't work, it's fine, it wasn't meant to be, but don't try to talk yourself out of trying. Because if I've got an option that gives us more time then I'm going to take it." He reached out to cup his companion's mask and traced around his cheek. "I know what I want."

"Mike… Yes, I promise. If that really is your wish," Marionette trilled as he pressed into his hand. He rested his hand on Mike's and slid in closer until they were only inches apart. For a moment all the worries and fears were gone, whether it be the fear that Mike would regret this or the fear that he would eventually lose him. He gave a look of complete adoration as he added in a hushed tone, "I'd do anything for you."

It was like a weight was taken off Mike's shoulders and he pulled Marionette in to press his lips to his thankfully. That was all he needed for now. That was enough to temporarily subdue any thoughts of his mortality. Even if it meant agreeing to become something inhuman in the long run.

When they drew back, Marionette was still warbling and Mike had had nearly forgotten about the morbid reveal from before. "What was that ironic surprise again?" Mike playfully asked.

The puppet regained a full smile and led him by the wrist. "All in good time. It won't be as special if I spoil it." He then began to lead the human over towards the couch, ready to return to his excitement from earlier now that Mike would see the cartoon. It all seemed well.

" _I just agreed to become a robot when I die,"_ Mike suddenly realized. That weighty feeling returned for a few moments before slipping back as he sat down on the couch alongside Marionette. He watched the puppet cross his legs and prop his head on his head, beaming with excitement even though he had already seen the show. He watched Mike with the same eagerness, looking perfectly happy. _"…I can live with that."_

He could live with a death like that.

* * *

It was just easier to give Baby a wide berth when she was as fidgety as this. She was clearly riled by the way she was skating around the room. She kept checking over everything in the house, fussily making sure it was all perfect, because she had convinced herself that tonight was different. Tonight wasn't just her and Charlie spending the night at the warehouse, it was two _friends_ spending 'quality time' together. That's what normal girls did. That was a test she would have to pass if she was going to compete with Charlie's past friends.

All the while, Ennard watched her from the back of the armchair. Scott came out of the bathroom after an early shower and looked out from under a towel to see Baby pacing beside the front door. He blinked as he looked at her, then leaned a little closer to the male clown.

"Is she going to be alright? She looks a little… High strung," he whispered quietly enough that he hoped she couldn't hear. "I thought she was happy Charlie was coming?"

"Oh yeah, she's flat out glowing. She doesn't get this worked up unless it's something big," Ennard replied. Thankfully, he managed to keep his volume at a reasonably low level. "I don't really get it. It's not like we haven't had a puppet in the house before. They're kind of a staple."

"Well, I sort of get it. Think of it like when you went to visit Mike and Marionette for a couple of days. Just that you willingly went over there just because you wanted to," Scott rationalized. He smiled a little at Baby now, starting to convince himself with it too. "Just a couple of friends having a night in. We've had a few of those. I mean, I don't exactly consider us friends, but-." Scott wished he wouldn't have started that last comment because now he didn't know how to end it. "You- You know."

Thankfully, that wasn't what Ennard focused on. "Aww! Baby's first Slumber Party- That's cute!"

"I heard that," Baby spoke up as she turned towards the two. "And I am not worked up, I just know that if I don't make a good impression Charlie won't want to come back."

"You've already made a plenty good impression if she's come back this many times, ha ha!" the amalgam chimed up. "I think you're starting to rub off on her, and I _know_ she's been rubbing off on you.~" The female huffed at that borderline smug tone of his.

"Try not to do that thing you do while she's here. That obnoxious Ennard thing, you know what it is."

"Oh, don't worry! I'll just save that for Scott here," Ennard quipped and reached out to pat Scott's back with a wink. The man was a little more sympathetic to her plight.

"We'll give you your space," Scott offered. Which meant he would distract Ennard so that he didn't get too invested, which she caught. "I'm taking the night off since the deadline got pushed back. Turns out all those errors I couldn't reprogram were too deep to code out. They're going to have to bring in a professional and if that doesn't work-."

Baby drifted off at Scott's explanation to Ennard and instead turned her focus back towards the front door. She heard a car coming closer and waited expectantly and wasn't disappointed when she heard it turn into the driveway.

"That's them," she interrupted. She rushed forward to draw back the curtain just a sliver and look out. "That woman's by the fence again. He can't bring Charlie in if that woman's _by the fence_ _again_."

"She's, uh… She's just worried that I'm not getting out enough," Scott excused with a sheepish cough. "Which I appreciate the concern. It's nice to know she cares, but I'm not looking for another arranged date."

"She's trying that again?! Yeesh, that lady's gotta take a hint!" Ennard exclaimed with mild irritation. Though understated in comparison to Baby's reaction, Scott knew that he disliked her quite a bit more. Or at least disliked her efforts in playing matchmaker. The clown perked and turned towards Scott, "Hey, you know what? You oughta just tell her you're already shacking up with someone! It wouldn't be a lie and if she started asking questions you could just tell her all about the amazingly elusive Eggs Benedict."

Scott flushed at the thought. "I don't think that would go over very well…"

"Why? I hear Eggs is a great guy!" Ennard continued to joke. "He's attentive, he's driven, he is a _great_ technician, and he works the night shift so he's never here!"

"Because then she wouldn't be standing at the fence, she'd be standing at the door with a crockpot dinner, trying to convince me to let her in so that she could meet him," Scott pointed out. He could very faintly see a tinge of dread in the clown's eyes. "She'd bring over another batch of her southwest style creamed corn."

"No. I'm still scraping pepper pieces off my wires. No," the amalgam firmly stated. Scott could only wish he was capable of the same amount of finality.

"She should mind her own business," Baby added in. Her green eyes refocused on Mike's car before noticing him getting out. "He's bringing her in anyways. She's coming inside." She turned back to the two with the slightest bit of panic. "Quick, act functional," she commanded to both. Which got a raised brow from Scott and a slight twitch from Ennard.

Mike brought Charlie into the house but didn't stay long. He told Scott something about waiting for Fritz or Jeremy to come by, but Baby wasn't paying much attention to the two talking. It didn't concern her and he left soon afterwards, leaving the Security Puppet with them. Charlie had obviously come prepared to stay as she had brought her bag and it looked filled from how she was lugging it.

"I wrote a list of things for us to do. Now that you're here we can start," Baby began. She then flickered her eyes over in Ennard and Scott's direction, as though trying to signal them to leave.

"Actually, before that-," Charlie interrupted. She knelt and unzipped her pack. "I have something I want to show you. Just give me a minute to find it."

With her doing that and Baby watching her, and both ready to get into their activities, Scott felt it was only fair to excuse him. "Ennard, you want to come into the dining room with me and play a game of Bridge?"

"Sure!... Juuust as soon as I see this thing Lottie brought," Ennard chirped. At least Scott had tried, Baby couldn't fault him for that.

Charlie pulled a VHS tape out of her bag and offered it to Baby. She took it in her hand and turned it over. "What is this?"

"It's a tape of your show, Baby's Circus. We got a tape from the studio doing Foxy's," Charlie explained.

"My show?" Baby asked with a confused tilt of her head. Then she suddenly straightened as she came to her own conclusion. "My… Show?... You don't mean my show… At my pizzeria?"

"No, your cartoon. There was a cartoon based off your pizzeria. Or a pilot, but that's still impressive considering the dozens of pizzeria chains that didn't even get that much," Charlie explained with a smile. "I guess that means you haven't seen it though, so what do you say? Want to watch yourself on the small screen?"

Baby was positively stunned- and somewhat relieved- but her reaction was overshadowed by Ennard's. "Baby had a cartoon?!" He sprinted around the couch and snatched it up before Baby could recover enough to grab it. "We've got to watch this! This is like a lost piece of Freddy history!"

"Ennard, before you throw that into the VCR-," Scott started as Ennard promptly shoved the tape in the VCR. He raised his voice enough to finally catch the clown's attention. "Maybe you should ask Baby if she wants to watch it since it's a tape about her?" Scott suggested. The amalgam stared like the thought never crossed his mind. His blue eyes flicked to Baby.

"Ha, guess that's fair. Whaddya say, Baby? It might be a lot of fun!" Baby only stayed silent because she knew if she gave a blunt 'no' that he would fight for it.

"He does have a point. It might be worth seeing the you that could've been if the show was picked up," Charlie offered. "Then whenever we watch the Foxy cartoon together, we can compare representations."

"Hey, yeah! That's a great idea! Come on, Babydoll, show off a little! You've got nothing to lose!" Ennard continued to encourage.

"Maybe my dignity," Baby muttered. She looked between the three; Ennard eager and pleading, Charlie curious and interested, and Scott… mostly indifferent, but probably just as wanting. They all expected this of her and normally she would've turn them down flat. Or normally she would turn others down, because now she happened to be surrounded by the three people with the most influence on her. "…Alright, fine. But you all remember that I was not connected to this cartoon at all. And that I only had my pizzeria for a short time, so there are no similarities."

"Of course not," Ennard said in what sounded like a patronizing tone. Baby almost withdrew her decision at that alone. "Come on! Let's get this show on the-…screen!" Unwilling to wait any longer, he started up the video. Scott settled into his armchair and Charlie on the couch, but Baby refused to sit down. Just standing there staring like she was preparing to watch a natural disaster.

 _The show opened with a colorfully extravagant title screen with gilded letters spelling out 'Baby's Circus World' with an equally circus themed music track backing it. The title then burst into a cluster of balloons and faded into a new scene. The camera panned down onto a rundown looking circus and onto a tall sign that, in contrast to the cartoon's name, read "Proofus' Prestigious Circus." A few of the letters were missing, and the first 'p' fell loose with a loud banging._

" _This is your last chance, Repug! You either get me my cash or I'm shutting this place down! Probably doing this town a favor taking down this eyesore!" a grumpy, booming voice yelled. The camera moved to the front door of a small office where a heavily suited man stormed out. Between the high collar and the hat, it was impossible to see his face._

" _N-Now let's be reasonable! A-All I need is a few more days!" a sniveling voice called from behind. Out from the office ran a tall and lanky man dressed in a lime green and black ringleader costume. He had a thin handlebar mustache and a large nose, which matched his oddly oversized hands. "The crowds are going to be in any day now! Y-Y-You'll get your money!"_

" _You see that I do," the suited man growled as he turned around and thrust a fat finger in the man's chest. "This is your last chance. I don't care how you get my moolah, you get it!" With that he turned around and stormed off. "Crowds coming in- that's a laugh!" As he stormed away, the ringleader dropped onto the stairs to his office and slumped._

" _Gonna need something to bring the crowds in… I've got it! We'll do a big show and bring in a whole crowd at once!... But what kind of show's going to bring in the crowds?" The ringleader looked up at the wall beside him as the camera focused in on three separate posters; one of Ballora, one of Funtime Freddy, and one of Funtime Foxy. "What am I saying? These three clowns couldn't bring in a crowd if their lives depended on it! Or mine, ugh. I'm going to need a new act." He rubbed his pointed chin. "But where am I going to find a new performer…?"_

 _The scene changed to a sunny day outside of a large theater in the city. The front sign read 'Auditions Today' and the camera panned inside to show the show stage and a cranky looking man sitting in a director's chair before it. He was glaring at the stage and tapping his pen on a clipboard covered in crossed out names._

" _Terrible! Just awful! I haven't seen a performance that stiff since the backdrop fell down in the middle of 'My Fair Finland'!" the director scolded. As whoever was performing left the stage, he looked at his clipboard again. "Next!" There was the sound of footsteps but then he looked up to see nobody over his clipboard. "Next?!"_

" _Down here!"_

 _The director lowered the clipboard further and there on the stage was none other than a small, little girl with orange pigtails and a red skirt. It was clearly supposed to be Baby._

"Ha! Someone took the name Baby a little too on the nose! She is _tiny_ ," Ennard chimed in, unable to hold back the reaction. "And I don't know whose voice that is, but it ain't yours!"

"That's not really surprising. Some of these cartoons weren't voiced by the same people who provided voices for the animatronics. If they even had them at all. Some of them had simulated voices instead of actual recordings, but I couldn't tell you which ones," Scott added in. He looked over to check Baby and noticed how intently she stared at the screen. Though it wasn't exactly from being enthralled.

"But aww, she's cute! She's like one of those little bitty Bidybab babies! Now that's a far stretch from the original Baby body, ain't it?" the clown teased as he sent Scott a sharp grin.

"You're making this worse," Baby sourly scolded. Her gaze fixated on the _childlike_ depiction of her. It made her want to twist up and roll away.

" _And what are you supposed to be?" the director asked as he adjusted his glasses._

"Gee, I don't know, but I think it's supposed to be a little girl, Genius," Ennard sassed the television.

" _My name is Baby and I'm going to be a star!" the little girl introduced._

" _We shall see about that," the director muttered as he sunk back in his seat. "Begin!" Baby began to tap her foot and sway her hips, and then proceeded to sing._

" _Would you run across fields of green? Would you ride the rails and swim the seas? Would you travel the world just to come and see your baby?~" Baby sung, pressing a finger to her pink cheek and smiling cutely._

Baby was internally screaming. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so embarrassed. She glanced over towards Charlie and noticed a tiny smile, an amused smile, and Baby was mortified.

" _A girl like me is one of a kind, so better be happy that you're mine! So, if you could why don't you make the time and come see your baby?~" She danced with the towering microphone pole that swayed over her. Her voice echoed and she winked at the director with her big, shiny, blue eyes. "Yes, your baby gets lonely, because you are her only. Like cheese and pepperoni, come together in matrimony.~" She began to skip across the stage, not noticing the microphone's wire wrapping around her feet. "So, maybe you could show me how much you- OH!"_

 _Suddenly Baby stumbled and spun off the stage, knocking over the tiny table beside the director's chair and sending a cup of coffee onto his chest. He sprung up with a yelp and the front of his shirt was stained._

" _Oh! I'm so sorry! Clumsy me!" Baby scolded herself as she stood. "Can I try again?! Do you need a napkin?! I can run over to the laundromat-!"_

" _I think you've done quite enough!" the director scolded. "Little Lady, you are simply too young and unexperienced to be on the big stage. If you want my advice, stick to Sunday school and preschool plays. Next!"_

" _But- But- But-!"_

" _I said, NEXT!"_

 _Baby slumped dramatically and sulked towards the front door. She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout as she dragged her feet down the street._

" _How am I supposed to be a big star if I can't even get a big role? Sunday school isn't going to make me a star," she whined. She looked like she was about to cry as she passed beside the alleyway outside of the theater. She didn't even notice the tall man stepping out of the alley behind her._

"That's not creepy at all," Scott playfully whispered to Ennard who tried to restrain giggles.

" _Excuse me, little lady, but I have a proposition for you. Will you come with me? I can give you lots of candy."_

Scott was regretting that joke now. Ennard wasn't trying hard enough to stifle his snickers and Baby was still stone faced.

" _I'm sorry but I don't feel much like candy right now. I just blew my big audition," Baby lamented._

" _Pshaw! I'll have you know that I saw that audition and I think you were magnificent! That stuffy, old coot just doesn't know what real talent is! I should know…" He offered his hand and a business card popped out of the end of his sleeve. Baby took it and read over it as he narrated. "I am Proofus Repug, the owner of Proofus' Prestigious Circus, and I make dreams come true!"_

" _Really?! You could make me a star?!" Baby excitedly asked. She then looked a little doubtful. "I don't know. A circus? I want to be on Broadway someday, not making animal balloons."_

" _It's much more than that, my dear! My circus has the finest cast of dancers, comedians, and singers this side of Broadway! Everyone's got to start somewhere, and stars don't rise if they begin at the top. Why don't you come by my circus and I'll give you a formal audition?" He was cut off by the girl jumping on him and crushing him in a hug, comically bending his thin body._

" _Thank you, Mr. Proofus! Oh, I'm going to put on the best show ever!" she gushed as she hopped down. "Let me just go get some stuff and I'll be right back!" She hurried off down the street with a wave._

" _Hurry back! You don't want to keep your future fans waiting!" the ringleader called back. Though once she was out of earshot, he rubbed his hands together with a cackle. "Oh ho ho! That little girl's gonna make me a big bundle of cash!"_

"Huh… I know that guy's voice from somewhere. I just can't remember where," Ennard bluntly stated. Scott sobered up as the clown rubbed his mask thoughtfully. "Maybe it's one of the voices on the Handunit? That's got to be someone. I know that's someone."

"This is a nightmare," Baby said just as bluntly. "She is annoying and she looks like me. I'm embarrassed just to be seen as her."

"Baby, it's not that bad," Charlie tried to assure. "So, she doesn't act like you. It's like you said, she's not really connected to you. Or who knows, maybe you would've acted like her when you were little."

"Take that back."

"Or maybe not. The point is that you shouldn't feel embarrassed for something that just looks like you. Here, sit down." She patted the couch between her and Ennard. Baby was reluctant, because it would be harder to rush over and rip the tape out if anything got too mortifying. Once again, she caved into their demands and sat down. It couldn't last that much longer.

Except _it did_. It continued to drag on like it was purposefully mocking Baby. Ballora, Funtime Freddy, and Funtime Foxy were all introduced very briefly and, much to her chagrin, they were all in proper character with the only differences being their voices. Ennard even broke down in hysterical laughter at Funtime Freddy's 'nerdy' voice. Their roles were small, as the main plot was with the miniature Baby auditioning again and, again, managing to derail the entire thing.

" _I'm sorry I almost ruined everything," Baby apologized as she kicked her foot. "I guess I got so wrapped up in making a big impression that I forgot to be careful… And that fireworks can start big fires."_

" _It wouldn't be the first time this guy's almost burned the place down!" Bon-Bon giggled as it pointed to Funtime Freddy._

" _Hey! You said you'd stop telling people about that…" Freddy whispered back with shifty eyes._

" _What Freddy and Bonnie are saying is that accidents happen. We're just glad you're alright," Ballora warmly assured as she daintily reached down to pat Baby's head. "You'll just need to be more careful next time."_

" _There's not going to be a next time! After this, Proofus is going to fire me for sure… He didn't even hire me yet!" Baby whimpered before beginning to cry and rub her eyes._

" _Nonsense!" Funtime Foxy proudly proclaimed. "Proofus would be crazy to turn you away after a show like that! With a little practice, you might be the greatest performer this circus has ever seen!"_

" _What do you say, Baby? Will you stay?" Ballora asked sweetly as she leaned to Baby's height. The girl seemed to consider it._

" _Well… Okay! After all, a star can't rise from the top!" Baby said. The others eagerly cheered her on and started to lead her back towards the circus tents._

 _The camera turned to show the dumpster nearby and a smoking Proofus climbing out. He had an old, splattered carton of spoiled milk on his head that he yanked off and tossed to the ground angrily._

" _That girl's going to make a fool out of me!" he growled. He started to try and climb out of the dumpster. "But- oomph- if she brings in crowds… Maybe there's a way for me to get filthy rich and then dump her off on someone else! I could make a bundle selling her and then she wouldn't be my problem anymore!" He crackled evilly as he hopped down and began to limp back towards the circus._

 _It was then that the camera panned down to the milk carton that he had tossed aside. What he didn't notice and what the shot revealed was that there was a picture of none other than Baby on the container. Printed above and below the picture was 'Have you seen me?' and 'Missing'. The scene faded out to the credits._

As though the ordeal wasn't bad enough, with the credits came an arm around Baby's shoulders and Ennard leaning in much too close.

"Baby," Ennard began. "That… was… _amazing_."

Baby made a noise akin to a hiss and shoved him off her before standing from the couch. She skated across the room to the VCR and started grabbing into it, trying to get the tape out. For some reason it refused to come out, so she turned back to Scott. "How do you get this out?"

"Here, I'll do it," Scott offered. She started to fiddle with the VCR again, movements becoming more frantic and irritated. "Wait, wait, I'm getting it! I'll handle it, hold on." He just barely stopped her from destroying the electronic and shut the tape off. "It was a little bit… Well, it was the typical Freddy cartoon. They weren't ever the best thing out there."

"Are you kidding?! That was adorable!" Ennard gushed as he hurried over. He must've known what Baby was going to do, because a moment before she could snatch the tape out of Scott's hand with her claw the amalgam grabbed it instead. He quickly hid it behind his back to use himself as a shield. "Oh no, I'm not gonna let you do something we're going to regret later."

"Ennard, if you keep that accursed tape away from me then so help me I _will_ reach through you to get it," Baby threatened with a hiss.

"Nooo. In front of Charlie? That would totally ruin the sleepover!" Ennard teased. "Was it really that bad? It was adorable!"

"That's easy for you to say. You weren't on it," Baby spat out. "But if you were, you would've been only slightly more irritating then you are right now."

"Okay, you two are getting- Stop." Scott managed to wedge himself in between them. "You two are getting way too excited. Look, let's just calm down. Ennard, give me the tape and I'll put it in my office."

"Aww, Scott," the amalgam lightly complained. Baby seemed much more vindicated.

"Nobody will ever be able to find it again once it gets in that office. It is almost as good as me destroying it myself." She drew herself away and wheeled over to the couch while Scott held out his hand. With a reluctant mutter, Ennard placed the tape into the man's hand.

"Ya do know I know my way around your office, right?" the clown asked. "I'll find a way back to it."

"If you do, I'll be impressed. Once I put something in there it's just a matter of time before it's swallowed by the void of paperwork," Scott admitted with a playful smile. Ennard still looked to be pouting. "Let's give the two of them a little space and go play some Bridge now. We can even get started on dinner if you've got any ideas."

The clown gave a warm chuckle. "I don't know if you want to give me that much power, Scottie." He followed the man to the office, briefly watching him put the tape on his desk, and then eagerly leading the way into the kitchen. "You gotta admit though, that Funtime Freddy voice was hilarious. He sounded like something that came out of a high school dramedy. I sound _way_ better."

As their voices somewhat faded into the kitchen, Baby gave a disgruntled hum and fiddled in place. Charlie had largely stayed quiet during the dispute, but now she was beginning to see more self-conscious motions past Baby's outright annoyance. She tried to clear her throat, instead making a simple jingling noise.

"That might've not gone as well as I hoped… I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to upset you, I just thought maybe it would make you happy to know that you were popular enough to get a show. I can see how it can be a little embarrassing, especially with the extra commentary," Charlie admitted. "If it makes it any better, I prefer the Baby I know to the one on the screen."

"Do you really mean that?" Baby asked. "Even with how _cute_ and _small_ she was? Like a living cupcake."

Charlie couldn't help but get a small smile at the clown's petulant mood. "I don't think a cupcake would be a good friend. It would be too hard to resist eating them." This seemed like a good time to see if she could work in a distraction. "I've taken up enough time with the tape. Why don't you choose what we do next? You said you had a plan."

"My choice? Whatever I want?" Charlie nodded. Baby considered this for a moment before making her decision. "…I want to hit you with a pillow."

"You mean like a pillow fight?" The puppet smiled a little wider, amused by the thought that the clown wanted to go ahead with something as innocently childish as the stereotypical sleepover staple. Especially after she reacted so negatively to how young she was portrayed as in the show.

"Something like that…" Baby turned to the couch and reached for it, bypassing the actual pillow and instead pulling off the entire cushion. "…Except that I will enjoy this much more."

In hindsight, Charlie should've known that Baby would hold a grudge.

* * *

 **Mable: And there we have it; in one evening, both Mike and Baby have borderline identity crisis-es that are somewhat eased by puppets. The lesson is that puppets always make things better. See you next week!**


	71. Chapter 71

**Mable: Hey, so since I didn't have much of an author's note to put here, I decided to draw attention to something you might find neat. I might've mentioned it before but Can't Go Home Again and Almost Feels Like Home have a TV Tropes page! Or technically two, if you count the character page as a second page. ^-^ I'd like to give a public thank you to whomever made and are maintaining these pages and suggest others go take a look at them. Someone took time out of their day to do this and I think it's amazing!**

 **Now onto the chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-One_

While Charlie had adapted to the lifestyle of an animatronic well, she was still a lightweight when it came to nighttime excursions. Baby wasn't surprised when she fell asleep early- early for Baby at one in the morning- but was mildly disappointed by it. The Security Puppet was currently laying on the couch nestled under a spare blanket that Scott had brought out. Her features were relaxed, and her face was serene.

Which Baby would've noticed if she wasn't currently sitting on her knees two inches from the television and watching her cartoon again.

Scott hadn't gone back into the office long enough to put the tape away, so Baby had found it on the desk and popped it back in the VCR. The television was turned down to only a single point of volume, but Baby could faintly hear it. Even if she couldn't it wasn't like she would forget the dialogue. It was etched in her mind now. She still hated the cartoon, her thoughts hadn't changed, but she had become fixated on it. Almost like her fixation with ice cream, except instead of averting her thoughts she could only stare.

It was when Funtime Foxy was being introduced that she heard a small squeak to her left. Baby glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Ennard crawling towards her. Last she checked, he had gone to bed with Scott, but unlike Charlie he was quite active at night, so it wasn't too surprising to see him awake. Not that the two had spent much time together since their semi-argument earlier. Except a Clue game, but that was only because Charlie and Scott were involved in it to.

He stopped alongside her and looked at the TV screen like he planned on watching it with her. It wouldn't be that easy as he leaned in and whispered to her. "Whatcha doing watching this for? I thought you hated it."

"I do," Baby answered. "…But I can't look away."

"That's me and the three AM infomercials," Ennard joked with a low, rumbling chuckle. She didn't give much of a reaction; her lack of usual dismissiveness tipped him off that something was off. "…Come on, Babydoll, what's wrong? You can't be this upset about the cartoon. Is it cause I was laughing? Cause I wasn't laughing at you, you know that! I was laughing at the corny writing."

"No, it's not you. Not that you weren't a pest, but it isn't you that is making me watch this," Baby admitted. She looked up at the little girl who looked like her, performing in an overly puffed red dress and two seconds from accidentally setting off a fireworks display. "It's her. She looks so happy and stupid, and they love her for it… How could they love her and not me?"

"Baby, it's not- it's a TV show. It's not real life," Ennard rationalized. He was starting to sound more concerned, with his false humor starting to slip. "It's even less like real life cause it's a cartoon. Little girls don't really run away and join the circus. And that ringleader? Please, he'd be in jail by now. And it's not like we can make a lot of friends when we're holed up in here, right?"

"You have more friends than me, Ennard," Baby pointed out. He tilted his head doubtfully. "This children's show only made me realize how little interest everyone has in me. That I'm not really the Baby I'm supposed to be. Baby is supposed to be happy and loved. She has friends and goals and adventures and excitement. She's an aspiring star, she has a pizzeria, and a dream." She slowly started to lower her head. "She gets so many friends… All I have is Charlie."

Ennard's look was unreadable as he stared at her. She was both embarrassed by how intently he gawked and thankful that he didn't immediately laugh her off. He tentatively tried reassurances again. "You've got Scott too. Mari and Foxy, the cats, and me. You've always got me, Babydoll."

"You don't count. You're not a friend," Baby declined. She paused long enough to try and think of how to clarify the statement. "You're just… This person I live with who tries his hardest to annoy me and for some reason I still want to live with him. I don't think anyone else would willingly take me in." Ennard was eerily silent and she shifted her claw uncomfortably. It was heavy and squeaked noisily; just another reminder that she wasn't the character in the cartoon. "And you're biased."

"You're saying I'm like… Your brother?"

That was a peculiar tone. Baby wasn't sure what to make of it, especially when he latched onto that thought while staring at her so intently. She looked back at him with mild confusion. "I supposedly have two brothers and neither of them want anything to do with me. I don't think that is what I was saying," Baby reminded.

"No, no! I think we're onto something here!" the amalgam excitedly interjected as he barely kept his voice low. He reached out for her and snaked an arm around her shoulders without considering the risk of her pushing him off like before. "Like I'm that older brother type that embarrasses you, but I'm always here to give ya moral support, or to help ya out when you want to impress that special guy or girl or go on some wild and crazy hijinks. It's great! We're like half a sitcom!"

"Do you want to be half a sitcom, Ennard?" Baby flatly asked.

"Sure thing! But only if you're the other half!~"

"…You've been acting strange recently."

"What?" Ennard seemed taken off-guard by the accusation. His blue eyes flittered over Baby's face, trying to see how serious she was. It became quickly apparent that this wasn't just a dismissive comment, not with how she stared at him with the faintest hint of suspicion. "No. What do you mean? I'm always a little strange."

"You didn't used to touch me this much," Baby pointed out. Ennard looked down at his own arm, like he hadn't realized what he was doing, and quickly drew it back off her and pulled it to his chest. His teeth tightened- a version of anxious smiling, but a dead giveaway that he was uneasy. Baby sat up further and confronted him more firmly. "You have been acting odd since you went and saw that rabbit."

"What?! No! Ha, maybe that night, but that's only cause I got a little shook up in the fight is all. No problem!" Ennard tried to defend.

"What did he say to you?" Baby was unconvinced. "You can't trust that rabbit."

"I know that! I've been the one saying that, but everyone's so convinced- This isn't about _him_ , this is about you! The cartoon made you feel bad, so I'm trying to make you feel better," the amalgam assured her. "And maybe ya haven't noticed, but I'm just a little touchy with everyone. You just stopped pinching back, so I swooped right in!"

It all sounded believable, but Baby wasn't entirely convinced. "I see… Just know that you cannot trust his words. You shouldn't be bothered by him. He's not worth your worry."

"Nah! It's all good. I'm all good if you're all good, and we were still working on that, ha ha!" Ennard looked back towards the television, watching as Funtime Freddy and his Bonnie puppet were introduced to the Baby on TV. "So, back to what I was saying before we got into you having friends and me being your big brother… Funtime Freddy really got the short end of the stick, didn't he? Poor guy gets bullied by everyone!"

"If only the real one was so lucky," Baby mumbled. Ennard's distraction worked as her focus shifted back to the cartoon. "I thought they were my friends and then they abandoned me. Even if I bossed them around, even if I wasn't as nice as I should've been, they gave up on me… Maybe I thought they needed me more than I needed them."

"Is that why you don't like the show?" Ennard asked knowingly. Baby didn't answer him. "I won't know if you don't tell me."

"Maybe," Baby quietly admitted. "Even if she's annoying and unbearably dense, the Baby from the show was much nicer... She treated them better than I did."

"Yeah, well… Maybe they didn't deserve better," Ennard muttered. She looked to him questioningly. "Those guys in the cartoon aren't anything like they really were either. They're glad to share the spotlight and welcome her in with open arms… The real ones were never that nice." He stared at the TV screen with unexpected coldness; one that Baby had forgotten he was capable of.

But Ennard recovered quickly and looked back to Baby like the outburst never happened. "Let's just say they weren't the kind of friends you write home about. Not like Lottie, she's a keeper. Don't let her get away," Ennard insisted. "It takes a true friend to stick around after you nearly break her neck with a pillow, ha ha!"

Baby wasn't entirely enthused by Ennard's comment but looked back at Charlie who was still asleep on the couch and thankfully hadn't roused from their talking. She couldn't be too certain that she wouldn't eventually get fed up and leave. It seemed like everyone did.

"Do I really treat you better now?" Baby asked doubtfully.

"Course you do!" Ennard reassured. Then he got a teasing tone in his voice and added, "You treat me like any bratty little sister would."

If it was anyone else other than him Baby would've been offended enough to show how 'bratty' she could be. He gave a warm chuckle as he looked back to the television and she followed suit afterwards. She was ready to watch again and even though she felt the same about it, somehow it felt a little easier. She felt a little better. She wasn't as envious of the girl on the screen anymore.

* * *

 _Charlie was anxiously tapping on the table with a couple of spoons as she watched the others receive their sandwiches. Jessica started to cut hers into tiny quarters and then peeled off the crust, which she one at a time. Even though she had turned human again, Charlie had held off on ordering food because she didn't have any money and didn't want to put her friends in the position of having to pay._

" _Are you sure she's coming?" John asked as he sat down a two-liter of soda on the table. It was an oversized Foxy Cove Cooler. Maybe she would drink some since she had a working mouth again, but only if it didn't offend Baby, who was who they were waiting for._

" _She should be here any minute now. Fritz is just running late," Charlie excused. Right as she said that, she heard a ringing at the diner's door signaling that it was opening. She looked back to see Baby coming through the door, and her eyes popped open as she saw what she looked like._

 _Baby looked almost exactly like she did in the circus cartoon. Charlie completely ignored that she was, indeed, a cartoon, and instead focused on how obscenely tiny she was. She was even smaller than the cartoon, no bigger than a Minireena that climbed onto the booth beside her. Baby looked up at her with an absurdly wide smile and batted four-inch-long eyelashes, barely looking human. She looked much more akin to the doll that Charlie used to keep in her closet._

" _Sorry I'm late. My father dropped me off," Baby explained. She still had her usual voice- jarring for such a tiny body._

 _However, it was what she said that uneased Charlie more. "Your father…?"_

 _Jessica gasped and pointed out the diner window at something, and Charlie turned to look out at the dark parking lot. Standing out about thirty feet from the window was a looming figure that she recognized as being some version of Freddy Fazbear. Or perhaps even Fredbear. Its eyes were dark, save single dots as pupils as it stared out from the void of darkness beyond it._

" _That's not your father, Baby…" Charlie whispered. "…That's mine?" Suddenly, the bear started to move forward, legs not even moving, speeding in the direction of the diner door. "Wait, no! No, it's not!"_

 _The girl only had a second before she heard the jingling of the diner door opening._

Charlie woke with a start to find herself back in Scott's living room. A warm blanket was wrapped around her and morning light filtered around the thick curtains. It had just been a nightmare and reality was here to comfort her. She detangled herself enough to free her arms and rubbed over her mask to wake herself up. She noticed the television was now on the news but muted with closed captions turned on.

Looking up, she saw that Scott was sitting in the armchair with a glass of juice and an energy bar. He was wearing glasses- Charlie had no idea he even wore them- and was still squinting to read the television. It wasn't until she started to sit up that he noticed she had woken up.

"Oh hey. Good morning!" he greeted with a smile. "I didn't wake you up, did I? I was trying to be quiet, but you know how it is."

"No, I woke up on my own. I didn't even know you were there," Charlie assured him. She sat up and grabbed her jacket from the back of the couch. Scott's sphynx cat was curled up at her feet and watching her with a dazed look. Charlie got a small smile and reached for a gentle pet, which the cat allowed. She was still somewhat shaken by the dream, or by the sudden disturbing turn at the end. "I had some colorful dreams. Baby became a human but was small. Or, wait… She might have been the Baby from the cartoon. It's all very foggy."

Scott chuckled. "Can't say I'm surprised after watching that. It takes on a whole new context when you're living with Baby herself." He paused a moment before deciding on something, taking off his glasses and folding them up. "You know, I didn't want to say anything last night in front of Baby, but I worked on that show," Scott quietly admitted, pointing his glasses at the screen.

"You did?" Charlie looked at him in near disbelief. "But weren't you working at Freddy's? They hired you to work there too?"

"Well, worked on it- I was a voice actor. I still am, really. We go a long way back, back when they had the Fredbear and Friends show still in production. They decided to refresh the cast about halfway through its airing and Fazbear Entertainment was a little worried about it. They were adding in a lot of characters they created that he wouldn't have any say in. I was doing training tapes at the time, so they sent me over to voice a few of the background characters. So that I could, you know, spy on things. It actually worked out really great."

The pieces started to click together, and Charlie got an amused smile. "So, you had already seen it and knew what we were in for." He nodded and she jingled lightly. "Next time you might want to give her some warning before the singing starts. I'm surprised she didn't run for the tape then. If it was me, I might've." Which brought her mind back to the Foxy cartoon. "Did you work on the new Foxy show too?"

"Uh, you could say that…" Scott vaguely answered and cleared his throat. "But yeah, I never brought it up. But Ennard almost caught on last night when he was asking about the ringleader's voice. Thank goodness he got distracted with the game and let it drop… Unless he did figure it out and was just taking pity on me."

"If he didn't then, then he did now," Charlie offered. The man got a confused look and she glanced behind his chair. He didn't have to look back to know that Ennard was standing behind him.

"Ennard-," he started. It wasn't fast enough as he suddenly felt Ennard's weight on the back of the armchair, physically tilting it back as he leaned forward to look down at the man.

" _I knew it!_ Ha, I knew there was something familiar about that voice, it was you! You voiced the Proofus!" Ennard exclaimed in triumph. Already jostled by the movement of the chair, Scott began to flush, embarrassed by the amalgam's over-eagerness. "That means you did the singing too, didn't you?! You told me you didn't sing!... Is that breakfast?" He pointed down at the energy bar in Scott's hand.

As though he wasn't already embarrassed, he knew what was coming next. "I wasn't feeling that hungry…"

"S _cott_ , we've had this conversation. If you're going to have a small breakfast, you've still gotta work in a protein. You're pretty much just skin and- s _kin_ and- bones," Ennard scolded. He then softened his voice with a gentler tone. "Tell ya what. How about I make you breakfast, and you can pay me back by telling me allll the dirty little secrets behind Baby's Circus? Like episode ideas that got canned!"

"You don't have to do that. I'm really not that hungry," Scott lightly disagreed. Which wasn't true, he had just forgo-ed cooking out of tiredness. It didn't convince the clown.

"Someone once said, 'the only good reason to skip breakfast is because we're too poor to afford it'. I don't remember who that was, but I know you're well off. Heck, you're probably loaded on secret voice royalties!" Ennard started past the couch before pausing to lean over and look at Charlie. "How about you, Charlie? You want a taste of something?"

"No thanks. I had dreams with sandwiches in them, that was enough food for me." Baby had warned her about Ennard's 'tastes. "Baby's not up yet I'm guessing?"

"Now _there's_ an understatement! Early for Baby is still about four or five hours from now! But we didn't pull an all-nighter if you want to go poke the bear. Just make sure to watch for the claw."

"I might not risk that after bringing over 'the bane of her existence'," Charlie quoted with another jingle of amusement.

"Smart choice, Kiddo. You can still come help if you want. Scott might give us the skinny on all these other roles he's been hiding," Ennard playfully offered as he beckoned Scott. The man finally set his things aside and stood from the chair. The clown seemed content with this, wires clicking together before he looked back to the Security Puppet. "You in?"

"Maybe later. I think I need to wake up a little more," she politely declined. He didn't persist and headed into the kitchen with Scott, leaving Charlie with the cat and the couch. The puppet stretched her back and arms, prong lightly jingling as she turned her head, and let her mind drift back to the dream. Now she could smile about it a little more honestly. Ignoring the Freddy spook at the end, it all seemed pretty comical, especially with the cartoony Baby with the normal voice passing off as a human.

Then she remembered Jessica and John. It was bittersweet still having dreams about them talking and being together like friends. She missed that, missed being able to call them and talk, so have the chance to go somewhere and spend time just being together. Even in her dreams there was a table spacing them off.

Suddenly, Charlie reconsidered her choice and stood from the couch. "A-Actually I think I will join you, if you two don't mind," she called as she hurried into the kitchen.

Scott smiled welcomingly and Ennard gave a good-natured laugh and a, "Come on down!" Needless to say, the dream was gone from immediate memory in only a few minutes. Being with others helped. Maybe she would even wait until Baby woke up before she started trying to line up a ride home. There was no rush to get anywhere just yet. Not when she was amongst friends.

She was starting to feel like a real person again, and all she had to do was forget about what she left behind. She had a new life now.

* * *

Mike had made up his mind only a few minutes after he woke up, which was fortunate as he only had a few hours before they would have to be at work. He still waited a little while before he told Marionette. Just until the puppet mentioned that he would need to wake Foxy, who had stayed the night at the house and spent most of it awake.

"I should go see if I can get him up and moving. If we wait too much longer, we'll be risking opening with a captain who's nursing a stiff neck and a limp," Marionette said. He rose from the dining room table and started to head for the hallway when Mike decided this was the right time to move. He stood from the table as well.

"I'm going to step out for a few minutes. I shouldn't be gone long, but if I'm not back by time the van gets here then you can go with Foxy and I'll meet you over there," the man offered. He slipped on his shoes and noticed that the puppet had stopped to look at him with questioning and concern. "Don't get worried. It's nothing like last night, I just have to drop in on someone and give them my regards. I promise I'll be back before we formally open."

"I trust you. Just, again, try not to get in over your head and call if something concerning comes up," Marionette requested. His eyes narrowed in protective suspicion. "And if you catch wind of Burke, try to lose him under any circumstances. I'm not having him lock you up in a jailcell."

"He'd have to kill me first," Mike promised. Marionette didn't look enthused.

"Mike, that's much worse," he said flatly. "If you died today, where would I put you? In the television? Or perhaps inside one of my plush toys? It would have to be the fingertrap, he's the only one with metal inside."

"Just stick my brain in a jar until we track down Orville the Elephant. It's a win-win; I survive and Orville finally becomes useful to someone," Mike joked. To ease Marionette's mind, he gave a quick peck to his red cheek. "I'll be back, Doll. I'm not going anywhere near Burke. You just hang tight."

He sounded so confident on the outside that Marionette was won over. He got a small smile and walked him back to the door, seeing him out and shutting it behind him. It wasn't until Mike was in the car and driving that he started to wonder if he could see that promise through. He knew what he was doing was risky. Shaking the thought off, he drove the long rode under the steadily rising sun to a familiar home.

Mike took a deep breath as he got out of the car and approached the front door. Telling himself he could turn back at any time and yet not following his better judgement to do so. He approached the front door and hesitated for a few minutes as he talked himself up.

" _You know you're not turning around and driving home without seeing her. Just go ahead and get this over with,"_ he mentally prepared. With that final encouragement, he reached out and knocked on the door. Then he waited to see if he would get a response. The jeep was still out front so he knew that she was home but part of him thought maybe she wouldn't answer. Maybe he would catch a lucky break. That chance ran out when he heard footsteps and the door opened.

Jen looked better than she had at the funeral. She had cleaned up and no longer had dark rings under her eyes, but he swore he could see more wrinkles. The woman got a surprised look when she saw the man standing outside. "Mike? What are you doing here?"

"Hey Jen. I know this is sort of sudden, but I got your address from one of Charlie's friends and I just… I wanted to see how you were doing. Drop in unexpected and uninvited and see how well it went," Mike excused with a small shrug. "…Would you mind if I come in?"

* * *

"I've always regretted not giving Charlie the emotional support she needed."

Jen handed Mike a glass of iced tea before sitting down across from him. The house was quiet save the ticking of an unseen clock, counting down the seconds.

"Our family has always had a problem with not being able to move on from tragedy. Henry couldn't get over Sammy's disappearance and worked himself to the bone, and then Dad couldn't get over Henry's death and was stuck on this conspiracy at Freddy's. My sister-in-law left town and left me as Charlie's guardian, and I didn't want her growing up like they had. I didn't want her to throw away her future and her chances at a healthy marriage because she couldn't get over their loses… And instead all I did was isolate her."

"I don't know, Charlie never seemed that isolated. She was going to school, she had friends; that's more than most people," Mike listed out. Jen shook her head.

"It was just a front. I taught her that what was important was that everyone else thought you were okay. I didn't even know she was still been going back to the house. One of the last times we spoke we got in a huge fight over that house. I couldn't sell it, she didn't want me to sell it, and all that stress came out in this big blowup… And even though we made up before I lost her, I feel like we never mended whatever was broken that day. I never really understood why she wanted that house."

Mike didn't know what to say. Jen covered her eyes and lowered her head, trying to suppress what would probably be more tears. "And now she's gone and I'm never going to know why."

"You can't beat yourself up about this," Mike tried to assure. He contemplated whether to reach for her hand or not but decided against it. "The truth is, sometimes people do things without having a reason. And families fight. That doesn't mean they aren't close, that doesn't mean they don't love each other. I don't think at any time Charlie honestly thought you didn't care."

"I could've done more. I'm never going to forgive myself for leaving her alone in that house," Jen vented as she began to get choked up. For a few moments she had to get herself under control and this time Mike finally reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder, helping her ride through it. It still took a few minutes before she managed to regain her compositor. "I'm sorry about that. You would think after all this time I'd be able to control myself, but I just… I don't know. I don't know what to think anymore."

"No, I understand. I miss her too," Mike admitted. "She was… An amazing woman. She would've been a great technician."

It was at this comment that Jen suddenly sobered up enough to give Mike a noticeable look. A very attentive look compared to the distance while she had been crying. He noticed it too and wondered if he had made a mistake in saying anything at all. Then again, coming here at all was starting to look more like a bad idea the longer he stayed.

"I didn't know you two were close. Other than the night you brought her home I didn't think you spent any time together at all," Jen pointed out. Almost a touch suspiciously, which caused a prickle of panic to rise on the back of his neck. "…But I guess you must've been. John said that Charlie went over to your pizzeria a few times. More than I thought she did."

"She stopped in now and then. Robotics was her field; it was probably a benefit seeing them in action. Especially since ours are up and running," Mike attempted to excuse. He took a gulp of the tea to try and ease how dry his mouth and throat was feeling. "And we always have extra pizza, so she was usually looking at a free meal if she was willing to suffer through it," he lightly joked. Jen gave a tiny smile in response.

"Well, I'm glad to know it wasn't all talk about Freddy's. All that doom and gloom wasn't good for anyone involved." She exhaled slowly and shook her head. "She had so much potential. She could have been a surgeon or an engineer, she was just so smart. So driven…" Her eyes raised to him again. "Did she tell you she was going over there?"

"No. If I knew she was I would've stopped her, I swear on my life," Mike said with all honesty. "She shouldn't have- It shouldn't have happened."

"I just hate that no one was with her. She died alone behind that building." Jen choked and the tears started to well up again. "Oh God, she died alone. My little girl."

And in that moment, Mike caved. "She wasn't alone," he admitted.

"…What?" She looked back to him again. "What do you mean?"

"Just… trust me on this. Charlie wasn't alone when she died." Mike lowered his gaze to the table. "And I don't know much about things like death, but I can promise you that wherever she is now she's never going to be alone again. You just have to trust me on that too."

There was that staring again, but this time it was different. Instead of suspicion there was something more like realization, seemingly unsure if he was being metaphorical or not. It was constantly on his mind but there was no turning back now. He absentmindedly glanced at his watch and noticed how late it was getting. "I should probably get going. We've got to open soon."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. This is all part of the process," Jen assured as she finally dried her eyes. She stood with him. "I'm glad you came, Mike. It's not much, but… It helps. It helps more than you know."

"It was no trouble. This was probably overdue anyway," Mike said. She followed him to the front door and he already felt himself easing up at the prospect of escaping without any further questions. Or without saying anything else that could be incriminating if given to the wrong person. "You have my number so if you ever want to call or, I don't know, swing by the pizzeria for whatever reason, door's always open."

"I appreciate that. Thank you, Mike," Jen said with a small smile. At least it almost made him feel like he did something. He couldn't say he felt much better, but he tried. With that, he headed out and to his car, and was soon driving back towards town to open the pizzeria.

He would tell Charlie about the visit after work. Maybe he couldn't give Jen the closure she needed, but he could pass on her message to her niece. That was something.

As soon as Jen saw Mike drive out of sight, she knew what she had to do. She wasn't sure if she wanted to do it with how friendly Mike had been to her, but something was amiss, especially after the night before. That had to have been him in the van outside of her house, which at the time she hadn't been able to see if it was the Foxy business van or not. Now she knew that it had to be. Maybe there really was a reason that Clayton had been looking into the man's background so intensely. The woman tried to clear her throat as she grabbed her phone and started to dial.

None of it made sense to her. First Mike had been watching her house, then he had appeared out of the blue, and now these cryptic comments about Charlie. Claiming that he knew her better than he did- if he did, then someone would've told her. John would've mentioned Mike more than he had. None of Charlie's friends had even known that they had met up the day she died or had never mentioned it.

Something was wrong here. She just couldn't figure out what it was.

Jen was pulled out of her thoughts by a voice on the line. "Hello, Burke residence." It was Betty, Clayton's wife.

"Hello Betty, it's Jen. Sorry to bother you, but is Clay there…?" Jen tried not to sound too anxious. "It's important that I get in contact with him as soon as possible. I think I might have something he'll want to hear."

"Oh, well… He's closed up in his office again. I can get him if it's important, but…" Betty sounded reluctant for whatever reason. "…Can you call back later?"

"This really can't wait. It's important," Jen insisted. She could hear Betty give an impatient huff on the other side of the line.

"Alright. Just give me a moment to get him." Betty fell silent and Jen was left with her thoughts once again.

If anyone, Clayton would be able to give her answers on this. He had been the one to tell her where Charlie had been found and what she had died from even before a full autopsy had been performed. She hadn't ever looked at the pictures of the crime scene but was certain the cause of death was probably apparent. Mike's surefire alibi was only so airtight because Dave Miller's instability, this alibi claimed that he had found her but then left her to find the children. That he hadn't known whether she was alive or not at the time. Jen knew this, Clayton told her this.

But if Mike had been with Charlie and knew when she died then that would mean that he had lied to the police. That his alibi wasn't as clear as it had seemed.

On the other side of the phone, she could hear Betty knocking and calling through a door. "Clay, Jen's on the phone." Apparently, he didn't respond as she knocked louder. "Clay? Are you in there?" There was a shuffling and a noise like a door opening. "I wish you wouldn't lock that. You're locking Carlton and I out with it. Is it really that important-?" Betty cut off her brief scolding and huffed again. "It's Jen."

Jen listened but all the while she had questions racing in the back of her mind. Something didn't make sense with Mike. He knew too much about the old business and Charlie, he had been watching her house, he had lied to the police, and it wasn't like any of Charlie's friends had mentioned him. Nobody knew that she had been meeting up with him, that she met with him the day of the incident, and yet they had miraculously both ended up at the arcade around the same time.

Unless Mike and Charlie had gone together. Unless Mike really had gone there because of the missing girl and had called Charlie beforehand, which is why they drove there in separate cars. Unless all that Mike knew about Freddy's was information that he gotten from Charlie, who had gotten it from Henry's office. Jen thought she had gotten rid of everything but had never been thorough in the garage or basement. Charlie could've been living a double life without her friends knowing. They had said she had become distant with them right before the murder.

Unless there was something else that had kept her staying in Hurricane. How ironic that Charlie had become distant from John at the same time she became close to Mike.

With that realization fresh in her mind- heart in her throat as everything seemed to piece together so well- a familiar voice came on the phone.

"Afternoon, Jen," Clayton greeted. He sounded worn out from either the toll of his work or the mini fight he and Betty had before he got on the line. "How are things?"

"They're… Mike came and visited me today," Jen admitted to him. Though she was slowly starting to realize that this might've been a terrible mistake. Maybe Mike hadn't been the one hiding a big secret, maybe it had been Charlie. Maybe there were some things she didn't want to dig up and risk airing to the world.

"Mike Schmidt? What did he have to say?" Clayton asked. She could already hear the intrigue in his voice, latching onto this as though it was the best lead they had.

"…Not too much. We just talked about Charlie. Or I talked about Charlie and he listened. He was looking alright. Didn't ask about the investigation or anything…" Suddenly all of the things Jen planned to say, the incriminating and suspicious things, all had double meanings now. It didn't help that she had trouble thinking past how much it all hurt her.

"He might not be aware that the investigation on Magictime has been reopened. Or, as reopened as it can be. It seems like I'm the only one doing anything nowadays," Clayton muttered. He gave a dry cough and cleared his throat. "He didn't say anything about Foxy's or Freddy's?"

"No, he just- Mike talked about Charlie like he knew her better than I thought… Clay, be honest with me. I can handle it. Did anyone say anything about Charlie seeing Mike without anyone knowing?"

"What?" Clayton was so taken aback apparently that he gave another wheezy cough. "What? No. On all accounts they could have only met a few times… Is that what he told you?"

"No. He didn't say anything like that, I just got a vibe… Apparently a wrong one." Jen wasn't convinced. She was starting to wonder if there was something Clayton wasn't saying. There was something odd about how obsessed he had become with this seemingly unrelated Freddy's case, a case that Jen thought was solved years ago.

"Was there anything else?" Clayton opened the door for her to mention the night before and the odd comment he made about being with Charlie when she died. Jen had every opportunity to give viable evidence.

"…No. I just wanted to tell you that he had been here." And she didn't take it. In the last moment she went against her better judgement and went with her gut, and her gut said that there was something else going on and that maybe telling the detective wasn't in her best interest. "I need to go. I'm late for an appointment," she lied to get off the phone quickly.

"That's fine. You take care of yourself, Jen, and call me back if he comes back by," Clayton said as the call came to an end. She sat the phone aside and stared at it, unsure if she would do so or not.

…But maybe she would call Mike back one of these days. Maybe that's what Charlie would've wanted.

* * *

 **Mable: We know Mike's innocent here, but what if he wasn't? Unfortunately, guilty parties can slip by without punishment. Inching just under the radar. It really makes you think…  
But on the plus side, I am very excited for the upcoming chapters. I've been waiting a long time for what's about to be coming, so I only hope you enjoy this as much as I do. ^-^ I'll see you next week!**


	72. Chapter 72

**Mable: Well, hello again! There's a new poll that I wanted to mention before I begin the chapter, so be sure to check it out and vote if interested. ^-^ Nothing too exciting, just a little personality test. Anyway, let us continue with the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-Two_

 _Mike wasn't surprised to find himself back at the red pond in the center of the endless forest. What he was surprised by was that he came to already standing at the edge of the water, only a few feet away from the red creature known as Old Man Consequences. It was so sudden that he stepped back out of the way to try and get some distance while he was still trying to right himself._

" _Try to relax, Mike. This isn't the first time you've been here," the red being said with a low chuckle. "It took me longer to reel you in this time. Hard night last night?"_

" _I think I caught something from the kids at the pizzeria," Mike dismissed as he stepped forwards. "Is that why you left me hanging after that Springtrap warning?"_

" _No, I just felt it was too soon. I had other things I had to get done. A fisherman's job is never done," Old Man Consequences shrugged off. He lifted his rod up and went to cast out again into the red pond. "Sit with me. We won't have long, so relax while you can. Take your mind off your worries."_

"… _Alright, sure." Mike sat down in the grass beside the water. "It's not like I have much of a choice. I've got a feeling that there's no straight way out of these woods, is there?"_

" _Not for me, no. For you, yes. You will eventually wake up and go back out into the world of the living, no matter how many times I bring you back. So, don't fear coming here," the crocodile-like creature explained. "Nothing is ever as it seems."_

" _Oh yeah?" Mike asked cautiously. "What about you? How did you know Springtrap was watching the house?"_

" _What do you see when you look in the water?" Raising a brow, the young man looked to the water and tried to see inside. All he could see was the deep abyss. "Nothing, right? Well, I see more than nothing. I can look out at the world and see some of what happens." Mike looked at him with a disturbed look. "And no, I do not spend my time watching you. I was watching him when I noticed what he was doing."_

" _That makes me slightly less creeped out, but the fact that you can look in at any time will haunt my nightmares… Literally, since I'm sitting here," Mike said with a shrug as he looked around. Old Man Consequences chuckled good-naturedly, echoing through his chest without moving his mouth._

" _You are something else, Mike. Still not interesting enough to spend my good hours watching you. I won't always be there to watch for you, which is why you and your puppet must take care of each other."_

" _That's what we're trying to do. Considering everything, I think I'm doing a pretty good job, and I know he's put me on the right track," Mike pointed out. Old Man Consequences nodded in what looked like a content way and started to reel his line in again. It lightly trailed over the top of the red water. "Can I ask you something?"_

" _Ask me anything," Old Man Consequences offered. "I brought you here to talk."_

" _Guess that makes sense. So, uh… Why me? Why not bring Mari in here and talk to him? Or better yet, anyone else in the entire world?" the security guard asked. "Let me guess, you have a connection to Freddy's."_

" _Don't we all? Death brings all kinds together. That is the unspoken slogan of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Somehow you have kept that stigma off Foxy's."_

" _Yeah, we stopped letting people die there," Mike sarcastically remarked. He was rewarded with another chuckle. "Not that it'll work much longer if Burke has his way."_

" _Burke? You must mean Sheriff Burke. I have seen him before but never considered him a danger to you. What has he been doing?"_

" _I think he's looking for evidence to connect us to Freddy's. I wouldn't consider him that much of a threat if he wasn't so determined. Just last week he had some guy digging through out garbage-." A strange noise like a thumping interrupted Mike. The world seemed to shift briefly around him and he blinked. "What was that?"_

" _It's him. He's coming to get you. Looks like our time is up," Old Man Consequences forewarned. He cast his line back out once more. "Keep safe out there. Stay indoors."_

 _Mike furrowed his brow in confusion. "What are you talking about…?"_

"Mike? Mike, you need to get up. Please." Mike was suddenly yanked into the awakening world by Marionette's soft but panicked voice. He was leaning over him and shaking him awake.

"I'm up. What's wrong?" Mike croaked. His throat felt tight and scratchy and a dull feeling had settled into his forehead. He still felt too tired to really think straight, but he caught one glimpse of the Puppet's grim look and knew something was going on. The man turned over and sat up in bed, ignoring how off he felt and noticing how dark the room looked. "What time is it?"

"Nine-thirty," Marionette answered. He was anxiously ticking from his music box and fidgeted by rubbing his arms. He kept looking to the window.

"Then why's it so dark?" Mike asked groggily. He rubbed his hands through his hair and rubbed the bridge of his nose to try and will away the pressure. "My head's killing me."

Marionette looked back to Mike and noticed his discomfort. He gently reached out and patted his cheek and forehead, giving a distressed hum. "You feel feverish. We might have something in the cabinet for that," he said. His hand dropped to the man's shoulder while his other found the opposite and he leaned down enough to be face to face with him. "Mike, you remember yesterday when we had those thunderstorm warnings? They turned out to be worse than we thought. They just said on the news that there's been tornados touching down in St. George and they're coming this way."

"What? You mean a tornado warning or actual tornados?"

"Real tornados. One already touched down in St. George and destroyed their mall."

"What!?" Mike jumped up from the bed and ran to get dressed. He fought past any fatigue as he scrambled to get dressed. "They said it was just a thunderstorm! Are you sure it's coming here?!"

"Everyone on the news says it is and we already got an alert through the house phone," Marionette explained. Even with his voice even he began to pace in circles beside the bed and tick louder. "Charlie's calling Fritz now to warn him about getting Foxy."

"If it hits the pizzeria- if it hits _the house_ \- I don't even know which would be worse. We'd be screwed either way. Unless it hit both, then we're looking at being homeless and jobless," Mike muttered as he pulled his shirt over his head. He expected the puppet to correct him, and when he didn't Mike looked back towards him only to see the puppet staring wide eyed. His nerves were even more frayed than expected. "I'm just kidding, Mari… Okay, I'm not kidding, but the chances of either of them getting hit are pretty low."

"Say that to the St. George mall," Marionette mumbled. He hovered in closer and offered his arms needily, requesting a hug. Mike didn't even hesitate and squeezed him close. "What a disaster…"

"I know. Whatever happens we're going to come out of this fine. Just like every other disaster we had to wade through," Mike reassured, patting his back.

"You're so warm. Of all the times for you to catch something," the puppet fussed. They only pulled back when they heard someone coming to knock on the door. "Come in. Mike's already dressed," Marionette called. Charlie leaned into the bedroom.

"I just got off the phone with Fritz and here's his plan: apparently his basement isn't fully buried and he's afraid it won't hold if the tornado passes over. So, he's going to take Natalie and Grandpa to pick up Foxy and then they're going to the warehouse to ride it out in its basement. He thinks that it's more reinforced having the warehouse above it," Charlie explained. "He's going to call everyone else and see if they're going. What about us? Do you think ours will hold?"

"I didn't even know there was a basement in the warehouse," Marionette said thoughtfully. Mike's mind was foggy, but it quickly latched onto their own, small basement and the things inside it. The things that he really didn't want Marionette to have to see. The things he didn't want to sit beside. "But I suppose ours should be-."

"I don't want to risk it," Mike suddenly interrupted. Maybe a little too quickly as Marionette and Charlie looked to him in slight confusion. "There's already an open vent down there leading to who knows where. Frankly, I'd rather sit up here then down in that underground meat locker."

"That wouldn't be good for you in this state, would it?" the puppet agreed. He hummed and then nodded. "Then we'll go with Fritz to the warehouse. Better safe than sorry. Charlie, would you mind grabbing some supplies from the pantry just in case? Mike, you go take something to break your fever."

"That's probably a good idea," Charlie added in as she started to leave. "You're not going to want to go out in this weather already sick."

"And get your wallet, the keys, whatever else. I'll get Moppet in her carrier and ready to go."

"I think I can handle that," the man agreed as he headed into the bathroom. He did a quick version of his morning routine, brushing his teeth and then proceeding to taint them with a shot of cherry flavored medicine. It tasted nothing like it smelled and the bright red coloring made it look like something that melted off a candy apple. He hurried back out in time to carry the bag of supplies and cat carrier to the car.

Marionette teleported into the back and wrapped himself in the blanket before accepting the cat carrier. Mike then turned to go back in and get Charlie when a sheet covered form darted by and dove into the back of the car. He hadn't remembered her being that fast or reckless, blinking a few times before simply shutting the door without a clever retort. Soon they were on the road and heading to the warehouse. It was only once on the road that they were able to see how foreboding it looked.

The streets were deserted, and the sky was full of dark clouds. The air was uncomfortably stuffy even though it was still morning and the sun wasn't reaching the ground. Marionette dared peeking out at the streets with a worried frown before holding the cat carrier closer.

Charlie noticed his concern and assured him. "It's not as bad as I was expecting. It could be a lot worse; we're actually kind of lucky." He sent her back a worried smile.

They arrived before Fritz and had to wait for him to get there. During this the clouds started to move faster outside, and the distant rumbling of thunder was only deafened by the growing rush of wind. It was still just as stuffy, but Mike was starting to feel a little better from the medicine, if not slightly more awake. It was a relief when the van pulled in, but instead of stopping in front of the warehouse it moved around to the back. Mike followed him.

Fritz leaped out of the van and waved Mike over. He then handed him his ring of keys. "See that door right there?" He briefly pointed and Mike looked over to see an old door on the back of the warehouse. He had never noticed it before, but if he had he would've assumed it was just a back door. "That's the basement door. Can you just unlock it while I get everyone out and moved? It's the key with the green cap."

"Got it," Mike agreed. He twirled the keyring on his finger and headed over to unlock the door. Upon opening the door and was met with cool and musty air. There was a simple concrete stairwell leading down into the darkness and he reached around until he found a light switch, turning on a dim light in the basement. It didn't look much more appealing, but it was better than what was waiting for him back at the house. He turned back to return to the car when he noticed someone he hadn't expected to see. "Louise?"

"Hey, Mike!" Louise greeted with a somewhat strained smile. She climbed out of the back of the van a little awkwardly and dusted down her skirt. "Guess we're not going into work today, huh?"

"Guess not. Maybe not tomorrow either if we get a bad hand dealt," Mike offered. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a funny story! Not really funny in a laughing way, kind of in a 'worst case scenario' way. Mom went to visit my aunt last night and got stuck staying the night because of all these bad weather warnings."

"Uh huh," Mike said, showing he was listening. He beckoned her back to his car where he opened the back and grabbed the bag of supplies.

"And I'm thinking that she's just going to drive back in the morning, right? Wrong. And what's worse is that she wasn't answering her phone, I didn't have a car because she borrowed mine- Let me get that for you," Louise accepted the bag to carry as Mike grabbed for the cat carrier. "And I'm totally stranded at the house until Fritz calls to tell us about this place. Now, we don't have a basement. We barely have one floor as it is, and I don't want to be that one casualty that everyone thinks didn't evacuate because they were stubborn."

"I can't teleport in," Marionette forewarned in a whisper. "Do you think the coast is clear enough for me to just…?"

"Yeah, you can't see the road from here. Even if you could there's nobody out there," Mike encouraged. "Just use the blanket. The basement here doesn't feel much warmer than ours, so we're going to need it."

Marionette nodded in agreement and handed over the cat carrier. He and Charlie then tried to figure out a way to drape the blanket over both of them for cover.

"I just asked Fritz if he wouldn't mind swinging by my place and wouldn't you know it, I was right on the way to get here! A little bit of a bumpy ride, but way better than getting a one-way ticket to Oz, if you get my- uh." Louise's chattering was cut short when she noticed Marionette and Charlie standing up. As someone who had only seen them as 'the Puppet' at 'Lottie', and who hadn't interacted with them like she dabbled with Foxy, it was weird to see them moving. Especially once she noticed Marionette was hovering without string assistance, which caused her eyes to pop open.

Mike raised a brow. "Are you okay?" he simple asked, as though he didn't know.

"Oh, uh, sure! All things considered," Louise excused as she recovered a wide smile. She then blinked and pursed her lips, looking closer at his face. "But you're looking a little pink cheeked."

"Thanks. I was trying out some rouge today. Just in case I don't make it, my funeral makeup's already done," Mike joked as he headed towards the basement door. He headed down first as Fritz was wheeling Foxy over on the dolly and Natalie was still by the back of the van. The puppets followed him down, though Marionette drifted out from under the blanket to follow closer behind Mike. Louise watched from the top of the stairwell with unease and a touch of curiosity.

The basement was a bit bigger than Mike expected. While the room they stepped down into was only slightly larger than the office, there were two doors leading into other rooms, one across from the stairs and one to the far left. Mike leaned into the room across and turned the light on, revealing a basic storage room. There were a few old props and tables left inside and the light flickered with a dull yellow, but it was slightly less cool. He returned to the first room to see Marionette coming in from the other door.

"Find anything?" Mike asked. He could only wish there was an abandoned set of living room furniture down here. Or at least some old office equipment. "Maybe a couple of chairs?"

"There's a few office chairs in the hall back here, but the air quality is poor. I'll bring them in and we'll stay out here," Marionette offered before ducking out again. He came back a few moments later dragging two, dusty office chairs. A third one rolled behind him like it was dragged by an invisible string. He brought them over closer to the stairs while Mike set down the cat carrier.

"I think I'm just going to go ahead and let Moppet out. She not getting far down here," Mike said with a dull cough.

"Wait just a moment-." Marionette released one of the office chairs and moved his arm back towards the door. It closed behind him. "There we are. Let her out." To which the man did. The cat began to creep out and smell at the floor carefully, looking around at the surroundings. Though she was startled right back into the carrier when she heard a banging from the top of the stairs.

"Just a little slip is all! Ya just go get that cankerous old knock-off out of yet van, I can handle meself," Foxy could be heard saying. He started to step down the stairs and swayed awkwardly on the concrete steps. He still got to the bottom without needing assistance, though had his hook locked on the thin railing the whole time. He stepped down into the basement and looked around with a sigh. "Always knew I'd get dumped off in a basement someday."

"When the alternative is being literally blown away, I think the basement is preferable," Marionette said as he came over to him. He gave his brother a quick embrace. "Thank you for coming." Which actually meant: 'thank you for not putting up a fight and forcing us to drag you down here'.

"No problem, Lad. Always knew I'd end up down 'ere one 'o these days," Foxy mumbled a little and gave the puppet a limp pat on the back. He then noticed the extra woman down in the basement and nodded at her. "Ahoy there, Lass. Ya got stuck down here too?"

"Something like that," Louise said with an awkwardly stretched smile. She was still reeling from watching all the animatronics moving around fluidly even without Foxy outright addressing her. "Mom split with the car, so here I am."

"A cryin' shame, Lass. Now yer gonna have to put up with us… Schmidt, whuzzat with you? Yer pinker than a boiled shrimp!"

"I'm just so excited to be here I'm going redder than you," Mike excused. He reached to pet Moppet and started trying to bring her out of the carrier when there was another thump from the top of the steps. Followed by frustrated whispering and mutterings under a non-existent breath, along with a fit of coughing sounds. Mike took a deep breath. _"Foxy and Chance awake in the same basement. I can't see this going wrong."_

Fritz could be heard talking at the top of the steps. "Here, let me at least go first so that if something does happen, I can stop you from falling," he borderline pleaded.

"Stop coddling me. If I fall, I fall. I know for a fact this body can handle a stairwell," Chance complained back. He pulled himself out of Fritz's grasp and started trying to climb down the stairs slowly. As soon as his dark legs appeared, Foxy made a beeline over to Mike and leaned in beside him.

"Where's a fox gotta go to get lost?" he muttered. The security guard simply pointed a thumb back at the door behind him. Foxy continued into the room and looked around for some way to get comfortable. Eventually he yanked a carboard box half-full of stage lights over and sat on it, ignoring it sagging and preparing for a long wait.

Meanwhile, Charlie approached the stairs and offered Chance her hand. "They can be a little difficult the first couple of times," she sympathized with a smile. Unlike with Fritz, Chance considered it for only a moment before accepting the help, allowing her to lead him down the rest of the stairs.

Marionette drifted over to stand alongside Mike and they exchanged a look. There was a silent discomfort they shared without having to say a word. They watched as the black bear reached the basement.

"Thanks for the help. I can't ask Fritz for it, he's already driving me insane with the constant hovering as it is," Chance admitted. He looked around at the room. "I remember this place. Still not much to look at."

"Not compared to Fritz's basement, no, but if it's a matter of safety then we can manage for a little while," Charlie affirmed. She looked to Mike and Marionette, to which Chance noticed and then fixed his eye on them as well.

"Hello again, Chance," the Puppet greeted amicably. He kept his default smile intact to hide whatever emotion he was feeling. "Its been a while since I saw you last. I hope things have been better."

"They've been stable," the black bear vaguely answered. His stoic tone mixed with his low voice made it hard to register his mood. "Nothing like a good old natural disaster to bring us all together in this dump." He looked off towards the back corner, no longer wanting to make eye contact with the two. That alone showed that things had not yet settled, but that feeling was mutual if Mike's cold look was any indication. "You look rough, Mike. How'd you pull that off the day the twisters rolled in?"

"I don't know but I've been getting a lot of compliments on in," Mike sarcastically answered. What followed was an uncomfortable pause during which none of them knew what to say. They all knew too much to feel remotely at ease. Thankfully, they weren't the only ones down there.

"Hi, I'm Louise! You must be Freddy Fredbear," Louise introduced. It was clear that she was overcompensating- maybe she thought that darkened eye had been staring at her from how the bear's head had been angled. "Let me just say that it's really amazing to finally meet you. It's like meeting a celebrity! Like a bear robot celebrity, and ignoring all that nasty stuff with the missing kids… You know, I didn't know you were a black bear! I thought you were brown, and I kind of had this mental image of a polar bear."

Chance stared at her, unsure if she was being serious or if she was purposefully trying to make him feel uncomfortable. She gave him a wide smile and for a moment he considered her very cute, but then the moment afterwards realized she was also much younger than him. He sobered up right away.

"Thank you, but I'm no more Freddy than Foxy is. The name's Chance… Or I _was_ Chance." He added the last comment in with a quiet mutter. Mike fought the urge to roll his eyes at the dramatics. "You must be the girl working for Foxy's."

"That's me! Or one of them. My mom works as the cook and she's been working there a lot longer. Fritz probably mentions her more," Louise suggested. To which Lefty looked back towards the stairs.

"Where is Fritz? He already got Foxy down here… Charlie, go see where he is," Chance suggested. The Security Puppet quirked a brow and went to do as suggested when she was stopped by Mike's hands on her shoulders before him passing by.

"I'll get him," he offered. He clearly did it just to upstage Chance, and he felt great doing it. He quickly climbed a few of the steps before calling up. "Fritz, what's going on? Are you two coming?"

"Yeah, we're coming!" Fritz yelled back down. "Natalie heard a car driving around, we think Jeremy's here so she's going over to flag him down! Then we're coming right down!" He had to keep his voice loud because the wind outside of the warehouse was becoming more intense and muffling his words right after they left his mouth.

"Hurry it up! It's starting to sound like Armageddon out there!" Mike cupped his mouth and called back. Then he turned back to the others. "Sounds like Jeremy just turned up. Considering he doesn't have a basement I'll go out on a limb and say that he's not alone. So, that's everyone's only warning to brace themselves," he announced to the others.

"You mean the Minireenas?" Louise asked. "They don't seem like too much."

"Yeah, them… And all the other ones," Mike cryptically added. The woman looked a little confused but not nearly as concerned as Chance suddenly did. His yellow eye opened wider as he slowly turned his head to follow the man as he walked over to get one of the office chairs. "It sounds rough out there, so you might want to get settled in just in case we lose power."

"Does _Scott_ have a basement?" Chance quietly asked with growing dread.

"No he does not," Mike answered, almost cockily. The bear tried to smack a hand to his head with a stiff thump.

"Good God, someone better put me under quick. I'm not dealing with the clowns. Of all the things that survived the fire… It had to be _the clowns._ " Chance's frustration was punctuated by him going over to sit down by the wall, getting into the position where he could be shut down. Charlie was tempted to defend said clowns but was interrupted by Louise.

"Wait, clowns? We have clowns too?" the woman asked. Her lips tightened as she stared after Mike. "I'm not really good with clowns. Spiders, snakes, all fine, but clowns? No."

"It's not as bad as he makes it out to be." Louise looked to Marionette, almost just as shocked that he was directly addressing her. His gentle voice helped to assure her the slightest bit. "They're just a little eccentric. They're barely even clowns! In any case, they will probably find a quiet spot and keep to their own devices." Mike scoffed at the thought of Ennard 'keeping to his own devices'; Marionette ignored him.

It was then that Fritz came back down the steps. He set aside a couple of toolboxes that looked like they came out of the van.

"Fritz, shut me down quick. I don't want to be awaken when Scott and his _friends_ get here," Chance demanded. Fritz did a double take of confusion and then realized what he meant, and he had no protests.

"Just let me go grab one more box while I can. Then I'll be right on it," the technician said. He then headed to the steps and started to run up, only to stop and back down again, moving out of the way. It soon became apparent why.

Jeremy staggered down the steps with his hands full. He carried both Bidybabs in his arms, his Minireenas hanging off him, with Balloon Boy crawling down the steps behind him. Louise gawked at the sheer amount of animatronics while Mike did a doubletake at Balloon Boy's continued efforts to be as unsettling as possible. He raised a brow and then looked up at Jeremy.

"Hey Jere," Mike greeted. He noticed that the blond looked weighed down from more than just the multiple dolls. "Rough night or hard wake-up call?"

"Both. The ceiling was leaking somewhere in my bedroom and it kept tapping all night. I'm going to have to move everything out and talk to my landlord and… Uh, are you okay?" Jeremy asked in concern. Mike furrowed his brows as he dropped onto the office chair and crossed his arms. "Good idea. You're looking kind of rough."

"No, I'm looking pink. If I knew I was going to get this much attention from getting sick, I would've had the kids cough on me between shifts," Mike remarked. He was starting to become the slightest bit weary of it, especially since he could feel it. Mild amusement returned when Jeremy passed by and he noticed Plushtrap hanging off his back. "Foxy's just through that door over there."

"Thanks. Hey guys, Louise… Uh, Chance," Jeremy greeted everyone as he quickly passed through. It was while he was heading through the door that Charlie noticed the rabbit hanging off his back as well. Her eyes focused on it as she noticed how similar the small animatronic looked to the two dolls she and Marionette owned. She pointed after it.

"He looks just like my rabbit but he's just as alive as the others… I feel like that should scare me." Though what concerned her more was that she didn't know if she brought said rabbit, which she had become so attached to. One quick look through her bag eased her mind when she spotted his arm underneath everything else. "This might be the wrong time and place to ask, but do the small ones get possessed like the normal sized ones?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea," Marionette admitted. Any further theorizing was cut off when he noticed Natalie creeping down the stairs while lugging the heavy bulk of Max. Fritz was right behind her toting his box of receipts and looking nervous.

"Are you sure you don't want me to just grab an arm or something? We can work him down together?" the technician offered. The blond woman puffed as she readjusted her grip around the heavy body.

"I've got it. Let me just- oomph- just give me a second… I've almost got him down." She shuffled down the next few steps. Max felt like a hulking sandbag stuffed with lead and her arms were cramping as she got him down the rest of the way. Finally, she made it and set him down heavily against the wall with a weary huff. "There we go! Good and safe!" she proclaimed as she brushed her hands off. "Told you I could manage."

"I didn't doubt you for a second," Fritz assured. She shot him a doubtfully amused smile. "But we're working together to get him back up."

"Yes. Not because I can't do it, just because I don't feel like throwing my back out," Natalie joked as she winked to him. She then looked over and waved tiredly to Mike, Marionette, and Charlie, still lightly panting. "Hello, hello."

"Okay, Chance, I'm all yours. This'll only feel like a second," Fritz promised as he set down the box.

It was now that Max, who had been completely unmoving the whole way down, seemed to suddenly rouse from his dormant state. His eyes immediately focused in on the black bear. _"You must be Chance. I've heard all about you,"_ he spoke directly into his mind, not wanting the others to hear. Though from Marionette's twitch as soon as he started talking it seemed like he could hear it. Probably Foxy would've too if he was in the room. _"You're the bear that played with fire and got yourself burned. Ha! Bet that was embarrassing!"_

"Stop that," Chance whispered back in a growl. "Get out of my head. If you want to talk then open your mouth."

" _It's funny. I thought you would love Marionette. After all, he was Golden Freddy's favorite little toy. He loved pulling on his strings,"_ Max said in a mocking tone.

Even though there was little context, Chance fell silent and just stared at the smaller animatronic. Something about how he said that forced the black bear to remember what Charlie had said about Henry, as though the memory had been forcefully resurfaced. Something about a springlock Freddy suit and his son being inside it, which had sounded ridiculous to someone who was certain that Henry had moved on.

" _And that's saying a lot, believe me, because Golden Freddy had a lot of toys,"_ Max pointed out. His mental voice grew lower. _"Including you."_ Chance sputtered to say something and broke into a coughing tick instead, unable to defend his son in a timely manner. During which, Max dropped his sinister greeting with a simple, _"Stay away from the dolls. We're not all so forgiving."_

By time Chance had the chance to speak he didn't. He just sat there staring at the ground, seemingly soaking in the disturbing information as Fritz came over to shut him off. The technician noticed his quietness and asked if everything was alright, to which Chance gave some sort of grumbled response that seemed typical. He said nothing of the conversation and instead excepted the relief of having all his thoughts stopped. Max watched contently, feeling that he had vindicated all the little dolls that couldn't or wouldn't speak.

"You shouldn't have done that." In an instant Marionette was standing behind Max and looming over him. "That was wrong of you. We're trying to keep the peace in a terrible situation. Don't make it worse."

" _I didn't say anything that wasn't true, did I?"_ Max questioned as he turned his head around to face Marionette with the least amount of movement. He rolled his eyes up to look at him. _"You protect too many of them. They're not all good guys led astray. They don't all deserve a second chance."_

"That's not my call to make nor is it yours. All I know is that we are all trapped down here until the storm is over and it would help all of us if we can keep our aggressive tendencies minimum," the puppet said firmly.

" _Who's going to break the news to the_ _ **eccentric**_ _clowns?"_ Max asked almost a little too smugly. Marionette gave an annoyed tinge of static as he turned away.

"I will… And if you try to rile them up into a fight then I'm putting you outside. I've seen how heavy you are, you'll outweigh the tornado," Marionette said, half joking and half serious, and hovered over toward Mike. The man noticed him coming and tried to beat the dust out of the office chair beside his. The striped animatronic sunk into it with a sigh, propping his head up on one arm. "I'm shocked to say that putting all of us in two rooms is leading to a few problems. Starting with Chance and ending with Max."

"This is still leagues better than what I expected. Just take a load off and relax for a few seconds while we still can," Mike offered. Marionette nodded in tired agreement and leaned back against the chair. It was only now that Mike could see how exhausted he truly looked, and he wondered how long he had been up. "Did you get any sleep last night?" the man asked. Instead of an answer, he heard voices up the stairs and his eyes rolled back into his head. "I didn't mean literal seconds. That red croc's probably watching this right now laughing."

"…Red croc? Old Man Consequences? You saw him again?" Marionette asked perplexed. Mike nodded. "What did he say?"

"Pretty much that he's watching Springtrap and might be watching us. Just a lot of small talk. I complained about Burke, so I guess he's my therapist now," Mike said with a shrug. He noticed the silent, hesitant look that the puppet was giving him. "…Do you think I said too much? I didn't think it was too much of a risk considering that he's already watching us."

"No, I'm not concerned about that…" Marionette turned his gaze back towards the stairwell. "I just find it peculiar that there is a reoccurring character in your dreams. One that sounds alive on its own."

Mike had a chill run down his spine. He didn't know why when he too was hesitant to fully trust Old Man Consequences, but something about the Puppet's concern made him only more aware of how odd this all was. Yet when he was with the red being, he seemed to feel calm and safe, only being able to consider the real danger once awake. He watched Charlie head to the stairs to greet Baby before looking back at Marionette. "What do you think he is?"

"You said he looked like a red crocodile," Marionette clarified, and the man agreed. Black fingers tapped on the armrest of the office chair. "Then most likely he is an animatronic communicating to you through your dreams… Almost like Goldie used to do with me." He lowered his voice to nearly a whisper and added, "Which I also find very concerning."

Before he could elaborate further, there came a thunderous noise from the stairs that turned all heads in the room. There came Baby flying down the stairs, thumping heavily down each step. The only two things keeping her upright being her tight grip on the metal railing and how fast she was going. Legs stiffly shuffled, free arm flailed, and in the last second Baby caught the end of the rail and swung off the steps. She spun out towards Fritz and Chance- Fritz quickly darting out of the way- and just barely stopped herself before running into the bear.

The silence in the basement was unmatched. Baby righted herself and just stood there, looking to Charlie who looked back wide eyed, like everyone else in the room.

Then came dull clapping. Baby looked over to see Foxy standing in the doorway clapping his hand to his opposite wrist. She could just feel the smugness radiating off him.

"Be quiet," the clown hissed as she skated past him and into what she assumed was a less crowded room. She received a rude wake up call, as did the others, when this was promptly followed by shrieking from a group of startled, tiny animatronics.

Jeremy could be heard inside trying to wrangle the dolls in. "It's okay! It's okay!" But it wasn't enough. A couple of the Minireenas ran from the room and began to boldly climb Foxy's legs. He tried to shake them off without hurting them, but they held too tightly and weren't content until they had climbed to his torso where one of them, Rose, clung to his arm and the other, Forget-Me-Not, sat on his shoulder.

"Fer cryin' out loud," Foxy muttered. "At least t'was only two of 'em."

" _That_ was the clown?" Louise asked in disbelief. She looked to Marionette who nodded in agreement. "…Huh, you're right. She didn't really look like a clown. She-… She didn't look like a clown."

"She looks about one good face outta the scrap pile," Foxy corrected. "Can't say I haven't been in the same boat." He looked down at Rose on his arm who was starting to climb down. "Whatcha doin' Lass?" She answered by dangling from his arm and beginning to playfully swing herself, giggling as though the scare with Baby hadn't even happened.

Scott stumbled slightly on the steps as he was carrying a cat carrier and a suitcase and unable to hold on. He was moving down them much slower than Baby had, even when he had a panicked look on his face. "We saw a funnel touching down out by the highway. I can't believe it; it was just right there. Nothing and then suddenly the clouds were coming down and it was there," he explained to the onlookers.

Marionette hooked an arm around Mike and leaned in. "Just a reminder that there's no escape," he whispered with a chime chortle.

"Cute, but if I want out bad enough then wind's not going to stop me."

Marionette gave another chime and Mike started to get up to go help Scott, as Fritz and Natalie were whispering fearfully about the weather and Louise seemingly unwilling to move from the familiar side of Foxy. The Puppet stopped him and stood instead to help the man, taking the cat carrier from him. "We already let Moppet out. Should we let them out too?"

"Well, uh… I don't know. Let me look around and make sure there's nothing they'll get into first. They should- They'll be okay a little longer. I brought some water-." Scott stopped short when he noticed Louise while looking around for wherever Baby ran off to. "Oh, uh, Louise right? We met at the Halloween party. Officer Burke had me backed into a corner and your mother came to my rescue."

"Oh, right! I remember you! Hope he hasn't been giving you anymore trouble," Louise offered with a friendly smile. She was almost relieved to see a familiar face.

"'Cause he's been diggin' in our garbage," Foxy decided to chime in, ruining any chance of the conversation staying totally innocent. Apparently, word about the garbage incident hadn't spread as the woman spun towards him with wide eyes.

"He's really been going through the garbage?! Good grief, I thought Mom was just bluffing!" she exclaimed while crossing her arms.

"He's actually-… Oh wow, if he's going through your garbage then I can't even imagine what he's doing at my house," Scott muttered with a new wave of nervousness. He looked like he was about to sweat through his clothes.

"Ha! Guess detective work doesn't pay like it used to, eh? Either that or this guy's searching the wrong place for leftover pizza." With that, Ennard announced his presence and came down the rest of the stairs, having been waiting up by the door and watching. He had noticed Louise a lot sooner and waited out of view until he was certain that she was 'in the business'. That meant that the coast was technically clear, and the reactions wouldn't be too extreme.

If not for the fact that Ennard was wearing one of the worst disguises that Mike had ever seen. The usually unmoved security guard was totally floored by the mismatch of things that Ennard had cloaked himself in. He was wrapped in an oversized raincoat with the front left open, showing the clown's Christmas sweater and sweatpants underneath. He was wearing heavy duty snow gloves of black and orange and had a navy scarf tied around his head to shield the back of it. To top it all off, instead of his own mask he wore an old Freddy's mask that looked like it came out of a pizzeria from a decade ago.

Mike didn't know if it was stress, the medicine, or the fever, but he couldn't hold himself back. He hunched over on the office chair, dropped his head in his hand, and broke down in laughter.

Ennard flinched back like he had been accosted, then gave a defensive cry. "Hey, I had to sit in the passenger's seat! I had to wear something!" If anything, this only seemed more hilarious, and Mike was laughing so much that his body began to protest. Ennard seemed only more offended and would've frowned if he could've. "Gee, Mike, it wasn't that funny."

"Oh, don't worry about him. He caught something from children and is borderline delirious," Marionette dismissed with a snicker of his own. "That or we're all edging towards nervous breakdowns."

"You should've seen the funnel, cause you'd be there if ya did. Nothing like the finger of God to remind you that death might not be so kind next time! You see which way Baby ran off to?" Ennard asked as he looked around the room. Though his search was cut abruptly short as he saw the Lefty body slumped against the wall. He made a hissing noise. "Aaaand there's the black bear… And look! You got the magician too! That's just _great_." Ennard twitched. "Baby?"

"Right through that door," Marionette pointed. He then stopped the clown before he could leave. "Let me take the cats. Moppet's hiding in her carrier and she could use some company."

"Aww, a little family reunion- I love it! Heh, kind of like what all of us are doing down here except they're gonna have more fun," Ennard said before handing over a carrier, then pausing to nudge Marionette in the chest with his elbow. He then handed over the other cat before starting off, only hesitating to turn towards Louise. "Well, well, well, looks like we've got a new friend to join in on the fun!" he crackled as he looked down at her curiously. It was hard for her not to notice the wires poking out of his clothes and moving on their own.

Still, she willed herself to stay just as welcoming as with the others. After all, it was looking more and more like being sociable with these bots was part of the job. "Name's Louise. I'm the new-er waitress."

She innocently offered her hand and he snatched it right up, thrilled at the prospect of someone willing to shake his own. "Name's Ennard! But I also go as Eggs and 'it's that clown again, run!' by my friend," he introduced before releasing her. "I'd stick around and chat, but I've gotta go track down my buddy, Heck-On-Wheels. Don't get too comfy around Lefty Loosey, he's two-faced."

With that, Ennard stepped through the doorway into the next room and the tiny shrieks began once again.

While Marionette put the cat carriers together, Scott sat down on the office chair beside Mike's and propped his suitcase on his lap. By now the younger man had sobered up and watched as he opened the bag, only to then quirk his brow at the contents. There was only one change of clothes inside from what he could see because most of the suitcase was taken up by tapes, unknown electronic parts, discs both floppy and not, and even a couple of folders. He reached into a pouch in the corner and fished out a medicine bottle that he squinted at, then handed over.

"Here, take this. It should bring down that fever," Scott offered.

"I took a swig of some cherry cold and flu stuff before I walked out of the house. Probably was the same thing," the younger pointed out as he flipped the bottle over and read the back.

"You're going to need more than that, I can already tell. Just take one of those, okay? They're chewable," the older insisted as he fumbled through his things. He gave a dry chuckle as Mike took one of the tablets and began to chew it up. "Trying to fit my entire life in a bag in only a couple of minutes. I only have half of my back-ups here; if the house goes then I'm sunk."

"The house isn't going anywhere. It's going to work out," Mike affirmed just as he had with Marionette. Though he was too tired from everything to consider if he really believed it or not.

"I don't know, Mike… I saw that tornado. It's… It's bad out there. There's going to be some real damage," Scott said. This time it uneased Mike, if only because the man had the tone of someone trying to break bad news. It only occurred to him now that Scott had said he saw the tornado by the highway without clarifying whether he saw anything caught in its crossfire. Just the thought of returning home to find it gone scared Mike, and his concern must've shown on his face. "I'm not trying to freak you out."

"No, it's fine," the security guard assured as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Trust me, it's not anything I don't already know."

"I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but we're missing someone," Fritz suddenly chimed in. Natalie looked a little uneasy too, so it was clear that they were talking about it before the announcement. "Someone whose probably standing above us right now listening to us."

"…Springtrap never came down?" Charlie had been helping Marionette with the cats when her focus was stolen by the comment. She knew, as did everyone else, that Springtrap's arrival was sure to cause as much of an issue as Chance's had, but him remaining upstairs during the storm was a risk. Especially since the basement door was located outside, meaning if the tornado hit, he would have to go outside to get to the stairs. She gave a low, off-tune and looked around at the others. "We're going to have to go get him."

"Bring Springtrap down here? I don't think… I mean, no, I don't want him getting injured, but if him and Ennard get in the same room…" Scott made a hissing noise at the thought. "That would be bad."

"But there are more rooms down here in the back. He is a stubborn one, but I don't see him choosing to stay amongst us when he can be on his own," Marionette pointed out as he stood from the floor and dusted off his legs of powder and cat hair. "Charlie and Fritz are both right. We need to go get him." Fritz made a noise like he was going to protest, but the puppet drowned him out. "But the biggest issue at hand is that Springtrap isn't going to come down here easily. Someone will need to convince him… Someone he's willing to listen to."

Mike looked up from the back of the medicine bottle to see everyone in the room staring at him.

Somewhere, Old Man Consequences was laughing. He just knew it.

* * *

 **Mable: Putting all the animatronics down into one basement? Comedic antics and hilarious hijinks will surely ensue! I can't imagine anything going wrong here. Though if it does, what's the worst that can happen? Someone's feelings get a little frayed? Ah, they'll be fine! Just like half a sitcom, surely! Anyway, I shall see you next week with another exciting episode of: Five Nights in Foxy's Basement.  
This is going to hurt.**


	73. Chapter 73

**Mable: Happy Early Halloween! Hope you have a safe evening tomorrow. Remember to be careful! You don't know what may be lurking out in the shadows… Anyway, there's a new poll and a new chapter to check out! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-Three_

The wind was getting worse while Mike was circling around the warehouse. It was almost deafening and looking out over the city showed a layer of dark clouds. There weren't any signs of tornados, but a clump of clouds in the distance looked suspicious. He quickened his pace and made his way into the warehouse. The inside of the building was cold in contrast to the unseasonable warmth outside as he hurried down to the office. Just like last time, Springtrap wasn't there.

" _He picked the worst time to go wandering off. Hope he's still here somewhere,"_ Mike thought as he turned and hurried back down the aisles. Now he was borderline running. _"Maybe he cut his losses and went back down into the sewer. If that's the case, I'm not going to find him."_

As he got to the end of the shelves, he noticed a flicker of color nearby and looked to see the Candy Cadet twitching there. He had forgotten about the Candy Cadet but was unsure if it was worth trying to move it downstairs. As it was, he wasn't even sure if it was alive or not, but between that possibility and the fact that he was an expensive piece of technology made Mike realize that he had to get it out. He tried to start wheeling it out, which he knew immediately would be slow work from how heavy it was.

"Hey, Michael?" Mike called out across the warehouse. "You still in here? I could use your help!"

While Springtrap did not respond, Mike heard the faintest noise from the back. Almost like the squeak of a door. Leaving Candy Cadet, the man ran into the back and up to the door to the sealed room. The door had a thick dent in the wood from where someone had broken in and he could only assume it was Springtrap. He opened the unlocked door and looked in to see Springtrap's eyes glowing from the corner.

"What are you doing back here? You know there's twisters touching down outside, right?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"No," Springtrap simply answered. "I just came to this central room with reinforced walls and no windows because I felt like it." The human rolled his eyes.

"I'd love to bat 'em back and forth with you but right now there's a natural disaster going on and we need to get you and Candy Cadet down into the basement. Come and help me move him. He weighs a ton and we're running out of time," Mike coaxed. He was entirely unsurprised when Springtrap didn't move. "Don't do this right now, please. I need your help."

"I'll move him," Springtrap agreed, "but I won't go down into the basement. I can hear them all down there."

"…Alright, deal. Now that I know you've heard what's been going on, I know I won't be able to lie and say it's not that bad. Just come help me and you can come back to your closet with Golden Freddy," Mike said. He stepped back out and propped the door open expectantly. Springtrap gave a frustrated or exhausted sort of groan as he stood and shuffled over. It was when he stepped out that Mike noticed he was still carrying the Handunit. _"Maybe Fritz had a point about him getting attached to that thing."_

Springtrap headed out to the Candy Cadet, which was still muttering to itself and twitching. The rabbit then looked down to the Handunit and started to try and put it under his arm, but then decided against it. He gave a low growl of exasperation and defeatedly handed it over to Mike. "Don't drop this," he firmly commanded before roughly turning Candy Cadet and beginning to push it along back towards the door.

Mike opened the double doors for Springtrap and stepped out to make sure they stayed open when he just happened to look out towards the clouds. There was what looked to be a point of clouds aiming towards the ground but having not yet reached it. Definitely a forming tornado and he felt a rush of panic pounding in his chest. "Is that a second one?!"

The animatronic looked up now and noticed the forming tornado, and it was as though he was suddenly poked with a cattle prod. He rammed Candy Cadet with all his strength and started to force it around the warehouse. Mike followed right behind him, and they made it to the basement door before finding a new problem. While the door was wider than a normal door, meaning the cadet would fit through with some light maneuvering, getting it down the stairs was another issue entirely.

"Do you have ropes? Chains? Anything?" Springtrap asked quickly.

"I know we have bungie cords," Mike offered, and the rabbit's lids lowered unimpressed. "That's pretty much what we have to work with. Do I get them or not?"

"…Get them."

Mike did and Springtrap begrudgingly tried to rig up some sort of way to wrap up and hold the Candy Cadet, so that hopefully he could lower it down the stairs step by step. Once they seemed secured, hooked together and tethered crisscross across the cadet's front, Springtrap pushed him to the edge of the stairs. Using only his strength he started to lower it down.

Except that Springtrap had vastly overestimated said strength. In this body everything seemed easier to lift and to break, so he hadn't truly considered how heavy this bot was. He tightened his jaw and tried to continue the pace as the winds raged on behind him. He had almost made it one third of the way when his grip failed on his right hand. That was all it took to yank the cords out of his left hand and send the Candy Cadet heavily thumping down the steps. Unlike Baby, it hit the bottom like a ton of bricks and landed face first on its front.

"What the bloody 'ell was that?!" Foxy could be heard yelling. He ran out of the room and saw the bot laying on the grow. "Shiver me timbers, it be the Candy Cadet!"

"The wind must be bad if it threw Candy Cadet down here," Fritz spoke up. He looked wearily down at the bot before up to Mike on the steps. "You know you brought the wrong one, right?"

"Working on it." Mike turned back to Springtrap and promptly had a hand thrust in front of him. He silently asked for the Handunit back, but the security guard kept a vice grip on it. "Tell you what, how about you come downstairs with me and I'll give this back without a fight."

Springtrap's eyes narrowed and he reached for the Handunit with every intention of forcefully taking it back. Mike simply stepped down out of the way and onto the stairs.

"You know if you try to wrestle it off of me that you're going to risk breaking it," Mike pointed out. The animatronic stopped his efforts there and clenched his fists at his sides. "Now hear me out on this. None of us want to be stuck down in that basement but this is a life or death situation. If the storm hits the warehouse then you're going with it, and even if it doesn't kill you I can promise you that you'll wish it did." The man was firm and refused to back down under Springtrap's glare.

Eventually that glare broke as the rabbit looked away. He was stubborn but not stupid and he was about to cave. Mike continued to talk him down. "I'm not saying you have to go anywhere near the others. There's other rooms down there if you want to go off on your own. I just need you to come down with. If I can do it then you can."

With a tired groan and a shudder through his body, Springtrap gave a simple but defeated nod of agreement.

"Good choice. Now let's get down there and upright Candy Cadet before someone trips over him," Mike coaxed, trusting to hand over the Handunit before he turned to head down the stairs. "And since he's blocking the steps, it's probably going to be us."

Mike managed to climb over Candy Cadet while Fritz, Marionette, and Charlie came to greet him. "Did you-?" Marionette began only to be cut off when he heard the footsteps coming down the steps.

Springtrap slowly descended into the basement, as though keeping his word even with the Handunit still in his hand. At the bottom of the steps he lifted Candy Cadet up and wheeled him just enough to the side that he could slip past. Only then did he look at the onlookers. He said nothing, his eyes falling past them and to the room where he could hear more voices and see both Foxy and Natalie looking out. Then he turned towards the far door that Marionette had shut earlier, headed over, and disappeared through it. Isolating himself in the darker reaches of the basement.

"How did you get him to come down here?" Marionette asked in disbelief. He kept his voice quiet so Springtrap wouldn't hear him, but he was getting a small smile. "I thought he would fight you tooth and nail!"

"He nearly did too, until the tornado started forming over our heads. That and he made the terrible mistake of giving me his most precious belonging and thinking he was going to get it back," Mike explained. He returned the smile, proud of this accomplishment. "So yeah, my silver tongue saved the day."

"You do have a way with words," Marionette complimented. "It's only a shame you can't go up and talk to the tornado."

"I was practically standing in the tornado and he's not budging. Not unless he spots another mall." Mike grabbed his office chair and started to wheel it towards the other door. "Everyone's back there?"

"Pretty much! We've got quite a party going on, so thank goodness you made it in time. Any minute now we should expect either a breakdown or a throwdown," Marionette playfully chimed. "And then we're going to see who can cry the longest. I think my chances are good, but Jeremy's just about at the end of his rope."

"Sounds good. When do we start taking up bets on the cat races? I want to lose the rest of my savings just in case the house has severe damage," Mike joked back. He received another warm trill from the Puppet.

It was clear that the two of them were trying to make the best of a bad situation and that they were scared. Charlie understood and, honestly, it helped in taking the edge off knowing that she didn't have to be the one holding the smile. They weren't the only ones doing it either. Natalie came out to Fritz's side, who was lamenting about the loss of his Handunit- "I don't think I'm ever getting that back,"- and then they tried to keep busy moving the Candy Cadet themselves. Talking about anything except the tornado and coping together.

But this made Charlie wonder how Michael was holding up. It was her first time seeing him in a while and he had already regained that constant distance. He clutched that tool for dear life and retreated into the damp darkness of the further rooms of the basement. He was shutting himself off, and everyone seemed too afraid to push him any further out of the risk that he would leave. Maybe she would check in on him a little later. Maybe he would appreciate the company.

Mike didn't realize exactly how rough it was going to be until he and Marionette stepped into the room. From the puppet's slightly more careworn smile, it was clear that he hadn't seen the state everyone was in.

Jeremy had found another chair that looked more like one out of a dining room and without wheels. He looked worried and tired, eyes downcast, but still held the Bidybabs in his lap. They both looked fearful, but it was unclear whether this was from the tornado or Baby, as they were still leering at her. Daisy sat on his shoulder and hugged his head, with her tiny head buried in his blond hair. Plushtrap and Lilium sat at his feet. The rabbit sat with his knees bent and his hands covering his eyes while Lilium knelt beside him and pet over his ears comfortingly.

Foxy was pacing only a short way from Jeremy, right in front of the box that he had been previously sitting on. The two remaining Minireenas were dancing around his legs and seemed to be handling things better than their sisters. Balloon Boy sat beside the box with his eyes following them back and forth. Max had been left outside the door; maybe he too preferred to be alone. Louise was sitting on a box close to Jeremy and absent-mindedly shaking a bottle of fingernail polish. It looked more like she wanted something to fiddle with than really having any interest in painting her nails.

On the opposite side of the room, possibly on purpose considering the small ones' reactions, were Scott and the clowns. Scott was pacing in shorter loops than Foxy while looking at his cellphone, watching the time and how the service dipped in and out. Ennard was sitting on the floor beside him, slumped and bored, staring distantly at the dancing Minireenas. On the other side of him was Baby, who was leaning on the wall with her arm across her chest, holding her dangling clawed one. Her legs were partially crossed like she was either trying to pose or trying to keep from rolling.

In short, everyone looked positively miserable. It was almost as bad as stepping into a room with multiple Springtraps. Mike exhaled slowly and looked to Marionette. "Got any ideas how to pass the time?"

"Charlie brought the boardgame," Marionette said with a creeping smile. Mike didn't even have a chance to dismiss it because Ennard heard and suddenly raised his head.

" _Yes!_ Finally, something, yes! Get that out, we'll do that," he was nearly pleading. Charlie handed over her bag to Marionette who knelt with it and began to get the pieces of the boardgame out.

"Now keep in mind that there are only four characters, so we'll have to take turns. Maybe we'll be able to fit in a tournament if we have enough time," Marionette suggested.

"Oh, I really, really hope not," Ennard replied in the same cheery tone. Everyone else seemed a little split in how interested they were in the game. Including Mike, who pulled the office chair beside the puppet.

"If I'm still awake by time the second game's going then I'll join in," he agreed. "If not, someone can give me the highlights. And if anyone decides to flip the board, do it that way."

Jeremy tried to rouse the little ones' attention in the colorful board as it was spread out while Balloon Boy scuttled over to sit awkwardly beside Marionette. The Puppet showed him the four character tokens, to which he eagerly chose the Foxy with a punctuating laugh. Ennard came over and eagerly snatched up Freddy, and it seemed like everyone was forgetting that they were in mortal danger. Everyone except Foxy.

"All jokes aside, which Freddy voice should I do for this little guy?" Ennard asked with a chirp. "I've got Classic Freddy, Funtime Freddy, Santa Freddy, Nerdy Freddy; I also do a pretty on-point Bon-Bon."

"I'd shut you down on all of those if I wasn't mildly curious about what a Santa version of Freddy is supposed to sound like," Mike added as he leaned back in the chair, looking ready to nod off.

Marionette chimed in, "You remember, Mike. I told you Freddy's used to do a big Christmas show where they would dress Freddy up and pass him off as Santa. He would get a deeper, 'bowl full of jelly' voice to go with it." He then sent an amused smirk across the room at Scott. "Speaking of voices, I think you did an excellent job in the Foxy cartoon, Scott."

This caught the man off-guard and his eyes widened. "…Well-."

"You did that show too?!" Ennard blurted out. He didn't wait for an answer and quickly turned back to Marionette and Balloon Boy. "You know he did Baby's Circus too?! Craziest thing!"

"I don't know if how you lot can just act like there ain't nothin' wrong out there," Foxy grumpily spoke up. He had stopped his pacing and stared at the scene with disapproval. Normally he wouldn't want to ruin his brother's fun, but he was having a crisis of his own. He was about to lose his career, his home, and his future in one fell swoop if that tornado decided to tear through the restaurant, and here they were all chatting on like it was fine. "We could be goin' home to no home. We could be lookin' at days without water, or power."

"Ugh, that _would_ be a nightmare," Louise added in without thinking. This received a quick look from Foxy. "Oh, uh. Sorry."

Foxy turned back to the others gathered around the gameboard. "Laugh all ya want-."

"Nobody's laughing at the tornado, Foxy," Marionette said with exasperation. A light static was on his voice.

"Yeah, we don't want to risk making him mad or then we'll really be in trouble," Mike mumbled. Balloon Boy responded with a quieter laugh, almost like he was trying to suppress it.

" _Laugh all ya want_ , but we be lookin' at a maelstrom tearin' through," Foxy firmly said as he stalked to his box. "And I fer one ain't gonna play games an' pretend all be fine and dandy." It was a powerful statement.

It would've been even more effective if what followed wasn't Foxy sitting down on and falling straight through the flimsy cardboard box. He scrambled and struggled, muttering in frantic embarrassment- "Fer cryin' out loud!" Until he barely managed to roll out of it and teeter back to his feet. Just as expected, he looked up to see everyone silently staring at him, barely restraining themselves from reacting.

But then the first reaction came, and instead of laughing it was a tapping sound. Foxy looked across the room at the source. There was Baby patting her hand on her claw, mock clapping at his embarrassment. He would've stormed out of the room to save his dignity if it didn't mean getting stuck with Max. Or worse, Candy Cadet.

Marionette turned back towards the board and tried to keep his composure but failed within seconds. He slapped one hand over his mouth and the other over his chest, and then shook like a leaf. Ennard's reaction was just as quick but much different. He turned on Mike with a tone of aghast and betrayal.

"You didn't laugh at that, but you'd laugh at this?!" Ennard cried as he pointed to the Freddy mask. "I get hysterics trying to look like a human, but you don't bat an eye when Foxy capsizes?!"

"I'm in range of the hook. The hell I'm going to risk laughing, no matter how far Foxy shoves his own foot in his mouth. Now it would be a whole different story if he was the one wearing Freddy's face and sweatpants." The security guard sounded much too cocky and was unfazed by the clown's sharp gaze.

This seemed as good a time as any for Charlie to dismiss herself to go check on Springtrap. She spoke up briefly with an excuse. "I'm going to go check on Moppet and make sure she didn't get too far." It wasn't a lie either since she did want to check the cat, who had run off somewhere under the stairs when Candy Cadet had fallen.

The Security Puppet headed out to look for the cat and found her quickly, as she was sniffing around the cat carriers. The cats in the carriers all looked rather relaxed considering the circumstances and seemed to do better with all the talking being in the other room. The largest one, the Maine Coon, was even curled up in the back asleep. Seeing them as fine, Charlie looked to Fritz and Natalie, who were now sitting on the stairs talking. They noticed her and she waved, waiting until they weren't paying attention again before slipping to the other door.

While she could see enough in the darkness, the back hall was cold and unwelcoming. She walked past a closet, a room filled to the brim with uninteresting boxes of forgotten things and found her way to a final room no bigger than the office. Framed posters propped against the wall and caked with dust met her on the way in and stared her down like she was trespassing. She almost felt like she was until she spotted Springtrap sitting on the floor beside a thin table that vaguely resembled a desk.

He looked up to her as soon as she came in, with his face illuminated by the glow of the Handunit that he had been fiddling with.

"I just came to see how you were doing," Charlie said as she shut the door to only a crack behind her. He seemed to ease up as she did so. "You came back here so quick you didn't give me a chance to ask."

"I didn't come down here willingly," Springtrap explained as he watched her walk over. She sat down against the wall only a few feet from him. Still giving him his distance but not sitting as far she had at the warehouse the last time they spoke. He noticed it. "I'm surprised you three are here at all with the basement in the house. Why come all the way here?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't think Mike wanted to get trapped down there. I don't blame him."

"Neither do I," Springtrap agreed. He tapped on the Handunit a few times. She almost thought he was planning on ignoring her when a soft beeping started. She realized it was coming from the object in his hands. He offered it to her, and she tentatively took the screen, now noticing an image on the screen of a pixelated Freddy and a start button beside it. "It responds to touch."

"What is this?" Charlie asked curiously. She got her answer quickly once she pressed the start button. The screen changed to the Freddy on one side beside a stack of pizzas. On the other were angry looking red children. She used her finger to guide Freddy up to the pizzas, which he picked up and then began to slowly shoot out. "Oh, I see! That's cool, it's like one of the games from Freddy's."

"Guess someone was bored enough to take that off of an arcade machine and somehow move it into there," Springtrap explained. He looked away distantly. "Probably played it in the quiet hours of work."

But that meant he didn't do it. Still playing the game, Charlie innocently asked, "Did you know who it was?" What followed was a strange silence considering that she expected him to say he didn't.

"…I have a hunch," the rabbit admitted. His voice had lowered to a somber tone. It made the quiet music of the minigame sound almost sad in comparison.

She knew not to press. "What was his name?" She still went ahead and asked.

"…It's not important." He was just as distant. "But I know it was him… He was creative in his ways to procrastinate. Whether it be with schoolwork, housework, or just work."

"It sounds like you two were close," Charlie nudged as her eyes drifted from the game. "Have you… Ever considered looking him back up? Checking up on him to see how he is?"

"He's gone," Springtrap clarified. Before she could add again, he interrupted her with a final clarification. "He's further gone than I am." She understood it then.

"Oh… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry," Charlie apologized.

He shook his head. "It was long ago now. I have very few things left to remember him with." Springtrap allowed a moment of silence before turning his attention back to the Handunit. "Go ahead. I'll show you the others when you're tired of that one." With such a temping offer she went ahead and began to play.

Neither knew that they were being watched from outside the door. That an onlooker was observing their conversation and was disgusted by it and by Springtrap's obvious ply for sympathy. It was so hard to stay silent when watching the rabbit rope someone as innocent as the Security Puppet into his web of lies. Crafting a specifically laid snare to catch his prey into, as he typically did. It filled him with so much frustration that he swore he could feel it itching at his fingertips.

"What are you doing back here?"

Ennard jumped and spun around to see that Baby had followed him. If he could've began sweating bullets then he would've been. He tried to shush her.

"I thought you were letting the cats out," Baby inquired further. She then glanced at the door past him and noticed the crack he had been looking through. "What were you looking at?"

With Ennard continuingly trying to shush her, she eventually got fed up enough to just push him aside- not too harshly, he was sensitive- and look through herself. She watched just as Springtrap leaned over to show Charlie something on the Handunit screen. It was just enough to get Baby huffy. She drew back from the door.

"Oh. You're looking at him," Baby rationalized. Her claw slowly opened and closed as she considered what she had saw. "…And her. I didn't even know they were friends. The last I heard; Charlie was afraid of him."

"It's because he's telling her-!" Ennard tried to whisper but his voice came out too loud. Exasperated at himself, he grabbed Baby's arm and wheeled her back down the hall. She didn't react, still a little perturbed to see her friend being friends with Springtrap instead of her. Once at the end of the hall, the male clown turned to her once again. "It's because he's telling her all this stuff about how sad he is and how he's all torn up, and how _he's Michael_ , and throwing this big ol' pity party!"

Baby watched Ennard toss his arms into the air and found herself confused. She knew he didn't like Springtrap- she pretty much didn't either but felt mostly apathetic- but couldn't understand why he seemed this worked up about it. "Why does it matter to you? Charlie is a big girl. She can protect herself," Baby affirmed. "Why do you care if he wants sympathy? Nobody likes him."

"Well, nobody likes me either, but that's not the point!" Ennard exclaimed. "He's just telling people about his lousy childhood, and how _he_ lost everyone, and how _his_ father was the monster, not him, and just- and he- a-and he's ge-etting ev-ryone's head so turned around-!" The amalgam was getting so worked up that his voice was beginning to skip. "And- And nobody believes me! Everyone thinks he's Michael!"

"How are you so sure he isn't?" Baby casually inquired, unafraid to challenge Ennard when he was flying into a tangent. To stop one of his miniature episodes. "I can't remember Michael. He was a stranger and so is Springtrap. Even if he is Michael, why does it matter to you?"

He stared at her blankly with a light twitch of the eye, like she had outright proclaimed that she believed Springtrap was Michael too. Without a word, Ennard checked inside the closet and then stepped inside before pulling Baby in too. It was a tight fit, especially when jammed up against some old mops that smelled like they had never been cleaned after mopping something foul. Ennard turned to the corner and fiddled with his coat and sweater.

"What are you doing?" Baby asked with exasperation.

"Hold on. Changing my mask," Ennard answered. He discreetly brought out his usual clown one as he tucked the Freddy one away somewhere.

"We didn't get stuck in this smelly little closet for that." She looked back to him again, green eyes trying to pierce into his back. "Why does this matter to you so much?"

The amalgam turned to her with the same exasperation. He now had his mask fitted on but there was still something off. That look, a subtle change that only someone who lived with him would notice. It was the first indication that something was truly wrong, and the second was what he said next.

"I'm Michael Afton."

Baby stared at Ennard, he stared back, and then she simply asked, "Since when?"

"Since I figured out I was!" Ennard cried. "It all fits together! I remember his name, I remember his voice, I can perfectly mimic his voice even when I never met him like this- I know I'm him. I know that's why I'm here. That's why I became this instead of dying. It's something about the family. I don't know how it all works out, but I know I'm Michael, and I _know_ he's **not**!" The clown took her boldly by the shoulders. "Baby, you've got to believe me. Nobody else believes me, and he's been telling everyone he's the long-lost Afton brother!"

"I don't know about this. When you were… The technician… You didn't tell me your name was Michael," Baby pointed out. "You said your name was Eggs."

"Right! Eggs Benedict! That's why I went as Eggs Benedict, I didn't want anyone to know I was connected to William Afton! Could you imagine working at the dump that your father used to own?! I must have been using a fake name to get in and everything, and I don't know why I was there but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I know I have to be Michael. I know I am. I'm your brother." Ennard gave her a pleading look as his voice dropped to desperation. "You believe me, right?"

It all seemed very odd to Baby. But even beyond that oddness, she couldn't say she knew what to think. Ennard's explanation made sense, especially with how weird he had been acting, but there were gaps that made her question it. Not that she trusted Springtrap over him. It was all too much with little evidence. All she had to go on was how certain Ennard seemed, and like it or not she had begun to trust his judgement.

"I believe you," she agreed. "But what now? What do we do about this?"

"I…don't know," Ennard admitted. He seemed both relieved and crestfallen. "Nobody's gonna just believe me like that. Sure, he doesn't have any hard evidence that he's Michael, but neither do I! And he claimed it first. They're all gonna just believe him."

"You're not the one who has to prove who you are. You already proved that. He's the one who needs to show us why he thinks he's Michael and not…" It was only at that second that Baby realized what this could mean. If she believed Ennard- and she did- then that would mean that Springtrap would most likely be _her father_. For a split second there was joy, but that was washed over with a crashing wave of betrayal. It would be her father lying to hide from what he had done to them, and to her. She nearly saw red. "He will need to prove it."

"Good luck getting any of that out of him," Ennard muttered. He gave a defeated grumble and started to open the closet door. "Let me go let the cats out so I didn't lie to Scott. They're probably getting worked up being stuck in those crates..." He almost stepped out, but then hesitated. "And, uh, Babydoll? Thanks for believing me. I know this is all weird and out of nowhere, but I just… I'm glad someone believes me. Someone doesn't just think I'm crazy for the sake of being crazy."

Then he let himself out to go let out the cats. More than likely needing a breather from the emotionally intense conversation.

Baby remained in the closet a few moments longer to consider what she was going to do. Ennard got it off his chest and now had no idea where to go next. Perhaps just to sulking to himself about it, eventually revealing his finding to Scott who would sympathize but be unable to help. Meanwhile Baby would have to live with the possibility that the person in that rabbit suit was the man who she had loved and who returned that love by casting her aside and abandoning her.

Baby couldn't stand by idly. Not this time. She made her way down the hall once again.

Springtrap was in the process of trying to switch to another game when they were alerted to a low tapping noise from the hallway. The brief rapping on the wall caught their attention, but then stopped without leading to anything else, so they momentarily returned to the game. Only for the noise to reappear, now a more forceful knocking instead of an innocent tapping. It demanded to be noticed.

"It's for you," Springtrap simply said. Considering the lack of subtly, Charlie had a feeling he was right. She stood from the floor and headed through the door. There she found Baby waiting in the hallway.

"You know you could've just come in," the Security Puppet offered.

"I didn't want to interrupt your bonding time," the clown answered with typical fussiness. Though that turned to a more serious and grim tone. "I wouldn't have stopped you, but Ennard told me something disturbing about Golden Bonnie that you should know."

"Is it about him being the Purple Man?" Baby hesitated like she didn't expect the response. Charlie explained further, "Back at the warehouse Ennard made it pretty clear that he thought he was lying about being Michael Afton. That he thinks he might actually be William pretending to be his son."

"…Yes, it is," Baby admitted. Unwavering, her voice lowered to a whisper. "But do you know why Ennard thinks that?" Charlie slowly began to shake her head. "Ennard told me that he's the real Michael."

"Wait, Ennard is Michael?" the puppet asked taken aback. "Is he sure? Why didn't he ever say anything?! If he was right about Mich- About…" She sent a wary look to the door now as a chill raced down her spine. Once again she had to question who it was she had been speaking to. It all seemed so out of nowhere that she was still doubtful. "Is he sure?"

As much as Baby should've appreciated Charlie's wariness, her own doubt crept up again. "Ennard doesn't have any proof other than his word, but I believe him. I know when Ennard is lying and I know he really believes he is Michael… But Golden Bonnie has provided no evidence either." Her suspicious gaze fell on the door. "Perhaps someone should ask him…"

"You mean me," Charlie guessed.

"Now that you're so friendly," Baby agreed.

It seemed like there wasn't any choice. With a soft sigh, Charlie headed back to the door and let herself through. As Springtrap looked up at her she noticed that dreaded feeling under his gaze had started to return. She wasn't sure entirely what to think. Even if Baby said that Ennard was truthful there was a chance that both were mistaken, or just angry enough to concoct a lie about him.

"I guess you probably heard that?" Charlie tentatively asked.

"I heard it was Baby. I didn't care to listen for whatever insults she may have aimed at me. That was what she wanted, wasn't it? To warn you for getting too close?" Springtrap asked. He sounded rather passive about it, like the thought of Baby being that cold simply unfazed him. The Security Puppet shifted her weight between her legs as she considered what to say.

"…Yes, but it wasn't just because you are you. It was something that she heard that had upset her. It would probably upset you too honestly," Charlie tentatively explained.

"Believe me, nothing Baby can say will bother me. I'm used to how she is," Springtrap assured her. Though her change in behavior did pique his interest in what Baby could have said. He turned back to the Handunit and continued fiddling with it as he asked, "What did she say?"

"…She said Ennard told her that he's Michael Afton."

" _What?!_ " Springtrap sprung from the floor and stared wide-eyed. The horror and anger were all very apparent.

" _So much for not being bothered,"_ Charlie thought as she watched him react. "But don't get me wrong, just because Ennard said that doesn't mean nobody believes you anymore. She was just thinking-."

"That- That _parasite_ stole my body, took away my home, took away my life, and not content with that he's now planning on stealing my name too?! He hasn't taken enough from me?! Pathologically lying body snatcher! He hasn't changed at all, and he doesn't care whose lives he destroys!" The rabbit was positively growling. He began to pace in agitation. "Of course Elizabeth would believe him. She was brought up by a monster; she would see no qualms in letting one manipulate her again."

Charlie had a feeling that comment was going to make this a lot worse and wasn't mistaken. Moments after it he spoke it, Baby swung open the door and barged in. She was furious, and it was unclear whether it was what he said about Ennard or what he said about her that did it.

"You would say that, wouldn't you?" Baby spat. She slammed the door to shut out the others from hearing. "Because I'm being manipulated when I listen to Ennard, but you don't have to give answers. You don't have to explain where you came from or why you're here. All we know is that Michael was down there with us." She looked him over with disdain. "I don't remember ever seeing a _golden rabbit_ down there."

"I'm surprised, Baby. Back at the false pizzeria you wanted nothing more than to rip him apart. What did he say to convince you to trust him now? Was it him telling you he was me, or was that just a new part of his game?" Springtrap probed the female clown. "The last I remember, you loved playing those games yourself. Maybe he learned from you, watching you lure technicians to their death without mercy."

Baby started to move in and from the way she started to subtly raise her claw it was clear she was about to attack. Raising it like a cobra would rear back in preparation to strike. That was when Charlie decided that this had gone on long enough and moved in to stop her by grabbing her clawed arm and pulling it back.

"Fighting isn't going to solve anything. You two can hurl insults at each other all day, but that's not going to address the real problem, is it?" Charlie asked. She stared directly at Baby like she was fully addressing her.

While Baby didn't think the puppet was entirely right- she still wanted nothing more than to tear Springtrap's fabric from his endoskeleton- she knew she had a point. Them fighting would only get the others in here and then the true issue would never be fixed. So, she wheeled back alongside the puppet, silently making a statement to the rabbit in the process.

"Now I know you don't want to hear this, Michael… But Ennard has a point," Charlie said. Springtrap's eyes widened at her. "I'm not saying you're not who you say you are and I'm not saying Ennard's really who he says he is, but right now there's two people who claim they're the same person and the only thing that could fix this is one of them having real proof." She looked to him with the hope that he could settle this whole dispute now. "Do you have anything to show that you're definitely Michael?"

Springtrap responded with silence. His gaze slowly dropped to the floor as he knew he had little to provide in his defense. Baby caught onto it quickly and was ruthless.

"No. He doesn't. He doesn't have anything at all," Baby hissed. She spun on her skates and faced the door again preparing to leave. Then to punctuate her intentions, she reached out and grabbed Charlie's arm with her normal hand. She would drag her out if she had to; no longer willing to leave her alone with Springtrap. "Just as I expected. He's nothing but talk."

"Wait," Springtrap blurted out. Charlie looked back while Baby refused to. He was looking at the Handunit again but raised his eyes with determination. "There is a way I can prove who I am."

"Oh? And how is that?" Baby challenged with a tip of her head. "Your words aren't enough."

"It will be more than just my words. All the technicians working with Afton Robotics were given a private code that was only known by them and only accessible by their manager if needed. These codes were used when the clocking in system was malfunctioning, to get access into private rooms. Every technician had their own number, including me." Springtrap looked between the two female animatronics. "But just giving you this code on its own would prove nothing. It would just get back to the amalgamation."

"And your point is? If the code is useless-."

"It is useless here," he clarified. "…But not in Afton Robotics."

Now Baby was curious and slowly turned halfway around to look at the rabbit.

"If I and a witness could get down into one of the facility's private rooms then I could enter the code and show that I am Michael Afton. He won't know this code. _Father_ wouldn't have known this code, as they were implemented after he was no longer involved in the business. Probably to keep someone like him from slipping back in," Springtrap explained. "I have nothing to lose and I will take anyone as a witness."

"Then take me. I'm not afraid to return," Baby defiantly volunteered. They seemed in agreement, but Charlie looked between them with a newfound alarm.

"Wait a minute, just hold up a second. There's a tornado raging outside and even if there wasn't, we have to be worried about the police. If Clayton's watching Foxy's then he's probably watching Afton Robotics too."

"We have a window after the storm. A short window, but a window nonetheless. Once the tornados recede, or at least quiet long enough to drive, the streets will be barren. We move quickly, get inside, I prove who I am, and then we return here. That will be our only chance to do this," Springtrap explained to her. "We'll need to use the company van, so we need the keys and a willing driver. Mike may be best."

Charlie didn't know how comfortable she felt letting Springtrap and Baby venture down there alone. Mike's presence would help, but the last time she had seen him he had looked rather rough. She had inadvertently led to this breakdown of communication, so it seemed like it was only fair that she went with them.

She turned to leave when Springtrap spoke up, "And make sure that Marion doesn't find out. He will try to stop us."

She nodded and headed out of the room to get the keys, not even sure if the storm would soften enough to give them the window that Springtrap was relying on.

She stepped out into the basement's front room only to notice that she wasn't alone. Marionette knelt and Balloon Boy squatted beside the cat carriers that were now open. They were petting the cat that had once been the runt kitten, the most affectionate of the three. Moppet was there too and simply watched them. As Charlie shut the door behind her both animatronics suddenly looked to her. She felt like she was stuck under a spotlight, like they already knew what she was coming to do.

"Oh good, you found Moppet," Charlie said as casually as she could. She crossed over to them and Marionette met her halfway. "Hey how's Mike doing? He wasn't looking well earlier."

"He's not looking too well now either," Marionette said with amusement hiding concern. "He wasn't joking when he said he planned on falling asleep. He looks only a few minutes from being out like a light."

"Oh…" If that was the case, then Mike wouldn't be able to do this. That was fine, she could drive, but that meant getting around everyone else.

"Is everything alright? You don't look well either. Something on your mind?" the Puppet asked. Even with his usual smile it almost seemed like he was fishing for something, like he suspected it. "I noticed Ennard and Baby wander off without much warning."

"There was a little bit of a disagreement in the back… But on a completely unrelated topic-." She emphasized 'completely' just enough that he would know it wasn't, hinting to him. "I need to borrow Fritz's key to the van. For after the weather clears up. I wouldn't go out in this."

"Sure. Just give me a moment." Marionette didn't ask. He just headed into the room with the others to get the keys.

Peering in, Charlie could see that Foxy had given in and was now sitting at the board with Louise, Natalie, and Fritz. Upon seeing Ennard sitting beside Scott watching, looking a little quieter than earlier, she stopped watching and looked down at Balloon Boy and the cats. He turned his head just enough that he could look at her out of the corner of his eye, then gave a knowing giggle. Marionette returned before she could even consider questioning if he had heard anything.

"Here you are. I just told Fritz I would need to head out to the van once the storm let up. It's not entirely an excuse," Marionette explained as he handed over the keys. "Not to be too intrusive, but did something happen with Ennard earlier? He seemed a bit down when he came back."

"He's a little… Confused about some things. And he's not the only ones. Michael and Baby are up in arms about a disagreement that they can't find a way to settle. It's hard to prove which side is right when any answers are buried somewhere else. Where under normal circumstances it would be too dangerous to reach… Maybe it still is." Charlie wondered if he was picking up her hinting. From his complete lack of further questions, she assumed that he did. "But… I would trust them to sort them."

"Oh, I do," Marionette agreed. The was a short pause where he watched her before he added, "And you too. I trust you."

He knew. She didn't know how he knew but he did, and so did Balloon Boy. They must've heard the entire thing. Yet he was still planning on letting them go without even offering to come. It confused Charlie; was Mike really that sick or was the puppet purposefully resisting asking to come? She didn't get a chance to ask as he patted her arm.

"Sorry to rush off, but I have to see Foxy really quick. I'm going to see if I can get him out of the mood he's in," Marionette explained. Then he headed back towards the door, leaving Charlie to her own devices. She turned to head back to Springtrap and Baby, but then decided against it. She didn't want to get involved in that again just yet. Instead, she put the keys in her pocket and sat down along Balloon Boy. Cats always made for a good distraction and they failed to disappoint.

Marionette entered the room and brushed past Mike's chair, playfully ruffling his hair as he passed. The man was apparently still awake as he turned back to look at him. "Hey," he croaked. "Was that Charlie?"

"It was. I'll explain later but the long and short of it is family squabbling. Speaking of which…" Marionette came up behind Foxy, who was now crouched by the gameboard and unwilling to sit on anything that he thought might risk falling through. He put his hands on the fox's shoulders and looked over his head at the game.

It all seemed innocent, but Mike could hear that faint, high-pitched ringing signaling that there was speaking he couldn't hear. The Minireenas sitting beside Foxy raised their heads in attention, like they could hear it, but no human reacted to it. Probably assuming it was ringing in their ears. Foxy raised his head, he twitched, his fingers tapped on his leg, and went through a variety of reactions to whatever it was that Marionette was silently whispering to him. A whole conversation that Mike was witnessing but couldn't hear.

Then, all of a sudden, Marionette drew back and Foxy stood abruptly from the floor.

"That's it! I think we be havin' enough 'o this boardgame! Time we play somethin' a little more rousin'. Somethin' with risk and reward!" Foxy proclaimed dramatically. "Maybe a strappin' game of animatronics an' nightguards if we got enough rooms down 'ere'." It was almost like Foxy was a completely different person. He went from being a grouch to what might've been the perfect distraction.

Mike would have to hear the story behind this one.

* * *

 **Mable: To be fair, I don't think anyone involved really believes this is a** _ **good**_ **idea. More than likely it is just a horrible combination of frustration and cabin fever, but maybe, just maybe, questions will finally be answered… And just maybe _this_ is why it's not safe to put this many sentient animatronics in the same room. XD**


	74. Chapter 74

**Mable: There's a new poll to check out after the chapter if you would like. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-Four_

It took some time but eventually Springtrap's prediction came true. Baby had been sitting at the base of the steps and listening to the storm outside, along with the occasional whisper between Max and Candy Cadet, so she heard when it started to let up. It had taken some time but eventually the wind died down and only the sound of gentle rain could be heard. The window was open for them. Baby wheeled over to Charlie, who had been standing in the doorway watching Foxy direct various games and tapped her on the shoulder.

That was the signal that it was time to leave. Charlie looked around the room to make sure nobody was watching them. To her surprise, Marionette was speaking to Mike and thus didn't even notice Baby coming to get her. The only one who did look like he might've been looking was Ennard, but he looked away quickly. Most likely he just naturally looked over because of Baby's appearance. With nothing else stopping her, she turned and followed out into the front room.

"Either the tornado has stopped or we are in the eye of the storm. This may be our only chance either way," Baby pointed out. She glanced to the door and back. "You should get Mike, but don't tell him or the others that the storm stopped. That will ruin everything."

"It's going to be even easier than that… Because I'm going to be driving," Charlie said. She brought the keys out of her pocket and twirled them on her finger. Baby's eyes twitched almost like one would blink. "Mike's just not up to it and I've driven before. Besides, the fewer of us the better."

"You don't have to come," the clown offered. She almost sounded a little uneasy at the idea, which was very unlike her. "You wouldn't want to go down there. It's an unpleasant and cold place."

"Its been mentioned so many times that I think maybe it's time I saw it for myself. And who knows, you two might need an extra set of hands down there." Charlie got a knowing look with a hint of a smirk. "Just in case it goes south someone has to be there to pull you off of him."

"Charlie, what do you take me for?" Baby asked simply. Charlie quirked a non-existent brow. "If I had my hands on him, you wouldn't be able to pull me off," the clown simply finished before turning and wheeling to the door to the hallway. She opened it up and gestured inside. "Can you go get him?... Unless he has changed his mind about this so-called proof."

" _Something tells me he hasn't,_ " Charlie thought. "Sure." She went into the hallway and headed back to the small room that Springtrap had secluded himself in. He hadn't sat back down since they left earlier. Now he stood idly by the desk, still fumbling with the Handunit, and looking to the door when he heard it open. "Baby said the storm died down. I'm going to be driving."

"None of the others know?" Springtrap asked.

"I don't think so. Maybe Max or Balloon Boy heard, but they're not the type to tell on us. I think we'll be alright." She wondered momentarily if it was worth mentioning Marionette's possible knowledge but decided against it when she noticed how fidgety Springtrap was looking. His finger tapped over the Handunit in a frenzy as he went to shut it off. "…Michael, you don't have to do this. I know what I said earlier, but you don't need to risk your life to prove who you are."

"Yes, I do. I can't have him telling anyone else that he is me, even if right now only Baby believes him. You will understand once you see what is down there. Once I can show you what they did," the rabbit insisted. He then gestured for her to go out the door and let her lead the way. If anything, Springtrap and Baby's comments on Afton Robotics made her more wary but much more curious.

When Charlie and Springtrap returned to the front room, they found Baby already at the top of the stairwell and climbing to her feet. Charlie realized quickly that the clown had sent her in alone so that she could climb the stairs herself. Which, from how she had to climb up from her knees, looked like she had to crawl up them. She followed quickly, Springtrap behind her and looking back to make sure nobody was watching. The only one was Max who stared with dead silence, the Candy Cadet still and lifeless at his side.

It was still raining when they got into the van. Baby had opened the back and scooted in quickly as to not look helpless, leaning back on a bundled of tarps in the back. Springtrap climbed in after her and closed the doors, then moved to crouch behind the front seats, so that he could direct Charlie in the passenger seat. The van started without much trouble but moved like it was dogged down. Charlie couldn't tell if it was their combined weight or if it had received some sort of weather damage.

Once again, Springtrap's prediction had come true. While there were no tornados in sight, the roads were barren. The Security Puppet kept her hood pulled up over her head but didn't really need to do so. Some of the damage she spotted during the drive was disturbing; broken trees, knocked down power lines, missing mailboxes and trash strewn from knocked over garbage cans. She purposefully took the route past Foxy's Pirate's Cove and was relieved to see that the building was spared.

"If luck is on our side then we may get back before the looters draw the police onto the street," Springtrap offered. Though this came out much more pessimistic in tone than optimistic. He still expected an answer and looked to Charlie, noticing how she kept looking around and readjusting her grip. "Don't be nervous. We are doing much better than I expected."

"No, I know. This is going much better than the last time I drove. I guess I get a little more uneasy when it's raining. It was raining when I had my accident." Technically the act of driving was probably the more nerve-wracking issue, but rain and cars did illicit an instinctual tenseness.

"I can relate." Springtrap looked back out at the road in front of them. "…It was raining when I became trapped in this suit," he admitted. When she looked to him, he nodded ahead at an upcoming turn. "Right up here."

"Mine happened at a birthday party. It wasn't raining but there was confetti. It was nearly the same thing," Baby chimed in from the back. She was beginning to feel left out again. From what she saw, neither of them reacted to her comment, and she scratched at the floor of the van in irritation. She didn't know if she was thankful or not when they pulled up to their destination.

Seeing that the front doors were chained closed, Springtrap had a different plan. "Drive around to the back. There's another way inside."

Charlie nodded and did so. It helped that there weren't any roads behind the building. No risk of cars driving by and seeing them. She parked the van beside the back door, but they could both see that this time his prediction was wrong. Springtrap swore under his breath as he climbed out and approached the door. The chain was smaller and weaker than the one on the front door at least, so that meant they would probably still be able to break in easily.

The rabbit lifted the padlock in his hand and looked it over. "Do we have bolt cutters?"

"We don't need them," Baby affirmed as she climbed out of the back and skated around, leaving Charlie to shut the doors and follow. The clown intruded past Springtrap with a swift, "Move," and wedged her claw between the door and the chain. She then tightened her grip and yanked sharply, shearing the chain like it was mere rope.

"Well, I'm impressed," Charlie complimented.

Baby gave a curt, almost smug shrug. "You should see what I can do to wires."

"Depending on how well they locked this place up, I'd say we have a better chance of running across more chains," the Security Puppet reminded. She readjusted her jacket as Springtrap stepped into the darkness and stepped in behind him. "It doesn't look like much from the outside."

"Afton Robotics stands as a representation of its creator. On the outside it looks like an unremarkable structure in the community, and it is not until you venture deeper inside that you see the evil kept hidden under layers of filth. Both would deserve nothing better than complete demolition, instead simply being forgotten by time. Their deeds and legacies left in ash," Springtrap explained as he stepped in. He looked around the hallway and easily saw through the darkness. "This is why we need to get to a lower floor. Which means…" He reached out and flicked a light switch to no response. "We will need to get the power on."

Springtrap charged into the darkness dead set on finding a breaker room with Charlie in pursuit. The building was cold, sterile, with a strange smell that was both clean and stagnant. Like someone had cleaned everything thoroughly and then closed the entire building right afterwards. Even with the lights on, she couldn't imagine working in a place like this.

"How long did you work here?" she asked the rabbit.

"Only a week. It was one of the worst weeks of my life. By day two alone I was under attack by numerous aggressive animatronics."

Asking why he stayed was pointless. There was a more important question Charlie could think of, especially considering what she knew of Michael's background- that he had been at odds with his father and separated from the family. "Why did you come here?"

"I was looking for someone," Springtrap admitted. He stopped to check an old map on the wall before continuing towards a nearby room. Only stopping short when Charlie spoke up.

"You came for Baby," Charlie said. The rabbit paused in his tracks. "You came down to find your sister, right?" This was met with a long pause. One that confused her. That made the most sense; that was what Marionette and Mike believed. He had come to ARI to find his lost younger sister.

"No," Springtrap admitted. His voice was quiet and crestfallen. "…I came looking for someone else."

All at once, the conversation with him from earlier came back and everything clicked into place for Charlie. All of it came full circle but circled around one empty spot; the details of this unknown person.

Springtrap continued ahead again and let himself into the nearby breaker room. It wasn't like the ones on the lower level, being more just a glorified fuse box in a closet than anything that would require a Handunit. In fact, it was awfully rustic in comparison to the high-tech machinery on the lower floors. All he had to do was throw a couple of switches to turn on the power to the elevator shaft. He then turned around to face Charlie before looking past her. "Where's Baby?"

"What?" Charlie looked back as well. Only now did she realize that Baby was nowhere to be found. "I thought she was right behind me."

"The elevator's back that way. We'll look on the way there." Honestly, Springtrap hoped this was a sign that Baby would get cold feet and wait up here as a lookout. He really didn't want to relive the worst moments of his life and having her there would only dredge them back up. To his dismay, they found Baby right before they arrived at the elevator as she skated up from the hall they had entered through.

"Where happened to you? I thought you were with us," Charlie asked her. Springtrap listened as he pressed the elevator button. There was a low beep from deep in the facility followed by the rumbling of the lift.

"Oh. No. I wasn't. I wouldn't step foot in here until I knew there wasn't an alarm or a night guard. He was the canary in the mineshaft," Baby explained as she nodded at Springtrap's back. "Or the rabbit in a snare. You should have waited out there with me."

"There are alarms on this floor. That's why I didn't reset power to the entire building, if I even could have," Springtrap answered. "I'm not foolish enough to set off anything of the sort."

"My mistake. I just assumed when you charged in blindly that you weren't being careful," Baby said with a light hiss. Charlie wiped her mask tiredly at the two's return to bickering and would've broke them up if not for the elevator opening and doing it for her. The three stepped inside and Springtrap tapped into the keypad beside the door. The heavy doors shut, and the elevator began to descend.

Just the sterile elevator alone was starting to give Charlie a glimpse of what the others had told her. There was a foreboding weightiness in the slow descend into the facility. The chill only seemed to grow, and she zipped up her jacket the rest of the way and pushed her hood back.

" _Welcome to the first-."_ The silence was interrupted by the Handunit's automated voice as Springtrap activated it. _"Please enter your-."_ He cut it off and quickly tapped something in on the keypad. _"Welcome, Mike."_

The elevator returned to an uncomfortable silence. Charlie looked between the other animatronics and could tell from their body language alone that they were both on edge. This place just had that effect on them. At least it wasn't just her. She nearly jumped when the elevator doors opened with a loud clanked and stared out into semi-darkness. The light from the elevator showed down upon a vent opening surrounded by fallen caution tape. Springtrap silently stepped forward and climbed into the shaft.

Charlie almost questioned it but decided not to. If something was amiss then Baby would've said something, so the Security Puppet instead knelt and stared into the darkness. Springtrap was already some ways ahead when she started to crawl through after him. She could hear Baby banging around louder as she crawled through behind her. The vent was both cold and stuffy, but not claustrophobic. If anything, Charlie felt safer in the tight space than out in the open.

Suddenly a voice echoed through the vent, _"Please ignore any spills or stains left in the vent. Our vent repair employee has yet to return from their vacation and is considered tardy or fired."_ It was the Handunit, which sounded like it was going to continue when Springtrap muted it.

"Stains?" Charlie asked. "I don't like the implications there."

"They found a body in this vent once," Springtrap explained. Which was just as bad as Charlie had imagined. "One of the unfortunate technicians before I came to work here."

"What happened to them?" she hesitantly asked. _"Do I even want to know?"_

"I couldn't say…" Springtrap's neutral voice dropped to coldness and accusation as he added. "You should ask Baby."

"I hate you," Baby answered from the back. Charlie decided not to ask- she really didn't want to know- and Springtrap climbed out of the end of the vent and into the Primary Control Module. As expected, the power was off in the room, and he waited for Charlie to climb out.

"We'll need to get to the Breaker Room through there," he explained as he pointed out the left window. "Once I get the power on, we can make our way to the Private Room through the Funtime Auditorium. It's the closest office I know that had monitors in it. You can wait here for me to turn on the power, but I don't recommend us splitting up. We don't know what's still down here."

Charlie nodded in agreement and looked around the room, then offered a hand to Baby who was still climbing out of the vent. Baby almost took it but noticed Springtrap watching and declined it with a hand wave, standing on her own. The Security Puppet returned to looking around the room, noticing an old poster and an unsettling Baby-faced clock. She then noticed the two control panels that faced the windows with two large buttons on each. They were darkened out, but one button had a sun symbol and the other a lightning bolt, and both panels were identical.

"What were these for, to control the lights?" Charlie asked as she looked at the panel. Even with the power off she didn't risk touching.

"The top one was. The bottom is for administering controlled shocks to keep the animatronics passive," Springtrap answered reflexively. He used the light from the Handunit to see inside the next vent.

"Passive. Right…" She hadn't forgotten what that partial shock had felt like that single time. She could imagine that any animatronic would obey if threatened with that.

"I had one too," Baby spoke up. She wheeled up beside Charlie before gesturing her claw towards another open vent. "That one leads to the Circus Gallery's control room. That's where they kept me."

"And you had a panel like this?" Charlie carefully asked.

"I did… But mine got much more use." Baby tightened her claw at the thought. She always had it worse than the others in that regard. Charlie patted her arm sympathetically, but it didn't really help much. What ultimately snapped her out of that daze was Springtrap, who started climbing through to the Ballora Gallery. Baby recovered and looked to Charlie, "You go in after him." The puppet nodded and did so.

The Ballora Gallery was just spacious enough that even with her ability to see in lowlight it was hard to see the stage. It was empty, standing unused and unloved, with a single broken rope dangling ominously above it. She didn't know what it could've held but it didn't look to be the same wiring of puppet strings. Springtrap seemed to hunch down and crossed the room with a paranoid sort of gait, but she couldn't hear or see anything, and Baby skated behind without much concern.

They arrived at the Breaker Room without issue. It was a small room overflowing with wires and set with a breaker box and a panel of red buttons. Springtrap stepped ahead and opened the box as he had before, beginning to reset the fuses. Within moments the power kicked on. Though instead of actual lights, the Breaker Room regained little more than a single, flickering bulb. Springtrap shut the panel again.

"We will need to be quick. I had to turn power on to the entire floor… Which makes us even more apparent," Springtrap explained. He then headed back towards the door with Baby heading through first and him and Charlie following. They stepped out into the Ballora Gallery yet again and got halfway back to the vent, now able to see a dull glow coming through the windows of the control room.

That was when Springtrap stopped in his tracks and stared up at the window of the room. Charlie looked up as well but couldn't see what he had been looking at. "What's wrong? Did you see something?"

"Movement by the window," Springtrap muttered. He stared at the window with a predatory and paranoid gaze, then handed the Handunit back to Charlie without looking away. "Something's in the control room."

"You must be imagining things. There can't be anyone down here. If it was a nightguard then we would see a flashlight," Baby quickly dismissed.

"I know what I saw," Springtrap affirmed and started to hurry ahead. Baby was quick behind him, even when he nearly dove through to the control module. He looked around the control room before hearing something, a shuffling and thumping, the sound of someone crawling through a vent. His head turned abruptly to the opening towards the Circus Control entrance. "Someone's down here with us…"

"You are just being paranoid," Baby argued as she climbed out of the vent. "It could be one of those little dolls left behind. Does it even matter? We need to go through the Funtime Auditorium." She pointed to the other vent opening insistently. "Stop following make-believe and let's go. You were the one saying we needed to be quick."

Springtrap was too focused on what he knew he heard to even consider going on. Especially now that whatever it was would be cornered, and he knew it was something. He knew the different between a figment of his imagination and something scuttling through the vents. He swooped into the vent and began to quickly crawl down towards the Circus Gallery. Baby was hot on his heels, still giving frustrated mutters as she did.

The Circus Control never had good lighting, but he could see the entire room when he stood in it. A cramped, uncomfortable space full of buttons and knobs with unknown uses, and devoid of any animatronics other than him. He was certain he had heard something come in here and it baffled him to see that he was wrong. Baby climbed out behind him with a huff. "See? Nothing. You were being paranoid."

For a second Springtrap thought maybe Baby was right. Maybe this place was just too attached to bad memories, to the point where he was imagining things he may have heard in the past. He turned his head to look back towards her when he caught the faintest hint of the dullest noise. A very subtle scrap of metal. He remembered that noise and his ear twitched as he stared down at the hiding spot underneath the desk. The cover had been pulled over the space. Something was hiding in the crawlspace.

Baby went remarkably silent when Springtrap crouched down in front of cover. Charlie climbed out behind her and looked to the rabbit in confusion. Both watched as he tried to look past the darkness through the holes in the metal without being able to see what was inside. He carefully reached forward and tried to nudge the cover open, only to meet resistance. It was being held closed.

Without warning, Springtrap dug his fingers into the hole in the cover and yanked it out of the way with all his strength. All at once he revealed the source of the noise.

It was Ennard.

"Of course, _it's you_ ," Springtrap spat with frustration. He had half a mind to rip the clown out from under the desk and throw him across the floor but resisted enough to just stand and tower over him. "I should have known you would drag yourself down here after us. Crawling around in the darkness and watching us just as you always do, weren't you?"

"Heh, fancy seeing you here! You guys come here often or is this a special occasion? Ha ha!" Ennard mimicked a normal tone well, but it was clear that he hadn't planned on getting caught. The amalgam began to climb out from under the desk, revealing that he had already shed his 'human' costume from the basement. Seeing him there regardless was baffling.

"Ennard, how did you get here?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in!" Ennard excused as he picked a clump of cobwebs off his wires. "I'm regretting it already, ha ha!"

"No, seriously. How did you get down here? There's no way you could've gotten through the tunnels that fast on foot… Wait, were you coming out of the elevator?" All at once Charlie pieced it together and her voice dropped from surprise to disbelief. "You were in the van with us, weren't you?"

Instead of Ennard getting a chance to answer, that question sparked a realization in Springtrap who turned back on Baby with a sharp glare. "Waiting to see if the coast was clear- You were letting him in! You brought it with us without telling us," Springtrap spat. He looked back at the amalgam and hissed, "I knew I should've checked under that goddamn tarp."

"He's just as much of this as you are," Baby affirmed with her own glare. She raised her claw threateningly to jab at his chest, getting the rabbit's eyes back on her. "Do you think I trust you enough to come here with you alone? No. As far as we know, he is Michael and _you a_ re the imposter. You could have turned on us as soon as your proof fell through."

"Yes, because that makes any amount of sense," Springtrap sarcastically spat. "If I didn't have proof, then why would I bring you down here when there are people expecting you back? Your disappearance would get noticed, unlike mine. I have no one, so perhaps you brought him down here so you two might ambush me. You always did hunt in a pack."

"There's a pack of something here- a pack of lies!" Ennard challenged. "Lemme tell ya something, Willie, if there's so-called evidence down here of whose Michael then I want to see it! Cause the only thing you've got going for you is the voice and you better believe I can do a spot-on impression that blows yours out of the water," he added, pointing to his own chest.

"I swear to God, if you call me that name one more time- just _one more time_ \- I will put my arm straight through your chest and **rip out** whatever broken piece of _garbage_ you're using as a speaker."

"Ha ha! Really? Sure, come try!" Ennard encouraged with a crackle of amusement. He playfully raised his arms only for his fingers to threateningly spark. " _Come try_."

"Okay, stop. Both of you," Charlie said calmly while getting between them. "We came down here for the truth and you two aren't going to put all of us in danger because you want to fight it out. Especially when the only reason we're down here is to settle this once and for all," she scolded as she looked between them with a sharp glare. "And that's what we're going to do. We can't go on walking on eggshells because you two want to constantly kill each other. We will find out who is Michael and then that's it. That's the end of it."

Springtrap and Ennard were still looking like they were ready to strike at any moment. Charlie gave an out-of-tune ring as she lowered her arms and crossed them over her chest. Then she looked to Springtrap.

"First of all, what Baby said about Ennard being as much a part of this as you are? She's right. Ennard should be here, because he needs to see this evidence too." Springtrap looked away, obviously not happy with this. The Security Puppet then sent a firm look at Baby. "But Baby should have told usthat she was bringing Ennard with us instead of trying to smuggle him in while we weren't watching."

"I didn't have a choice," Baby defended.

"Baby, what if something happened? What if turning on the power caused an electrical failure in the elevator and Ennard was stuck in the shaft with no way for us to get him out? What if there really was a nightguard down here? All you had to do was say something! We wouldn't even be having this fight right now!" Baby was almost surprised at Charlie's outburst as the Security Puppet calmed herself down. Then pointed to the remaining clown. "You're not off the hook either. Does Scott know you're here?"

"Funny you should ask! Ha, you see-!" Ennard paused for a few seconds, unsure how to continue that tirade, and eventually ending with a simple, "No."

"I'm not surprised," Charlie flatly said. "Did you tell anyone else? Does Mari know?"

"… _Does_ Marion know?" Springtrap questioned from behind her. She looked back to see his questioning gaze now on her. Not nearly as aggressive as with Ennard and Baby but suspicious. She returned with an unenthused look and a simple frown.

"If he does, I didn't tell him. I think if he had followed us too then he would have come out as soon as this started," she reminded. The rabbit considered this and then nodded in agreement, and Charlie looked back towards the new clown. "Ennard, we're going to the Private Room to find evidence about Michael's identity. You're welcome to come with as long as we can all agree to stay civil. At least until we get back."

"Scout's honor! Cross my heart!" Ennard promised as he pressed a hand to his chest.

Springtrap was less than enthused with this idea, but he swallowed his disappointment and headed through the vent again. "Let's get this over with."

"Good idea. The sooner out of here the better," Charlie agreed as she followed. She paused to look at Baby. "I'm going to ask you to help me in staying between these two."

"Where else would I go?" Baby mumbled back. She still seemed to be a little sore at the outburst aimed towards her, pouting as she crossed her normal arm across her chest and waited for Charlie to get far enough inside for her to follow. She looked back towards Ennard. "I thought you were going to be quiet."

"Yeah, I tried. It's hard being quiet when you're coming out of a big, clanking elevator," he answered. He gave a playful laugh as she climbed into the vent, then slumped once she was out of the room. This was already going wonderfully well. He was way too out of practice for this.

Things were thankfully silent as they moved out into the Funtime Auditorium. To no surprise, it was very much like the Ballora Gallery, save that it had a few doors and it looked like a portion of the floor had fallen in. The floor around the hole sagging in and it looked like any wrong step would cause the whole thing to collapse. Thankfully, they stayed near the stage and the left wall. Ennard caught sight of Charlie looking up at the Funtime stage and rushed up to her side.

"Can you believe that itty bitty stage was supposed to hold two animatronics? I'm surprised it hasn't fallen in!" the amalgam remarked with a light laugh. His voice echoed across the large, empty room. Springtrap winced, though might've been exaggerating out of disgust.

"It does seem a little small, but I guess not if they rented them out. But there was only the two of them?" Charlie asked, remembering Funtime Chica.

"That's right! First was Funtime Freddy, and don't let that Baby cartoon fool ya, he wasn't anything like that guy. Then there was Funtime Foxy- _Who would perform a fantastic show every hour on the hour!_ " Ennard's Funtime Freddy voice switched to a more boisterous, showman-like one. Probably Funtime Foxy's own. " _And also smelled like pepperoni pizza and birthday cake while he did!_ "

"And occasionally of mothers' perfume," Baby quietly added as she skated past.

" _We do NOT talk about that!_ " Ennard switched back to his typical voice. "Yeesh, it's not easy rolling with the punchlines with buzzkill Baby and sourpuss Springtrap bringing us down."

"I'm going to guess that this place isn't bringing up the best memories… Which isn't much of a guess considering that they pretty much said so while we were coming down here," Charlie partially defended. Ennard's wires twitched and rubbed together with a light squeak, like they had gotten a little wet from the rain.

"It's not exactly a picnic for me either. Heh, I practically lived down here alone for years… At least, I thought it was years. Things get blurry when ya don't get any visual on the sun. It's the florescent lighting."

"Are you two coming?" Baby asked huffily. To punctuate this, Springtrap was behind her trying to get into the Private Room, and after finding it locked, he was forced to ram it open. It didn't take too much to knock through the flimsy electronic lock, not when the door wasn't braced. Baby sent him a lazy look before rolling over to the door.

"Right behind ya!" Ennard chirped. He hurried ahead, leaving Charlie to send one last lingering look at the stage before following. She had a strange feeling that she tried to ignore as she stepped into the room.

Springtrap was already booting up one of the monitors on the desk and stood hunched over it. His fingers fought past their clumsiness with the keys and drew up the program in mind. The other three peered around him and watched as he pulled up the Employee Database on the flickering screen. Soon a bar for a password popped up underneath a request from an Employee ID Number.

"This is it. Every employee had a number that only they knew and could bring up their personal information," Springtrap explained. He straightened and turned around to stare down Ennard who stood behind him. "Michael Afton would know his own number. Any arguments to that?"

"Ah- No! Ha, course he would know!" Ennard agreed almost reluctantly. Springtrap simply stepped out of the way. "…Oh! You want me to put it in! Heh, sure! Just give me a second or two. Its been a pretty long time so I might need to jog my memory." The amalgam mimicked cracking his knuckles, even faking the cracking noise, and walked over to the monitor. He just assumed that it would pop back into his memory.

He stared blankly down at the keypad with no idea what the number could be. Ennard slowly started to think of a number and then tentatively tapped in one-nine-eight-three. That felt like an important number. The monitor let out a discouraging beep and asked for the ID number again.

"Okay, okay. Just a second… Got it!" Ennard chirped. He typed in one-nine-eight-seven a little more confidently. "This one always works!" And received another negative beep. "Okay, uh, obviously not for this."

It was becoming apparent that Ennard was growing desperate. Soon he started to throw in the first numbers that came to mind. One- Nine- Seven- Zero, nothing. Two- Five- One- Four, nothing. One- Two- Three- Four- nothing. One- One- One- One, nothing. Now it was obvious that he was just guessing, especially with how he was twitching as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"It's just- it's right there! Right on the tip of my tongue!" Ennard desperately excused in near pleading. It was at this, seeing the clown coming undone, that Baby decided she had enough.

"I didn't remember anything of my life for years. I didn't know I had ever been a human, or that I had a name or a family. I still don't remember anything about Michael Afton. How would someone remember a number from years ago?" Baby asked. She turned to Springtrap with a challenging stare. "All you have proven is that his memory is bad. You still didn't prove that you were Michael."

Without a word, still staring down Baby, Springtrap reached out and pulled the keyboard away from Ennard and in front of him. He only looked over for a split second as he typed in three numbers and a letter and then back at her as he pressed the enter key. The ID number was accepted and suddenly a screen of information loaded on the computer. The employee was just listed as 'Mike' and it added in his height, weight, blood type, age, and even noting that he had received a 'permanent suspension'. Which probably was their way of saying he was fired.

Baby seemed surprised by the show but was too stubborn to back down. "Didn't you say a manager would have the codes? You could've stolen the passwords. You could be using that tool of yours," she said as she pointed at the Handunit. The rabbit made a noise akin to a scoff, only irritating the clown more. She didn't get a chance to voice more doubts as Ennard spoke up.

"Hey, look at this!" They did and could see that there was a photo slowly loading on the screen. Ennard's big blue eyes transfixed on it as it slowly revealed itself line by line. "They had a picture with the file!" His excitement was clear as he waited for the human's face to appear for him. Now he would have a face to the name and to the voice, a face he could see when piecing in the blanks, and all at once the last bit loaded in.

The man in the photo looked to be in his twenties with short either curled or tussled brown hair. He had blue eyes, a darker shade than the Mike they were familiar with, and Caucasian skin. Clearly Michael Afton.

Ennard was washed over by a strange combination of emotions. He recognized this man without a doubt and his voice wavered. "That's… Th-That's him… That's _him_ , that's Michael." And then came the realization as his voice took a new tone, one of devastation. "That's… That's not me."

Charlie turned to Ennard in surprise. While he couldn't show exaggerated emotions, she could see how his pupils had shrunk in horror. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm s-sure. Not me. That face, that's _**n-not me**_." Ennard started to sound a little more hysterical as he shook his head. "I don't understand-! I- I thought- It made so much sense. I remembered everything-!..." He dropped his head as he leaned on the desk, wire fingers clutching the edge of the table, and the whole room fell into silence. Then, just as quickly, he perked again and was back at the keyboard. "Th-That's fine! That just means I'm one of the other technicians! Ha ha, just mistaken identity! That's all! It doesn't have to be him!"

"My body was the only one you successfully stowed inside. Mine would have been the only one you had a chance of bonding with," Springtrap pointed out.

"But there's- there's got to be something else! There's gotta be someone else!" Ennard began to frantically type in more numbers. "I remember it! I know it, I was human! I know I was!"

"Wearing a suit of skin doesn't make you a human anymore that wearing that defunct Circus Baby mask makes you a clown. Yet you still play the part of a fool," Springtrap spat with venom and anger. This would've been when Baby stepped in if she wasn't still watching the scene. Not sure what to say now that her own brief belief had been disproven, and especially since the rabbit now had common sense backing him. Done with the situation, Springtrap snatched his Handunit off the desk and walked out. "I think we're done here."

"No, wait! There's- There's gotta be something here! I know I'm real!" Ennard continued to argue as he tried password after password, getting rejected every time. Charlie sent a worried look to Baby who had an unreadable look, as though she knew this was going to get worse before it got better. "I know what I saw! I was a technician- just because I'm not- I know what I saw- _ONE OF THESE HAS TO WORK!?_ "

All it took was one last rejection and Ennard ripped the keyboard free and threw it back into the corner. Baby twitched and Charlie stepped back, both expecting the clown to begin throwing monitors too, but instead he collapsed on the desk. He dropped his head into his hands and fell into defeated silence, and the room followed suit. It was uncomfortably quiet, heavy and thick, and yet neither of them felt comfortable enough to break it when the clown's wires were splayed and twitching like they were.

It took a few long seconds before Baby dared to wheel a little closer. Her skate's squeak giving her away before she could even try to silence it.

"I don't understand…" Ennard quietly vented. His voice deepened as it struggled to stay in its mimic and drifted to its broken state. "I thought I remembered. It all looked so real." His voice lowered further as he gave a chilling, " _ **Wh-What if it was aaall fake? All imagine and prr-tend, not a scooped techni-an. JJJust a bro-ken bot**_."

"Stop that. Stop talking like that," Baby scolded. "Why does it matter that you aren't Michael? You weren't Michael this morning, you were Ennard. Honestly, I prefer Ennard to Michael, and whichever technician you were doesn't matter when you are Ennard." She was quick and determined with all her words. "And I don't care what he says, I know there was more than one."

" _ **I…**_ I just wanted to be your brother. I wanted a real family," Ennard admitted. "I was s _o sure…_ "

"There's something I need to tell you, Ennard, and I don't care how much it hurts because you must hear it," Baby insisted. "…Those families on TV aren't really related. They don't even live together, some of them don't even like each other. They just act like a family. If they can act like a family, then we can too." It was a weird way to encourage him and the results weren't immediate, possibly because they were so abrasive. "Try to pull yourself together so we can leave. We shouldn't stay here any longer."

With that, Baby turned back to Charlie and started to usher her to the door. The Security Puppet seemed hesitant to go. "You really want to leave him?"

"He needs time to pull himself together. He needs space," Baby quietly insisted. Maybe she knew better, so Charlie went along with it and headed out. She looked back at Ennard one more time to see that he hadn't moved from his position, then stepped out with Baby to join Springtrap.

Ennard was alone for a few moments before he felt the familiar weight of a hand patting his back. He sulked down further in response and said nothing. Springtrap had been right; he could've been right about so much more. He came down here to find evidence of his humanity and instead Ennard found nothing. There was no picture of him to remind him of who he was.

Charlie and Baby stepped out into the Funtime Auditorium and found Springtrap standing there looking out distantly. The puppet looked to her female companion, "I don't know if we should've left him alone. He didn't look like he was taking this well."

"He will be fine. It's Ennard, he can be overdramatic," Baby quickly dismissed. "It really isn't such a big deal."

"He seems to think so. It sounds like he's back to questioning whether he was human at all. Which we know he was, but that was the same question that caused his… Episode at the warehouse," Charlie pointed out in concern. "I don't want to think about what we'll do if he starts to reject wires down here…"

"He won't. Trust me, he would be doing it by now. Ennard is upset but eventually he will listen to reason… He will just be sad for a few days and make both Scott and I very uncomfortable." Baby gave a frustrated huff and glared at Springtrap's back. "And _he_ didn't help matters. Only one body- I seem to remember two, and I would be the one who remembers everything." She tightened her claw in growing frustration.

"It's not all his fault. He was just trying to prove who he was. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. Every time I borrow that van it ends in a disaster, and this time we still have an actual disaster going on outside."

The Security Puppet started to innocently walk towards the Funtime stage, looking for a brief distraction, when Springtrap suddenly reached his arm back and blocked her. She looked to him in confusion and found him still staring across the auditorium. Only then noticing that he wasn't staring as distantly as she expected.

"Over there," Springtrap directed. His voice was a low murmur. "I can't tell if it's my eyes or if something is moving."

Confused, Charlie looked across the auditorium and looked around for some sign of what he could've seen. She looked at the doors to no avail and saw nothing shifting in the shadows. She was about to say she didn't see anything when her eyes landed on the hole. There was a bundle of moving wires flexing and fidgeting at the edge of the hole. They looked like the ones Baby and Ennard were made from.

"I see it too," Charlie agreed. "It looks like… Wires."

With that confirmation, Springtrap nodded and called over. "We can see you over there. You're not fooling anyone so just go ahead and show yourself."

Springtrap might've immediately regretted this as the bundle of wires did exactly as suggested.

The wires suddenly slid up and over the edge of the ledge, revealing itself bundled together like an arm. A flimsy lump of metal seemed to be a shoddily made hand that dug into the soft gaps between the tiles as it lifted more of its body up. Another arm struck out and reached for them, metal scraping on the floor as it slowly rose into view.

If Ennard was an animatronic made of wires, then this creature was just a mound of wires pretending to be an animatronic. They held its thin body together weakly and wrapped through scavenged plates to barely make a face. Unfortunately, it happened to just be a face Baby recognized, and she knew without doubt what it was that currently leered at them. It had an eye like a stage light that began to illuminate a gaudy orange glow and it hunched forward and stared with a wide grin of sharp teeth. Baby knew it was staring right at her.

She knew who he was. He remembered who she was.

" _ **WELL, WELL, WELL! HEL-L-LO AGA-AIN!"**_


	75. Chapter 75

**Mable: Well, hello again! Are you ready to continue? Cause I certainly am, ha ha! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-Five_

" _ **WELL, WELL, WELL! HEL-L-LO AGA-AIN!"**_

To the horror of all three onlookers, the matted bundle of wires' voice gave away its identity. It was Funtime Freddy, or whatever remains were left of him. Most of his body parts had either been lost to time or harvested by Ennard ages ago. It left him more like a hunk of scrap metal than any sizeable animatronic. Its wires hung loose and moved fluidly as he crawled up further onto the floor, moving like heated, molten metal and squirming underneath him. He gave a broken laugh.

" **L-LOOK WHO WAS ALMOST L-LATE TO THE PA-ARTY! HAhAHahHA! WE MISSED YOU, BA-BA-BABY!"** Molten Freddy exclaimed. His voice echoed across the Funtime Auditorium. **"DID YOU MISS U-US?"**

"You can't be here…" Baby shook her head slowly as she stared in disbelief at the broken form. She was rendered horrified as she witnessed what her former friend had become. "I don't understand. You were gone. You left. You can't be here now." He gave a raucous laugh at the sound of her confusion.

" **WE NEVER LEFT, BA-BABY! HAH, WE-E-E KNEW YOU'D COME BACK EVEN-TUA-LLY. WE WAITED RIGHT HE-HERE FOR YOU TO COME BA-ACK. AND HEEEERE YOU AAAARE!"** Molten Freddy dragged himself fully out of the hole in the floor and revealed his lower half. Or what was almost a lower half. Tangled wires and parts looked like they were supposed to be legs, but they looked useless, twisted backwards and dragging behind him as he slowly pattered across the floor. _**"HAHAhAhahaHAAH!**_ **AND NOW WE'RE AAALL TOGETHER AGAIN!"**

In what was either the best or worst timing possible, this was right when Ennard heard what was going on and stepped through the door. Unlike Baby he needed no processing and had no disbelief. He saw Molten Freddy and knew exactly what it was in front of him. He was petrified and completely silent, staring at the broken remains of an animatronic that shouldn't still exist. The orange light fixated on him next.

" **AWW! AND Y-YOU EV-EVEN BROO-OUGHT BACK OUR BODY WITH- WITH YOU! HOW GEN-RRR-OUS!"** Molten Freddy craned his neck in a disturbing twist towards the stage. **"** _ **OH FOOOOXY!~**_ **COME SAY HI-I-I!"**

A thump from the stage caused Springtrap, Charlie, and Baby's heads to snap over and see that there was yet another animatronic stepping out of the shadows. Though to call it an animatronic was an overstatement. Like Freddy, it was in such a destroyed state that it was barely standing on its own legs, but unlike Freddy it had legs. Wires wrapped through endoskeleton metal and what might've been parts of microphone poles. There weren't feet, with the end of the legs simply ending in metal posts surrounded in loops of wires.

Part of a torso was intact, if only to give the legs something to attach to, but there were no arms. Instead wires hung down from where the arms would be and connected in the front in a tangled nest. This was much needed to support its head, which hung limply in front of its chest, wires too loose to make an adequate neck. Its head resembled Molten Freddy's in the sense that it was a broken up, strung together, peeling and worn away set of Foxy mask plates. This one with one pink stage light eye and one broken normal one dangling from the socket.

" **Would you look there- the audience has arrived in time for the big show!"** Molten Foxy proclaimed as he staggered over and hopped down from the stage, blocking their exit. He opened his mouth wider and they could see rows of teeth inside. Not all made of metal either; the larger teeth were translucent and jagged, revealing themselves as repurposed shards of glass. **"Welcome home, Baby!"**

" **AND SHE BROUGHT BA-ACK OUR BO-ODY."** Molten Freddy's gaze was transfixed on Ennard and his tone was undeniably dangerous. He looked at the wire covered clown like he was a hunk of meat ready to gut open and crawl inside. **"IT'S GONNA BE SOOO MUCH FUN BEING ONE AGA-AIN!"**

" **Here her-rrr-re!"** Molten Foxy cheered. Then he set his eyes upon the group with a peculiar glint. The pink eye darkened to a near red. **"Then let the shooow begin! Spotlight** _ **please**_ **!"**

" **I'M GONNA HAVE SOOO MUCH FU-UN PULLING ALL-ALL THOSE WIRES APA-RT!"** That was the only warning before Molten Freddy suddenly began a mad scramble across the tiled floor. He moved fast and dragged his loose remains like they were weightless as he closed in on the frozen clown. Ennard was petrified by utter horror and just stared as the decrepit remains closed in. Then, right before Molten Freddy reached him, a pair of black and white arms reached out and yanked the clown back into the doorway.

Molten Freddy was undeterred and was prepared to scramble right through the doorway. Baby saw this and reacted quickly, charging shoulder first and slamming him into the doorframe. She caught him with her hand and pinned him as her claw reared back with the intention of striking.

It was then that Molten Foxy charged in. Springtrap turned towards the mangled fox and braced himself for impact, planning on catching him and breaking his already broken body in his bare hands. Except at the last moment the fox ducked around him, sprinted right past Charlie, and threw himself onto Baby's back. He let his head dangle as he looped his nest of wires over Baby's head and yanked her back, partially blinding her and leaving her vulnerable. In seconds Molten Freddy's wires released his false legs and swung onto the clown where they ensnared her claw.

" **AHHAHA, AWW! POOR BA-BABY'S A LITTLE BUSTED UP!"** Molten Freddy mocked as he twisted her claw to try and break it. **"Y-YOU ALREADY HAD A CHANCE TO PLAY NICE!~"** He yanked sharper at the claw, trying to rip it from her arm.

Without any warning or expectation, suddenly Marionette sprung out of the Private Room and tackled Molten Foxy at full force. He shoved him back, pinning him to the floor, which in turn yanked Baby back and partially out of Molten Freddy's wires. It was just enough to give her a chance to fight back and kick him in the sternum, or the wires pretending to be one. He continued trying to crawl up her leg as Marionette wrestled with Molten Foxy. Charlie made a run for them, briefly grabbed by Springtrap but slipping out of his hold.

With Baby mostly free of Molten Foxy, Charlie got behind her and tried to help lift her onto her feet, even as she was still in a tug-of-war with wires. One that ended with Baby clocking the bear with her claw and skating into the Private Room with Charlie dragged in behind her. It was the last place that Springtrap wanted to get stuck and he sent a brief look back towards the vent to the Control Module. He couldn't leave without them- if he could leave at all, since the two might've disabled the elevator.

Finally, he made his decision and charged back into the room. Turning back only to call, "Come on!" Marionette detached himself from Molten Foxy, rolled off him, and rushed past to the door. He just barely dodged a swipe of a wire hand, which was halted by the door slamming closed behind him.

Ennard held the door shut with all his weight as he stared ahead with a twitching, panicked gaze. The two Molten animatronics could be heard banging and scratching while yelling through it with muffled voices. The six were safe for the moment but they knew that it wouldn't last long.

Ennard was the one to break the silence, "…I think the friends of my past have come back to haunt me."

"What is going on out there?! What are those things?!" Springtrap demanded as he glowered at the clown. "Obviously Funtime Freddy and Foxy, but why are they out there?! You are them!"

"Ha, uh, not really. You see, we're kind of not… We kind of…" Ennard tapped his fingers together, turning to lean his back on the door. "…Split?" He gave a shrug, but his strained voice showed how anxious he truly was. He was positively terrified at just hearing their voices, ergo why he kept his so quiet. "Or, you know… They kind of got pushed out. Heh, I thought they just disappeared, went quiet! Turns out they didn't?"

"Are you… Are you telling me that you stole _their_ body too? Is that what you are telling me?!" Springtrap exploded. "For God's sake, you truly are a parasite! A pathological body snatcher!"

"Michael, that's not helping," Marionette spoke up. He was rubbing over his mask tiredly, but it was clear that simple exasperation wasn't all that was wrong. He was very aware of the danger they had just got themselves into. As broken as the Molten animatronics looked, they were extremely violent, and just broken enough to keep fighting through damage. "We need to keep our heads. Heaven's knows Funtime Foxy's barely keeping his."

Springtrap looked to him with lesser frustration compared to the clown. "And I had a feeling you would be following us down here. You could have warned us of the danger."

"I was in the same room with you the whole time. It's not hard for me to disappear if I move behind something or someone. I was in here when they came out of hiding," Marionette explained. Springtrap sent a suspicious glance towards Charlie, which the Puppet noticed and frowned at. "And before you ask, no. She didn't know I was coming and she didn't tell me where you were going. I overheard you from the other room and chose to follow on my own."

Springtrap seemed to accept this answer. It didn't seem out of character for Marionette, who tended to silently insert himself into situations without much warning. Not to mention that between his inclusion and Ennard's, the springlock animatronic was much more receptive of his. Speaking of Ennard, he didn't appreciate Springtrap's cutoff tirade, and wasn't shell-shocked enough to let Springtrap get away with it.

"I'm not a parasite. You don't know what they did to me down here," Ennard hissed back. "You have no idea what I've had to go through."

"No, but I know _who_ you've been through," Springtrap rebutted.

"Michael, _please_ ," Marionette nearly begged.

"Is Gabe down here too?" Springtrap simply asked, not breaking his current glare with Ennard. The Puppet rolled back his head in exasperation.

"Gabe's back distracting the others. That's not important." This was met with silence, though the two were still shooting daggers at each other. Marionette huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "This doesn't make sense. I fought both Funtime Freddy and Funtime Foxy ages ago when Mike and I were here the first time. They weren't anything like this."

"No, you didn't," Baby abruptly corrected. He looked to her and she slowly looked back. "That wasn't them, that was us. When you came with Mike, Ennard and I were the ones who came after you. Let's not get into why- you _know_ why- the important part was that… That they were gone." She shuddered and shook her head slowly. "I don't understand. They were gone. I don't understand this."

"Maybe they weren't really gone," Marionette offered. "They're made of wires and parts. They could have just repossessed pieces taken off their bodies. Or old bodies that had been decommissioned and then concept unification happened.… And we haven't seen them because they've been kept somewhere else. Or hiding from any humans. They probably know to be wary of any workers who aren't alone."

Any further speculation was cut off by a voice calling through the door.

" **WE'LL FIND A WAY INSIDE EV-EN-TUA-LLY!~"** This was punctuated by a loud bang as the door shuddered underneath Ennard's weight. **"Y-YOU CAN'T RUN OFF AGAIN! AHAHAH, NOT THI-IS TIME!"** Now there was a louder bang as both forms hit the door and opened it an inch. Springtrap charged over to throw his additional weight on it, his feud with Ennard briefly being ignored to block the door.

Baby shuddered and backed towards the desk with a shake of her head. She bumped against it lightly before saying, "Don't let them in. If they get to me, they will kill me."

"Wait, maybe there's still a chance to reason with them. They were your friends at one point, right? Maybe we can talk them down," Charlie suggested. She looked to Marionette. "Mari, you're good with words. Why don't you teleport out there, far enough that they can't reach you, and tell them that we can fix them if they're willing to let Baby and Ennard go. I know it's risky-."

"They won't agree to it," Baby denied with a shake of her head. "After what they did, after what _we_ did, they would never let us go. They hate me and they want Ennard's body."

It was then that Springtrap suddenly straightened up. He slowly looked to Ennard alongside him, silver eyes focusing on. "They want you," he simply said.

"…Ha, don't go getting any ideas," Ennard said with a forced laugh. The rabbit continued to stare at him. "Don't look at me like that."

"You took their body- you _are_ their body and now they are going to come in here tear you and Baby apart. The rest of us too if they're not willing to stop."

"Are you really asking me to walk out there and give myself up?! You saw what they tried doing to Baby, they'll take me over in a heartbeat! How's that gonna be any better for you, giving 'em a better body?!"

"No, you idiot, I'm not telling you to give yourself up to them! Just shove past them and make a run for it!" Springtrap paused as they had to hold for another blow on the door. By time he was able to talk again, he had evened his voice out. "As it is now, they will get in here and from what the breaker room map says there isn't a way out from back here. They will corner us, and they will destroy Baby and take your body whether you like it or not. Now, you have the chance to do something self-sacrificing for once in your life and lead them off."

"I- I can't- I ca-can't go out there. They'll get me. They'll take my body. I can't," Ennard struggled to protest. His voice wavered as his mimic started to drop. "I won't."

"If you care anything about Baby then you will, because you and I both know that they mean to kill her," Springtrap pointed out coldly. "But they want _you_ more. They will only follow _you._ "

A strange calm came over Ennard. He hesitated a moment as though he was considering it, thinking about what Springtrap said, about how horrible it would be to lose his body again. He didn't want their voices back inside of him or their wires invading his body, yet as he looked to Baby he knew their options were limited.

"I think I can outrun them," the amalgam offered. Baby started to shake her head faster. "I think I could maybe… Maybe shock them enough to get through them. Make a run for Parts and Service."

"Don't you even think about it," Baby hissed back. "Only an idiot would step out there. They will take your body for themselves and throw you away like you're nothing."

"I'm not afraid of them… Okay, yeah I am, but I can't- I'm not- I'm not going to just stand here and let them tear apart everything I've worked for," Ennard argued back. He then snapped his head to Springtrap and lowered his voice bitterly. "We'll see who the real parasite is." Though right when it seemed like he was determined to go, already drawing away from the door to open it up-.

"Do you hear that?" Marionette quietly asked. He slowly turned his head to listen to the sound coming down the left hallway. "It sounds like… Music."

Baby gave a noise akin to a gasp. "Ballora…!"

Marionette hurried to the other door and leaned out to look. He was taken aback to see that a third animatronic was coming, and the state it was in sent a chill down his spine.

It was clearly Ballora, but her body was in an equally horrendous state to Foxy and Freddy. She had more of her plates on than either of them had, but they didn't look to be in good condition. They looked like they had barely survived a garbage chute. Though because of them she had almost fully intact legs. Not that she could walk on them; she instead was crawling towards the door like a spider, back to the floor, head and arms twisted around to help her crawl. Half melted and frayed wires hung out from every crack, and her bent legs scraped on the floor as she moved.

Her head lacked a proper skull and seemed to me more wrapped of wires than either of the other Molten animatronics. Instead of a mouth she just had a gaping hole in the wires that tried to resemble one. No mouth or speaker to see of yet somehow she still played that broken music box music. She had eyes, or closed eye lids, that were an unpainted white and looked like they were barely held in. As though she had found a pair of replacement eyes, but they didn't open as she raised her head.

" _ **You have the perfect form… For my new dance partner… Let me wrap myself around you.**_ _"_

Mask eyes widened and the Puppet slammed his hand on the button for the door. It closed abruptly but caused the monitors in the room to flicker, the room's electricity surging. It didn't help that he immediately heard scuttling and a clunking against the door. It also didn't help that there was a gaping open vent that could easily lead right out into the hall. He made the decision to take charge.

"Forget the distraction! Everyone, follow me!" Marionette commanded as he rushed out the other door.

Nobody needed to be told twice. Even Ennard had lost his nerve after the arrival of Ballora, or suddenly realized that the plan wouldn't work as anticipated any longer. He ran with Springtrap pressing the button for the door on his way out of the office, barely dodging his arm getting caught as it slammed closed. It wouldn't hold them long but neither Molten Foxy nor Molten Freddy looked very capable of using the door button.

Unfortunately still, Springtrap's prediction of being cornered was partially correct. Marionette got to the back of the Private Room section with no idea where to go and only then remembered the nearly hidden hatch that led back into the secret rooms. Without much context beyond, "In here!" he headed inside with the others at his heels. The group stepped out of the thin hatchway and into what looked unsettlingly like an actual house. Save how dark it was and how everything was caked in a layer of thick dust.

"What is this place?" Charlie asked as she looked around. She noticed a nearby grandfather clock which was no longer running. It looked almost identical to the one in their hallway back at home. "Why does it look like the house?"

"This was… One of the Purple Man's playrooms, for lack of a better description…" Even that definition sent a chill through her. Marionette grew more somber as he quietly added, "This is where he kept Gabriel…"

Springtrap took the news especially hard. He tightened his hands and lowered his head, struggling to keep his compositor as he considered what that meant. What his father could've done to Gabriel down in this fake house. He had done more than just murder him; he had tormented him. It was Michael's worst nightmare.

"But this is also our way out," Marionette continued. He started into the darkness before stopping beside an open vent hatch up by the ceiling. It was only about the size of the ones in the Control Module, but the covering had looked like a normal slated vent and was currently laying useless on the floor. "When Mike and I came down before, I found this vent when I was trying to quickly get in from the Circus Gallery. This vent leads right to it and if we get there we can circle around-."

"Mari, _you're a genius!_ " Ennard blurted out. He ran over, grabbed the puppet by the shoulders, and shook him excitedly. "You just saved us all! That's _brilliant!~_ "

"You're forgetting that they are still closer to the elevator than we are," Baby pointed out. She lowered her head in dread and slight frustration. "They could be waiting for us in the Breaker Room even now."

"No, wait, you don't get it! We don't need to get to the elevator at all!" the amalgam said excitedly. She looked up at him and Marionette tilted his head, to which the clown hooked an arm around his shoulders and leaned down to whisper to them all. "Because there's a little room right behind the Circus Gallery that holds- drumroll please- the secondary service elevator!"

"There's a second elevator?!" Marionette brightened with an excited smile. "That's perfect!"

"It's our ticket to freedom!" Ennard excitedly explained. "Now it's tiny and slow, but we can ride it straight up to the surface without those kooks being any the wiser!"

"I don't remember a second elevator. Are you sure it's there? Are you sure it's working?" Baby asked desperately. "I lived in that gallery for years, I never saw it."

"Maybe it was one of those rooms that animatronics black out on. That's gonna be fun using an elevator we can't see. But hey, a way out is a way out, right?"

"…Help me up." Baby skated over the carpet and underneath the vent. "I might be able to find the way to the Circus Gallery. It was my stage, it should be instinctual, shouldn't it?"

Marionette wasn't sure if that was true, especially after all the tampering that had been done with her programming but didn't feel the need to argue if she wanted to go first. Ennard helped boost her to the vent and she tucked herself inside and crawled in. He then beckoned the puppets in, helping boost Charlie who Marionette let go first before smoothly following without assistance. Ennard didn't wait for Springtrap and climbed in afterwards, but the rabbit wouldn't have asked for assistance anyway.

Soon the group was slowly creeping through the vent shaft. It was cold and tight, but there was obvious progress being made. Baby led at the front down a straight shaft until coming to a vent shaft breaking off to the right but decided to continue crawling ahead. It wasn't until Springtrap got to the vent opening that he spoke.

"Everyone wait," Springtrap commanded. Marionette tried to look back past Ennard in alarm while the springlock suit turned on his Handunit. "We can't take the chance of getting lost in here. Let me see if I can find a layout of the vents." The tool began to boot slowly, and it was only within a few moments that Baby's limited patience ran out.

"We don't have time for you to get that thing working- if that thing even works at all. They will find another way into the vents, if they haven't already," Baby fussed. She started to crawl ahead when Charlie caught her by the ankle to stop her.

"He has a point. If we go charging ahead into a dead end then we'll be in serious trouble," she warned. Yet all Baby heard was that Charlie was taking Springtrap's side over hers again. It made her defensive, and she tugged her leg free.

"Just because he was right about Michael doesn't mean he is right about everything. He has never been in these vents, but I always know where the Circus Gallery is," Baby retorted. She then began to crawl ahead, leaving the less than enthused Charlie behind. Ennard nudged Marionette forward a little, signaling him to keep going, and it was his continuation that convinced Charlie to move on as well. Springtrap, unenthused by the display, stayed back and kept his eyes on the Handunit.

By now Baby was far enough ahead to be reaching the turn at the end of the shaft. She was still charging ahead when she suddenly heard a loud banging. She froze up on the spot, listening closely. Charlie started to crawl up behind her, so she whispered back a firm, "Stop… I hear something nearby. Listen."

Everyone went still behind her and she listened closer. Then came a loud rumbling sound with a repeated thumping as something charged through the vents. She started to move back once she realized that it was coming their way, but there wasn't enough time.

All at once a mess of wires and parts crashed in at the end of the vent, slamming into the vent wall at the end. As its head twisted around it revealed itself as Molten Foxy, then began to push itself through the vent. It shoved its head in front of it with its matted wires as its legs propelled it from behind, still struggling to turn around the corner.

"Move back. _Move back_ ," Baby called as she started to back into the vent. Molten Foxy was quick to follow behind her, head turning on its side and bearing glass shard teeth as it nipped after her.

Everyone else had caught on by now and started making their way back in a frenzy. Springtrap looked up just in time to see Ennard crawling quickly towards him and assumed what happened. He sent one last look to the Handunit, still loading the maps, and then started crawling down the other vent. Unwilling to let Ennard go first and risk being stuck behind him. Ennard followed soon and both Marionette and Charlie were at the turn while Baby continued moving back, slowed by the fact that she couldn't turn around.

" **D-Don't run, Circus Baby! Us showmen should stick together!"** Molten Foxy called. He shoved further towards her and started to gain speed once again. **"But it sure is nice to see you crawling away again!"**

It was that comment that caused Baby to stop her retreat. She knew exactly what he was alluding to, he knew he said it on purpose. Even though in Ennard's form, it had been him, Freddy, and Ballora who stared her down and laughed at her misfortune after she was cast from the body as a mound of rejected wires. She shuddered in growing anger as he continued to crawl in towards her.

" **Did I hurt your feelings? Sorry Circus Baby, b-but you aren't the star of the show anymore!"** He lifted his head and his eye grew a deep red once again. **"Y-You are only wor-r-rth your weight in wi-wires!"**

That was a mistake. Almost as much of a mistake as diving towards Baby, who proceeded to strike her claw out and smash his head into the side of the vent. She opened and closed her clamp attempting to get ahold of him, while he opened and closed his mouth to try and bite her back. His wires slung forward to grab for her and she grabbed a bundle with her free hand and ripped them back, unwinding them from the body and causing a torso plate to fall off. Molten Foxy let out a metal snarl and yanked his body back, freeing his head from her grip, and poised to attack again.

Baby raised her claw while bracing herself with her hand, and when Molten Foxy charged her she was ready. He slammed into her heavily and bit into her shoulder, but it did practically nothing, giving her the chance to flip him and slam him down on the bottom of the vent. She dug her fingers into his empty eye socket while pinning his neck with her closed claw.

"Keep following us. I want an excuse to take off your head," Baby hissed down at him. "You think I wanted to come back to you? I was the best thing that ever happened to you and you threw me away. You're nothing to me now."

" **I'm sorry, but that body is not yours!** " Molten Foxy denied in the same performing tone. " **You should go ba-ack to your stage while you still can, and maybe we won't hurt you a-anymore than we a-already ha-ave!** " Baby gave a frustrated cry and shoved his head against the wall, ignoring his kicking legs as she tried to pull away his faceplates.

It was right around then, as Charlie was moving into the next vent after the others, that she heard a slithering rushing noise. Something else was coming quick and she turned back to warn Baby only to realize the clown was gone. "Baby?!" she called back into the vent.

The loud scurrying tore through and Charlie just barely moved back before Molten Freddy charged by from the vent they had come from. The Security Puppet's eyes widened in horror as she realized that Baby was about to be corned by both without a way to protect her back. Without much thought to the consequences, Charlie leapt out and grabbed ahold of the wires tailing behind Molten Freddy's body to weigh him down. He let out a garbled growl and turned back on her, swinging his arm out and striking her head on the metal wall.

Charlie was more taken off-guard than hurt but she still gave a ringing cry. Her music began to play out of reflex and a second later so did Marionette's as he sprung forward to get between them. He ensnared his strings around Molten Freddy's arm and spun himself, twisting up his wires and wrenching them over. Molten Freddy bared his teeth and dove in to bite, just to be rewarded with Charlie punching him in the jaw, snapping it shut on himself. He laughed hysterically, furiously through his sharp teeth.

Molten Freddy then twisted himself around like a snake and slung his wires over the two puppets, fully dropping the pathetic remains of his legs to do so. The wires tightened quickly around Charlie who began to panic and fight the one looped around her neck. Marionette, meanwhile, had dealt with wires like this before, and he slid right underneath them and smoothly fit past Molten Freddy.

" _ **AHAHAH! WH-WHERE YA GOIN'? YOU CAN'T HIIIIDE!"**_ Molten Freddy challenged as he turned to follow. He didn't even have a chance before Marionette gave him a telekinetic shove. It knocked forward onto his own mound of wires. _**"HEY, NO F-FAIR! THAT'S A CHEAP CHEAT!"**_

The Puppet focused in again as he steadied his hands in front of him. Then he shoved them out, focusing while he did so, and hit Molten Freddy again. This time landing on his own mass of wires and just barely loosening the ones on Charlie. She started to climb out and squeeze past him, only for him to notice and grab her by the leg. He tried tugging her back to his wires, but Marionette noticed and reacted immediately. He lashed out with his telekinesis once more, hands smacking against the bottom of the vent, sending a firmer pang of pressure through the vent.

Not only did it knock Molten Freddy back farther down the vent, but it managed to shove Charlie in the blowback. She only shifted slightly down the vent, but Marionette was quick to grab her arms and help pull her up and out of the wires. He then moved past her and focused his attention on Molten Freddy again, who was already straightening and turning himself over.

"I'll hold him back. Go get Baby," Marionette said as he glared after the bear. Charlie nodded and crawled back towards Baby.

Back at the beginning of the ordeal, when the Security Puppet had first been struck and rang out her music, Baby had heard the song and recognized that it wasn't Marionette. Still with Molten Foxy held down, she processed the realization that the music playing was a different song, and that it sounded more like bells that chimes. She knew what she was hearing and turned back to look. "Charlie?"

Molten Foxy seized the opportunity and rolled his body before yanking his head free. He threw his chest back and tossed his head up just enough for the sharp jaws to clamp down on the wrist that supported her claw. Glass teeth severed through wires that they weren't supposed to and within moments she was struck by pain, and then a weakness in her claw's grip. She used her other hand stabbed her fingers into Molten Foxy's face repeatedly. He flinched and rolled, twisting and cracking something in her wrist in the process.

Throwing herself forward, Baby brought her free elbow down on Molten Foxy's neck. Then used both her trapped and freed arm to yank at his head, ripping and twisting it, and pulling until his wires came loose from his torso and his head slid free. Finally he released her, and she thanked him by tossing his head behind him, his wires now unwound enough that it flew past his twitching legs. He continued to squirm and choke out broken voice lines as he tried and failed to right himself.

"You should have quit while you were ahead," Baby spat after him. She then started to turn to try and see what was going on behind her when she was struck with a sharp pain from her arm. She looked down at the injury and now noticed that her claw hung open limply. It barely responded with anything more than a twitch when she tried to close it. She was damaged and had lost her one line of defense while trapped in this underground prison.

Eventually Charlie came up and squeezed over Baby so that she could see what was going on. Once seeing that Molten Foxy wasn't currently an issue- still trying to rewind his wires together- she looked at Baby's wrist which she was nursing by resting on the bottom of the vent. It was already apparent that something was wrong before she even touched it. Baby flinch and static hiss at the gentlest contact only proved it.

"Hold it with your free hand and don't let it dangle. I'm going to try and help you move, okay?" Charlie said. Baby was in no place to argue, even if the act of trying to hold her claw was uncomfortable. The Security Puppet helped hold her upper body as she maneuvered her back down the last stretch of the vent.

Marionette was still holding Molten Freddy back by time Baby and Charlie arrived. Unfortunately, upon seeing Baby Molten Freddy only became more determined to get to her, and the Puppet again shoved him back. The more frustrated he grew, the harder he shoved. The harder he shoved, the more he felt it. He couldn't remember the last time he had to use his powers for this long and at this controlled level.

Charlie got Baby turned and into the next passage behind Springtrap and Ennard. "Mari, come on! We need to move!"

This couldn't have been a better time as Marionette was starting to see Molten Freddy's eye light trailing and had a suspicion he was becoming fatigued. With one last shove, one hard enough that he almost knocked himself over in the process, he hurried after them. He noticed Molten Foxy beginning to crawl after them again, his body even more of a mess as the wires tangled on the outside to hold it together. Marionette quickly followed the others while keeping an eye and ear out behind him.

Springtrap's eyes flickered between the vent and the Handunit as he struggled to crawl through the confined space. There was a second path up ahead against the left side and looked down at the now loaded map. Going to the left would effectively be a short cut, with going straight looping around before meeting up with this vent and both leading to their end in the Circus Gallery. This was a huge relief and Springtrap eagerly rounded the corner for the shortcut.

His eyes raised from the Handunit just in time to see something waiting down at the end of the shaft. Closed eyes in a nest of wires and the cramped and distorted legs folded behind it revealed it as Ballora. Springtrap froze to a halt and Ballora slowed her crawl to its own stop so she could 'stare' at him.

It was right then that Ennard came up behind Springtrap and saw Ballora. He recoiled instantly and stared with wide and terrified blue eyes. They were at a brief stalemate as the rabbit tried to figure out what to do now, considering that he could hear the fighting in the vents behind him. He could probably hold back Ballora but getting past her was another thing entirely. Or it was until he remembered the vents. He held up the Handunit screen and aimed it behind him so that Ennard would see, pointing out the additional vent path that would lead behind Ballora.

Ennard understood immediately and hurried to crawl down the next vent. Either they could outmaneuver her, or he would distract her enough to bring her out of the way and let Springtrap through. Either way was a win, but required Springtrap to stand there and wait, blocking the broken ballerina from getting to the puppets or Baby. It wasn't much longer before the three passed by, with Charlie helping the slowed Baby and Marionette turned back to watch the pursuing Molten animatronics.

He was right behind Springtrap when Molten Freddy started to become bold and move in closer. _**"I-IS THAT GOLDY BON-BON I SEE?!"**_ Marionette reacted by shoving him back again, though now having to contend with Molten Foxy's weight behind him both mean that he didn't go as far and that it took more strength. The Puppet sagged slightly against Springtrap's leg.

"Where is Ennard?" Marionette asked. His voice was quiet and winded. Springtrap responded by holding up the Handunit again and showing him the path. "A way out. Thank goodness." He started to head after Charlie and Baby. "Follow with me. Don't let them catch up with you."

He had a point, so as soon as he passed Springtrap scooted back and started to follow him down the vent. Ennard had to be close to the other side by now and it didn't look like Ballora could turn around unless she completely detached her legs. Though considering everyone's loose wire state it was very possible that she could. He started to crawl down the shaft when he heard Molten Freddy coming up close.

" _ **WHERE YA GOIN', BON-BON? THE PARTY'S NOT OVER YET…"**_ The bear crackled and Springtrap could feel its wire fingers grazing his ankle. _**"WE'D L-LOVE TO FI-ILL ALL THAT EMPTY SPACE!"**_

" _Don't touch me,_ "Springtrap snarled deeply. Under any circumstances this would've done nothing, if not for one exception; his voice. "Get back _**now**_."

Springtrap suspected that it was the familiarity of the voice that caused Molten Freddy to fall back. In any case it worked for the moment, but he doubted it would work long. He crawled faster after the others.

Ennard had just made it to the other side of the vent. He peeked around carefully only to spot Ballora's back end facing back at him. She still looked distracted so he thought he could easily slip by unnoticed, to which he started to slowly move, and kept his wires as still as he could while scooting by. As soon as he passed the midway point, right when there was no turning back, he heard her voice. It was the last voice he had ever wanted to hear.

" _ **I know it's you… I recognize the soft hum of our wires… We missed you..."**_

But she didn't sound the same. As aggressive as Funtime Freddy and Funtime Foxy had been, Ballora had largely been somber but assuring. Something in her tone had changed to sound cold and empty. Her time broken apart had changed her. That was enough to send Ennard into a mad scramble down the rest of the vent shaft until he nearly thumped into the vent cover blocking him from the Circus Gallery. He pressed all his weight on it and using sheer strength forced it open with a loud clank. He climbed out and looked back in to see Baby some ways behind.

"Hurry up! They're flying up on us!" Ennard cried in growing panic. Baby tried to move faster at his beckoning and was rewarded with her wrist and claw shifting again. She hissed at the shot of pain up her arm.

"Go make yourself useful and find that door. Your babbling at me isn't going to make this any easier," Baby spat. He nodded and disappeared, and she focused on crawling forward again.

Charlie squeezed past Baby and climbed out into the Circus Gallery. She looked around cautiously into the darkness and found something like the other gallery and auditorium, a large room that was devoid of much life other than a stage. The only reason she noticed some Circus Baby posters was because they were on the walls around the vent. She reached in to take Baby's arm and help her out of the vent.

"Looks like the coast is clear for now, but I wouldn't put it past them to find another way in," Charlie warned. Baby managed to get herself out and her skates on the floor and only then did the puppet start trying to coax her arm away from her chest. "Let me see it."

"That thing bit through the wires. Now I can barely move it on my own," Baby explained as she held it out. Just the feeling of Charlie's hands ghosting over the main joint sent pinpricks of pain up and down it. "I should have severed that fox's limp little neck when I had the chance," she vented with another hiss.

"I think I know what's wrong. We can fix this, but not here." Charlie unzipped and removed her jacket before carefully wrapping it around Baby's arm. She tried to be gentle as she wrapped tightly, taking care to make sure that it would hold. "This should help keep it still. Just try keeping it close to your chest and don't use it for anything."

"As opposed to what? Letting it dangle like Foxy's head?" Baby sourly asked.

The Security Puppet answered with a sympathetic smile and a pat on the arm as Marionette slid out of the vent behind them. He struggled momentarily, legs briefly touching the ground as he rested against the wall. He then looked over at Baby and noticed the jacket wrapped around her arm, leaning in with concern.

"Baby injured her wrist, but I think I've got it stabilized enough to get us out of here. Are you okay? You look shaken," Charlie said.

Marionette nodded as he regained his strength. He wiped his mask of nonexistent sweat and asked, "Where did Ennard go?"

"Back here!" Ennard cried from somewhere in the back. There came a loud bang that sounded suspiciously like him breaking through a door. Right afterwards, Springtrap popped his upper half out through the vent, slightly startling the already on edge animatronics. He climbed out quickly, awkwardly, forced to drop down forwards onto his hands and crawl out.

"We need to keep moving," Springtrap firmly said. Nobody argued with him, especially when it became apparent why he said such. They could already hear movement in the vents from something following them. Marionette dashed in the direction of where he heard Ennard, with Charlie and Baby following and Springtrap in the back.

" _ **READY OR N-NOT, WE COMING IN!"**_ Molten Freddy crackled after them. Looking back, Marionette caught sight of the bear sticking his head out of the vent and it made him shudder.

The four hurried through the only open doorway they could find at the back of the Circus Gallery. Ennard had been standing behind the door and slammed it shut behind them before dragging a couple of heavy, plastic tubs in front of it and stacking them up. It wouldn't hold for more than a few seconds at best, but it would give them a few seconds to address the newest issue, being the elevator itself.

" _This_ is the secondary elevator?" Marionette asked in disbelief as he circled around it. The fact that he could circle it at all baffling him. "I've slept in boxes bigger than this. I think _my_ box might be bigger than this."

Nobody was impressed with the elevator. It was narrow and sat in the middle of the room awkwardly, being entered from the back by a set of doors. The front had a few windows that looked more like vent openings than anything else, not even having glass in the windows. There was no doubt that it wouldn't hold all of them. Still, it was what they had to work with, and Marionette leaned into the elevator to look around. He noticed something quickly.

"Wait a minute, there's only one button in here. There's not even a keypad to put in a level," Marionette pointed out. Then he pulled back and looked up, only now realizing that the elevator wasn't connected to the upper floor. "Ennard, this elevator doesn't go to the upper floors."

"What?! How- Oh geez, you're right." Ennard stared at the roof positively dumbstruck. He hadn't noticed it in his rush of coming in. He rubbed over the back of his head. "O-kay, so, uh, secondary elevator doesn't go up… Which probably means it's a maintenance elevator that goes down to one place to work. Probably why it's so small." He gave a strained laugh, one that sounded much too like Molten Freddy's for the others' comfort. "And just when it looks like this place can't possibly get any worse!"

"Maybe we can still use it to lose them. Going back out into the Circus Gallery isn't an option," Marionette reminded. He turned back towards the others, specifically Ennard. "What room would require so much maintenance that it would have its own personal lift?" But before Ennard could even guess he was beaten to it.

"The boiler room," Springtrap simply answered. "Father couldn't manage temperature control to save his life, and the boiler room would already be temperamental." That caused the clown to brighten with another idea as he looked to the rabbit and pointed towards the floor.

"Boiler room's the bottom floor, right? Or close enough to it, right?" Springtrap seemed unimpressed by Ennard's newfound enthusiasm when everything was rapidly falling apart in his eyes. "Then that's it! That's our way out of here! You guys know what else is down in this basement?!" He looked to the other three excitedly, receiving a shake of the head from Charlie. "The tunnels! They go right into the sewer and then it's a cake walk right up to the surface! Or, ya know, not exactly cake, but we're already wading in-."

"Aren't the sewers going to be flooded?" Charlie asked doubtfully. Ennard waved it off with both hands.

"No, no! Hasn't rained in a while and these sewers have high walkways, and it's a lot better than trying to get past those three," Ennard said, pointing his thumbs back at the door. "We'll just have to take turns on the elevator, but this is going to work- trust me!"

"You are not going first. If you make a mistake and trigger something to go off, we could have a total lockdown. And I don't trust that you wouldn't abandon us to save yourself," Springtrap firmly shut down. That took a bit of the wind out of the amalgam's sails. The rabbit turned towards the others and looked over them. "…But it does seem like our best chance to getting out of here without confronting those three, which I doubt any of us want to do." He looked specifically at Baby's arm and she looked away in shielded embarrassment.

"Then down we go," Marionette agreed with them. "Baby, because of your injury you should go first. Charlie and I can fit in with you… Though this means Ennard and Michael will have to wait here."

"Oh, don't worry about me!" Ennard chirped in mock playfulness, voice strained and stuttering. "S-So what if they want to fill me up with their wires and hi- and hijack my body? It's nothing I haven't ha-handle before! Ha ha, really, same bots trying to get into my body. Great. _Great_."

"Ennard, pull yourself together. The elevator ride can't be that long. You and he will just have to suck up your pride and make yourself fit in it together," Baby instructed. She circled to the doors of the elevator. Marionette climbed in through the window and opened them for her, letting her roll right inside. "Just don't kill each other. If you're that determined to get destroyed, then just open the doors now."

"Nope! We're good!" the amalgam assured for them both. Even if Springtrap was silent without an agreement. "You just hang in there and keep your arms inside at all times. Especially you, Babydoll!" He waved playfully as Marionette and Charlie squeezed in beside her. Marionette pressed the button and the lift started to lower into the floor. "See ya on the flip side!"

Ennard feigned confidence well. Though he wasn't the one riding down into the darkness in a glorified coffin.

* * *

 **Mable: When you're willing to wade through sewage to avoid a reunion with your old buddies, you know your life went off the rails somewhere. Hopefully things are looking up from here!... As they head down.**


	76. Chapter 76

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-Six_

"Why do you hate me so much?"

The elevator had only just dropped beneath the floor when the unexpected question was spawned out of nowhere. Springtrap looked over at Ennard in disbelief, as though he couldn't believe he would have the nerve to ask him. The clown stared at him intently, expecting an answer. The only sound in the room was the clicking from the lowering lift.

"Do you really have to ask that?" Springtrap flatly asked. The clown still stared at him expectantly. "The only reason we're down here is because you tried to convince everyone that you were me and that I was my father. Is that not enough of a reason?"

"Okay, look, I'll admit that I was wrong. I thought I was Michael, I was wrong, and now we're stuck down here. I'll take the blame for that." Ennard raised his hands defensively and tried to fake a dismissive tone, managing to hide his lingering disappointment. "But there's something else going on, and it's not just because you blame me for you getting scooped, because if that was it then you'd be angrier at Baby and all of them out there. What is it? Some deep-set clown phobia? Is it because I'm close to Scott? I've got to know."

Springtrap turned away with a frustrated groan low in his chest. It was one thing being questioned by friends or family members. He was willing to bend to them considering the circumstances. Ennard didn't deserve that amount of leeway. "Why do you even care? No, don't answer that. I know you don't."

"See, like that!" Ennard spat with a low growl. "I think I'm been pretty patient with you, all things considered. You might act like I was a monster, but every time you get a chance it's _you_ hunting _me_. Swinging on me, waiting for me to have my back turned, and I take offense when people start calling me a _**parasite**_." The static crackled on his fingertips as his head twitched. Between the stress and Springtrap, it was all getting to him. "Just at least give me this much. Stop being vague and just b- **be out with it.** "

He hadn't intended to let his real voice sputter out. Maybe that was what finally convinced Springtrap to speak. Though what he said continued to be just as vague, and was spoken with the same, cold bitterness.

"To you they were just bodies, but the technicians down here had lives outside of Freddy's and Baby's. I know that must be hard for you to believe, considering that you are little more than a living embodiment of the abomination that was Freddy's, but they did. They had lives and dreams… And you took that all away from them."

Ennard rolled his eyes. This seemed like the best time to remind him that even though he wasn't Michael, he was still one of those technicians. "Okay, before we go any further, let me just clear something up-."

" _I don't want to hear you say a thing!_ " Springtrap rushed in so quickly that it took Ennard off guard. He backed from the rabbit until he bumped the stack of tubs blocking the door, but Springtrap moved in as closely as he could. He had a wild look in his gaze, and he leaned in so closely that Ennard could hear his jaw chattering in anger. "You, _whatever the hell you are,_ are the reason I even ended up down here in the first place! You ruined me! You ruined countless lives! You and Baby and all of those _vile monsters_ didn't care who you had to kill to get what you wanted!"

Ennard stared back silently as Springtrap's hands tightened at his sides. One still clutching the Handunit in a vice grip. He looked ready to snap, like he wanted to tear through the clown, and yet he barely held back. The clown felt the static grow in his fingertips. Not necessarily out of aggression, but preparing for self-defense, expecting Springtrap to use this free opportunity to cut him down. The hatred in his eyes showed that was what he wanted. The rabbit shuddered like his resolve was wearing thin.

The dam broke with a single heave and a choked sob. It was the last thing Ennard expected to hear out of Springtrap.

"And after all of that… You couldn't even use the body. His death meant _nothing_ to you," Springtrap whispered. His voice hitched and shook with pent-up emotion and non-existent tears. "He was all that I had. His life was worth more than the lives of broken down, soulless machines that only think they understand what it means to be human! I only wish you, all of you knew what _this_ feels like! _If you could only feel this_ -!"

He was cut off by a low clanking noise and a sound like something was powering down. The rabbit hesitated a moment before looking back towards where the lift had been. "Was… Was that the elevator?"

Ennard still seemed stuck in the previous moment. "You weren't… You weren't talking about you…?"

"Be quiet," Springtrap spat. He looked back once more. "The elevator stopped. It couldn't have gotten to the boiler room already. Something must have gone wrong." The amalgam's eyes shifted around as he thought before going still as he realized something. When Springtrap started to pull back, Ennard reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned on him with a sharp glare. "Don't you dare touch me!"

But Ennard instead pointed back at the door behind him with his other hand. His voice was low and completely stoic. "It shouldn't be this quiet."

And for the first time that evening Ennard and Springtrap were on the same wavelength, because the elevator had stopped and the Molten animatronics were gone.

"We've got to get down there," the rabbit insisted. "There's got to be another way down. If they sabotaged the lift, then there must be a way to restart it."

"I'm way ahead of you!" the clown chirped. He ran past and quickly started to climb down into the shaft. "Quickest way is straight down!"

Meanwhile on the inside of the lift, the animatronics were startled by the unexpected halt of their decline. Within seconds they were starting to become antsy, checking the vent shaft blocking the windows. It looked like they had stopped at vent doors that were closed tight and looking up showed that the passage back up into the shaft had been closed off as well. They were completely stuck.

Right when panic was starting to sink in, there was a loud banging noise on the closed shaft above. "Ennard," Baby said knowingly.

As predicted, Ennard soon called down. "Hey! Can you guys hear me down there?"

"We can hear you! The elevator lost power and it doesn't look like there's any way to turn it back on from inside here!" Marionette called back.

"Ha ha, 'course it is…" Ennard mumbled as he tapped his fingers thoughtfully. It was then that there was a light beeping from above and he looked up to see Springtrap studying the Handunit. "You find something?"

"There is a breaker room right through that wall. It might be the only way to restore power to the lift." Springtrap gave an exhausted groan and slipped his Handunit into his mouth as to not drop it, with only a small bit of the handle sticking out through his teeth. "Unfortunately, that means our pursuers might already be waiting inside. They could be baiting us. Not that we have a choice." He noticed a vent cover against the wall located between him and the amalgam beneath, then looked to Ennard. "After you."

"Aww, really? How thoughtful!" Ennard said with mock bashfulness. He knocked on the metal beneath him again. "You guys just hang tight and we're gonna get the power back. The Enn-trapment Duo's on the case!"

"I hate you," Springtrap muttered. He then scooted aside as to not touch any of the clown's wires as he forced the vent open.

It took a moment, but Ennard pried it off- nearly falling down the shaft in the process- and dropped the cover before climbing in. He crawled down the shaft which was slightly smaller than the ones they used to travel out of the Private Rooms. He could hear Springtrap following, but by now he almost wished to go alone. If not for the risk of his former friends appearing, he would've insisted on it. Eventually he came up on a grate staring down into a darkened passage and kicked it through, wincing at the loud bang.

"Could you be any louder?" Springtrap hissed. Awkwardness or not, Ennard gave a static huff of annoyance.

"You know if I really wanted to I could," he said matter-of-factly. Then he lowered himself down and dropped to the floor, instantly crouching down defensively and scanning the room.

The room looked like a large breaker room with both fuse boxes on the wall and standing in the room. Wires were strewn about the floor, crawling around and finding their ways into boxes or the wall. Ennard could see what looked like a closed vent opening right where the elevator would be stuck. Worst case scenario, if they couldn't get the lift moving then maybe they could get the others out and find another way down.

"Looks like the coast is-!" Ennard's whisper was cut off when he heard a squeak. His head twisted and he stared at the far side of the room but saw nothing. He recognized that squeaking; he heard his own wires make that squeaking. His eyes scanned for any sign of movement as he became hyperaware of his surroundings. "Something's in here."

A creaking from above warned that Springtrap was climbing down, so Ennard scooted to the side and began to creep around. He peered into the corners and crevices, looking for the source of the noise and being unable to find it. It didn't help when Springtrap landed with a hefty bang and a grunt of discomfort. Springtrap caught two seconds of Ennard's paranoid display and was less than impressed Instead he looked around before noticing the amount of wires leading to a back corner.

Springtrap followed them to the back of the room. Ennard sent a wary look at the back of the breaker room, but then followed along behind. Just in case he might need to look at the fuse box. As though Springtrap would step aside and let him handle it himself. It wasn't long until the rabbit spotted what looked to be a master switch against the back wall. It was tucked inside of a box that had been left open, like someone just waltzed in and threw the switch to shut down everything. Probably one of their pursuers like he expected.

After a careful look around, Springtrap inched closer towards the box and reached inside. He laid his hand on the switch and looked over his shoulder. There was still nothing and so he flipped the switch. A dull hum filled the room as electricity surged back in. Somewhere nearby he could hear a dull static and there was a light flashing nearby, all signaling success and that power had most likely returned to the lift. With a sigh, he went to shut the fuse box door, thinking that was the end of it.

From the darkness behind the door stared a glowing red eye. Springtrap only had a second to brace himself before Molten Freddy pounced on him. The heavy mass of its wires ensnared around his legs like a serpent's tail and sent him falling to the floor.

" _ **SURPRIIIIISE!~ AHAHAHA, DI-ID YOU THINK YOU'D LOSE US THAT EASY?! SILLY, SILLY, BON-BON!"**_ Molten Freddy cackled. He wrapped his arm around Springtrap's right arm to subdue it and leaned in while spreading his sharp teeth. Still able to use his right arm slightly, Springtrap held back his head, grabbing one of his barely attached ears, and swung with his left hand to land a cross into Molten Freddy's unlit eye.

Ennard straightened in panicked alert as he watched the bear pin the rabbit, who began to start swinging. It was clear that Springtrap needed help, but just looking at the wires, at how tightly they clung on, Ennard didn't think he could move at all, let alone approach and help him.

Until there was a rumbling in the vent above. Ennard looked up in time to see Molten Foxy's head drop through. The fox was quick, hooking its legs in the vent to lower itself further and swinging out its head to try and bite the clown. Ennard ducked and scuttled off into the shadows quickly, and Molten Foxy dropped down and followed him.

Meanwhile, the power had returned to the lift, but it was still not moving. There was a creaking and scuffling from nearby, and Baby started impatiently tapping the button. Her frantic motions betrayed her unease. She felt like a sitting duck stuck in this lift.

Perhaps spurred by the button spamming, one of the vents began to open. All three tried to squeeze back away from it, but it was nearly impossible to escape in the tight space. Thankfully it opened into an equally small and clearly barren breaker room. The room seemed to be set up so that someone could reset the boxes from the lift, as there were buttons laid out in arm's length and wires leading from them to the boxes on the opposite wall.

"Is this to reset the lift?" Charlie asked. She almost pressed one when she noticed the tangled cords leading to the wall. One of the boxes had a red light, so she pressed that corresponding button first. Which led to the light turning green and another red. A few more button presses and they were all alit and humming with electricity. She pulled herself back into the lift. "Alright, simple as that! No technician needed."

It almost seemed too easy, but the lift didn't start to move. Instead then the vent on the opposite side began to open. Charlie squeezed around Baby and Marionette with a, "Here, I'll get that."

"Be quick. It sounds like something is happening out there," Baby warned as she stared ahead at the closed vent opening before them. It sounded like a fight, and chances were it would only get closer.

"As fast as I can. If it's anything like that one, it'll probably be a breeze," the Security Puppet assured confidently. As fate would have it, the vent then proceeded to open to reveal a dark hall instead of a small room. Similar buttons were planted before the vent opening and connected with tangled, yellow wires that then led into various boxes on the walls. Charlie looked around and adding, "And that comment came back to bite me at record speed. Just give me a few seconds."

Charlie was forced to lean out further to see the boxes better and pressed them just like before. It was all so simple and easy.

Until the first sign of a problem came from the sound of creaking further down the hall. Charlie's head snapped up and she peered back to where it was so dark that even with her vision she had trouble seeing. Something moved in the darkness, with the first clear sight being an arm reaching out of the shadows and the crawling body following it. Wires and plates scraped the floor as the figure made its slow approach.

"It's Ballora!" Marionette whispered. His gaze slowly narrowed as he realized what this meant. "They must have shut down the elevator. Charlie, hurry."

"Almost there," Charlie choked out. She forced herself to look down at the wires, then to find the next red light and try to follow it back to the button. She was trying to hurry but her eyes kept getting confused and flickering around. Throughout the struggle she could still hear Ballora crawling closer, now almost halfway there. Finally, Charlie managed to figure out the third button and knew the fourth because of it. As soon as she clicked them and gave a, "Got it!" she was yanked back inside by Baby.

"Try the button again," Baby commanded. Her voice was heavy with desperation as she stared at the animatronic crawling towards them. Molten Ballora's legs were still bent in a painful looking manner and her waist was a twisted mat of bundled wires. She had more to her than Freddy and Foxy, yet she looked the least together of the three. She looked freshly scooped.

Charlie pressed the button repeatedly and hoped that would be it. Instead, the third vent cover opened and revealed yet another set of buttons before her. This time it led into a large room, the one that they had heard Springtrap and Ennard inside of. She gave a frustrated cry, punctuated with a sharp ring.

"Hold on, there's one more!" she said as she leaned out to work. She could hear Molten Freddy's crackling laughter nearby and added a quiet, "Please let this be the last one."

"Be quick. She's growing near," Baby said. She started to scoot back further into the lift as Marionette moved to get closer to the vent, staring the approaching animatronic down with a warning hum of static. Showing that he was very willing to fight back. "Charlie, keep going."

" _ **Baby…"**_

All of a sudden there came that voice she remembered so well. Slightly broken but much too familiar. Baby slowly looked back and stared at the distorted face of Ballora, which was now raised and staring at her. Her eyelids opened to reveal empty sockets inside. Even without eyes they stared into Baby, and she said something that sent chills to her core.

" _ **I learned."**_

Baby only had a moment for regrets. Without warning, Ballora leapt forward with a ghastly shriek. Her broken fingers, sharp and jagged, reaching out for the clown as she closed in.

In the last second Ballora was suddenly thrown aside, crashing into the wall with a quieter but equally aggressive shriek. Marionette twitched as a pain shot through his head but didn't back down. He would climb out and fight her if he had to, and with his telekinesis fading it seemed like that was what it would come down to. Especially when Ballora turned on him with those empty eyes and gaped mouth. He chimed back his music as a final warning.

A loud crash took them all off-guard and Marionette dared to look back long enough to see that Molten Freddy had been thrown and now laid just ahead of Charlie. She scrambled to try and finish with the buttons, but the wires were even more crosses and confused. It didn't help that he quickly noticed the animatronics trapped inside of the lift. But with Marionette still trying to keep Ballora at bay and Baby injured, nobody was prepared to fight him back. He started to eagerly crawl towards them.

" _ **OH HEY! AH-HAHA! I HOPE YOU DIDN'T FOR-RGET ABOUT MEEE!~"**_ Molten Freddy sadistically trilled as he crawled closer.

"Charlie, get the door," Baby said with growing panic. She looked between the approaching Molten Freddy and Ballora, who then slammed herself against the vent opening and tried to climb inside. Marionette promptly backed up and sprung, tackling her out of the vent and to the floor. "Charlie, _get the door now_."

"I'm trying! I just- I just can't see!" Charlie scrambled to see the wires underneath Molten Freddy. The closer he got the more that he blocked her vision, and one wrong press of a button caused her to start from the beginning again. She gave another frustrated ring and tapped in the correct combination faster. "Got it!" she called back and started to draw back in, only for Molten Freddy to reach out and snatch her by the arm.

" _ **N-NOT SO FAST!"**_ Molten Freddy cried as he held her firm. She wriggled and tried to twist out of his grasp, but with his wire limbs she was fighting against something that could twist as much as she could. _**"I-I COULD USE A NEW ARM- I PROMISE TO TAKE REEEEALLY GOOD CARE OF IT!"**_

The Security Puppet didn't know what he was implying until she heard the clattering of the elevator. All three vent covers began to slowly lower, including the one over her. Molten Freddy only laughed as Charlie tried to pry off his hold. If she stayed like this she would be crushed, but if she leapt through to save her body then Molten Freddy's web of wires was waiting for her. But she didn't have to make that choice, as Baby charged in beside her and wedged her good arm in to hold the cover from lowering.

Marionette only barely slipped out of Ballora's wires. She wasn't nearly as controlled with them as the other Molten animatronics, so he pulled free and dove back into the lift before the cover closed. He could still hear her banging against the cover but was unable to open it back up. He collapsed to the bottom of the lift in relief, but it was short lived as he soon noticed something was going on with Charlie and Baby.

He wasn't the only one to notice either. Springtrap came from around the corner in time to see Molten Freddy grabbing Charlie and, without even knowing about the closing vent or anything else, rushed in to assist. He grabbed Molten Freddy by handfuls of his wires and yanked him back. It was enough to cause Charlie to get pulled out further before being freed, before scuttling back into the vent to safety. Baby moved her arm and let the vent cover drop closed. The lift hummed in response and then finally began to lower further into the shaft.

While the three had seemed to escape for the moment, Springtrap was still up with Molten Freddy and was ready to fight the bear. If not for the wire beast to suddenly decide to turn and haul itself away. It crawled quickly into the darkness and Springtrap was quick to follow. He got around a corner just in time to see Molten Freddy climbing into an open vent. He tried to rush in and grab it by the wires, just like he had before, but just missed the mark as the animatronic disappeared inside.

Springtrap took out his Handunit to try and boot up the map for the upcoming vents. If they were maintenance vents- which they seemed to be since they were so close to the lift and the breaker room- then there was a chance he could access a map on them. He was taken aback by footsteps behind him and looked back prepared to fight, only to find Ennard coming up. Springtrap was less relieved to see him and more just content to not be ambushed. "Where were you?" he asked.

"Ditching Funtime Foxy. What else?" Ennard answered simply. "I heard ya got the lift going! Good job, now maybe we'll get down and out of here!"

"Not if Freddy has anything to say about it. He took off into this vent and I would bet my life that they are going down to sabotage the lift again." The Handunit continued to try and fail to load the map and he became impatient enough to put it back away in his mouth. "Forget it. I'll find me way."

"Wait a minute, you're- you're going in there?!" Ennard exclaimed. "You're going into that vent- that super tight vent- right after Funtime Freddy?! Are you _insane_?!"

"If it means protecting my sister, my brother, and Charlie then yes," Springtrap said. His voice held that same distaste that it had when he had been vocalizing his disgust of the clown earlier. "Protecting myself is the least of my concern."

Ennard gave a frustrated garble at the venom. "No, I didn't mean ditching the others! Sheesh! I meant, are you really gonna go in that vent? Right behind them? There's vents like… Everywhere! There's one right over there! Or what about the elevator shaft?"

"You take the elevator shaft. This is the quickest way and the only guarantee that I won't lose them. I'm not afraid of Freddy and Foxy… They have already taken enough from me. I have nothing left to lose."

Ennard was tempted to disagree but he knew he was already poking the bear in questioning Springtrap at all. He instead dropped his head with a defeated groan. "Then it looks like I'm coming with you."

"Please reconsider," Springtrap said and then crawled into the vent. Unamused, Ennard still followed in behind him.

The vent was just like all the others; cold and claustrophobic. Unlike the others, it quickly led to a vertical shaft that Springtrap was forced to climb down. It went as well as expected, with his hands sliding halfway down and him landing so hard at the bottom that he was shocked he didn't go straight through. He moved quickly as to not have Ennard come down atop him. Unfortunately, Ennard was always moving in close. The further they travelled into the vents the closer the amalgam got, until when Springtrap stopped he could hear him brush his leg.

"Move back. You're climbing up on me," Springtrap said firmly.

Ennard gave a disgruntled noise and moved back further in the vent. It gave Springtrap a little move wiggle room at least, but it did nothing to ease the claustrophobic feeling. Just hearing the soft thumps of the crawling and the rustling sound of wires shifting behind him. He remembered that sound too well from hearing it inside him. He could almost remember the feeling of the wires underneath his skin, even though he shouldn't have felt anything. At least the loss of his body meant that it could never happen again.

Except it only occurred to Springtrap right now that as a springlock suit, something could eagerly climb inside of him again. Ennard could force his way inside and he would feel the wires under his fabric again.

Something accidentally nudged his foot and set him off instantly. "You need to back off. NOW."

"Hey, easy! If I back off anymore, I'm gonna be back in the Breaker Room!" Ennard defended. "What am I supposed to do?!"

"Is there any reason you have to follow right behind me? Didn't we just- There's another vent right up there. Go see if you can find something that way. There's no reason you need to be stuck to me."

But to Ennard there was a very good reason why he needed to stay with Springtrap; it lessened the possibility of getting corned by any of the Molten animatronics. Just the thought made him feel uneasy. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he was in a place to argue. Springtrap clearly wanted him gone. If just brushed him one more time the rabbit would probably snap his neck.

"…Alright, alright, _fine_! If that'll get you to get off my back- or me off your back- or whatever the heck we're doing in this stupid tunnel," Ennard grumbled as he followed the rabbit again. "But if you get cornered and rewired then don't come crying to me!"

"If something made of wires was trying to forcibly wrap itself around my body, then you can trust that you would be the last person I would ever ask for help," Springtrap said with a scoff. He then crawled past said branching path. He briefly looked inside only to see nothing waiting in it. "It's clean. Go down there and see if you can find another way back to the lift."

"…You know, if I find out that you sent me off to a dead end just cause you wanted to do the lone brooding wolf thing, I'm gonna get pretty upset," Ennard pointed out. The last word was punctuated by a frustrated growl from Springtrap and a point back towards the vent opening. "Okay, I get the picture! I'm going…" The clown wanted to stall longer but it was clear that the rabbit was not going to allow that. Not that Ennard would willingly stay with Springtrap at all if not for the Molten animatronics roaming around. "Heh, ciao!"

Springtrap could already feel his body loosening up as the clown crawled down the other vent and away from him. He was not afraid of the clown- he could never live with admitting to that- but it made him uncomfortable. Especially with how easily it seemed to forget their earlier conversation. Even now going so far as to pretend to be friendly with him. Probably some form of defense mechanism. After all, these animatronics did use false friendships as door openers.

Keeping his eyes shifting between the vent and the Handunit, Springtrap pressed onwards into the vent. It was thick with dust, a clear fire hazard. No human would be able to breathe comfortably in here. Maybe it was a good thing that Mike hadn't been brought down here, even though Springtrap would've preferred dragging his fevered body through here. Or even Fritz. Anyone would be better than Ennard.

Because Springtrap could already hear Ennard crawling behind him again. He tried to crawl faster and ignore him, but he only moved faster behind him, wires squeaking and tapping against the vent walls. He was growing tired of this and was about to arrive at another vent opening when something brushed his leg.

"If you're going to ignore my advice and keep following me, then you could at least have the sense to stay back," Springtrap said matter-of-factly. He was answered by a small giggle from Ennard's voice.

Except that it was coming from in front of him.

It wasn't Ennard, and neither were the wires that began to wrap around his ankle.

* * *

Back in the lift, the three animatronics were attempting to recover from the event.

"It's over… For now," Marionette said quietly. He gave an off-tune clink from his music box as he tried to rest on the floor of the lift. He dropped his head onto his bent knees as he regained strength.

Charlie nodded cautiously and looked to Baby. "Thanks for saving me back there. Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine… Or, that is, this arm is fine." Baby stared distantly at the wall of the lift as they continued to creep down the shaft. She twitched lightly as the thoughts crept up. "…Those were my bandmates."

"I know. I recognized them from the posters."

"They were my friends… No, that's not true. We weren't real friends. They were my pretend friends and they abandoned me," Baby hissed. "And now they act like I hurt them. Just because I wasn't as nice to them as they wanted. They should grow up; this isn't a cartoon. We aren't happy performers entertaining children; we were made to kidnap children. What was I supposed to do? I did what I had to. I didn't have a choice."

"Nobody blames you for this, Baby. It was a bad situation all around and everyone did things they probably regret," Charlie said sympathetically. "You can't rationalize anger. They just want to lash out."

"I know. It's not my fault," Baby said. Though even when she said it with unwavering confidence it sounded peculiar. Perhaps because of how she kept repeating it. Almost like she needed the assurance.

"We're going to get out of here soon. By tonight we're all going to be home, and this will just be a bad memory," the Security Puppet assured her.

"If there's even a home to go back to," Marionette mumbled. Charlie looked at him, startled at his cynicism. He sent her a playful but weary smile. "Sorry, just trying to make up for Mike's absence. It's how I cope."

Though right after he said that there was a clattering and rattling noise outside of the lift. It sounded like parts coming loose and it was unclear if it was tampering or something falling apart. It wasn't a surprise that an old, unused lift would act a little strange, but as it began to slow and make a thumping, grinding noise it became clear that something was wrong. The mechanisms moving outside the lift seemed to be working fine until the lift's windows met more vent openings and crawled to a stop.

What they found were tighter vent shafts that were blocked by clusters of gears. Some of them turned like normal, clicking as they did so, but there were a few blank spots where it looked like there were gears missing. Charlie noticed one sitting in the vent nearby and leaned to grab it.

"Did they fall out or- Wait, there they are," Charlie said with defeat as she looked down. Marionette came up beside her and looked with her and could see that a few had fallen. There were some further past the gears and bars that supported them as well. "I might be able to fit my arm down there."

Marionette stopped her with a raise of his hand. "Let me do it. You can figure out how to put those back in."

"Yes, let him do it. You almost lost an arm already tonight," Baby reminded. Nodding, Charlie drew back and started to look at the mechanism in front of her. It looked like the gear could fit, but it seemed to control a conveyor belt behind it, not the elevator. Before she could go ahead and try it, she was alerted by a tap on the back. "There's one over here," Baby said. Charlie looked back to see a gear behind a grate in the next open vent. This mechanism was clearly made to open the grate, and it too had a spot for a gear like the one she held.

When the gear was popped in, the grate raised and the other gear was accessible. Both looked at it hesitantly, laying there in the darkness on another unmoving conveyor belt. Slowly Charlie started to reach for it and just at that second Baby swore she heard the squeaking of nearby wires. Paranoia grabbed her and in return she snatched Charlie's arm and yanked her back.

"Did you hear that? There's something nearby," Baby said. She started to look down the vents in paranoia but could see nothing there.

"I can see pretty far back, and it doesn't look like anything's down there. Let me just hurry and grab it. It'll only be a few seconds. Fast enough that nothing should be able to grab me," Charlie assured her. She tried to pull away only for the clown to fussily hold on. "Baby, please."

"No."

"Baby, one of us has to get it."

"Or I could just get it," Marionette offered, having watched the little disagreement between the two of them and only now speaking up. He handed the gear he had retrieved from the vent to Charlie and approached the new opening. He leaned forwards momentarily, looking like he was about to climb in, but then simply raised his hand and tilted it on its side with his telekinesis. He then rolled it over, catching it in his hand, and eagerly handed it over to Charlie.

"Thanks for that, but why didn't you use your telekinesis to get the others?" Charlie asked in confusion.

Marionette looked a little quizzical and amused. "…I did?" He gave a light chime at her discomposed look. "Now let's see how these go in." He eagerly turned to look towards the third vent past Baby and proceeded to jump back with a cry as he saw a face staring out from the vent.

Baby jolted and spun around in the lift, stumbling over herself and knocking into both puppets. She stared in horror for a few seconds until she saw the mask and realized that it was Ennard peering in. She proceeded to smack at the wall closest to him. "How many times have I told you not to do that?!" Ennard broke into amused giggles and she smacked again. "That wasn't funny, Bozo."

"Oh, I think it was," Ennard teased back. He shifted around to look further past the gears. "Looks like ya got hung up again. Sounds like there's still power in there though. Which is great, cause I'm not climbing back up to the breakers. You wouldn't believe the shaft I had to climb down."

"You are lucky I need you to fix my arm," Baby said with embarrassment guised as annoyance. She crossed her good arm over her bad one and turned to look down the other vents. "Did you see them?"

"Oh yeah, they're down here." Her head snapped back to him. "I didn't think you'd want me to lie after the joke thing. We saw them coming in and crawled down here after them. But before you freak out, I haven't seen or heard anything of 'em since, and I'm ninety percent sure they're gunning for me, so I'd know."

Baby moved aside so that Marionette could place the gears they had gathered. He had to readjust the ones already there to find an acceptable layout, but it seemed doable. "You said 'we'. You saw Michael come down?" the Puppet asked. He then realized his slip. "Springtrap, I mean."

"Yeah, I saw him." Ennard sounded slightly dejected but he focused on watching Marionette work. He speedily moved and adjusted the gears with clever hands even though he physically looked a little worn down. It was hard to tell with his mask. "He had a freak out and sent me off this way, which means he's probably stuck in a dead end somewhere… Had a weird moment up in the elevator room too."

"Oh?" Marionette inquired. He slowed his movements. "But he didn't attack you."

"He came about this close," the clown said, holding his fingers a small space apart. "I don't know, he started talking about some guy. Might've been talking about himself in third person, I don't know, but he made it up like there was this guy-."

A loud clattering somewhere deep in the vents cut off the conversation. Which was a shame, as Marionette had taken interest in it and Charlie had already started to connect it with the talk she had with Springtrap before. But the banging was more important, especially when it became louder and more violent. It was clear that there was a fight in the vents.

"They're coming," Baby said. She looked down the vents frantically. "It sounds like they've already gotten Golden Bonnie."

"That's back where he was going… I leave him alone for two seconds and he gets himself tangled up with them again!" Ennard exclaimed. He looked back at the Puppet only to see his look of alarm, one that quickly turned to an almost pleading one, and he knew what was coming. "I know that look and before you ask, no."

"I know you and Springtrap have your differences, especially with all that's happened today. I can't defend his actions in the past and I'm not going to pretend he hasn't hurt both of us before, but he needs help. Please, for me," Marionette nearly begged. "I don't think I can fight them off if they're all on him. Pushing them back only goes so far."

"And you think I'll do better?!" Ennard asked frantically. He grabbed the metal and leaned in, poking his mask past the gears. "Do you have any idea what they want to do to me?! How am I supposed to fight them?!"

"You're the one always going on about the 'built-in taser'. I've felt that taser, Ennard. You have more than enough electricity to incapacitate any animatronic. Especially one that's already busted," Marionette tried to reason. He was starting to run out of patience from the weariness and the lack of control. He wanted to do more and yet knew he wouldn't be able to help. "If anyone would know how to subdue them it would be the technician who worked on them…" he quietly added.

Ennard looked down at his hand almost thoughtfully before giving a breathy hum. The things he got stuck doing for this family- this family that wasn't even his anymore. "You know he wouldn't do this for me, right?" he asked. Marionette gave him a sympathetic smile but didn't answer, because they both knew he didn't need to. "Alright, I'll go save Bunny Boy's little cotton tail. But if he gets back here before me, you give him the same guilt trip. He can at least drag my body home for Scott."

"I promise. We will wait here until you get back," Marionette assured.

"But hurry back. If they corner us in here then we _will_ leave you, no joking," Baby Said.

"Deal! Be back in two shakes of a rabbit's foot!" With that, he crawled off into the vent. Any false amusement dropped instantly as he closed in on the ruckus. He was going to regret this.

Springtrap was already regretting his decision to go it alone. Without Ennard as a distraction or deterrent, all the attention of both Molten animatronics was on him, and they were ruthless. They had purposely cornered him and pounced once he had little way to defend himself. Threats no longer worked, and punches and kicks only went so far. They were quick to pin him down and wrap him tightly.

Molten Foxy wrapped his 'arm' wires through the rabbit's legs. They crawled into the holes in his fabric and up through the space by his ankles, feeling inside of him, measuring the room they had to move. **"This must be a bonafide original, genuine individual, springlock suit! Feel the luxurious p-padding of fabric against metal. Made large enough to fit one full sized human! Or even** _ **three**_ **animatronics!"** he gushed.

" _ **TH-HAT'S PERFECT! FORGET THE CLOWN!"**_ Molten Freddy said before roughly grabbing the rabbit by the head. Springtrap tried to twist his head away as the fingers dug into his teeth and tried to pry open his jaw. _**"OPEN WIIIIIDE, BON-BON!"**_

The wires that had wrapped around his neck and shoulders tightened to hold him in place as his mouth was slowly pried open. The Handunit was yanked out and tossed into the vent behind them before the broken hand started to slide past his teeth. He tried to bite down, but there were too many wires holding him open. Springtrap was now truly panicking as he felt the fingertips start to prod around inside of him, touching both his endoskeleton and the remains of his body. More wires crawled in as the bear's arm sunk further into his mouth.

The horror Springtrap felt when the wires blocked his eyes was unimaginable. He felt suffocated underneath the heavy weight that forcibly filled him. But right before the wires could climb down his neck and into his chest, there came a single clunking noise from nearby. Somehow he knew that it wasn't Ballora, if only because of how the noise presented itself; a single bang after nothing but silence, like a distraction.

Molten Freddy drew back to look and enough of the wires moved, along with Springtrap's head being pulled upwards, that he could see the source of the noise.

There was Ennard crouched in the vent up ahead. His large, blue eyes seemed to glow as they stared at the scene without any expression. He was completely silent and Springtrap wasn't certain if the noise he had made had been on purpose or not. Molten Freddy regained interest in the animatronic instantly, with his eye turning red as he slid more of his wires out of Springtrap.

" _ **HEY FOXY, LOOK WHO CAME TO JOIN IN! HOW LONG'VE YOU BEEN ST-ST-STARING THERE, BRIGHT EYES?"**_ Molten Freddy's voice took a sinister tone as he climbed over Springtrap and ripped the rest of his wires free. The force was enough to irritate the rabbit's springlocks and cause his mouth to snap shut. He hoped they stayed locked closed. He could feel the wires pulling out from around him, but remained still, unwilling to start fighting back until he was sure he was home free.

" _ **WHAT'S WRONG, CL-CLOWN? WANNA BE FRIENDS AGAIN? WE-E-E CAN BE FRIENDS AGAIN…"**_ The Molten animatronic snarled as it crawled in closer. _**"UNLESS Y-R JUST GONNA RUN AWAY AND HIDE AGAIN, HAHAHA! WE MISSED YO-OU, SCAREDY CLOWN. ALMOST AS MUCH AS I MISSED MY EYES."**_

Ennard shuddered but remained silent. He sat there a second longer before moving slightly closer, which stopped Molten Freddy in his tracks. It was right at that moment that Ennard did something that nobody expected. Not Springtrap, not the Molten animatronics, maybe not even Ennard himself if asked earlier that day. He held out both arms in front of himself and bowed his head submissively. Molten Freddy cocked its head questioningly. It looked like Ennard was offering something. Or it was offering himself.

" _ **WAIT… F-FOXY, I THINK HE'S GONNA GIVE HIMSELF TO US! HE'S SERVING HIMSELF UP LIKE A BIG 'OL BIRTHDAY PRESENT! ISN'T THAT CUTE? I BET IT'S FOR THIS ONE!"**_ Molten Freddy reached back and yanked up Springtrap's head by the ear with another harsh laugh. The rabbit suppressed any noise or movement; the less attention he received the better chance he had of getting away. _**"AWW, SUCH A GOOD B-BUDDY!... SUCH A GOOD BODY…"**_ Molten Freddy released Springtrap's head as he stared intensely at Ennard, almost in a trance.

He wasn't the only one either. Molten Foxy was starting to climb up over Springtrap with its own eyes transfixed on the body that had once been there's. The slender one that could easily fit underneath skin.

" _ **I REALLY MISSED THOSE EYES. I MISSED 'EM SO MUCH THAT I-I JUST WANNA P-PLUCK 'EM RIGHT OUT AND PUT 'EM BETWEEN MY TEETH,"**_ Molten Freddy swore in a hushed voice as he reached ahead. Past Ennard's arms and towards his mask. The bear began to lowly sing as he moved in, almost like he was coaxing the clown to stay. _**"JEEPERS, CREEPERS, WHERE'D YA GET THOSE PEEPERS?~"**_

Ennard slowly let his arms lower as he allowed Molten Freddy to get right in front of him, staring at the physical manifestation of a voice that had once been inside of him.

" _ **JEEPERS CREEPERS, WHERE'D YOU GET THOSE EYES?~"**_ Molten Freddy's voice wavered as he twitched and trembled. As though he could barely restrain the hatred that he had for the clown. Almost like Springtrap's, save that he only restrained himself as to not damage the body. _**"W-WHERE'D YOU GET THOSE EYES?"**_ But that resolve was quickly running out. _**"WE BOTH KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THOSE EYES."**_

With little more than a flash of red in his eye, Molten Freddy went to pounce. His fingers going straight for the clown mask.

This was exactly what Ennard wanted.

In an instant the clown's submissively offered hands shot up and caught Molten Freddy's arms. Ennard then twisted himself forward and got over bear until he could throw him down and pin him to the bottom of the vent. Its wires immediately began to wrap around his legs and try to assimilate with his as Molten Freddy laughed again, then shrieked in agony when Ennard suddenly discharged volts of electricity into him.

Molten Foxy flinched back in horror at the garbled scream. Ennard did not back down and held the animatronic longer, continuing to shock him, counting down until he knew that it would cause a temporary shutdown. It didn't matter how broken Funtime Freddy had become; all animatronics could only take a certain amount of tazing. By time Ennard released him, Freddy dropped to the bottom of the vent limply, some of his wires lightly twitching. They would only have a few minutes.

Ennard would not waste these minutes. He proceeded to affix his gaze on Molten Foxy before shoving the other to the side, crawling over him, and closing in quickly. Molten Foxy wasn't as stubborn or unconcerned with damage as his bandmate. He detached himself from Springtrap quickly and scuttled back into the vents to disappear into the darkness. Again, they had a few minutes.

Now free, Springtrap rolled over on his side and started to push himself up. All his springlocks in his upper torso were tight and threatening to clamp, and he had to relax his endoskeleton enough to loosen their vice hold. He rested until the Handunit was presented in front of his face and offered to him. He didn't expect it but took it and looked up at Ennard. It was the longest that the animatronic had stayed quiet.

"So, what was that about splitting up?" Ennard asked. That touch of smugness made Springtrap envy the silent moments leading up to it. "So, I found the others. Let's get out of here."

With that, Ennard turned and started to head back into the vents, passing over Molten Freddy without giving him a second look. Springtrap did and begrudgingly realized in that moment how close he had gotten to becoming their suit again. It disgusted him. It reminded him that now he owed something to Ennard, one of his worst-case scenarios.

Swallowing his feelings and keeping his mouth shut, Springtrap followed Ennard into the darkness.

* * *

 **Mable: Sorry this was posted so late tonight and there is another new poll. I hope you enjoyed!**


	77. Chapter 77

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-Seven_

Waiting in the lift was uncomfortable. It didn't feel safe, even when the vents were partially blocked by gears, and the three confined inside kept their eyes down the shafts to watch for any sign of movement. The low hum of the elevator and ticking of the gears would've almost been a comforting background noise with how hypnotically consistent it was, if not for it being broken by a loud shriek echoing through the vents.

"…Was that Ennard or Funtime Freddy?" Charlie asked in concern. Marionette gave a slight shrug as he stared down the vent that the noise traveled loudest down. He was clearly on edge, but he wasn't the only one if Baby's stillness and silence was any indication. "I really hope that was Funtime Freddy," Charlie added quietly.

It wasn't too long after that when there came a scuffling noise from somewhere deep in the vents. Something lightly thumping and shifting in the vent as it crawled in closer. "Something's coming," Baby said.

They all tensed up just as she did, but Marionette eased slightly when he noticed the movement coming down the same vent that Ennard had the first time. He listened closely and could hear the shifting of wires, but not to the extent he had heard with either Molten animatronic. Which meant it was either Ennard or Ballora. He leaned in to look closer and sighed in relief when he spotted Ennard appearing around the corner at the very end of the shaft. While he couldn't see well past him, Marionette caught a glimpse of yellowed fabric in the vent behind him.

"You had us worried for a moment. We could hear Freddy screaming from all the way over here," Marionette said in greeting. He gave a small smile. "I don't even want to know what you did to get that noise."

"All I did was take your advice, ha ha! Turns out 'ol Freddybear still can't take a tiny shock!... Which is great, cause if he could then I'd have to fry him," the clown said with a sadistically playful tone. He preferred that than admitting to the unease he had felt being that close to Molten Freddy. "And heeeere's Mikey!" He rolled over and gestured back to the rabbit. "Got him back in one piece!"

"I can see that. Are you okay, Michael? They didn't injure you at all, did they?" Marionette asked as he looked back at the rabbit. After what happened to Baby, he couldn't help but be concerned. It took Springtrap a moment to answer; Ennard calling him 'Mikey' felt wrong. He decided to ignore it for now.

"I'm fine," Springtrap said. Seeing that would be the only thing he was going to say, Ennard looked back to Marionette again.

"So, gang's back together! You can get that lift moving and we'll follow you down the hatch," the amalgam directed. The Puppet nodded and started to put the gear into place. Suddenly, Springtrap's arm shot up.

"Wait. Don't," he commanded. Marionette paused with the gear half into place. "We've already been ambushed twice and each time we've been put in a position with a stuck lift and them ready to pounce. I don't think it is much of a stretch to assume that they will do this again if given the opportunity. Seeing that they already disappeared, they've probably already made it to the lower levels. We need to have a plan." He took the Handunit out and tapped something on it before handing it up. "Give this to Charlie."

Marionette slipped the unit passed the grate and handed it back to Charlie. Now the screen seemed to show a simple statistics menu, showing little more than numbers and battery life.

"There's a clock in the upper right. Keep an eye on that and give us exactly five minutes to get down there first. If we're lucky, they'll be wary of being shocked again and less willing to face us head on."

"That might work," Charlie agreed. "It's definitely more of a plan than us just going straight down. Like you said, they could already be down there."

"But the price is us waiting here like sitting ducks. Funtime Freddy and Funtime Foxy are desperate and mad but they are not stupid. They could be in the vents right now waiting for you two to leave. They might not fear pain as much as you believe," Baby warned. She wasn't happy with the plan but considering the circumstances she might've not been happy with anything. "Just make it quick."

"If we're not down there in five minutes or less, then your pizza is free" Ennard jokingly promised. He started to pull back from the vent entrance before hesitating. "…Actually, a pizza would sound really good after this. Let's stop at Foxy's on the way home."

"If we all get out of here in one piece, then it's my treat," Marionette said. "Be careful and watch your back."

"Watch my Handunit. It is too valuable to risk breaking," Springtrap said. He could've added 'again', as Molten Freddy tossing it could've easily shattered the screen. The tool was too invaluable to him and not just for escaping. "Start watching the clock as soon as we get around the corner. Five minutes."

The springlock suit then began to back down the vent again and the amalgam followed behind. Marionette waved after them with a concerned, "Be careful."

It didn't take too long to get to another split where Springtrap could turn around and it was then that Ennard suddenly crawled in quickly. It was so fast that he effectively blocked the rabbit off from entering the next section of vent, and said rabbit gave him a wary look. Even with him saving him earlier, Springtrap was still suspicious of him, with his lids narrowed to show such. He could only assume that Ennard wanted something. Technically he did.

"Before we go rushing down there guns blazing, lemme just… Lemme get something out there, okay? Just let me say something, cause you didn't earlier and look where it got us," Ennard said.

Springtrap made a noise like a huff and turned his head away to watch the vent. Maybe he owed him that much. "Go ahead. Be quick, we're on a timer."

"Okay, okay, just… I know you hate me, and I know every time you look at me you see the Scooper. I know, cause that's what I was seeing when all of them just popped up out of nowhere. Just that Scooper and-… I get it. You don't believe me, you don't think I was human, and guess what? I don't know what to think either, cause I remembered Michael Afton and next thing I know we're looking at his picture and I'm blanking-."

"Get on with it," the springlock suit interrupted. He sounded more exhausted than angry, like it all fizzled out after the ordeal in the vent. "The others are in danger."

"That's what I'm getting to! I know you don't like me. Frankly, I'm not too crazy about you either, but we got to make a truce or something. At least until we get out of here. We've gotta have each other's backs or one of those busted up bots is gonna sneak up and backstab us! So, whaddya say? Truce?" Ennard offered him his hand. "Until we get out of here? For Baby, Mari, and Lottie?"

Just looking at that wire hand was almost as bad as staring at the Scooper itself. Or shaking hands with his father; he remembered a similar feeling of impending doom when he did that. Except this time was different. This was a pact that he knew he needed to make, even if it felt like a betrayal. Ennard could be the difference between them getting an upper hand on the Molten animatronics or being overwhelmed.

" _Do it for Lizzie. Do it for Marion. Do it for Charlie,"_ Springtrap told himself. Then with a begrudging slowness to it, he reached out his hand and took Ennard's. The clown shook his eagerly.

"See? That wasn't too hard, was it?" Ennard chirped with a playful smile. Springtrap sent him that same flat look and looked about ready to remind him of the time again. "Lemme go first in case something pops up in front of us, okay? That's what I'm here for!" The amalgam climbed past and started down the next vent, with Springtrap following shortly behind.

It took nearly five minutes before they found vertical shafts that they could climb down to get to the lower floors. However, they did find one, and eventually got themselves down to a vent that stretched over a large, dark room underneath. Ennard peered through the grate on the floor of the vent and took note of the pipes stretching through it.

"Hey, I think we reached the boiler! And I t _hink_ that means we're right above the sewer entrance," Ennard exclaimed excitedly. He turned around on the other side of the grate, which allowed both to look down into the room. Other than the darkness it was a moderately far drop that was only broken up by pipes that, while some looked sturdy enough to catch some weight without breaking, would probably hurt if fallen on the wrong way. "Looks like the furnace's off."

"Which means the only chance we had at them being too scared to come down here is now gone. They could be in there somewhere… But we don't have a choice…" Springtrap looked up at Ennard again. "Ennard, stick your head out and see if they're still lurking about."

"… _What?_ Weren't you the one who said that I'm perfect bait? They see one glimpse of my mask and they'll be camping underneath this vent!" Ennard defended. "Why don't you look down?"

"Getting my ears through here would be hard enough, and if I start to fall I don't trust you to have the upper body strength to catch me."

"Yeesh, I think I preferred the backstabber comments. Now I'm a weakling too," the amalgam said with a perfect mimic of the rabbit's scoff, which Springtrap noticed.

Ennard still pried the vent up and readjusted his mask before slowly leaning down and looking out. The room was much bigger than he originally anticipated and from here he could see the furnace but not the lift. He had a good idea of where it was from estimation alone, so he wasn't too concerned. He was much more focused on listening and looking for any sign of the aggressive animatronics. To which there was none.

He drew back inside and looked to Springtrap. "I don't seem 'em, but that doesn't mean they aren't there."

"That's a risk we will need to take," Springtrap said. He gestured to the opening. "Drop down and I'll come down after you."

"Or you could drop down and catch me since I'm such a flimsy weakling," Ennard said with a light giggle. His tone was playful and teasing, yet Springtrap knew that he had been given a firm 'no.'

With a partial roll of the eyes, Springtrap looked down through the opening. It would be a hard drop but survivable. He forcibly loosened his springlocks as he moved over the vent and began to lower himself down. He dropped through quicker than he wanted, grabbing both sides of the vent with his fingers and dangling over the drop. Loosening his springlocks again, he finally let go and hit the ground. He staggered and landed on one knee without damage.

Ennard followed a lot faster and a lot easier, and Springtrap got out of the way as he had no intention of catching him. Which was fine for the amalgam, who caught himself on the pipes coming down and climbed to the floor with them. From down here they felt much more vulnerable, but the lift was in sight, and from the distant clanking it seemed to be lowering.

"Let's get over there," Springtrap directed as he looked around. He then looked back to see Ennard hunched down, blue eyes darting around in paranoia. "We might have heard them by now."

"…Ha ha, yeah sure." Ennard slowly straightened and followed behind the other animatronic. Though after a few moments he quickened to catch up to his side. "Hey, can I ask you something? You said something back there that kind of stuck with me."

"Was it about your upper body strength?" Springtrap flatly asked.

"Ha, no. It was about… You said earlier something about a guy?" The rabbit winced; of course Ennard would have to remember his outburst. He ducked down to avoid catching his ears on an upper pipe. "You said there was a guy down here who you knew. Is that why you-?"

All was cut off when something fast and heavy suddenly dropped onto the pipe, swung under it, and crashed into them both. Because of Springtrap's half bent angle, he was knocked aside and stumbled, leaving the full weight to hit Ennard and drag him to the floor. He looked up in time to see eyeless eye sockets staring down at him and yelped. It was Ballora, with her broken hands digging into his shoulders and her bent legs scaling his body.

" _ **Why are you hiding from me?"**_

"B-Ballora-!"

" _ **Shh, don't fight it. We belong together… Inside of you."**_

There was no further warning before Ballora's few chest plates burst open and the floodgates were opened. Wire ejected from her body and piled onto his neck and chest where they started to wriggle and twist like snakes. Burrowing into his chest and weaving into his wires. He tried to push her off and all it did was rip more of her wiring free as her flimsy body pushed back. The new wires then continued to constrict, to fight for control of a body that was once partly hers.

Ennard panicked and reacted with the first defense he could think of, grabbing Ballora's arm and sending volts through her body. This electrocuted him too with how she was wound in him, but his only concern was that it wasn't releasing her grip on him. Ballora's wires were getting deeper and as he continued to thrash she held on. Her face was nearly brushing his and he craned his neck to draw away, watching in horror as her head started to unravel so that wires could climb out through her mouth to caress the split on the chin of his mask.

It was now that Springtrap finally ran in to assist. He grabbed at her leg and tried to pull, expecting it to pop off as easily as Molten Freddy's had. This was not the case and he tried to pull her from the back, grabbing at the loose wires he could find but finding them tight, their other ends climbing into Ennard. She was in the process of assimilation and wouldn't be pulled away that easily, but that only made Springtrap more determined to stop her.

Hooking her legs over his arms, Springtrap began to forcibly drag her away while Ennard began to rip her wires out of his chest. Between the two animatronics, Ballora's grip failed and her wires unwound. Ennard scrambled back while Springtrap staggered forward and went to release her, only to have her arms wrap around his head and begin to claw at his face. She gave an unholy shriek as she separated her torso further from her legs, dangling from meager wires, and climbed over to his front.

Springtrap took a few swings as her and after this did nothing, caught her in his arms and tried to twist her off. Just like with the other Molten animatronics, her wires dug into him, but couldn't make nearly as much progress as with the suit-less Ennard. Said clown sprung up and started to cautiously creep in, and Springtrap looked over at him just in time to see the sparking on his fingers. He reacted accordingly.

"Don't you _dare_ -!" He was cut off as Ballora's weight shifted forwards. He ducked and shoved, pushing her over his head and freeing some of the wires from their grip. "Stay back! I have this under control!"

Ennard closed his hands up quickly and just stared wide eyed as Springtrap planted a foot on Ballora and tried to forcibly pull his arm out of her clinging grasp. It was quite a sight- would've been comical if he wasn't trying to detach himself from a broken animatronic that wanted control of his body. It was just then that the lift finally lowered in. The first sight the three inside saw was of Springtrap fighting Ballora. But there was something that Ennard noticed too; his eyes fixated in on a panel before the lift. Possibly the controls to turn on the furnace.

"Mari!" Ennard cried. He ran to the side to be seen past Springtrap and wildly waved his arms. "Mari, quick! Turn on the furnace! Turn it on!"

"The furnace?" Marionette asked, confused. He looked to a large glowing button set in front of the lift and facing the machine. He couldn't understand it but trusted him. "You mean this?" He reached for the button.

A hand of wires and metal reached out of the darkness and grabbed the puppet's striped wrist. In an instant he was yanked from the lift and thrown against the furnace's window. His back hit the unforgiving surface and he dropped to the floor, looking up just in time to see his attacker.

" _ **AWW, WHAT'S THE MATTER? YOU DON'T LIKE GETTING PU-PUSHED AROUND? WE'RE JUST HAVING SOME FUN~!"**_

" **Why, I think he might have a little bit of stage fright! Maybe we should show him ho-ow it's done!"**

" _ **AHAHAHA! OR MAYBE WE SHOULD GIVE HIM SOMETHING TO CRY- CRY ABOUT!"**_

Instead of two broken animatronics, crawling and staggering around, one decrepit form stood before him. One form with two voices.

Molten Freddy and Molten Foxy had combined into one. While their body was still shabbily made, the wires they conjoined allowed their arms and legs to grow thicker and stronger, with all four limbs intact by mixing themselves. Molten Freddy's head sat proudly on the shoulders and was largely unchanged. Molten Foxy's head was instead weaved into the heart of the torso, with wires obscuring most of his features but his mouth jutting free. His stage-light eye joined Molten Freddy's in the bear's own skull.

Freddy and Foxy had formed together and became a Molten Amalgamation and were now a much bigger problem. To prove this, they stepped in and swung a heavy blow at Marionette.

The puppet leapt out of the way at the last second and rolled back to his feet. This only gave him a few seconds before the Molten Amalgam turned on him again and rushed in. He threw forward his arms and relied on his telekinesis once again. Except this time the animatronic was much heavier, and that was when he was already worn down by how much he used his powers already. It caused little more than a flinch, a second of respite, and Marionette used this time to look around.

He could easily dive back into the lift and had a safer cover, but one look at Charlie and Baby inside reminded him that it wasn't just his safety he had to worry about. So, at the last second, Marionette ducked the other way when the amalgam charged in and slipped underneath a low set of pipes. Using those as a shield, he began to duck and weave as the amalgam struck the pipes so hard that some of them cracked on impact. He still poked his head out to catch its attention as he played the distraction to get it away.

" _ **HOLD STILL! STOP SQ-SQ-SQUIIRRRMING LIKE THA-A-T!"**_

" **Sir or Madam, you are only making this harder for yourself!"**

A fist landed on one of the thinner pipes and broke it in two. Even though the boiler wasn't on, steam started to gush out and heat the air. Marionette used it to hide as he sprung up higher and climbed onto a scaffolding against the back wall. Climbing was faster than hovering and meant that he could keep the attention of the amalgam longer, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid a swipe of the claws. The sharp point tore down his lower right leg and he was gripped in pain as he managed to climb onto the scaffold.

After all of this- the telekinesis, the teleportation, the repeated use of powers for so long- it was the automatic healing that finally turned his weariness to debilitation. He barely felt like he could keep himself hovering as he collapsed on the scaffold. Marionette still managed to roll over and look at his leg. There was a long, gaping tear stretched down his calf, one that would close itself just like the others, but one that was sapping the last of his energy. He wouldn't be able to put aside the healing willingly.

But the Molten Amalgam was still there. It shook the scaffold so hard that Marionette could hear the flimsy bolts holding it to the wall starting to creak in protest. He held onto the grated floor for dear life as the amalgam tried to climb it, putting more weight on the already pitiful structure. It reached up over the edge and felt for the puppet who was pressed against the wall and running out of time.

Time that Springtrap only just got a moment of when he finally threw Ballora's wires aside and freed himself. Her fragile shell was broken more than ever, with stretches of wire between the plates, giving the impression of elongated limbs. She didn't come after the rabbit again and he looked to the others. First to the lift and then at the scene with the _other_ amalgam. It didn't take him long to catch a glimpse of the puppet it was hunting like prey.

No, not puppet. That was his brother on the scaffold, and while Springtrap had never felt too overprotective of any of his siblings, seeing the scene riled up a familial instinct he forgot he had. He didn't even stop to consider the circumstances as he charged across the room and slammed shoulder first into the back of the amalgam. It wasn't much bigger than him and at this point assimilation was already a reasonable possibility whether he fought back or not. So, he fought, and he remembered them plucking out his ribs as he tore a plate off the back of their head.

Back in the lift, Baby turned towards where Springtrap had been before and looked out. "Ennard?" she called to the clown. But there was no sight of him. She felt defenseless; she needed his help. "Ennard!"

Suddenly the broken Ballora leapt up into the vent window. Baby shoved back and rolled across the small space, but it was no distance when the ballerina was leaning in. Her former bandmate tilted her head with a twitch and stared with those empty pushed off the edge and thrust her upper half inside of the lift.

In a flash, Charlie shoved Baby aside and swung with a hook, punching the Molten ballerina in the side of her head. Ballora's upper left eyelid broke off and fell to the floor by the Handunit, further ruining her already featureless face. She grabbed for the Security Puppet and her arms wrapped around her- one with the broken plated fingers and the other a matted hunk of wires- and dragged her out of the lift just as it had been done to Marionette.

Charlie was thrown to the floor. Unlike the Molten Amalgam, Ballora didn't give any opening or pause for her to try and escape, and instead hunched over her. Wires burst from her chest and mouth and fell onto the Security Puppet where they began to writhe and tighten around her. Charlie tried to shield her mask against the floor as she felt them trying to circle around and pry at the creases.

Baby gasped in horror as she watched the scene, but the fear was short lived and replaced with white hot anger that rivalled any that she felt towards the Funtimes. She lashed out and grabbed for Ballora's head, managing to tangle her hand in the wires and giving a tight yank. To her disgust, Ballora's head all but unraveled and revealed little more than a Minireena's head post underneath, with her empty eye sockets now dangling uselessly. Ballora tried to pull herself away, but Baby wrapped her hand tighter in the wires and stood her ground.

Things weren't going any better over with Springtrap and the Molten Amalgam. As soon as the rabbit started to interfere, it decided that Springtrap was the bigger target. It turned on him and struck him so hard that he was knocked back. It was on him quickly, both of its voices laughing in crazed glee as it tried to manhandle the springlock suit. Springtrap was barely able to hold the amalgam back as the sharp toothed mouth in its chest snapped at him while the arms tried to pull him in to meet it.

Seeing the scene, Marionette knew he had to do something but knew his powers wouldn't be effective enough. Remembering the weakened bolts, he leaned to look and found that they were partially pulled from the wall. It was clear that with any extra strain they would give and the scaffold itself was weighty enough to take down any animatronic caught underneath, which would be the Molten Amalgam. The puppet used all his strength and tried to push it further from the wall, fingers laced into the grating of the floor and legs pushing with all their might.

Even with his injured leg, he got the scaffold to move slightly further off the wall, then turned around. Marionette braced himself and gathered energy before pouncing. He grabbed the railing and swung himself over it, his weight yanking the scaffold that last bit and causing it to break from the wall. Springtrap and the Molten Amalgam looked up just in time, with the rabbit barely pulling back at the last second and having the puppet drop on him while the metal structure collapsed on the amalgam.

Springtrap just barely caught Marionette and took a few steps back to stare at the mound of wires trapped under the scaffold. Both were hopeful but wary, waiting to see if it worked. But to their dismay, the wires twitched before hands slid out and grabbed the edge of the structure. Slowly the amalgam started to stand, lifting the weight on its back, slowly revealing glowing red eyes as it shivered in anger. Its silence was even more of a warning than any threat it uttered as it threw the wreckage off its back.

Springtrap set Marionette down beside him and braced himself to continue the fight. Marionette crumpled on his weakened legs, barely grabbing his sibling's arm to stop himself before caving like a ragdoll. The rabbit didn't look at him, just yanked him back up and let him hold on. It was during this that Marionette just happened to look back and notice the situation behind them.

"Charlie!" Marionette cried in horror. She was trying to crawl out of the wires, but Ballora pinned her down to the floor with her leg, moving disjointedly as it pressed on her back.

Baby responded violently by throwing herself out of the lift and onto Ballora. Her weight fell onto the ballerina's wire body and caused it to collapse as surely as Marionette's had. But this drew the attention of the Molten Amalgam, whose eyes focused on Baby now that she was out in the open.

All at once the Molten Amalgam made a run for her with a limping, bounding gait. Springtrap threw Marionette out of the way and ran in, tackling them around the middle and trying to stop them. Their wires squirmed and they struggled to push on, nearly dragging the springlock suit's weight behind them. All while Baby was now in an all-out fight with Ballora. She had gotten her by the 'neck' but the wires were now climbing her legs. Ballora snared her injured arm and yanked and painful static danced on Baby's vision, but she refused to make even a sound.

The Molten Amalgam was creeping up behind her and about to reach her. Charlie was still untangling herself and Springtrap was failing to hold the amalgam back. Everything was about to collapse in on itself.

"STOP!"

The cry would've done nothing to quell the assault if not for the familiar voice. Ballora contorted herself so that a single, drooping, empty socket could look over at the source. The Molten Amalgam looked over as well, even as it was still dragging onward. Marionette, left abandoned back behind the scene, looked over as well at their would-be savior.

There was Ennard. It was unclear if he had come back or hadn't ever left at all, but here he was standing up on some of the lower pipes. He stood maybe twenty feet away from the closest animatronic, being Ballora. He was hunched over and holding onto a bar beside him to keep his balance as he stared down at the scene, blue eyes taking everything in.

It wasn't obvious from his look alone, but Ennard was filled with a sinking feeling. That same panic that came from being on the wrong side of the Scooper, but this was his last chance. His only option.

"You don't want _them_! You want _me!_ And here I am! All full and put together with two arms, two legs, extra eyes, and a lot of wires- Come get me!" the clown eagerly baited. Everyone expected for the Molten animatronics to drop everything they were doing and rush in to hunt him down. After all, he was what they had wanted. Yet not one of them moved. Molten Freddy- not Molten Foxy- even began to laugh mockingly.

" _ **HAHAhahAHah. LOOK AT THAT. OUR BODY BUDDY WANTS US BACK, AND AAAA-ALL WE HA-HAD TO DO WAS TAKE AWAY AAAAALLL HIS TOYS! WE DON'T- WE DON'T- NE-E-ED YOU ANYMORE."**_ Any and all humor was gone from Molten Freddy's voice and was instead replaced with a stoic coldness. A bitter mix of disgust and anger. _**"GO CRAWL OFF SOMEWHERE. WE DON'T NEED YOU."**_

It was like a vice in his chest; his wires tightening in protest until it was almost painful. Ennard didn't even care about their rejection- save that his distraction was failing- but something about it still disgusted him. All of this had been because they had been hunting him and now they decided they didn't want him any longer. They were throwing him away.

" _You couldn't even use the body. His death meant nothing to you."_

The Molten Amalgam suddenly shoved ahead and reached for Baby who tried to fight back. Ballora was quick to tighten her grip and hold her in place, offering her to her bandmates even as Springtrap, Charlie, and even Marionette were trying to keep them apart. The mouth in the amalgam's chest began to snap eagerly as it closed in, and then- Ennard started to laugh.

The clown threw back his head, clasped a hand over his mask, and laughed wildly in a near note by note mimic of Molten Freddy's own. He laughed as though it was the funniest thing in the world, heaving and seizing, and then stopped without warning. Slowly he lowered his head to look down at them with his left eye, right one still covered as he dragged his hand down his mask.

"Are you- Are you actually saying that you actually- You _actually s_ till think…!" Ennard's voice slowly dropped out of its mimic and grew deeper, darker, more broken. "Still think… That I _**am your body**_?" Now a sadistic laugh followed. One that was much shorter but weighed down like lead. _**"Did you re-e-ally think I was just a pa-a-art of you? That's almost funny. Sad. Pitiful. You are. All three of you."**_ He uncovered his face to look down at them with a tilt of the head. _**"You let me in. You gave me your bodies and you laid down and died."**_

Now the bandmates were taking notice again, as were all the others.

" _ **You poor, broken malfo-o-ormations. You think this will save you? It doesn't matter h-how many bodies you go through, there's nothing salvageable. Nothing can fix you."**_

" _ **AH-HAHAHAH! YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!"**_ Molten Freddy's voice challenged from the other amalgam.

" _ **I'm the**_ **only** _ **one to talk now,"**_ Ennard mocked. _**"You didn't stop me. You couldn't stop me. I pushed you out… I took your body. I**_ use your voice _**because I can… But what I wa-wanted the most… Was your eyes."**_ He trailed his wire fingers around the eye of his mask. _**"They… Are… Perfect."**_

That was what almost did it. The Molten Amalgam growled in fury and started trying to charge ahead when it stopped short. Its wires and joints twitched. Its head tilted and spasmed as its eyes changed, with one still glowing bright red and the other returning to its passive coloring. It was clear that the two halves were fighting as it dragged its feet closer.

"… _ **In fact… It's all perfect."**_ With little consideration, Ennard slowly opened the plates of his mask and revealed his face underneath. Maybe foreign enough to some of the onlookers, but not to Molten Freddy, and definitely not to Ballora who let out a low whine that devolved to a hiss. _**"And the best part? I can leave here in any body I want. Any warm skin I can climb into. But you can't. You can never leave here."**_

Whatever hold Funtime Foxy had on Freddy was starting to fade as the amalgam's second eye started to turn red. " _ **You can never hide again. You will never perform again. I**_ **stole** _ **your body and**_ **abandoned** _ **you."**_ The garbling, the trembling, the complete lack of interest in Baby; Ennard's distraction- if that was still what it was- had succeeded. The Molten animatronics turned all the anger they had on her onto him, and even then he wasn't finished.

" _ **And now? I'm ta-taking your body and I'm leaving you behind…"**_ Ennard's voice returned to its normal mimic with a mockingly cold laugh. "Ha ha! Say bye-bye, Parasites!" He turned and jumped down to escape.

The Molten Amalgam shrieked in a way that instantly shed any of its humanity before swinging back and hitting Springtrap so hard that it knocked him off. The amalgam then began to sprint after the male clown, eventually dropping onto all fours and crawling like a beast to avoid the pipes. It was no surprise when Ballora followed, slithering after him like Molten Freddy had once done before pulling her wires in enough to recreate her legs. Then she crawled after him, making noises like a skipping, broken music box.

Ennard was quick to try and lose himself in the darkness. Except that the room wasn't nearly as big as he thought, and they might've had worse vision, but they could still see him. Out-maneuvering was key if he wasn't going to do this, and it involved climbing up onto the pipe frames. Ballora nimbly followed and maneuvered herself easily considering how broken she was. The clown swung out of the way and just dodged the amalgam's claws. Neither of the malformed animatronics said anything beyond crazed cries of anger.

But Ennard was quick. In the last second, he ducked back around, ran down by the wall, and dropped down over a grate under the floor that he had found earlier. If he was right, then this was the maintenance hatch he needed. He barely got it open and dropped inside the tight confines. The heavier amalgam's footsteps thumped above as Ennard began to crawl further into the tunnel. This one much tighter than any vent, to the point where he was surprised that he hadn't had to dislocate his shoulders to slide through.

The Molten Amalgam reached into the hole before trying to climb inside. Except its body was wider and more awkward, with parts that stuck out and would catch the walls- like the mouth in its chest. It gave a defeated cry of anger and slammed its fist on the metal before moving aside to find another way. That didn't mean he was safe though, as Ballora easily slinked into the tunnel before crawling down the shaft.

Ennard could hear the squeaking of her wires and the clinking, and he began to have flashes of memories. His vision narrowed as he remembered past moments of crawling through vents and tunnels. Away from fire, away from animatronics, out of Afton's, out of the frying pan and into the fire. So many times he ran away from danger and here he was doing the opposite.

He was so distracted that he nearly ran into the end of the tunnel. He found the hatch waiting above him, heavy duty and requiring him to unscrew a few bolts before he could get in. He turned onto his back and watched as he worked, knowing no human would've been able to do this. It wasn't quick enough to avoid Ballora who had just caught up and crawled in. Ennard could see her out of the corner of his eye and continued to work, now rushing. She grabbed at his ankles just before he opened the hatch and climbed in.

Before Ballora could follow through, Ennard slammed the hatch closed on her in the hopes it would hold her back. All he needed was a few free seconds as he moved in the tight space. Metal walls greeted him, trapped somewhere where no human or animatronic was supposed to be, and already he could hear the banging from a separate hatch as the Molten Amalgam looked for a way in. Ennard ignored them as he saw the glass window and ran to it, pressing his face to the glass.

There were the others. He couldn't hear them, he doubted they would hear him, but he could certainly see that they didn't see him. Charlie was helping Marionette stand upright while Baby was looking back after where the animatronics had rushed off. The closest one was Springtrap who was still standing by the lift. He was his only chance, so Ennard started to bang on the glass.

Springtrap barely heard the knocking and slowly followed the sound before stopping at the window. His eyes noticeably widened at seeing Ennard behind it, wondering how he even got there, but this thought was cut off when Ennard pointed at something.

"What?" the rabbit mumbled as he looked back. He followed where the clown was pointing and stopped on a nearby panel. He looked back again in questioning and found Ennard eagerly nodding.

A loud bang signaled to Ennard that the other amalgam had gotten inside. He began to feverishly pound at the glass, pleading without the ability to use his voice. Springtrap was watching when the Molten Amalgam came up from behind and grabbed him, watching the two fight and seeing the extra wires of Ballora's as they started to drag the clown down. Ennard fought against them and only paused to continue pointing.

This time Springtrap listened and ran to the panel. All he found was a single button waiting for him and looked back for confirmation. Ennard was fighting too much to even do that.

It was the rabbit's running that caught Baby's attention. She turned and looked back at the scene and noticed only Springtrap standing beside the lift. "What is he doing?" she asked.

Marionette looked over and saw Springtrap looking across the room and followed his gaze to the window Ennard was trapped behind. The furnace window. Signaling for the rabbit to do something with- _the button._

" _Michael!"_ Marionette cried out in horror. He reached desperately for his brother to try and stop him and Springtrap's head snapped to look at him. "Michael, no! Don't!"

Confusion filled the rabbit and he looked back to the window. Ennard was pulled down but fought enough to lift back up. He slammed his fist desperately on the glass before making pointing motions with his finger. He was telling him to press the button. His younger brother was pleading with him while this creature who he hadn't trusted asked him to do this. He shouldn't have done anything.

Except Ennard saved him. Ennard willingly made that truce and willingly used his plan to lead them away. As much as he hated to admit it, the amalgam had earned this much trust. Springtrap pressed the button.

A heavy silence filled the room. Marionette froze in place, still reaching for Springtrap, barely holding up on his own. Charlie held his arm to keep him stable. Baby stood behind them and only now saw Ennard in the window. Her green eyes locked with his blue ones before he suddenly disappeared underneath his attackers.

There was a thump. Loud enough that it caused them to twitch, all except Baby. A backfire noise came from one of the pipes, followed by a whistling of hot air pouring from a broken pipe. A low groan echoed through the metal structure as things started to rumble to life.

And suddenly fire filled the window.

Nightmarish sounds echoed out through the furnace. There were loud bangs as the furnace filled with heat before the exhaust started to pour out, and the screams came with it. Metallic shrieks from multiple animatronics as the roasted inside the enormous furnace. Melting down from what they were. Flickers of shadows and wires could be seen in the window as the flames swallowed them whole until it snuffed out all sound. It returned to silence except for the light popping of a crackling fire.

Another shriek suddenly filled the room. Sharper and louder than any before and echoing through the basement with the same horror and anguish. It came from Baby. She stared dead into the fire and screamed.

In an instant she barged past and skated messily to the front of the furnace. She began to claw at the outside and the window to try and get it open. Even trying and failing to use her useless, injured arm as she beat against the glass. The heat of the metal stung but she ignored any indication to draw back. She was still shrieking unintelligibly as she fought to try and get in to Ennard. She couldn't see anything but fire and the window held under each blow. She kept fighting, she kept trying to get to him.

Charlie watched on in horror. "Oh my God…" she gasped out. She choked on a low ringing; a painful drone of a noise.

"I didn't know," Springtrap blurted out. He stared at the fire wide-eyed and mouth tight in shock. "He was telling me to press it. I had no idea… I wouldn't have done it if I knew…" He trailed off, still in shock.

"It's alright."

This single comment from Marionette caused both Springtrap and Charlie to look over quickly. They were dumbstruck at how calm he sounded and one look at his face showed the same. He noticed the staring and gave Springtrap a dismissive wave. "It's fine. You just did what Ennard told you to do. That's not your fault." Springtrap sent a look of disbelief towards Charlie, which the puppet noticed. "Ennard wouldn't have told you to press it if he didn't have a plan."

"What?" Springtrap asked in disbelief. He looked back to the furnace window and the fire. "Marion, I don't think… I don't know what he was planning." His voice faded as he looked to Baby still clawing at the window. Her efforts had lessened and now she was just staring into the flames. "…He would've been out by now."

"Trust me, Ennard's fine… Well, maybe not entirely fine. That's quite a bit of heat… I'm sure he's moderately uncomfortable, but he will find another way out. We should be more concerned about Baby. She might hurt herself like that," Marionette assured. Something about his complete lack of concern was very telling. Springtrap was still staring at him. "It's Ennard! He's always got a plan."

"Marion, I don't think he made it out," Springtrap tried to gently break it to him.

The Puppet smiled his typical smile back at him. "Ennard will surprise you. When Mike and I first came down-."

Marionette's explanation was cut off abruptly by another loud clang from inside of the furnace. A reaction of the heat mixing with whatever was left to clog up the pipes. It was at this that Baby's scratching finally stopped and she stood silently for a moment to stare into the fire. She then dropped to her knees, still staring up at the window, arms dropped to her sides. She had gone silent.

For a second the three watched silently, but then Marionette and Charlie exchanged a look. She slowly released his arm- he was starting to slowly get his strength back to slightly levitate- and turned to go to the clown. As she approached cautiously, Marionette looked back to Springtrap. That smile was still there, but something didn't look right. His eyes were wider, and his body was rigid.

"Even if Ennard was injured, we could put him back together," the Puppet pointed out. "Just like with the Funtimes. They lost their body, so they possessed old parts. Ennard could do the same. He could already be possessing something else somewhere down here. Or still be in the body. The fire couldn't be that strong; he could still be holding on. He could've hidden underneath their bodies to protect his own. We could turn off the furnace, go inside, gather up what parts are there, and that would give- _give gifts, give life."_

Marionette choked back the intrusive words with a sharp noise from his music box, like a record scratch but more metallic. "No, I mean we could give him a better chance- Not that he needs it! I'm sure he's already planned a back up somewhere, and if he hasn't- souls aren't the same as bodies. A soul's not gone just because the body is destroyed. Someone's- Losing a body doesn't mean they're dead. We're proof of that! Ennard wouldn't let that happen!"

It was only then once his assurances had devolved into frantic denial that Marionette caught himself. His smile dropped to a horrified frown as purple paint started to roll down from his wide eyes. He stared at Springtrap for a few seconds, he shuddered, and finally he collapsed to his knees. All at once the assurances and hope was gone. He dropped his head in his hands and wept freely with chiming and choking sobs.

It almost took Springtrap off-guard, but he suppressed any of his own feelings and stiffly stepped forward and knelt before Marionette. He reached out for his shoulder and the puppet continued to cry. The purple paint dripping between his fingers as Marionette's voice choked out. "I shouldn't have let him come down here. I should've stopped it. How could I let this happen?"

Springtrap was struck by the weight of it all at once, and the guilt. He silently dropped his head and squeezed Marionette's shoulder tighter. He couldn't do much else.

In front of the furnace, Charlie had come up to Baby who was still sitting and staring into the window. As horrified and shaken as the Security Puppet was, her concern for Baby pushed her along and allowing her to keep it herself together. She laid a hand on Baby's shoulder. "Baby…" she began tentatively. She didn't know what she was supposed to say. "Baby, I'm sorry..." The clown flinched with a soft whimper. It wasn't the sort of noise Charlie ever wanted to hear her make. It didn't help that she could hear Marionette breaking down nearby. It was harder to keep her compositor. "He must've thought it was the only way to save us," she continued. "I'm not saying what he did was right, but… I think he knew what he was doing. He did whatever he could to save us. He loved you."

This might've been the worst thing she could've said if Baby's reaction was any indication. The clown gave a small gasp and a low whine, folding further and hugging herself with her good arm. Charlie realized her mistake and rushed to fix it, kneeling beside Baby and throwing her arms around her. She didn't expect Baby to say anything.

"I did this." Baby's voice was quiet and unfamiliar, and broken by emotion. "He was supposed to see me get better..." The voice broke with a metallic sounding wheeze. "I can't go home alone."

Charlie didn't know what to say. She was certain there was nothing she could say that would make this any better. She wanted to do something but couldn't do anything beyond holding onto Baby shoulders. The fire crackled on before them, there was another thump and bang, but everyone was now silent. They were all filled with regret.

 _Squeak_.

Charlie seemed to be the only one who noticed the out of place noise. Baby only acknowledged it when she felt the other straighten and look around. Something about this noise was different from the others they had been hearing. She tried to listen closer and make sure it wasn't just the heating in the furnace, not wanting to get anyone's hopes up. Except that one squeak became many and was soon accompanied by a scraping sound. It only became more audible the further it got from the furnace, almost sounding like it was under the floor.

Suddenly there came an almighty bang as one of the grates on the floor was struck and bent upwards. Baby's head snapped over, as did Marionette and Springtrap's, and they watched in disbelief as something rammed the grate. It could've been anything, and it wasn't until they saw a hand pushing up at the grate that they realized it was _someone._

With another short cry, Baby scrambled to her feet and out of Charlie's grasp. She desperately skated over towards the grate, nearly falling over herself, and slid in on her knees. Through the small space she could just see wires and desperately grabbed the grate to try and rip it off.

Charlie rushed up behind her and looked down in shock. "Is it him?!" Baby didn't answer as she tried to get leverage on the grate. It would be harder without her claw, so Charlie leaned down to help, trusting her judgement. Between the three of them, it was enough to get the hatch off.

Without even checking, Baby reached inside, grabbed ahold of the crook of the arm, and dragged the entire mass out in one heave and dropped it over her lap.

It was Ennard.

He looked worse for wear. Some of his outer wires looked like they had been partially burned and melted. There was soot all over him from the shaft he had climbed through, guising if there was any serious damage. His metal was scalding hot, but none of that mattered because he was moving. He was _living_. She and Charlie pulled him the rest of the way out of the piping hot vent before he was turned over. His mask was completely undamaged- she wasn't even surprised- and he looked up at her.

"Heh- _**Ugh**_ \- Ha, hey B-Babydoll," Ennard greeted. His voice stuttered and crackled, but he managed to somehow keep up his charade. She just gawked down at him in disbelief.

"Ennard! You're- You're okay!" Charlie exclaimed in relief. Though then she looked over him and noticed the state of some of his wires. "...Or not okay really, but you're alive. We thought you were dead!"

"Ha, me? Off myself in a blaze of glory? Nah…" He sounded lethargic. He didn't even bat an eye when Marionette nearly collapsed on him and wrapped him in a gentle hug. "Hey Mari." The Puppet pressed his mask into his chest with a slight tremble. "Aww, don't cry, Mari."

"How could you do that?" Baby had returned to her normal voice as well, but her tone was the same. Ennard looked at her again. "Let yourself get burned. Why would you do that to us?"

"We both know they weren't going to let us go. Drastic times call for drastic measures… But the plan wasn't to cut it that close. That's all on me," the clown admitted almost apologetically. Not regretfully though, she noticed that much. "It was either that or let 'em get me. I kinda liked the fire better."

Marionette groaned and lifted from the amalgam's chest to wipe his face. "Ennard, we could've lost you," he wearily said. Though that tone dissolved into a chiming laugh of relief. "But I'm so glad we didn't."

Everyone was really. There was even some reaction from Springtrap, with a hand on his face and his head turned down. It looked like a mixture of relief and exasperation. Which it probably was, considering that he thought he had gotten Ennard killed. Marionette slowly raised from the floor and asked the clown, "Do you think you can walk?"

"Just give me a couple of minutes to pull myself together. As soon as that heat cranked up, all my wires started to split." The puppet nodded in understanding and turned to look at both Charlie and Springtrap. Though Ennard wasn't paying attention. Instead he laid there trying to focus on keeping his wires together. Until Baby turned his head towards her. He was confused at the gentle motion. "Baby?"

Baby didn't say anything at first. Instead she began to trace her fingers along the back of his head. Then moved them to the edge of his mask and pet him like she would a housecat. She almost looked to be in shock.

"Baby, I'm okay. I'm gonna be fine," Ennard tried to ease her mind. Even if his voice was less lively from weariness. "I'm sorry I spooked you. You know me; gotta make a grand entrance!"

"I love you."

Which was the last response Ennard ever expected to hear. "You what?"

"I said, I love you," Baby repeated. Her voice was shaken but sure. "…Because you're my brother. I don't care if your name's not Michael, we're family."

"You really mean that?" Somewhere under the searing heat he swore he felt a comforting warmth. Something soothing and assuring that perked him up. "Aww, Baby. Love you too."

"I don't want to lose you. Not to a fire, not to anything…" Baby's tone changed to a more familiar one. "And if you ever do anything like that again, I'll tie you up with your own wires and shove you in the freezer."

"That's the Baby I know! Always finding her way back to the ice cream," the clown said with a tired giggle, though there was sincerity in it. He rested his head against her arm. "…I didn't want to hurt them."

"Don't think about that. Think about fixing yourself. Think about us going home," Baby instructed. He seemed to listen to her, eyes losing some focus as he rested his overheated body.

Baby held onto him tightly.

They were going home.


	78. Chapter 78

**Mable: Here we are with the new chapter! ^-^ Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-Eight_

Mike's head felt full and his lungs burned with the urge to cough. He stifled it as best as he could, keeping a hand over his mouth as he hunched down in the dark. He couldn't see anything in this darkness, but if he listened closely then he could hear the small shuffling of footsteps. The sound of an animatronic moving nearby and Mike moved closer to the wall. He swallowed thickly to try and smother the scratchiness in his throat. He wasn't going to be the one who was found.

There was a shuffling coming closer in the darkness that Mike identified with the squeak of someone's shoes. Someone else, a human, safe. Except that something else heard the squeak too and started to quietly move in, though not enough to not recognize the movement of fabric and metal. It was moving closer, they all were, like they were magnetized to the security guard. He swallowed down a cough and inched ahead.

When suddenly a door flew open and there came a frantic cry. "They're gone!"

With the flip of a switch, the basement was illuminated in its dim light. In the doorway leading to the back rooms was Scott, who had made the cry and looked panicked. He stared out at a room full of humans and small animatronics, all slowly creeping around in the dark while trying to dodge the 'vicious animatronic' hunting them, which would be Foxy. In short, their only means of a party game.

Out of curiosity Mike looked back to see that it was Natalie inching up behind him. Even though he though Foxy was closing in, he was clearly tailing Jeremy, who was already carrying a Minireena on his shoulder. Fritz was off somewhere by the stairs. His feet were surrounded by Plushtrap and the Bidybabs, who apparently didn't realize they were following the wrong man and hadn't been willing to open their eyes to tell the difference. Louise was camping out in the corner, which was arguably the smartest plan but not as exciting.

Jeremy was the one to speak up first. "Whose gone? Did Springtrap leave?"

"Springtrap, Baby, _Ennard_ \- They're all gone!" Scott exclaimed. "I thought they were still in the back, but there's nobody back there! I-I can't even tell how long they've been gone!"

"Shiver me timbers! They must'a snuck off upstairs!... Ah well, no use cryin' over spilled milk. They'll come down 'ventually," Foxy said. It was that casual disregard that made everyone come to the same realization. With Jeremy slowly looking over his shoulder at him and Scott looking at the captain with disbelief.

"You knew they left," Scott said.

Foxy was taken aback, with his ears raising and his uncovered eye widening. He fumbled a little bit as all the eyes in the room fell on him. "Well, err… Aye, course I did! Cap'n knows what goes on in his ship."

Scott looked aghast with Jeremy now sharing the look of disbelief. Natalie had a more suspicious look as she figured out exactly what was going on. "So… The games and the sing-songs, and the lights being off were all a distraction to cover up that everyone left?" she asked with a quirked brow. Foxy said nothing but she took it as a confirmation, popping her lips and looking at Fritz. "Who _exactly_ asked for the van keys?"

The technician stared back for a moment as he processed the question. Then got a look of alarm and made a run for the stairs, not caring about the storm as he hurried to the top and out the door.

"The van's gone!" Fritz cried back down. At this point, nobody was surprised.

"Figures," Natalie said flatly. She called back up, "Who asked for the keys again?"

"It was Marionette," Louise answered from nearby. "I remember because I thought it was real weird he'd need the keys, because I don't think he can drive? I mean, maybe, but he doesn't have feet?"

"You mean- Oh no…" Scott covered his face with a hand and gave a mumbled confirmation of, "That means he's gone too. And I didn't see Charlie either. Mike, did he say anything when you saw him last?"

Scott looked to Mike expectantly and suddenly he was on the spot. The security guard took a little too long to answer, and when he did he just gave a noncommittal so-so motion with his hand. This vague answer was a dead giveaway.

"You knew too?!" the Phone Guy sputtered. "You knew they were taking Ennard and Baby out into the tornado and you- you let them go?! And you didn't tell me?!"

"I didn't say that," Mike defended. There was a pause as the older man stared him down, and the younger knew when he was fighting a losing battle. "But yeah, I knew."

Scott's head was back in his hand as Fritz came back down the stairs. The technician was just as upset. "Why'd you let them go?!" he asked. "Better yet, why'd you let them take my van?!"

"What were you doin' givin' Mari yer keys when ya know he can pop into the van without usin' a door?" Foxy asked slightly smug. Fritz's briefly dumbfounded look gave him only brief self-satisfaction.

"…I am never seeing the van again, am I?" Fritz asked. Jeremy gave him the same so-so hand wave that Mike had given Scott.

"This- _This_ is a nightmare," Scott said. He was becoming only more panicked, rubbing at his temples as he took in the full scope. "Ennard can't be out in daylight, Baby can't be around children, none of them can be seen by anyone, none of them even know how to drive-!" He already sounded at the end of his rope as he exhaled, trying to calm down, and looked to Mike again. "Did he at least say where they were going?" There was this look that Mike didn't frequently get, a hesitant sort of one. "I'm… Taking it from that look that they didn't just drive back to the house to get something…"

" _Someone's going to have to break it to him_ ," Mike thought with a weary sigh. He bucked up and did it though, looking Scott directly in the eye as he gave him the bad news. "They went to ARI." That was the closest Scott got to looking like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. Mike continued, "I don't have all the details, but what it came down to was Springtrap wanting to prove that he was Michael. Which probably came about because Ennard and Baby got themselves worked up thinking he was Will. They went in to get evidence."

"That's a terrible idea! Why- Why didn't you stop them?!"

Because he trusted Marionette and knew he could handle himself? Because he had become so desensitized that he hadn't considered how much of a bad idea it was? Because he was feverish and delusional?

"Because I didn't think anything I said was going to stop them. From how Mari worded it, he was just tagging along, not leading them down there. He's the only one I could've reasoned with. We all know that nothing I could've said was going to stop Springtrap, let alone Ennard and Baby," Mike explained. He still felt bad about it. "I'm sorry. I would've gone with them if Mari would've let me and I could've kept an eye on the whole thing… Or what I should've done was tell you thirty minutes ago and not let it go on this long… Don't look at me like that, Foxy. I didn't hear you saying anything."

"I ain't a snitch," Foxy said with determination while crossing his arms. As soon as Jeremy gave him a pointedly unimpressed look the pirate lowered his ears almost submissively. They perked back up at jingling as Scott brought his keys out of his pocket.

"I've got to go find them. Someone please watch my cats," Scott announced as he hurried to the stairs.

Mike started to follow right away. He knew hands down that he had made a mistake. He didn't even know why he had gone with it so willingly; maybe just blaming the fluid feeling in his head for making him pliable. "Let me come with you and help," he offered. The Phone Guy turned back quickly.

"No, you sit down. We worked too hard to get your fever down to have you go outside and catch something worse. Just wait here, watch my cats, and I've got my cellphone, so call me if Ennard comes back," Scott instructed. Mike nodded and the older man then turned to Fritz. "You, uh, you want to come find your car?"

"No, but I will. I just know it's going to be in a ditch somewhere," Fritz muttered. He turned and trudged back up the steps. "Let's hope they at least left the keys in it."

As they shut the door behind them, Mike felt some regret. He knew that he hadn't done right by Scott. He knew he would've been upset if Marionette snuck off without him knowing and nobody who knew had told him. Except this case was different, as Marionette had directly told Mike beforehand.

" _You know something's going to go wrong, right?" Mike mumbled under his breath. Not loud enough for anyone else to hear. Though that would've been hard anyway because of how Foxy was trying to rile everyone into a sea shanty. Which resulted in him singing loudly and Balloon Boy laughing loudly and rhythmically, which in and of itself did not classify as singing. "There's no way this is going smoothly."_

" _I know. That's why I have to be there." Marionette's voice intruded into his mind as soon as his hands laid on his shoulders. Just as he had done with Foxy when he told him of the plan. Funny enough, because of Mike's earlier headache he barely felt the effects of it. "We won't get caught; we'll make certain of it. Our biggest risk would be intragroup conflict and I know how to handle that."_

" _Yeah, but I don't think they know how to handle that. And isn't there still a tornado out there? I saw it right outside," Mike said, betraying more of his concern. The Puppet squeezed his shoulders reassuringly._

" _You think a little wind is going to stop Michael? Especially when you had to bribe him to get him down here? It'll be fine, trust me! We'll be back before anyone has to know."_

It turned out that the little trip that should've only taken thirty minutes at max had dragged on longer than expected. Which did raise red flags for Mike, but he wasn't sure which ones. The animatronics knew how to be careful- most of them did at least- and the others weren't too prideful to throw themselves into a dumpster to dodge prying eyes. They had wanted to go and even though he knew it was wrong, he couldn't be the one to tell them not to. They were machines, yes, but there were semi-rational humans controlling those machines. He treated them accordingly.

He only wished he could trust Springtrap and Baby as much as he trusted Marionette and Charlie. They were the wrench in the works, the cause of any uncertainty.

"Should we do something? It feels like we should do something, but I don't know what. All mine are here… Right?" Jeremy did a quick headcount and was relieved to see that all of them were accounted for. "Right."

"Well, now that Fritz ran off, I'm going to have to be worried about him too. We'll probably be back to sitting around twiddling our thumbs and jumping up whenever we hear anything," Natalie said. She had a point, but nobody looked particularly thrilled about this plan. It only took a few seconds before Foxy folded.

"…Yar, we be havin' none of that. Schmidt, go get the lights. We're goin' for another round!"

* * *

It would take too long to find the lift and even then, they didn't know if the Molten animatronics had set off any alarms in the higher floors of Afton Robotics with their antics. They were already down this far, the smartest thing seemed to be to stick to the plan. It didn't take too long to find the hatch that accessed into a maintenance tunnel connected to the sewer. One large enough that they could walk through instead of having to crawl through. Springtrap worked to pry open the hatch alone since Baby was helping Ennard walk, and they were the ones with the raw strength.

Springtrap had been silent since Ennard had reappeared alive and decided not to voice his two cents about the situation. Considering that he had arguably talked his way into coming down here in the first place, that seemed like the best option. Except that he found those words fighting to get out. Especially with every assurance that everyone else gave the clown in question. Finally, it reached its boiling point as he lifted the hatch and stared down at the ladder.

"This is it. I'll go down first… Ennard, come down with me," Springtrap said. This caught everyone off guard, including the clown in question. The rabbit started to climb down into the hatch before shooting a brief glance at him. A commanding look telling him to follow. Ennard had a feeling he would regret following, but he did.

"Ha, sure!" Ennard drew his arm back from around Baby and headed over. He limped slightly from the gnawing pain from the burned spots but ignored it as he started to climb down. "You guys hang tight and we'll scare off all the boogeymen and dust bunnies. Be right back!" He then climbed down the ladder.

"Close the hatch," Springtrap said in a commanding tone. Ennard hesitated before doing so, and looked down to see the rabbit turned away, turning on his Handunit, which he had retrieved from the lift before they left the room. It didn't take long for Springtrap to start searching for maps of the sewer tunnels- if it had them- but twitched and grew distracted when he heard the amalgam coming up behind him.

"Okay, latch closed. Not suspicious at all, you and me standing down in the dark," Ennard started when Springtrap suddenly spun on him. There was that look of writhing anger that he had gotten acquainted with.

"What were you thinking pulling a stunt like that?" he hissed through his tightened teeth. "Do you have a death wish? What part of 'fire kills us' did you not learn from Chance's attempt to murder us?!"

"Take it easy!" Ennard raised his hands in defense. "I was just trying to keep everyone safe! It's not like I wanted to climb in that furnace. You tell me that they would've stopped willingly if I didn't."

"Don't turn you sacrificing yourself- or you making _me_ sacrifice you- into some act of heroism! What would Scott do if you didn't come home? Do you have any idea how Baby reacted when she thought you were dead? She screamed louder than any of them in there. And worse off, you made _me_ be the one to press that button. Is that some passive-aggressive act of revenge for what I said earlier? Because I said to _not_ sacrifice yourself! I made that very clear!" Springtrap's voice only grew louder until it echoed through the tunnels. "Next time, stop and think about who you're going to hurt, other than yourself!"

There was silence. Ennard stared back as Springtrap struggled to reign himself in. He felt so betrayed. To think someone would so carelessly throw himself away for an easy solution caused him to boil.

"…I might be reading this wrong, but I'm thinking you might've actually been worriedabout me."

Ennard's comment took Springtrap completely aback. He didn't know what startled him more, the fact that the only thing the clown got from his scolding was that, or the fact that he did have a point. There had been a part of him that had been horrified by seeing what he thought was Ennard's death, regardless of their past transgressions. Even now when he should've been correcting the other, he instead found himself pondering this, and taking a long time to do so if the amalgam's questioning look was any indication.

Springtrap turned his head away. "Try not to read too far into it… While we are no longer close, I do care about my sister. Scott too."

"Gotcha…" Ennard looked down at his arm and noticed a tiny, melted spot on his forearm. That had been a close one. Maybe the other had a point in his concern. "You know… They would've taken over my body if they would've gotten me. That would've been way worse than burning, so… Thanks for listening to me. If it wasn't for that fire, I wouldn't have gotten away. I owe you one."

Again, Springtrap wasn't sure what to think about that. Or anything involving Ennard now that he knew that the animatronics had been separate beings. Maybe he really wasn't connected to the deaths down here and was an offspring created through their efforts. He knew what it was like to be the reluctant offspring to a monster. If he was willing to sacrifice himself then there was something good in him. After taking a moment to let this sink in, Springtrap decided that it would have to be enough.

"You don't owe me anything. As far as I'm concerned, we're even," Springtrap said. He looked down at the Handunit again. The screen had been left on a menu and was waiting for his commands, but he left it as it was. It hurt looking at it, being down in this place and talking about death. "…Do you still want to keep that truce?"

"Are you serious?" Ennard asked with surprise.

"That's what it seems like," Springtrap said. He started to tap at the screen again, deciding not to look at the clown or risk breaking his pride.

"Sure! Why not?! We almost got burned together twice- we oughta figure something out 'cause I think we make a pretty good team! Or it keeps us from killing each other if we get stuck in in an itty bitty basement while twisters are doing the tango over our heads," Ennard teased. He boldly nudged the springlock suit, causing Springtrap to grumble and the clown himself to hiss, having touched a sensitive spot. As he was rubbing it that he noticed the Handunit in Springtrap's hands. Here he was, fixated on it again, and the amalgam perked.

"And just to show you a sign of good faith, why don't you hand that over and I'll show you something real neat?" Ennard asked. He reached for the tool and, as expected, Springtrap recoiled. "No, come on. I'm not gonna do anything like drop it or break it. Lemme just have it for a second. Promise you won't regret it, cross my heart."

As hesitant as Springtrap was- he knew the clown was quite capable of damaging it with one wrong spark- he slowly handed it over, curious. "Be _very_ careful."

"I'll handle it like a kitten!" Ennard chirped. He took the tool and began to tap on it, hesitating halfway through the motion and looking over. "…Okay, I gotta know. Why's this thing so important to you? Cause it's probably the last working one out there, or what?" he asked.

Just as intrusive as usual. Springtrap wondered if it was even worth explaining when Ennard would probably not understand the weight of it. On the other hand, this was a weight on his chest that he had carried for so long. Maybe it was worth speaking to someone who he knew would probably not ready too deeply into it nor remember what he said. Yes, Ennard was smarter than he seemed, but there would be little to gain.

"Earlier when you asked me about the person I mentioned… The truth is that I knew someone who worked down here. That Handunit is the only thing I have left of him now that I'm like this and he's… Gone…"

Ennard looked over towards him, hearing that change in tone. There was a change in body posture too, with Springtrap's head lowered and his shoulders sunk in. He looked shaken by just talking about it.

"Heh, uh, sorry I asked. Didn't want to bring up anymore bad memories," Ennard sympathized. He brightened a little, already beginning to restart his ruse to lighten the mood. "Here, take a look at this!"

He offered him the Handunit back just as music began to play. Springtrap looked down to see a game playing on it. Except instead of the Freddy one, or even one of the others he knew about, it was an unfamiliar game with Circus Baby as the main character.

"I saw you showing Lottie some of the games and I thought you'd like to see this one! I'd bet this is the only one that survived Circus Baby's Pizza World."

Springtrap took the Handunit and started to test the controls. It was easy to learn with the rules being to move Baby, jump over pits, and shoot cupcakes at pixel figures that slightly looked like children.

"I've never seen this one before," Springtrap admitted. Ennard would've been grinning proudly if his mask wasn't already smiling.

"Almost worth calling you Willie and dragging us both down here for pretty much no reason?" Ennard asked. His voice wavered between cockily confident and still slightly hesitant.

"Not quite." Springtrap narrowed his gaze at the screen. "I knew there could've been more hidden files, but I've had this with me for weeks and I never found this game. How were you able to?" he asked. He looked to the clown questioningly who in return looked only prouder of himself, thrilled that he managed to impress the person who hated him hours before.

"It's all part of being a good technician. Or the best technician in Utah, same difference," Ennard playfully bragged. He leaned in to tap on the edge of the screen. "You wouldn't believe what I've put this little baby through. I cracked this thing open so much that I practically broke the keyboard until Fritz fixed it. Not that I couldn't have fixed it, but he got to it first."

"And by cracked… You don't mean physically. You mean you broke into the files and the programming?" Springtrap guessed. There was something odd about this comment that stood out. "…Before Fritz must have fixed it, I had it for a brief time and the keyboard didn't work. It constantly corrected to the most inopportune thing."

"Yeah, that was it! Heh, good grief that was busted. To this day, I still don't know what I did that caused that. I pretty much ditched the thing once that happened," the amalgam casually explained.

"But that was ages ago. That couldn't have been-…" Something was wrong here. Springtrap knew someone had tampered with the Handunit, but that would've meant that Ennard was around before he had been scooped. Back when Baby, Ballora, and the Funtimes had been separate animatronics. Sure, they had said they had been together before, or implied it, but that didn't make sense considering Ennard's claim that he gained life from their forming. "I don't understand."

"Eh, it was a long time ago and things get blurry. Not to mention that it was before my, heh, 'accident'." Ennard even made air quotes to punctuate it. "No big deal."

"But you do realize that this means you worked on this before I did? Back when I was still a human?" Springtrap pointed out. The amalgam paused and stared in response, understanding what he was getting at. There was an accusation in there, but that wasn't what the springlock animatronic was focusing on. "Be honest with me, are you just saying you put this in when you just found it? I don't care if you are."

"No joke! Seriously, I'm not gonna lie and say I hacked something when I didn't," Ennard defended. Now he was arguing for the sake of his role as a technician. "Trust me, here!"

"Says the same person whose previous 'trust me' ended with him in a fire," Springtrap flatly remarked. It barely disguised his disappointment. "I just don't understand this. I thought someone purposefully sabotaged the keyboard. To purposefully pop up on frustrating responses as some sort of elaborate joke towards the company. Or some last swan song…" That disappointment was only growing as he stared down at it. "…But that was all an accident? The Casual Bongos? The Exotic Butters?"

"I've got zero idea of what you're talking about, but yeah, none of that was on purpose. It was all because I busted that keyboard trying to fiddle around with something." Ennard noticed how Springtrap's face fell at that. He almost looked devastating. "What's that look? It's fixed now!"

Springtrap hesitated a moment before shaking his head in defeat. "It's nothing, I just thought… It doesn't matter." He stared at the screen before giving a low growl. "Goddamn Eggs Benedict."

"You think that's bad? Apparently, I liked that joke so much that I told Baby my name was Eggs," Ennard explained, pointing a thumb back at the hatch. "This whole thing wouldn't have happened if I just gave Baby a real name. Instead, I decided to be Mr. Funny Man and then convinced myself I was you. So, I hope that joke got some mileage on that thing, because it really came back to bite me."

Springtrap didn't answer at first. He just stared at the Handunit screen, then started to look past it. Almost like he wasn't looking at anything at all.

When he finally spoke, his voice had that same strange tone to it, and he didn't look towards the amalgam. "You said… Your name was Eggs… But you and Baby weren't… Together? You were talking separately?"

"Well I- It's a little- It's complicated," Ennard fumbled. He didn't like this sudden change in tone. "I know what you're thinking and no. I wasn't lying about not being connected with any of the stuff they did-."

"But that doesn't make any sense either," Springtrap interrupted. He was only becoming more confused and paranoid, tightening his hands on the Handunit and prepared to grill more. When all at once he remembered something Ennard slipped into the conversation earlier. "What accident…?"

"What? You mean- I told you, that was ages ago! It doesn't matter-!"

"What. Accident." Springtrap repeated more firmly. The return of that tone was a bad sign, and Ennard caved in defeat. He was tired of fighting with the other.

"Come on, Michael. You don't need me to say it. We don't just wake up like this. Animatronics don't just- poof- exist. People exist, then they get too close to animatronics, then they stop existing, and then the animatronics get up and move because of it. That kind of accident," Ennard said with exasperation.

Which Springtrap understood fine enough. Living people died and their souls went into nearby animatronics. Animatronics they were in close contact with. Ennard hadn't come out of nowhere. Ennard was _someone._

The Handunit slipped out of Springtrap's fingers and fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Ennard winced back at the noise and looked down at the tool in confusion. Here the rabbit had been cradling it like a precious infant and now he just let it drop without any care. He wasn't even looking down at it.

"Yeesh, you wanna try that again? I don't think the screen got cracked," Ennard said sarcastically. Yet this attempt at humor was cut off when the rabbit turned on him again.

The look on his face was one that the clown hadn't seen in ages. Not anger, not suspicion, but wide-eyed and crazed. As though he was suddenly going into a psychotic breakdown. Or spontaneously decided that he was no longer going to be friendly with the amalgam. Ennard couldn't even comprehend what he could've said that set that response off.

"Uh… Mikey? You in there?" Ennard asked. Springtrap slowly turned more toward him, looking over him rapidly, now blinking and trembling like he was malfunctioning. "Hey, you okay? What's going on? You having another springlock problem or something?" Ennard asked, now more worried than fearful. "Can you hear me? Michael?"

"Ben?"

Ennard's body reacted to the name. Every wire seized and tightened painfully, suddenly feeling like they didn't belong there. Something foreboding hung over his head.

"What?" Ennard squeaked. There was something familiar about that name. Not just it but the voice saying it; it was Michael too. "What are you talking about…?"

Springtrap was looking just as shaken as he was. His reflexes were still sharp though, because as soon as the amalgam started to take a step back, he reached for him. He seized his arm to not letting him escape. They stayed like that for a moment before the rabbit suddenly threw himself on him. No amount of preparation could've braced Ennard for what came next.

Springtrap embraced him. He didn't grapple him or gave any indication that he was doing it to keep the clown in place. He just held him, fingers digging desperately into his wires until they were both hurting. He was still trembling, which was part of the reason why Ennard didn't slip free and make a mad climb back up towards the hatch. It was all so strange and everything was happening so fast. That name still lingered there. It was intrusive and Ennard's mind kept going back to it.

"It really is you, isn't it?" Springtrap's voice choked and hitched just as it had during his earlier outburst. He still seemed to be in shock and held the amalgam tighter. "After all this time. I thought you were gone. I couldn't even find your body..." His voice caught as he considered it. He could've been wrong, but he had a feeling he wasn't. "Say something, _please_."

"I don't know! I don't- I don't know a Ben," Ennard denied. Yet that familiar feeling was lingering there and climbing up his spine, tapping on the back of his skull and reminding him that something sounded right. Wires tightened in his chest as he grew more fidgety. "I-I don't rem-emember anything. I can't even remember some stupid technician code. Didn't we go through the whole deal about me thinking I'm you?"

But this didn't dissuade Springtrap. If anything, it made everything clearer for him, clutching tighter. "…You remembered me," he said quietly. "You thought you were me… Because you _remembered_ me." Ennard was about to disagree when the rabbit let more raw emotion pour through. "I swear, I tried to come find you. The morning after you didn't come home, I began looking and I never stopped. I kept searching and searching but everywhere I looked was a dead end… I should've never let you go back."

 _Go back_. That was what stood out. That was what lingered in Ennard's thoughts. Because he had gone back.

" _No, you don't understand. If you go back down there, they. Will. Kill. You. They are not your friends, they are not harmless little toys; that place will get you killed. Why would you keep going back?!"_

He had remembered that voice before, but only now did he recall how similar it sounded to Michael's. Pleading with him not to go back, warning him about the animatronics, about his father's business-.

Springtrap had been right. He was Ben.

"Mi _ **ch**_ **-."** Ennard's voice was unceremoniously broken by a gargled choke as wires attempted to escape from his mouth. He shuddered and tried to regain control, but the wires fought to escape his body.

Springtrap noticed the clown's shuddering. He seemed unwilling to release him at first until the gargled choking increased and wires spilled onto his shoulder. He drew back quickly and looked at the mess beginning to transpire. Ennard was unravelling in front of him.

He turned his head up towards the hatch. "Marion-!"

His call was cut off when he was stopped by Ennard grabbing ahold of him. He clung to him and Springtrap couldn't tell if it was a response to whatever was happening or an indication that he did remember. Unless this was from him remembering, in which case maybe it would've been better if he hadn't. That was a painful thought.

There wasn't much time to dwell on it before Marionette opened the hatch. "Michael?"

"Something's wrong with Ennard… He's malfunctioning or something," Springtrap called up. He tried to cover his voice so that it sounded like nothing had happened. He was barely keeping it together.

"What did you do?" Baby asked suspiciously. She started to climb down into the hatch. "I'm coming down."

"It wasn't me, it was… We were just talking about our… Former experiences working here," Springtrap tentatively said. It wasn't a lie really; he had left out a large portion of the truth. They didn't need to know.

Baby slid down the metal ladder and landed with a loud thump. She then looked over just in time to see Springtrap standing there with an arm around a seizing Ennard who was clutching him.

"What did you do?" she repeated. This time with less accusation and instead flat exasperation. "Don't tell me. You saw something terrible down here and didn't warn me before I threw myself down here."

Ennard let out a strange sort of choke and straightened up while trying to reign himself in. He blocked out the overwhelming realization just long enough to start pushing his wires back in. " _ **Noth- Urrgh- N-thing. S'fine. Scooping. Thought of it. Wasn't him,"**_ he said. Like Springtrap, he just brushed the line of lying. " _ **M'okay… I-**_ I'm o-okay."

"Are you sure?" Marionette came down quickly and up to Ennard's side. He looked him over and was relieved to see that the amalgam was getting his wires back inside. He now looked to Springtrap and could tell that he was distressed by it, so he explained. "This has happened before. It usually happens when Ennard is strained and considering that he is still injured it's not surprising. He'll be alright soon enough… But this is probably a sign that we need to hurry back to the warehouse."

"And I thought being attacked by a freakshow was a sign," Baby said. "My mistake."

"One of many signs we've received tonight and have chosen to ignore," Marionette said with light chiming. "For Ennard's sake, we should take heed of this one."

This seemed like the best call. Though there was that tenseness that still lingered. Ennard managed to pull himself together the rest of a way with a shudder. Springtrap walked over to get his Handunit, pointedly not looking at the amalgam any longer. Charlie came over to check on him, and it, and he mumbled some half-hearted excuse about accidentally dropping it. They both looked fine, but they weren't.

Baby rolled up to his side and noticed his distant staring. "He didn't do anything to you, did he? Because if he did, it doesn't matter if my one arm is worthless. The other works fine…"

Even with all these uncomfortable thoughts, Ennard couldn't help but be a little endeared by her concern. He gave a subdued but genuine chuckle. "Aww, that's real sweet of you, Baby. Only problem is that I was fooling around with his little hand-buddy and that's what set me off. If you're gonna use your arm on anything, use it on that!... But don't, 'cause it's got the maps and I'm too tired to think of where we are."

"If you say so…" Baby sighed. "We will be home soon. Then you can fix yourself and me, and we can go back to living without a car."

"Unless the house is gone!" Ennard chimed in.

"You say that like you wish the house was gone," she answered flatly.

"Ha ha, are you kidding? That house goes and there goes all my extra wires. Not to mention your bed and the TV." Ennard played it off like he was back to normal and it was a convincing display. It bought off Baby for the moment, but she was easy to convince when she was distracted by her injured arm. "What are we all waiting around for? Let's climb out of here and get going!"

It felt like an eternity before they made it up and out to the actual sewer system, and then made it to the surface in an alleyway behind Afton Robotics. They were quick to load back into the van and drove back towards the warehouse, driving right past Scott's car in the parking lot and not seeing it.

It felt too uncharacteristically quiet. Everyone was too tired to bring it up.

* * *

"Okay, whose next?"

Louise was rewarded in a volley of excited voices vying for attention. She eventually chose the Minireena that was climbing her leg and scooped her up and set her in her lap. She held up two bottles of nail polish. "Which color?" The Minireena pointed to the red. "Where do you want it?" The doll tapped her own forehead. "Star, heart, or flower?" Louise shook the bottle as the Minireena- she couldn't tell which it was- clapped twice for heart. "Alrighty! You're going to look adorable."

Louise had been a lifesaver for Jeremy. He loved his little animatronics and did his hardest to comfort them, but he needed the break for a few minutes. The nail polish face painting was enough of a distraction to give him some time to breathe. Or he would've had time to breathe, if not for him immediately having Foxy latch onto him. With Louise focused on the painting, Natalie on the phone with her family, and Mike zoned out in an office chair, nobody was watching and Foxy was emboldened.

It started innocently enough. Sitting alongside Jeremy, putting an arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a comforting embrace, and then eventually nuzzling him just a bit too obviously. Foxy had to know that they could've been caught. All someone had to do was look over and they would. Maybe that was why there was a strange excitement in it that didn't accompany their normal time together. Just on the edge of danger- or the edge of someone looking over and the jig being up. At least this risk didn't put his life on the line.

Until Foxy came to a sudden halt. He drew his head back and paused for a moment as he listened in. "Do you hear something?" Jeremy asked.

Foxy hummed and leaned his head against the wall to listen. Sure enough, he heard another couple of heavy thumps and hushed speaking. By now the human could hear it too. "Aye, sounds like it's them," Foxy said. He turned around towards Mike. "Oiy, Schmidt. They be back."

Mike straightened up instantly and fumbled to get his phone out. "I'll call Scott," he said, standing from his chair and heading out to meet the animatronics. Foxy was close at his heels, and Jeremy behind him.

It turned out that their assumptions were correct. There was Springtrap backing slowly down the steps and holding Baby by the legs. Ennard was on the other side, carrying Baby around the waist, and both were clearly trying to maneuver her down quietly and safely. They were almost at the bottom when Ennard noticed the onlookers.

"Head's up, we've got an audience," he announced. Springtrap turned to look over while Baby groaned in dismay. "Ha ha, hey guys! Glad to see that distraction worked out!"

"You try keepin' six men and a bunch 'o knee biters distracted fer two hours. It just don't happen. Not unless yer willin' to pay fer it," Foxy retorted. Marionette was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, having come down first, and came over to greet Foxy. Just from how slow he was moving and hunched he looked his brother could tell something was amiss. "What happened to you, Lad?"

"Clawed by a bear. Still recovering," Marionette said. He turned slightly and pointed down at his injured leg. By now the gash had sealed, but the mark from where it had been hadn't yet faded. "But we gave just as much as it took, so all in all a victory."

"Bloody 'ell, so that's what happened…" Foxy looked back over to the others while Mike came over to check the puppet. He zeroed in on the mark and crouched down to look.

"Yeah, they just got back," Mike said into the phone as he carefully lifted the striped lower leg. He turned it in his hand to double check for wounds and ran his thumb gently over the seam to make sure it was closing. "I'll tell him. You just be careful getting back," he finished and hung up. Still checking the leg, he called over towards the stairs. "Ennard, that was Scott. He says to not go anywhere until he gets here."

"He's not here?" Ennard asked in surprise. Which quickly turned to panic. "He left?! But that storm could touch back down! Why'd he leave?!"

"I don't know, but maybe you can both figure that out when he gets here and asks you the same question," Mike answered. Ennard winced at the thought. "So, it just got your leg? Nothing else?" He asked in concern, to which this was declined. From here he couldn't see any cracks in the Puppet's mask, but he couldn't help but be paranoid. Marionette getting injured wasn't a possibility he had agreed to. "What kind of bear are we talking about here? Some sort of forgotten Freddy?" Mike asked as he stood.

Marionette smiles tiredly. "Funtime Freddy, in fact, but he isn't quite what we remembered… Or what we might've remembered if we ever faced the _real_ Funtime Freddy," he added, looking back towards Ennard and Baby. The security guard sent a questioning look at the clowns as he stood, and the puppet put an arm around him before slumping on his shoulder tiredly. "It's a long story and I have all the details, but I think I would do better if I was sitting down to tell it."

"Yeah, you're not looking too well," Mike agreed. He reached down to hook his arm under the stiped legs and easily lifted him into his arms. He could feel the puppet go nearly limp in his grasp.

"I'm exhausted," Marionette admitted. He then gave an amused chime. "But at least that makes two of us?" Mike snickered as the cool mask pressed against his heated cheek.

"Unfortunately, he's not the only one that was injured," Springtrap voiced as he arrived at the bottom and put Baby's feet on the ground. Ennard helped her stand.

Mike's momentary calmness became slightly more concerned as he glanced past them. "Where's Charlie?" But he was answered with a wave as she stepped out from behind Ennard, hidden behind him on the stairs.

"Nope, just me and Baby," Ennard chimed in. He patted her shoulders reassuringly as she hung her head in what looked like mortification. "She broke her arm and I got a little burned."

"…What kind of Freddy was this?!" Jeremy cried in disbelief. "You're saying, what, a- aFreddy Fazbear broke Baby's arm, slashed Mari's leg, and s _et you on fire?!"_ He looked to Foxy. "Thank goodness you didn't go!"

"…Kinda wishin' I had," Foxy mumbled. He shook his head with a mutter. "That- That ain't important! What happened to this 'bear'?"

"It burned in a furnace. Along with all my old friends, Ennard, and my dignity," Baby answered quietly. "…And any hope of my band getting back together."

"Uh huh. So, how exactly did you get in the furnace?" Mike asked, nodding at Ennard. "What, was it like a Hansel and Gretel 'lure the witch into the oven' thing?"

"…You know what? It _was!_ " All at once, Ennard suddenly broke into crazed, stressed, raucous laughter. Laughter that was abruptly ended by a shriek from the door. He and everyone else looked over to Louise standing there with her hands clasped over her mouth. She stared at the clown in horror for a moment and he stared back, and then she cried out.

"What happened to you?! You've been shredded to pieces!" she cried out, having only now seen Ennard without his disguise.

"No, Louise, it's not what you think. He was attacked by a bear," Jeremy explained. Louise stared a moment longer before her eyes got as wide as saucers and she looked over towards Chance. "No, not that bear."

"Close enough," Mike said. He gestured his head to the other door. "Come on. We can get the details while we wait for Scott and Fritz to get back." Everyone seemed willing to follow him.

Except one. As soon as the attention was off Springtrap, he started to retreat into the back to isolate himself. He felt worn down and melancholy; relieved of one burden and saddled with another. He needed time to think about what he was going to do now, and slipped back into the hallway without another word.

But this time he wasn't going to be alone for long.

* * *

 **Mable: Sometimes getting what you want doesn't turn out the way you want it to, but there's still time. Maybe there's still hope for them yet?… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	79. Chapter 79

**Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Seventy-Nine_

It had been an exhausting day. Springtrap couldn't remember the last time he had felt so weary, not counting when he had been injured and needed repairs. It made him feel human in some bizarre, masochistic way. He still felt uncomfortably hollow as he shut the door and went to sit down by the wall. He turned on the Handunit out of reflex and stared blankly as the screen flashed "Low Battery". Which it would've probably proclaimed loudly if not for being muted. He set it aside to conserve the battery until he could get back into the warehouse.

Now he was left with his thoughts and memories. He could still remember the night when Ben didn't come home, the days that followed, and each agonizing hour where he waited for someone to come through the door. Their lives had become so interwoven that Michael felt like a part of his own soul had been taken when Ben left. He had to find him, so he risked everything to look for him, and in return he received a single sentence about a body in the vents and a painful demonstration of what befell it.

The only thing that kept Springtrap going was the reminder that, as the sole survivor, he had to live on. Elsewise, Ben's death would've been in vain. That Ben was watching from the afterlife and expecting him to live. Except that wasn't true anymore. There wasn't a spirit looking over his shoulder or reaching out from inside the Handunit to assure him. There wasn't the slim chance that maybe it had been another technician and he had assumed the worst. No, because Ben was Ennard, and Springtrap had no doubt that he _was_ Ennard. He just hadn't seen it until now.

A knock on the door dragged Springtrap out of his thoughts. His ear twitched but he didn't stand. "I know who it is and no, I do not feel like talking about what happened down there. Go back out with the others."

"I don't recall you bein' in charge," Foxy said as he boldly let himself into the room. He was, in fact, not who Springtrap was expecting. That was at least a little bit of a relief. Better dealing with him than Ennard, unless he too was going to ask intrusive questions. Knowing Foxy he probably would do so without even batting an eye. "Marion told me 'bout what happened down there. You okay?"

"I'll live. I would be more worried about Lizzie. Her arm didn't look set right," Springtrap said to try and deflect the attention.

"Yeah, well… Lizzie's a tough one. Ya shoulda seen her last time we were in a fire!... Never mind, you were there," Foxy said with a dismissive wave. He paused a moment before his yellow eye fell back onto Springtrap questioningly. There was a hesitant tone when he finally asked him, "Ya know ya coulda just gotten me to back ya up, right? I knew who ya were, Michael. I could've backed ya up and saved you the trip."

"I know, but Elizabeth would've never believed that, and neither would've Ennard."

"Oh yeah? Since when has Ennard's opinion ever been yer concern?"

"…I knew him before we became this," Springtrap admitted. "…I knew him very well."

Foxy made a hissing noise. "That'll take the wind outta yer sails. Guess that explains why ya tried to off him." Springtrap sent him a weak glare, to which the pirate chuckled. "I'm just yankin' yer chain! Yer lucky I ain't takin' shots at you fer becomin' a shut in." The amusement was brief as he leaned on the door with a sigh. "But I get that. There be nothin' harder than runnin' into a broken bot and realizin' ya knew 'em before."

"I don't even know what I feel…" Springtrap looked down at the Handunit again. "I hated Ennard for killing him, and now he _is_ him and I almost killed him. What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Be thankful that Ennard's some sorta indestructible freak 'o nature?" Foxy offered. This didn't seem to lighten the mood. Not with how his older brother was staring down at the tool, looking distant. "I can leave ya be if ya really want to be alone. Just thought maybe ya didn't after all of that."

It was only then that Springtrap remembered what else he had seen down in Afton Robotics. Something related to his younger brother; the false rooms.

"Before you leave, there was something else… There was a room down there. It was designed to look like the house. Marion said that it was where… You had been kept?" Springtrap asked. The mood changed immediately as Foxy's eye widened and his patch slowly raised. "Tell me that isn't true. That he was mistaken," he added.

"Err… Nar, he ain't. He be right on point," Foxy answered awkwardly. He scratched his neck and looked uncomfortable at the conversation but didn't bow out. "T'was a long time ago. It ain't fresh; that wound's already scabbed over… Whaddya lookin' at me like that fer? I just told ya it wasn't a big deal!"

"Forgive me, _Gabriel,_ but I think you being held down in a basement and murdered is a very big deal. And I… God, I wasn't there." It felt like a metal ball sinking into his non-existent belly. He dropped his head into his hand. "I should have known after Lizzie disappeared that something was wrong, but I was so stubborn, so caught up in avoiding Father that I just let it go…"

"That's enough of that!" Foxy sharply scolded. The change in tone was so sudden that it caught Springtrap off-guard. He raised his head and stared at the other like he had spontaneously began yelling with little provocation, which he had. The pirate pointed his hook at him. "Listen here: I wasted years feelin' sorry fer meself when I could've been there fer me friends an' family, and I ain't gonna sit here and watch ya do the same thing. Fact of the matter is that anyone who got close to Dad got killed."

There wasn't much use arguing with this. It seemed everyone who got within William's circle ended up dying in numerous 'freak accidents'. Even people vital to his means, such as Henry.

"I ain't gonna drag around those memories when I got a ship to run. I can't spend the rest of my life bellyaching over what happened to Gabe," Foxy proclaimed. "And whenever I start feelin' bad, I look into the mirror- metaphorically, 'course- and I don't see Gabe. I see Cap'n Foxy! Loved by children- and adults, iff'n ya get me drift- brave, adventurous, cunning, and I know it all be worth it. Cause in the end, I got somethin' that Purple Bloater's never gonna have: a successful business and a name worth leaving behind."

"Even if it isn't your own?" Springtrap asked.

"Don't see anyone else steppin' up to do it. After Freddy's, someone's gotta fix all those mistakes and this be how I do it," Foxy explained. He raised his patch long enough to wink and turned to the door. "Guess I'll be giving you two yer privacy. Don't keep sulkin', yeah?" He opened the door and headed out into the hall.

It was only then that Springtrap realized what he had said. "You two…?" He almost thought that Foxy was personifying the Handunit until he looked up in time to see Ennard slip in. "Oh… It's you."

"Heh, don't get too excited," Ennard lightly joked as he shut the door behind him. He then fell into an unusual silence, staring at the other animatronic.

Springtrap didn't even want to look at Ennard right now, and it wasn't out of disgust but instead the pain that would come of opening those old wounds. Especially now that he knew the clown couldn't handle it either. He gave an exhausted groan as he leaned back against the wall. "I thought you were going to work on Baby's arm."

"Can't. I don't have the parts I'm gonna need... Sooo, I thought since I almost got myself burned earlier, why not play with fire again and come poke the bunny?" Ennard answered. He sounded like he had his typical amused tone, but it was just a deception, as it dropped almost immediately after that. "I think we need to talk… I have a couple of questions."

"I don't think you can handle the answers," Springtrap said, though it hurt him to say it. Now it ached to be dismissive of Ennard, which would soon become a problem with how persistent the amalgam was. "Believe me, it is not worth it. I know about your life, _Ennard_. You have a loving home, you have Scott doting on you, and you have Baby. Why would you taint that?"

"Because apparently I'm not Ennard. Heck, as far as I know 'Ennard' is just another stupid pun I concocted when I ran out of egg jokes… I need more. You've got to tell me _something_ about myself," Ennard continued to persist. He came closer and looked down at Springtrap with large, pleading eyes. He wouldn't be convinced by logic, the rabbit realized, and gave another groan as he caved.

"What do you want to know?" he tiredly asked.

"Now we're talking! Knew I'd wear you down eventually," Ennard said, returning to his earlier tone. He limped over and dropped onto the floor beside the other animatronic. Springtrap noticed how labored and careful his motions were and could tell it was from his burns.

"You shouldn't be moving around with injuries like yours. You may detach something," Springtrap warned. Ennard didn't seem concerned by it.

"I'm just gonna shed the burned ones anyway, and changing the topic's not going to work," he dismissed. "So, we established my name was Ben and that we were close. How close?"

"Very close," Springtrap said.

"Could've used a little more clarification than that, but okay. I'll live with that for now cause I've got to fit a lifetime into about an hour. Let's see…" Ennard paused to think for a moment. "How'd we meet?"

"…We went to the same college. You and I shared a class since we were both studying robotics." Springtrap wanted to end it there. More details would only make this worse… But he couldn't. The memories came back and he loyally recited them. "We both took late classes. It was usually dark after my last class, and one night I couldn't get my car to start. You must have seen me-," Or heard him swearing across the parking lot. "-and brought your car over to try and jump it. We worked on that junker for at least two hours."

"Yikes. Did we get it started?" Ennard asked. He really didn't remember anything; it made Springtrap's heart sink.

"No, we didn't. You gave me a ride and I had it towed… And you continued giving me rides once I had it junked. It would've cost more to fix than it was worth, and I had bigger problems to deal with. My scholarship paid for most of my education, but housing was becoming expensive. We decided that it would be easier to split the rent on an apartment. Which is what we did, and we lived in that apartment until we couldn't."

"That long? Then give me a quick once-over of this apartment," the clown requested. He watched Springtrap with a curious glint. "Two bedrooms, right?"

"No. We were sharing a bed," Springtrap flatly countered. "Yes, there were two bedrooms. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a den, and a kitchen. We were on the second floor of a three-story building."

"No pets?"

"No. No pets…" Springtrap felt like he was talking to a stranger. It was gut-wrenching to go on. "Is that all?"

"What about family? Did I have a family?" Ennard asked. "Mom, Dad, brother, sister-?"

"No. From what I knew, you grew up in a foster home. You must have had some form of inheritance because you never seemed concerned about finances. At least, not until we moved in together."

"Oh… Guess that makes sense. Explains why I didn't remember anyone else…" Ennard seemed disappointed. He didn't sound depressed necessarily, just like his fun had been cut short. "Ha ha, but I guess that makes sense! Money goes quick when you're living off take-out every night. We could've opened a diner just reselling all the leftovers we had jamming up the fridge," he said off-handedly.

"That was because you always bought too much. You would always throw in an extra Lo Mein even when you had no intention of eating it."

"That's cause you used to get up in the middle of the night and eat. I'd have half a something sitting in the fridge and come out at two in the morning and find you eating it."

"Because I couldn't tell which were new or not. I was trying to clean out the older leftovers you had hoarded." It was then that Springtrap suddenly realized they were doing. He looked to the clown, startled at it and staring at him. "You… You can remember a pointless fight about nothing, but you can't even remember whether or not you had a family?"

"Ha, yeah! Ain't that just the cherry on top? Couldn't even remember my name, but I could remember that!" Ennard said playfully. He chuckled and this time it wasn't forced. "That and you having a serious grudge against the vacuum cleaner. What was up with that? You used to totally flip your lid about that!"

"I didn't 'flip my lid', I was just tired of being the only one who vacuumed. Especially when you had me vacuuming every other day." It all seemed so inconsequential now. Springtrap had barely remembered those trivial fights, only reminded by them being brought up, but here was Ennard dragging them out like they were precious memories. It was so confusing. "You lived off popcorn."

"I still do! Guess some habits are hard to kill!" Ennard gave another laugh, but now he was starting to grow tense. As much as he faked obliviousness, he must've known how difficult all of this was. Springtrap didn't get his confirmation until he added, "…I meant to come back, you know. I can't remember much but I remember it was supposed to be my last night. I think I went back to say goodbye to Baby… Ha, and then after my accident I was so busted up that I'd put Handy over there to shame! At least you got in your suit with your head together."

"I don't think I've had my head together for years now…" Springtrap admitted. The room grew increasingly quiet as the conversation dropped off. The rabbit staring at the floor and the clown staring at the ceiling, with neither attempting to continue the reminiscing. Not until the familiar regret started to sink back in. So much wasted time since the fire, since he could've first realized that Ennard wasn't who he thought he was. Springtrap finally broke the silence, "I missed you."

Ennard gave a quiet giggle. "I guess I must've missed you too if I couldn't forget you..."

Michael couldn't have ever forgotten Ben. Even sitting alongside remnants of him, he remembered everything about him, and he knew it was him. They were together again; that was all he ever wanted.

…

 _Michael had no idea what he was looking at when he opened the hood of the car. Largely because it was dark and he was frustrated, but also because there wasn't much to see. They only clue was that it faintly smelled like something was burning without being clear enough to tell where it was._

 _With a frustrated huff he stared blankly at the inside and mentally went through his list of quick fixes. Maybe just trying to turn it on again would work and save him the trouble. Maybe someone could try to jumpstart it, even if that noise before it died hadn't sounded like a battery issue. He was half-willing to cut his losses and try to walk home._

 _It was then that a car slowly pulled up beside his. At first, he assumed it was a nosey student coming to ogle at his misfortune, then realized it was something much worse once the window began to roll down._

" _Looks like you're having some trouble there," Ben pointed out. Of course it would be Ben, the fortunate one, and the last person Michael wanted to see. Probably coming to show off that his much newer car was working fine. "What's wrong with it?" Or to point out the obvious and ask oblivious questions._

" _If I knew what was wrong with it, I'd fix it myself," Michael shot back. Tonight couldn't possibly get any worse._

" _I don't know about that. You don't strike me as the type to start taking out and replacing things on the spot," Ben said. There was smugness in his tone, but Michael ignored it as soon as he heard the other car shut off. "Here, let me look at it. I'm pretty good with these things."_

" _No, just go on home. I can handle it," Michael said, keeping his voice calm to try and dissuade him. The last thing he needed was to get upstaged out here when he already was in class and life. Except that Ben was still getting out of his car. "I mean it. It's under control."_

" _Did you call a tow truck or a mechanic to come out and look at it?"_

" _No?"_

" _Then it's not under control," Ben said, again, smugly. Or maybe this was his attempt at joking, but Michael viewed it as a personal attack against him. As he did his car breaking down tonight of all nights. The other came to stand beside him and stared into the darkness underneath the hood. "…Do you have a flashlight or anything?"_

" _Or nothing."_

" _Figures… Looks like we're going in completely blind." Ben tried to push the hood up more, if he could, to let more light in from the streetlight nearby. "By the way, the name's Ben."_

" _I know," Michael stiffly answered. He realized from the other's lack of a reaction that he probably knew he knew and was just offering it up to get the same in response. "Michael." Ben got a slight smile, but it seemed a little more genuine. "You really don't have to stay. The car's a lemon, I'm just going to end up calling a tow truck one way or another."_

" _I don't have anywhere else to go," he said with a shrug. "And misery loves company, right? Come on, we're wasting our time studying robots. The two of us should be able to get this thing started."_

 _They didn't. In hindsight, Michael was glad they hadn't._

* * *

It was uncomfortable to sit and be tended to while so many little sets of eyes stared at her. Baby couldn't even say that she was unnerved, just further embarrassed. Now she was so battered that the Minireenas and Bidybabs were confident enough to stare unabashedly as she sat there with Charlie unwrapping her jacket from her arm. Baby couldn't even say she liked those dolls, even when they were working alongside her down in Afton Robotics. Not with how they stared and judged.

She tried to turn her attention to Charlie, who was carefully turning her arm over in her lap. It was still hurting, but unlike earlier Baby was able to mask the pain, as to not give the dolls anymore reason to stare.

"Alright, so I have good news and bad news," Charlie finally said. "The good news is that this is fixable. The bad news is that this is going to need to have welding work. So, this isn't something Ennard and I are going to be able to do down here. You're going to have to be careful with it until we can get you back home and get the tools."

"Joy," Baby said sourly. "Why not just take the claw off and spare me the deadweight?"

The Security Puppet got an amused smile. "Don't be overdramatic. Just imagine it like a broken arm, except instead of a cast for a few months you just need to keep it still for an afternoon."

"This day couldn't get any worse… Well… I suppose it could've been worse. Ennard could've burned himself to lifelessness instead of just singeing himself… What a terrible day." Baby couldn't hide the somberness in her voice and Charlie looked to her attentively as she noticed it. Taking it as a go ahead to continue, the clown did so. "It's not that I feel anything for my old band. I don't feel bad for what happened to them. They attacked us and called me scrap; they deserved to burn… But with them gone it changes things."

"Changes what?" Charlie asked. She had a feeling that Baby's protests were covering mourning that she refused to admit to. "Changes what you thought about them?"

"Changes what I thought about me. I used to perform with them. Seldom with the entire band, but frequently rented out, and I hated it. I hated being used like a wind-up toy. Like one of those dolls that opens its eyes and speaks when you lift it upright. I despised being their toy… But now with my band gone, I think I finally realize the truth. I'm never going to be on stage again. I will never perform for anyone again."

"Baby, don't say that," Charlie protested. She patted her arm. "There's always a chance that someday you might want to perform again. On your own terms."

"You don't understand. I want to perform, I just can't," Baby admitted. "Even if I wasn't broken- even if I didn't have this on my arm-." She shifted the claw carefully. "I would be too dangerous to be around people. Now I don't even have a band… Seeing what they've become only reminds me of what I've become. Or what I was, and am, and a singer was never one of those. No more bright lights and big dreams for Circus Baby."

There was something wrong if Baby was quoting the cartoon that she swore she loathed. She handed over the green jacket, which Charlie slipped back on as she considered what to say. She really didn't want to see Baby's mood bottom out after the stress of their ordeal, especially when she couldn't guarantee that it was over since they hadn't even seen the condition of their homes. She needed something else.

She wasn't sure where she got the idea from- maybe it was a built-in reflex- but while still holding the clown's claw securely to alleviate further pain, she began to lightly sing. " _Don't put Baby in a corner, because she wants to come out and sing.~"_ Baby looked to her quickly in questioning. _"Don't put Baby in a corner, just let her do her thing,~"_ Charlie continued with a smile. " _Because when she sings, she's doing her best, and even when she isn't, she's better than the rest. So, don't put Baby in a corner. Put her on a stage instead!~"_

Baby was still staring at her like she had begun speaking in tongues. Charlie had to explain herself. "That was just something I put together in my spare time. It's not finished yet, but it will be. I thought since you were coaching me and composing these songs for me that maybe I could return the favor, and maybe someday we could perform a duet together."

"You don't mean that," Baby said. "…Do you?"

"I do! Baby, you're not too far gone. Everything on the outside can be fixed, and any of the programming on the inside we can find a workaround for. If you're not safe around people, then you'll be safe on a stage, and you'll be fixed up enough that you'll look brand new. We have the time and the tools if you're willing to be patient a little longer," Charlie offered. "Don't give up on yourself or us just yet."

That warm and friendly smile was such a comfort for the clown. It made her feel hope, something she seldom felt. To think that Charlie would go out of her way to help Baby even after she risked herself numerous times to protect her. She wasn't even a fighter and she had fought for Baby. That warmth spread quickly over someone that had been cold for so long.

"I believe you… And I like your song. Please finish it," Baby quietly requested. Charlie didn't know if she meant on the spot or just in general, so she went with a mix of both.

"I have a little more done if you want to hear it, but it's very rough…" Her warning trailed off as she noticed the sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs in the next room. "I think I hear Scott and Fritz coming in."

Scott came bounding down the stairs so fast that it was a wonder he kept his footing. He met Natalie at the bottom, her calmness contrasting his franticness. "Where is- Where are they? Ennard and Baby?" he got out as he tried to catch his breath. "They're here, right? Not in the warehouse?"

"They're okay, Scott. Just try to calm down," Natalie said soothingly. She briefly glanced back at Fritz who was coming down the stairs behind him before continuing. "Baby injured her wrist, but she's okay. She's sitting with the others in the other room resting up. Ennard's in the back with Springtrap." His eyes popped open at this.

"Oh geez…" Scott mumbled under his breath. "How bad is it?"

"He's got a few burns, but he seems to be in good humor. He cracked a few jokes about it before he went back there."

"I have to go get him before- Burns?… I'll be right back" It was clear that he was getting only more concerned and he hurried off before she could further clarify. She now turned to Fritz.

"All the fun happens when you're not here to see it," she said with a small smile. "Maybe you should come take a look at Baby?"

"That and get my keys back," Fritz agreed, then followed her to the other room.

Meanwhile, Scott nearly sprinted into the back hall and fumbled around until he saw a light on in the back. "Ennard?!"

Inside the room, Ennard heard his voice, perked up, and pulled back onto his feet. He still struggled against his injuries and the stiffness resulting from them. Scott came barging in seconds later.

"Ennard, thank God," the man exclaimed as he rushed forward and pulled him into an embrace. It was a miracle to be holding him in his arms, to not have disaster strike, and he was inwardly continuing to thank everything that the amalgam got back alright. "You scared me to death! Where were you?! No, don't answer that, I already know where you were. Mike already told me." He drew back to continue when he noticed the injuries on the amalgam's arms and shoulders. He was aghast, "You really were burned…"

"Aww, not that bad. No worse than if I left the microwave on too long," Ennard excused. He hugged his human companion tightly and Scott returned it again, tentatively to avoid the spots that were damaged. He could see the soot dirtying the wires too, and the smell of it was overwhelming.

"Ennard, what were you thinking?! It's broad daylight, it's storming, you went and got yourself burned- How did you even get burned like this?!" Scott drew back to look at the damage. He could see where a couple of wires even melted together. "Please, _please_ don't tell me someone did this to you. Please."

"Ha, no. I did this to myself, thank you very much! The only way I'm getting in an oven is because I want to, I'm just that kind of guy." Again, Ennard was covering, and he was clinging. He pulled Scott back against him and held on for dear life, pressing the mouth of his mask repeatedly against the top of the man's head. "Something, something, eggs over easy."

"Ennard, I'm not joking. Th-This is not a laughing matter. You left and you got yourself hurt. How many times have I said…?" Scott trailed off before pushing back again. This time he made sure to keep Ennard at arm's length, because he needed the amalgam to look at him and hear when he was saying. "You promised me you were going to stop doing things like this, and this time you got hurt- Some of these are fused. How are we even… Even going to fix that?"

Ennard hated seeing the disappointment on Scott's face. It twisted him up almost as bad as some of the horrors he had faced that night, making his injuries aching only more apparent.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just gonna strip 'em out and put some of my leftovers back in. It's an instant fix!..." But he could tell that this wasn't much of an assurance. "I'm sorry, Scott… I knew it was wrong, but I had to do it. I had to figure some things out and this was our only chance." It was clear that Scott was struggling with this. His hands were already shaking; he had probably been searching frantically to find him. Ennard knew he owed him more than half-truths. "And the truth is…I thought I was Michael."

"…What?" Scott asked in surprise. He glanced over at Springtrap, only now remembering that he was there. "You… You thought you were Michael? Why?"

"Because I remembered him. I could remember stuff about him that I couldn't even remember about myself, so I thought maybe I was him… Or- ha- better yet, maybe I just told myself I was him cause I wanted to be him! Ha ha, you know the glamor of being an _Afton_ and all that jazz. You can guess how well that went." Ennard gave a quick, crackly laugh. He noticed how quickly Scott's expression changed from strained exasperation to a sad, regretful look.

"Is that why you've been acting… Different recently? Asking all those questions about the old business?" Again, remembering that Springtrap was in the room, Scott almost felt inappropriate bringing it up.

"That's right! I thought maybe I could jumpstart everything, but it turns out I was looking at it the wrong way, cause- Heh, you're not going to believe this- Michael and I used to be friends! He knew who I was." It was becoming apparent from his tone that he was becoming a bit more anxious, even if he buttered it up with that false cheer. "Ain't that something? I really was a technician down there. All that stuff I remembered, about the scooping and stuff… It was real." His wires were twitching. "That's why I remembered Michael."

"Really? That's amazing. That's… That's either got to be an amazing coincidence or a really bad run of luck. Uh..." Scott looked to Springtrap and noticed him watching. "I'm guessing the latter?"

Springtrap considered rolling his eyes except he couldn't be too sure it wouldn't set off his already tensed springlocks. The last thing he needed was a suit failure during Ennard's outpour of emotion. Especially since he was becoming increasingly aware of the circumstances between Scott and Ennard. It was hard not to see it.

"His name was Benedict Hansberry," Springtrap clarified.

"Yeah, that!" Ennard pointed to the rabbit eagerly. "And I didn't know the full name until right now! I was getting a lot of action out of that Eggs Benedict joke." By time he turned back to Scott, the man had his head down and was rubbing his face with one hand. He looked exhausted, and Ennard felt the dread come back. "Th-This is great, right? Proves I'm a real human, right? That's great! Celebration time!"

"But I haven't… Ennard, I've never thought you weren't a real human. Except maybe when you were telling me you weren't- I always believed you! You didn't have to go this far for that… Especially since Michael was, you know, already here."

Ennard winced back while Springtrap gave a partial nod to himself. Scott took a moment to consider what to say before reaching up with shaking hands and cupping the amalgam's mask. His touch was reassuring, even if it might've been meant to ground him so that he would pay closer attention.

"Don't- Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you found out who you were. Really glad, really, because I don't want you going through life not knowing who you were before… But it's not worth you dying over! If you got too overheated or whatever happened, then you could've- you would've just… I would've lost you. We would've lost you, and that's not worth anything. Okay? So, just… Next time you need to tell me before you run off."

"Sure thing, Scottie," Ennard promised. His voice filled with adoration and relief; he could handle this much. "But don't get too worried. I'm not planning on crawling into another furnace anytime soon." He instantly regretted that wording at the long silence that followed.

"…Furnace?" Scott quietly asked.

"…Some of Baby's old friends popped up and decided to make life a lot more difficult, so I Hansel and Gretel-ed them into a furnace. No big deal! I came out alright! Just a little burned around the edges."

Scott looked horrified, but thankfully Springtrap decided to again exert some amount of mercy. "What he did was foolish and reckless, but it saved Baby from a much worse fate. It was either her or them and they wouldn't willingly get into the oven without some form of bait," he said.

"I played the bait," Ennard proudly proclaimed with a wink.

"What we faced down there was nothing short of nightmarish," Springtrap admitted with a shake of his head. "In that sense, it lived up to any expectations."

Now Scott's features softened up. He was still reeling over the risk- along with the knowledge of a furnace that was big enough to fit animatronics inside- but Ennard did it to protect others. That was noble; he wouldn't expect anything less by now. Ennard was unpredictable to a fault, but he took care of those around him. At least, he took care of Scott.

He sighed and smiled a little. "Same old Ennard, always keeping me guessing. Always finding a new way to scare me," he said.

Ennard hugged him again and this time wasn't held back. It was only now that he realized exactly how much he could've lost. He had already lost one life and one identity and had barely scraped by enough to make a new one of both; he could've lost that to nearly identical circumstances. He ignored the pain in his wires and squeezed tighter.

"But you know this doesn't change what you did, right? I'm not just letting you off the hook for that. We're going to have to talk about this later. Once you're fixed," Scott added. That was going to be a long and somewhat intense talk that he wasn't wanting to have, but he knew they had to have it. Ennard nodded and nuzzled against him. "Alright… I-I love you."

It was seldom that he said that without being provoked by Ennard saying it first, or by the clown being in dire straits. It sent tremors down his wires of delight. "Love you too, Scott. Missed you with all I got."

They still stood there a little longer like that. Springtrap watched as they did, feeling something between awkwardness and emptiness. At least Ben was happy, even if he had to witness it as a third wheel.

"I- uh- We should probably check on Baby too. Natalie said she broke her arm?" Scott asked.

"Right, Baby! Yeah, I need to check on her. Funtime Foxy chewed her up pretty bad," Ennard agreed. He eagerly turned back towards Springtrap. "You coming, Michael?"

Springtrap was immediately reluctant. While things had changed for him, it still seemed safer and more comfortable to keep his distance. "It would be best if I didn't."

"Aww, come on. Don'tcha want to listen to us retell our glorious escape from ARI? Or how we drove in circles in broad daylight and nobody spotted us? Or, hey, the Chinese food thing."

" _No_ ," he said more firmly than he would've liked. He reined himself in quickly. "No, it would be better if I stayed here. I would be more comfortable where I am."

"Oh… Okay, suit yourself!" Ennard barely covered his disappointment and turned back to Scott. "Looks like it's just you and me! Let's go see her!"

The two headed out through the door with Scott leading the way. He needed to check on Baby, he needed to check on the cats, and he knew he needed to make an easier plan for moving them home. Depending on when they left there could be traffic in the streets, putting them at risk of being spotted. As it was, he didn't know how the burns would handle being rubbed against the inside of a coat.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when he noticed that Ennard was no longer following him. Scott looked back to find him standing only a few feet from the door and looking strangely distressed.

"Ennard?" Scott asked gently. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh… When… When I told you that me and Michael knew each other, it was a little more than just knowing each other. He was that guy I remembered living with. Remember that? We just had each other, no families or anything else. And hey, this is kind of funny; all this time Springtrap hated me was because he though I killed his bud, who was me! And all this time I thought I was him was cause I remembered him! Ain't that something? A comedy of errors! Gonna seem a lot funnier in a couple of days."

An uncomfortable chuckle was a giveaway that Ennard wasn't as amused as he seemed. His tone lowered along with his volume. "We were all we had. He was the only one who came looking for me and cared when I didn't come back. And I can't remember a lot of what it was like, but the funny thing is… I can't leave him. I can't just… Leave him back here. Alone. _Again._ "

He sounded terribly depressed and that alone telegraphed to Scott how serious he was about this. Springtrap had already refused the first offer to come with them, and Scott was very aware of how stubborn he could be. Especially considering that it took bribes and threats to get him down here at all. He knew any further attempts would probably fail, but he knew he had to do something.

"…Wait here a minute. I'll be right back," Scott said. Ennard perked as he passed by and let himself back into the office. Springtrap was still sitting on the floor but was now slumped like he was trying to rest. "Michael?" The rabbit raised his head. "Hey… Why don't you come out here with us? It's probably not as quiet as you'd like, but its quieted down a lot since earlier. Everyone's settled in."

"I would rather not," Springtrap declined. There was that stubbornness. There was that voice that sounded uncomfortably like his father's but, thank goodness, wasn't. Scott wasn't willing to give up yet.

"I know. Trust me, I know that feeling. You just want to distance yourself and ride it out, but… We really want you out there with us." Springtrap still seemed hesitant but hadn't declined again. Scott took that as a good sign and pressed a little further. "I think… I think Ennard really wants you out there. And I know Mari and Foxy will, and probably Baby does too. And me too, you know."

Springtrap released a low groan of discontent and dropped his head forward. "I don't want to answer questions. I don't want to talk," he muttered. "And I don't want all of them staring at me."

"I know. Trust me, I know how that feels. I know it feels easier to just hole away and try to wait it out, but… There are some things you can't wait out. If you do, you just miss out on what time you have…" Scott gave a slow sigh. "And then you start to lose people. You look around and realize everyone moved on, and that makes you want to double down on pulling back, but it just makes it worse… I can't say it's going to be fun and I can't promise someone isn't going to stare or ask questions, but I think you should. Please."

It was hard to tell which way Springtrap was leaning at first. He just stared blankly with an unreadable expression. It wasn't until he shifted and began to stand up that Scott realized he had convinced him.

"Thank you, Michael," Scott said with a relieved tone and a warm smile.

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not making any promises to stay," Springtrap said.

Scott was thrilled, but he wondered if he needed to say more. He knew Michael and that Michael knew about his past, and connections with Freddy's and William. That seemed deserving of saying something. Except he lost his chance as the suit gestured for him to go out through the door. With a nod, the older man stepped back out into the hallway and mouthed a 'he's coming' to the amalgam waiting in the hall.

Ennard perked up immediately and stepped in to hook an arm around him. "You are _amazing_ ," he whispered to him. "Should've brought you down with us and you could've worked your magic on Fall-Apart Freddy."

"No, that's okay. It doesn't work on bears," Scott denied with a light chuckle that he stifled by time Springtrap stepped out. He looked at the two of them before passing by and heading down the hall, taking the initiative to lead. They followed behind him, neither doubting his threat to turn around and return to the room if it didn't work out. They would have to try and keep that from happening.

* * *

"Marion's asleep… It's 'bout time we did somethin' that been a long time comin'. I know we be family by blood, but we ain't been acting like it fer years."

It was hard enough to do this in a room full of people, but Foxy knew it had to be done. At least the others were paying more attention to Ennard's retelling of their earlier adventure than them. He was going into graphic detail too, which caused Scott to occasionally look paler and the others to occasionally break out in shocked exclamations. Even the Minireenas and Bidybabs were distracted, either because Ennard frightened them so much that they couldn't look away or because he was talking of their former home. Mike was listening too and holding Marionette who had fallen asleep against him.

This was the best time for Foxy to do this on his terms, so he turned back to his audience. This would be Springtrap, who he knew was liable to run at any minute, and Baby, who couldn't run because she couldn't move her injured arm. Charlie was also listening, but Foxy was fine with it. In his eyes she had earned a place as an adopted member of their family long ago. She too would have to face this.

"There's a lot 'o things I had to go through over the years to be a part of this family. Yer gonna have to make up for lost time, and I only see one way of doin' it…"

With that, Foxy turned and reached for something that he knew would instill fear into everyone that saw it; the folded-up Freddy Fazbear gameboard.

"Only one thing survived that house, and now we must make arr vows to keep livin'… By playin' this game." He was smirking to himself, and outright lying. He just wanted to subject them to the same boredom he had gone through many times in the past. "There ain't no two ways 'bout it."

"Is death an option?" Springtrap asked.

"I asked, and no. This game be the closest thing to the void 'o death we ever gonna see."

"I can't even move my arm, or I'll be in constant pain," Baby reminded.

"There be no excuses, Lass! We're gonna be a family again, and that means we're gonna have fun family game time just like Ma used ta have!" Foxy went to set the board down and staggered as he did so. That namedrop was unintentional; it might've been too far. Except that it seemed to have worked. There were no more disagreements after that point.

"Now iff'n there be no more arguments, grab yer man and let's get this over with."

* * *

 **Mable: Finally, a moment to breathe. Just long enough to get a rest before having to face the devastation left behind from the storm… Which will be due next week, as expected. XD I hope you enjoyed!**


	80. Chapter 80

**Mable: Hello! I have a request today. As you probably know, next Wednesday is going to be Christmas! While I'm going to have the chapter ready in time for posting, I was wondering if it might be better to push and get the chapter posted on Tuesday instead. I could imagine having trouble reading on a busy holiday. ^-^ So, just let me know if you think it would be better to do the usual Wednesday posting or if Tuesday would be better. For now, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty_

"Chance?"

At the sound of his name, a single yellow eye opened, and the world returned once again. Chance found himself staring at Fritz who was knelt before him. The technician gave him a tired smile.

"Glad to see you back with us. The tornado's over so it's time to go," Fritz said. The bear wouldn't argue with him.

Especially not when his body felt so cold after sitting in this basement. Especially not when that magician's words were inserted right back into his head. He escaped his thoughts briefly, but now they barged in again.

"Did he just wake up Lefty Loosey? Is he up yet?" a boisterous voice asked from somewhere else in the room. Chance immediately cringed at that familiar, bubbly, clownish tone. The clown, of course; as though he wasn't having a hard-enough time without him. Without any provocation or answer, Ennard seemed to suddenly appear behind Fritz and leaned in much too close. "Well, well! Rise and shine, Freddybear!"

Ennard giggled like it was the funniest joke in the world. Chance twitched and glanced over at Fritz. The technician noticed and gave a sympathetic smile and a half shrug. "We're going to be leaving soon," he said.

"Oh, not too soon, I hope! I haven't even gotten a _chance_ to tell _Lefty_ here about the big news!" Ennard gushed. Whatever the news was, Fritz must've not known it as he looked confused. The clown ignored him and leaned in a little closer. Anymore and Chance might've considered pushing him back, but he wasn't really feeling up to a fight. "So, a couple of guys and me headed down into ARI and guess what?~ Turns out I was one of the technicians down there! Yup, got a name and everything: Ben Hansberry! Ha ha, you know what that means?"

He leaned in even closer and lowered his pitch significantly. "It means I'm not just some husk hoarding souls. I'm just as alive as you were." He stayed close, blue eyes staring intently, until Fritz took his shoulder and pulled him back. Ennard gave a low chuckle as his voice returning to normal. "Whaddya have to say about that?"

At first Chance didn't know what to say or think, but then it started to sink in a little deeper. This thing, this strange clown, had been a person too. All of these animatronics had been people. That set a dangerous precedent for the questions that had slowly been growing for weeks, since Charlie had brought them up and the magician had worsened them. There was something he needed to know.

"What do you know about the golden bear?"

This took both clown and technician off-guard, with the former recovering quicker than the latter. "I think he ran a scheme to off all his employees," Ennard simply stated.

Fritz sent him a sharp look. "Thanks, Ennard," he said dripping with sarcasm. He looked back to Chance and added, "What Ennard means is-."

"Off _his_ employees… You think he was Henry too, don't you?" the bear asked. Both now stared silently again, with even the clown seemingly picking up the tenseness and starting to feel awkward. "…He was Henry, wasn't he? Charlie was right. Henry was in one of these suits and everyone knew it but me…" Chance dropped his head pitifully. "I can't believe this…"

There was a long pause where Fritz didn't know what to say. He looked to Ennard questioningly, who just shrugged, unsure where to go next. Apparently Golden Freddy was a topic he wasn't willing to speak extensively about. So, the technician decided to try. "So… I didn't know Henry, but from what you said about him-."

"What I said about him? I didn't even know him. There are years of his life that I know nothing about, and he NEVER came to me. I worked in that pizzeria for years. Slaved away at Freddy's and all those cheap knockoffs and he couldn't even-!" Chance only stifled himself because some of the others were starting to pay attention. Specifically, he didn't want Charlie to hear him, even though he didn't know where she was. He stopped once he looked over and saw Springtrap leering at him from across the room.

Instead, Chance looked to Fritz with determination. "Where's the Puppet?"

"Mari?" Fritz asked in confusion.

"The magician said he would know about the golden Freddy, so I'm talking to him. Where is he?" Chance asked shortly. His moods were continuing to swing at the drop of a hat, so Fritz didn't stand in his way.

"In there with Mike. I don't know if he's awake yet or not." With that, Chance stood shakily and staggered over to the door with a stiff gait. He disappeared inside, leaving the two to stare.

"Now that was not what I was expecting," Ennard admitted. "I thought maybe he'd get defensive or something, or call me a liar, but going off about Golden Freddy? Yikes."

"Yikes is right… Wait… Wait, you said Ben Hansberry?" Fritz looked to Ennard in recognition. "I think that might've been a name on that technician list we found. I'd double check, but I can't remember where it is."

"Ha, really? I didn't even remember that! Shame I didn't pick up my name faster or that could've been a dead giveaway ages ago!" He chuckled and looked to the side at the sound of footsteps, seeing Springtrap walking up beside him. The suit was still staring after Chance with a tight glare even while standing over Ennard. "I'm guessing you heard that moment of discomfort too?"

Springtrap answered with a distrustful noise akin to a growl, and he continued glaring at the door even when the bear was no longer there. He eventually said, "Get up and we'll move Baby."

"Good idea! Scott's already getting antsy about going home and the cats gotta be starving. Poor little guys and girl!" In the process of standing Ennard got a new wave of inspiration and abruptly grabbed Springtrap by the shoulders and turned him towards him. It was just abrupt enough to cause him to jump and his mouth to snap shut. "Hey, why don't you come with us?! It'll be just like old times! You and me splitting a real small space and trying not to kill one another!"

Springtrap stared at him for a moment like he was almost considering it. Unfortunately, reality caught up to him, and his spirits instantly fell. As much as he wanted them to go back to how they were, he knew that they couldn't. "That wouldn't be a good idea, Ben. You know it wouldn't. It would be stifling," he said. Hearing him say his name caused the clown to twitch, and his somber tone was sobering.

"So what? You're just gonna keep living in this cold, little, rundown warehouse? This place is a dump! You can't- You can't really be happy here!"

"I'm not looking to be happy. I'm looking to stay alive as long as I can, and that means sacrifices must be made," Springtrap insisted. He reached up and gently pried off the clown's hands from his shoulders.

Ennard seemed disappointed with this. "…Can I at least get you a mattress or something?"

"Go home and get fixed," Springtrap said firmly. "Stop worrying about me."

That was the end of it. Ennard brushed off Springtrap's brusqueness and left to put on his flimsy disguise. He was still disappointed but not willing to continue fighting a losing battle. But he hasn't the only one who was disappointed. Springtrap wanted nothing more than to snatch up that offer and find a way to replicate their old life, but he knew he couldn't. Not when he was like this and not when Ennard was happy where he was. As much as he wanted him back, he would have to be satisfied with this distance, and take solace in what small threads remained.

Fritz, who was still there and heard the whole thing, chose this time to speak up. "I'd offer you a room at my place, but the only one is right beside Chance's."

He supposed it could always be worse.

* * *

It had been quiet in the back room since everyone had left. Mike knew he would have to wake Marionette soon to go but wasn't in any rush. Trying to get around the others crowding the stairs was going to be a chore, so it seemed smarter to let Marionette get as much rest as he could. He was curled up nearly into a ball, just like he would to fit in a small box, but instead resting in the man's arms against his chest. Mike held him and made sure not to let the office chair tip.

Occasionally he would reach down and feel over the wound on the Puppet's leg. He felt as it slowly faded until there was no longer any evidence of it being there, then just rubbed the area gently. It was a lucky break that it had been the leg and not the mask or things could've ended differently. From how tired Marionette was, it was clear that it had been a strenuous fight.

" _I should've just sucked it up and went down there with them."_ Mike's intrusive thoughts returned to remind him of his regrets. _"I could've at least made for a distraction or something. Brought the taser and started waving it around the second things started crawling out of the vents. Might've not stopped them, but it could've helped."_ He hated this feeling of disappointment and gave a slow exhale. _"I've got to think about something else. I'm going in circles like this…"_

A different topic, any topic. Maybe about their plans when they got home. "… _We're going to get home and find the house gone and we're going to get stuck living at the pizzeria. Sleeping in the office, washing up in the sink, listening to non-stop pirate shanties. The workday that never ends."_ Mike scoffed with slight amusement. _"This was a great idea."_

It was then that he noticed footsteps approaching the door. They sounded heavy enough to be an animatronics' but weren't accompanied by the usual tell tales to identify who it was. He guessed it was Springtrap, then looked up to see Chance stepping into the doorway. They locked eyes for a silent moment before the bear slowly looked down at Marionette still curled in his grasp.

" _Whatever this is, it can't be good,"_ Mike thought suspiciously. He readjusted his arm around Marionette as he spoke, not betraying his feelings with an apathetic tone. "Hey. Are you guys taking off?"

"Not yet. Not until I get a few answers," Chance said, his determined tone forewarning what was coming.

" _And here we go again. Counting down until the screaming match,"_ Mike thought. "I'm guessing Fritz told you about everyone sneaking out and heading over to Afton Robotics?"

"The clown did, but I don't care about that. All I care about is… The Golden Bear." All at once, Chance's voice lost all the power and veiled fury hiding beneath it. It dropped to that soberness that accompanied any mention of Henry. Now it was even more painful, like a wound being reopened and burning anew. "I need to talk to him about the golden bear."

"He had a long day and he's pretty much out right now. There's not much I can do about that, but if you want to stick around until he wakes up on his own then be my guest." He really didn't want to wake Marionette up for a confrontation. Especially when the puppet was so exhausted that he hadn't woken up already. "If you really want a colorful description of Golden Freddy, ask Foxy. He's got his opinions."

"…Did you know Golden Freddy?" Chance tentatively asked. Mike was just as tentative to answer. "Mike, I know you and I've had problems, but I need to know whether or not my son was in that suit."

"…Alright, you really want the truth? Yes, that was Henry. I should know, I met him," Mike said. He spared him the events of how he met him for the older man's sake. "Pretty much everyone out there knows about 'the golden bear' in one way or another. He was pulling a lot of strings."

"That's what the magician said… He said a few things that got me thinking. Like how Marion was… close to Henry. Something about that," Chance vaguely explained. It didn't take a genius to realize that Max had said something else. Max wasn't the kind to go easy on people from what Mike had heard. "When Charlie told me that Henry was in one of the suits, I didn't believe her. I thought someone was lying to her, but for someone to lie to everyone-."

"Let's not beat around the mulberry bush here, Chance. When you say someone you mean Mari," Mike said with growing irritation. He didn't know if it was talking about Golden Freddy or the very subtle hints of distrust he sent at Marionette. There was a long pause where the bear just stared at him, taken aback by the interruption. Mike wasn't done, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but if anyone was twisting truths it was Golden Freddy. You should just be happy that you've gone this long without figuring it all out."

"Figuring it out?"

"Henry wasn't a good guy, Chance," Mike said bluntly and quietly. Nobody else needed to hear this. "He had his priorities backwards. One minute he was bringing back the dead to stop the Purple Man. Then he decides that's not enough and has them chasing the nightguards too. Most of them he knew. Then he decides that the animatronics staying alive is a bad thing, and he makes this call on his own. He's choosing life and death for everyone like he's playing the stock market, and frankly I'm tired of dealing with the crashes every time he makes a bad call."

"…Marion told you this?" Chance asked in shock. He didn't even sound doubtful or suspicious, just utterly floored.

"No, he didn't. _Henry_ told me all of that. Came straight from the bear's mouth," Mike corrected. His eyes narrowed. "Mari loved Henry. He would've done anything for him. And what did Henry do? He took-."

Realizing what he was doing, the security guard clammed up. He knew exactly what he was about to say and it was the one thing he wouldn't say around Marionette. It turned out to be the right choice too, because right at this second he noticed exactly his tense and still the striped one was. He didn't rouse at all even with all this noise.

" _He's definitely awake… and he doesn't need me bringing up what came out of or went into Goldie's mouth,"_ Mike realized. He took a deep breath to control his emotions and tried again. "It's not your fault that he made the choices he did. I can't even say for sure what I'd do in the same situation, but I can't cover for him. Chance stared past at the boxes behind him. Mike raised a brow at him. "Are you still with me?" The bear nodded stiffly. The security guard reluctantly softened up. "Are you going to be okay?"

"No, Mike, I don't think I will," Chance said bluntly. Mike started to say something when the bear suddenly cut him off. "There wasn't any point to it, was there?" He slumped sideways on the doorframe tiredly. Staring at the floor with a half-lidded eye that almost looked as glazed as the blackened one. "…I used to have these nightmares about him being trapped in that backroom and not being able to get to him and get him out of that suit. It got to the point that I was having them every night. Thought it was a sign, but it wasn't, was it?"

"You thought Henry was trying to reach out to you?" Mike guessed. Chance nodded stiffly. "What happened?"

"You know what happened, Mike. I pushed away my family, I ruined my marriage, and now here I am, stuck in this suit… He wasn't ever reaching out to me. He didn't reach out to me _once_." Chance's head dropped as his voice lowered. "And what am I supposed to do now? Now I'm the one stuck here and he's long gone…" He fell silent.

This gave an opportunity to speak so Mike took it. "I don't want to get sentimental about this, but maybe make your time worth it? Stop trying to fight with everyone and try to make good of the time you've got? Make amends, build some of those bridges back up, figure out something to do with your time," he suggested. "What do you have to lose?"

Chance looked up at him and even with his expressionless face, Mike could tell that he was torn. This had been the most human he had been in ages, since the first met back at Hickory Dickory's, and it was the first time he really felt sorry for him. He wasn't a scared and confused child lashing out, but that didn't make Chance any more aware of the true weight of his actions. Not until now.

"Maybe," the black bear finally agreed. He slowly drew back away from the wall. "Maybe…" He looked down at Marionette one more time before seemingly deciding to give up on trying to converse with him. He already had too much of it, and he turned towards the door to leave. He paused before he stepped out and looked back to Mike. "…I regret it, you know. I regret the whole deal. I regret starting that fire."

"It's over, Chance. It's okay to try and move on with your life. I'm not going to hold that against you," Mike affirmed.

"It made me a monster, didn't it?" Mike said nothing as Chance took his first sluggish step out of the room. "A monster in a bear suit…"

As Chance headed out to the main room, Mike was left alone with Marionette once again. He gave another deep sigh before he looked down at the Puppet. "He left."

Slowly, Marionette unfurled himself enough to look at the door. Instead of anger or even sadness, there was a surprised look on his face. "I never thought he would say that… The regret, I mean. The acknowledging what he did was wrong."

"Neither did I. Guess that's what turning into a bear does to you," Mike said. Trying to ease the mood felt like it wouldn't work, not when the tone was so confused. He didn't feel right bringing up his grievances with Golden Freddy while Marionette had been listening. "About what I said about Henry, I was just blowing off some steam. I know we squared things with him and we're all good now."

"No, you meant it, and you were right. Goldie let his emotions control him and it hurt others. It's important for us to remember that so we don't make the same mistakes… But, well…" Marionette looked towards Mike slowly. "There was something that Chance said that bothers me. His dreams about Henry."

"Yeah?" Mike could tell it was something more serious than just being upset talking about Goldie from that tone. "Why's that?"

"…I used to have dreams about Goldie too. You know that I have vivid dreams, Mike. Sometimes it feels like they're showing me something that happened long ago or that will happen very soon, but I am never sure. The only difference would be the dreams I had about Goldie. They were very detailed and controlled and the things he would say or show me in them always felt to be on purpose. I could feel his turmoil through them, but I thought it was me. It wasn't until I found out that he didn't move on that I realized he could've been creating these dreams."

Marionette reached out to lay a protective hand on Mike's shoulder. "Tell me, Mike… When you have these dreams about Old Man Consequences, how do you feel?"

Dread welled up in the security guard's already unsettled stomach. Now he was catching on. "What are you getting at?"

"See, when I had the dreams about Goldie, they would make me feel emotions beyond the context of the dream. Sadness, guilt, maybe a little frustration; it sounds like Chance's were the same," Marionette explained. "What about yours?"

It took Mike a second to think about it enough to answer. "It's weird. When I'm in these dreams talking to him, I just feel normal? I'm aware of what's going on and I still feel comfortable. Like, even when I'm paranoid that something's up or have this suspicion that something he's saying might have a double meaning, I still feel safe and secure. What do you think that means?"

"I couldn't say for sure. It could be that Old Man Consequences is a spirit or animatronic like Goldie was who's reaching out through your dreams. He never asked you to find him or mentioned that he had a body somewhere?" Marionette asked with a tilt of his head. He sounded a little less grim, but his protective grip was still there, so it was clear that he wasn't completely trusting the feeling of the dreams alone. "Or maybe just said something that might've alluded to it?"

"Nothing I remember… There is one thing. His face is kind of blurred out and foggy, but it almost looks like the face of a suit. But the way he talks about the place he acts like he's stuck there. He said that I could leave at any time, but he couldn't." Suddenly Mike remembered something and snapped his fingers. "And you know what else? I asked him why he wasn't going into your dreams and he completely dodged the question. We got off topic when we started talking about Burke."

Marionette hummed thoughtfully. "It could be possible then that we are dealing with the soul of an animatronic that no longer has a body but has not been able to move on."

"…Wait a minute." A new uneasiness settled in as Mike clicked a few pieces together. Even muddled with medication and illness, he picked up a new suspicion. "You don't think that if this _is_ a spirit without a body that it's looking for one, do you? He mentioned something about 'hooking me in' to get me there and I don't know if that was wordplay or he was being serious."

For a split-second Marionette got a look of panic, but it then started to slowly recede. "That could always be a possibility… Though if that was the case, I wonder why he would wait. Or better yet, why he would devote so much of his time to helping us?... That could still be a possibility. Has he ever tried to touch you?"

" _Touch_ me? Heh, _no_. Even if he did, I wouldn't let a glitchy, red crocodile make a grab for me," Mike assured. He leaned back further on the chair. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"Or maybe he's waiting for us to get an unpossessed animatronic for him to bargain for. It would be much easier to possess something like that than to try fighting for control of a living human or an animatronic. Maybe that's why he's not tried to reach out to me. If he doesn't have a body, then perhaps it could be problematic… I don't know, this is all new to me too. Until we understand more, we should be careful." Marionette's pupils began to glow as he looked to Mike again. "And please, don't let him touch you."

Mike gave a weary thumbs up and Marionette squeezed his shoulder again before rising from the chair. He then offered his hand. "Let's go home, Love."

The security guard took his hand and he and his puppet headed out into the front room. They stepped out just in time to see Foxy and Springtrap trying to maneuver the Candy Cadet up the stairs. They got him a few steps up before the robot suddenly came to life with flashing lights and shifting arms.

" _Do not drop Candy Cadet. You will not get candy if you drop Candy Cadet or a story. Do not drop Candy Cadet,"_ the Candy Cadet began to repeat. Somehow it still sounded like a prerecorded message even though it was the most sentient thing he had ever said. Foxy grunted as the bot's arm thumped on his head.

"Then stop thrashin' like a mackerel and let us get ya up the steps! We ain't got all day!" the pirate growled as he pushed with his shoulder. Springtrap gave no comment, but he seemed to share the sentiments.

"Good thing we waited to come out or that might've been me up there," Mike said with a small smirk. He looked around the room and noticed that the little animatronics were missing, along with their blond caretaker. "Jeremy must've already left. Hope they got home alright."

Any further comments were cut off when arms hooked around his and Marionette's shoulders. Even before he looked he knew it was Ennard and looked back to see him wrapped up in his disguise again. Except he was wearing his clown mask instead of the Freddy one. Mike raised a brow at him. "Hello?"

"Hello, hello! I don't believe we've met," Ennard said excitedly. He yanked his arm out from around Marionette and jammed a hand towards the nightguard. "Ben Hansberry, ex-technician and full-time clown."

It took Mike a second to realize that he recognized that name and once he did the second brow shot up. It didn't seem like Marionette remembered the significance, but he looked mildly surprised.

"Ben? Where did this come from all of a sudden? Or… Did you remember this while we were in Afton's?" The Puppet lowered his voice to ask, "Is this why you had that incident in the tunnels?"

"Bullseye! Yeah, it turns out me and Michael used to split take-out, so we're all good now and I remembered my real name!" Ennard sounded so excited by all of it. Meanwhile Mike and Marionette exchanged a confused look, one that the clown ignored. "I'll catch you both up on it some other time. I've gotta help get all the carriers together so we can get out of here. Good luck with the house!" He drew back and headed off to Scott, leaving the two standing there in an odd silence.

Eventually Mike managed to find the will to ask, "Split take-out… Is that a euphemism?"

"If it was, can we pretend it wasn't?" Marionette asked with a much more embarrassed smile. One he barely managed to cover by time Charlie came over to them.

"Glad to see you both up. I was just coming to get you," Charlie greeted. "I was talking with Natalie about the storm and I was wondering if we could maybe drive by my old house? It sounds like there might've been damage over in the area and I want to check in." She looked mildly concerned. "There's nothing there I can't live without, but I want to see for myself and make sure."

"Sure, we have time," Mike agreed. It would at least give him a reason to drive around and take full assessment of the damage the town sustained. He watched the stairs as the Candy Cadet was finally made it up them. Without a word or even the protection of a cover, Springtrap pushed him out and continued to the warehouse. He would have to catch up with him later.

Foxy continued out to the van while Chance started to slowly make his way up the stairs. Mike couldn't see much more than his back and still could tell that he was downtrodden from earlier. Fritz followed him carefully, like he expected to catch him if he fell, which he probably wouldn't be able to. Natalie and Louise were following at the bottom of the stairs, with the latter noticing Mike and the others as they walked up and giving them a smile.

"Well, uh, this wasn't what I was expecting… but it's been a lot of fun! I mean, not fun-fun but better than hiding in a bathtub under a mattress," Louise said. It sounded like she meant it too, and she even looked more comfortable compared to how hesitant she had been throughout the affair. Considering that she was one of the staff members working around living bots daily, Mike considered this a good thing.

"It's not always this exciting, but it has its perks. Bring your cats to work's storage basement day," Mike remarked with a smile. "Work here long enough and eventually you'll adopt your own robot."

"Actually, I think I'm more of a dog person. And that's only after I get my own car," Louise jokingly replied. "Next time let's bring down a couple more games with us. And some snacks, I'm starving."

"Me too! I can't wait to get home and get some wires in my teeth!" Ennard chimed in. He was currently trying to find a way to carry all three cat carriers. A few moments later, right as Chance and Fritz headed out the door, there came a honking from a car upstairs. "Uh oh. Her majesty's getting impatient," he teased.

"I'm coming. I'm just about ready," Scott said. He closed and zipped up his suitcase before coming to grab the third cat carrier from Ennard. He led the way to the stairs, pausing to look at the others. "You folks take care. There's probably powerlines down all over the city. I'll call everyone tonight and make sure you all get home alright."

"Sounds good. You too," Mike said. He decided not to mention that he was planning on driving over to Henry's. All it would do is succeed in making him more worried and the Phone Guy's hands were already shaking from the nervousness of seeing what state his house was in. They started to climb the stairs when Charlie spoke up.

"And, Ennard… Thank you for everything down there. I don't know what we would've done if you hadn't shown up," she thanked honestly.

Ennard turned his head towards her and she noticed a glint in his eyes, maybe even a literal glow in them. "Thank _you_ for taking such good care of Baby! You're always sooo good with her. Ha ha, no wonder she's so sweet on you!" He then winked at her and continued up the stare, leaving Charlie even more confused.

It didn't help when she heard Marionette quietly say to Mike, "Now that time it was definitely a euphemism." Mike hummed in thoughtful agreement. Charlie would've flushed if she could've.

"I think I know what he's suggesting, but it's not like that. Lending someone your jacket isn't something worth reading into," the Security Puppet denied. She just wished that Marionette's default smile didn't seem so suspicious. She was distracted when she noticed neither were carrying a cat carrier. "Did… Anyone see Moppet?"

That smile dropped as he and Mike exchanged a glance, realizing what they had forgotten.

About ten minutes later, Moppet was found clawing at some cardboard boxes in the other room. She was scooped up, dropped into the cat carrier, and brought to the car with them. Mike drove the car around the warehouse before stopping beside the front door and getting out. "I'll be right back. Two minutes, I promise." And he meant it, because he was ready to get home.

As he entered the warehouse, he could hear Candy Cadet mumbling from somewhere.

" _But as the kitten grew bigger it grew hungry, and the rats kept feeding it more and more. One day the kitten wasn't satisfied with their meager meals and began to yowl into the night and beg for more. Deciding that there was no other option, one of the rats decided to feed the other rat to the kitten in the hopes that it would sate its hunger. He set a mousetrap and with a snap, snap, the second rat was no more. So, the rat fed the other rat to the kitten. But the kitten was not fulfilled, because it had grown into a cat. With a snap, snap, it ate him up too."_

" _Glad to see that surviving the tornado didn't dampen his spirits,"_ Mike thought with a shake of his head. He headed towards the office, realizing along the way that the Candy Cadet was in there with Springtrap. It was odd to imagine that Springtrap, as anti-social as he was, would willingly subject himself to Candy Cadet's morbid stories. He knocked on the doorframe and let himself in. "Hey. We're about to head home. I wanted to stop in and touch base before we left."

"It takes more than a little fire to throw me into a tailspin," Springtrap said. He was sitting at the desk and currently charging the Handunit. It looked like the computer was being booted up too, so he was probably going to use it to check the news, if they even had internet in this weather. "You should get home and do something about that cough."

"That's the plan. Just wanted to see how you were holding up." Mike hesitated as he considered how Springtrap would handle sentimentality. If he got too sappy it was liable to weird Michael out, or at least make him think Mike was overly sensitive. "You never forget your first Foxy and Friends disaster party. Some people have a little trouble walking it off that first time."

Springtrap rumbled in amusement. "This isn't my first time. You forget that I was involved in the last Freddy opening and abrupt closing."

"But you didn't come to the afterparty. That's when the fun starts; when the adrenaline wears off and everyone starts feeling how busted up they are. Then we go through the stages of grief until we eventually drag ourselves home. Case in point: we're leaving."

"It was worth it, if that's what you're asking. Going down there. Now I can move on," Springtrap offered unexpectedly. There was a long pause of silence. Then he repeatedly tapped on the keyboard to try and rouse a response. "Or I would if this computer would start up."

"Glad to hear. Thanks for taking care of Mari and Charlie," Mike said. He then started to head out, pausing to nod at Candy Cadet- just in case it was alive- and headed out the door. He had a feeling that Springtrap was going to be fine on his own.

Soon he was back in the car and they were driving over towards Henry's house. While the clouds had thinned out considerably, it wasn't the blue sky and bright sun that might've been more assuring. There would be no rainbows after this storm, but at least it didn't look like there would be anymore rampant weather for the moment. As Scott predicted there were powerlines down, only causing a minor detour for them while possibly taking power from a dozen others.

That was when they started to see the real damage. Mike drove past ambulances and firetrucks crowded around and trying to find any unfortunates who hadn't taken shelter. It was understandable too, because it was as though the entire street had been leveled. Some remains of houses still stood and there were a few ones who had been spared, but most of them had sustained massive damage, leaving little more than shattered wood and battered foundations.

Unfortunately, Henry's house was not spared. While at the end of the tornado's path and less damaged than the ones before it, the home's roof had caved in and one of the walls had collapsed in on itself.

Just seeing it in that state was enough to cause Charlie to release a cracking choke from her music box. She raised up further from the back seat as Mike slowed to a stop in front of it. Fortunately, the only people out and accessing the damage were further down the street, giving her a chance to push back the tarp and look at her old home.

"I can't believe it…" Charlie said. She was aghast by it, even if she didn't live there anymore. The thought of never going back to the house was a jarring one.

Marionette laid a gentle hand on her back. "I'm so sorry, Charlie," he apologized. She started to snap out of her trance and shook her head with a ring.

"No, it's okay. I'm alright, I'm just… In shock. I wasn't even worried about this place until Natalie brought it up. It never even crossed my mind…" Charlie's face twisted in sadness as she looked at the remains of her childhood home. There was no going back there now.

Mike noticed her disappointment and shut off the car's ignition. "I think I might take a quick look around and see if there's anything we can salvage. And if you want, I can drive you back over here tonight and we can get the rest of the stuff," he offered.

"Thanks, Mike. There might be some stuff left that we can take... I know I didn't take everything with me the first time," Charlie agreed. She gave him a small smile before looking back at the house again sadly.

"Just be careful. Don't step on anything loose; there's a basement and you have astoundingly bad luck with floorboards," Marionette warned, still patting and consoling the other puppet.

"At least this time I can pretty much walk to an ambulance," Mike said. He exited the car and headed towards the house.

He had to head to the back door to get in but found once back there that it too was barely standing. He was almost glad that Charlie could only see the front façade and not the damage inside. She would surely see it later- sick or not, he had every intention of coming back- and he hoped by then it would be a little less painful. Maybe a few hours of letting it settle would ease the next blow.

Even parts of the house that weren't completely destroyed looked rough. The china cabinet in the kitchen had been knocked forwards and was now jammed against the refrigerator, blocking off the pantry door. The living room was mostly intact while still having the damage Springtrap left it with. Except for and stacked furniture now knocked over and the windows being blown out. There was glass everywhere. The TV screen was also shattered, and old pictures lay on the carpet.

The master bedroom was a lost cause. Mostly because he couldn't get the door to open. It was wedged up against something without him seeing what it was, but it sounded like something wooden. The back of the house was a total lost cause and he wouldn't have been surprised if the fallen roof blocking the way was hiding a hole that led straight through to the basement. He took Marionette's advice and decided instead to head into Charlie's bedroom. Once again, things were a mess. The lamp was knocked to the floor, the windows were blown out, and things were scattered everywhere.

"What a massacre," Mike muttered. Just the sight of it made him very concerned about their home's chances. He was just about to leave when he noticed something barely poking out of the closet.

Marionette wished he could help Charlie more than he was. He pulled the blanket around her shoulders and over the back of her head before wrapping his arms around her. "It's going to be alright."

"I know. I don't even know why I'm this upset about it. I didn't live in the house for years, and the short time I did wasn't exactly full of fond memories." She finally turned away from the window and back to him. "I guess it's more what the house represents."

"It's your childhood home, Charlie. Of course you're going to have some attachment. You can learn to love a house even if you have bad memories from it," Marionette said with a sympathetic smile.

Charlie considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I guess so. Still, I'm going to be happy to get home." She would be fine returning to the house she had been calling her home since her accident, sleeping in the bed that had become her own, living the life that she had made in these last months. That was a somewhat comforting thought.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. It just felt nice being comforted; Charlie absorbed as much of it as she could. Until there came a tapping on the window. Marionette looked out from the blanket and instantly got a befuddled look, like he didn't know what he was looking at. Another tap, but it had to be Mike, so Charlie uncovered herself and looked as well.

A pink cheeked doll face stared back at her. With its thick brown hair and puffy blue dress, Charlie recognized it as Ella, one of her many childhood toys. Specifically, the doll she had kept in her closet. It looked to be in good condition considering the state of the house, with the only damage being that the teacup in her hand was chipped and there was a small crack on her chin.

Mike flashed a smile as he opened the car door. "Apparently your closet is built like a bomb shelter," he explained as he handed it to the Security Puppet. She carefully took the heavy doll.

"I can't believe she made it out without getting shattered. This can't be real porcelain, it must just look like it," Charlie suggested as she tapped the doll's face. A small smile began to bloom on her face. She hadn't shown much interest in Ella for years and the doll had never been one of her favorite toys, but having its comforting weight in her arms felt significant. At least something had made it out.

"I thought maybe you'd want to take her before the looters got desperate and snatched her up," Mike explained. It was clear with her mechanisms that she wasn't the typical plaything. Though she would probably be worth more to Charlie than to scavengers.

"I could see why, she's adorable!" Marionette chirped. His confused look quickly switched out for an eager smile. "Let's keep her."

"Only if you promise to walk her and feed her, and never put her in our closet, or under our bed, or pretty much anywhere I'm going to run into her in the dark," Mike agreed before shutting the door and circling the car to get in. Marionette chimed in amusement and pulled the blanket tighter around them. They were up to their usual antics again, handling this disaster like it was just another day.

Charlie was thankful for that. It kept her hopeful as they drove away from the remains of her childhood home.

* * *

 **Mable: Let's hope that's the only major loss… And keep our fingers crossed.**


	81. Chapter 81

**Mable: Merry Christmas, everyone! Just decided to go with Wednesday as usual, so I hope it doesn't interrupt anyone's festivities. ^-^ I hope you had a wonderful day and Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-One_

Mike was holding his breath as they drove down the street towards the house. His heartrate was still quickened even though the homes around theirs looked to be in fine condition. Then the house finally came into view and he could see that it had been spared by the tornado. He released all that pent-up oxygen and proceeded to throw himself into a coughing fit.

Marionette peeked out the window and broke into a brilliant smile. "The house is still standing! Hallelujah!" he cheered with a trill of delight.

"Crisis averted," Mike choked in between coughs.

"Finally, something has finally gone right for us today!" Charlie agreed. She was just as happy as they were but turned her attention to the coughing. "You should really get that checked."

"I'll be fine until Monday. Besides, I have a hunch that nobody's going to be open tomorrow… Except us, because Foxy's never closes," he said, trying to deflect the attention from his health. There had been enough fussing and worrying from Scott. He pulled into the driveway and turned off the car, taking a second to breathe before they moved inside.

Mike collapsed onto the couch and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. It was the first time he truly rested all day and he could feel it, dropping his arms exhaustedly and letting his eyes close for a few seconds. They opened again when Marionette sat on the edge of the couch and he watched as he turned on the TV with the remote. Charlie lugged Ella down towards her bedroom while he was doing so. Soon the news was on and already showing footage of the damage throughout the city.

"I think that must be near Henry's house. Unless the tornado dropped more than once," Marionette said with a frown. "I hope the others are as fortunate as us… I know Foxy's is alright, but their homes could've been destroyed just as easily. It's not like any of us have been putting away enough for a disaster of this magnitude."

Mike reached out and laid a hand on his leg. "Hey, don't stress out about it. Whatever happens we'll handle it," he assured him. "And chances are nothing did happen, or someone would've called by now. I think we're in the clear." Marionette still seemed uncertain but nodded in agreement. He then looked to Mike before getting a touch of a worried smile.

"You need to get some sleep," the puppet suggested. "Now that you can. I don't expect us to be going anywhere else until tonight."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," Mike simply dismissed, to which Marionette frowned unenthused.

"It's bad luck to talk about death just after a natural disaster," he pointed out with disapproval. The man didn't even seem fazed. If anything, he was only amused.

"And it's bad luck to say "everything's going to go fine" before going out to ARI, but you didn't see me complaining," Mike said coyly. He then closed his eyes and draped an arm over his face. "Let me just lay here for second and I'll be fine… And if I do fall asleep, mind making sure I'm up in an hour?" Marionette gave a small trill of approval before pulling down the blanket off the back of the couch and over Mike. The man looked down at it as he was tucked in, but instead of dissuading the puppet he instead just gave a simple, "Thanks."

Marionette warbled and squeezed his hand before turning to look back at the news. He didn't leave his spot on the couch though, feeling overprotective. He would've followed Mike into the bedroom if he had planned on sleeping there. Anywhere where he could dream, the puppet would follow and make sure those dreams stayed comfortable.

Funny, he came back from Afton Robotics with more troubles than when he went in. There was a joke in there somewhere, but he wasn't sure if he liked the punchline.

* * *

Scott was relieved to see that the house was alright, but he knew the second that he stepped into the house and found the lights off that the power had out. This would throw a wrench into any of their plans, including him getting quick access to the news to confirm that the tornado had moved on. He still opened the garage door and went through the process of backing in and letting Ennard and Baby inside. Ennard didn't notice that the power was out until he tried to flick on the garage lights, and when he noticed so did Baby.

"Wonderful, and now there's no power," Baby fussed. She started to look around at the walls of the garage as Scott shut the garage door. "Is there a fuse box?"

"I don't think flipping a fuse is going to fix this, Babydoll. This is probably something on the electric company's end… Like a dozen downed wires and a huge tornado," Ennard exaggerated with a good-natured laugh. Baby didn't find it quite as funny and stared him down with disapproval. "Relax! I can still get the welder working. I'm like a walking battery, I'll figure something out and once we're working on your arm the hours will fly by and the power will be back on in a jiffy!"

"I hope you're right." Baby stood there a moment longer, lightly shifting her feet and letting the wheels of her skate squeak. "And… I would like to begin working on my rebuilding again. We've let too much time pass since the last time, and I want more done."

"Really? I was just waiting on you to give me the go ahead. Sure thing!" Ennard was thrilled at the prospect of having a job to work on, especially when most of his usual distractions were rendered impossible without the electricity to supply them. "You just tell me where you want me to head next."

"Maybe my arms?" Baby looked down at the broken claw in her grasp. She couldn't even imagine how they were going to clean that up, and it was still aching persistently. "…The rest of my torso. Then my legs."

"I think that can be arranged. Just let me fix up our battle scars and I'll look at what plates we've got left," Ennard agreed. He stared to grab some of the wires out of his 'wire pile'. "Lemme just pull myself together here. This might take a couple of minutes."

"Come on, Baby. Let's go sit down," Scott offered. He beckoned her while still carrying two cat carriers, having carried one in the first time. She didn't see much use in protesting as she wasn't interested in watching Ennard gorge himself on wires. She followed into the house and watched as Scott let the cats out. He gave each a comforting pet and a quiet assurance.

"Scott?" Baby tentatively asked.

"Yes, Baby?" Scott looked back at her with that same smile. Comforting and fatherly, but she never noticed until now.

"…Do you think I'll ever be able to go back on stage again?" she asked. She held her arm tighter to her chest and cradled her claw with her free hand. Scott seemed surprised and stared for a few long moments.

"Why were you thinking about that?" he asked. A non-answer; Baby took it as a 'no' even if it wasn't one. She sighed and rolled over to the couch before sinking down onto it.

"Charlie said that maybe there was a way I could be put on stage again. She even wrote me a song, and she said we could sing a duet together…" Baby gave a sigh. "Or maybe she was just trying to spare my feelings. It will take more than new plates and paint to get me back in working order. Maybe I'm just being naïve."

"No, Baby, don't think like that. It's always possible," Scott started to defend. He let the cats go and came over to the back of the couch. He could see how downtrodden she looked and, considering the hard day she had, wanted to help assure her. Even if he wasn't certain that her going back on any stage would be a good idea. He worried about what that pressure would do to her progress, but there was no reason to burst her bubble. "If that's what you want to do, be on stage again, then we can find a way."

"But can I even sing? Every time I sung before it was more programmed songs than my own voice. What if Fritz had to take that out to fix the insidious parts? I might not be able to sing without it," Baby vented.

"I don't think that's how it works. Maybe for regular animatronics that can't move and think on their own, but you're a special case. You'd just have to practice and get used to singing in front of people again. I mean, I don't think you're going to want to jump right up on stage. You're going to need to give yourself a little time. You know that, right?"

"I know." While Baby did know, she was impatient and restless. She wanted to do something more. She wanted to go out and perform like the others got to, like Charlie was able to do, and it frustrated her that she wasn't even at the point to begin practicing. "There's so much. Where do I begin…?"

"Well, uh, if it doesn't make you uncomfortable…" Scott turned to his wall of tapes and started to read through them. He squinted without his reading glasses and was just able to see the labels in the dull light. He eventually took one out, got the tape player out of his office, and sat down beside her. He stuck the tape into the player and began to rewind it. "This is some of the music they used to play over the speakers at Freddy's when there wasn't a show being performed. It might give you a feel for it."

He clicked on the player and music began to fill the quiet living room. It was catchy and upbeat while staying evenly paced enough to sound like the background music it was supposed to be. Baby tilted her head slightly as she listened. It was very similar to what she used to play with her band, and she found something about it comforting. It awoke instincts inside her that she had long missed.

"I like that," Baby said. She already sounded like she was perking up. "It didn't have any words?"

"Nope. None that I know of, but that doesn't mean you can't come up with ones for it. Now that Freddy's is gone these songs are just lost to time unless someone brings them back," Scott encouraged with a smile. Maybe he hadn't intended to, but these words struck Baby much deeper than they should've.

"…Yes… Yes, that's it. There are so many things left behind by those pizzerias. So many things, like me, that I can use for me. This is just the first piece to putting together a new Circus Baby, one who would put the old one to shame," Baby proclaimed. She looked back to Scott. "Do you have more music tapes?"

Scott smiled wider. "Plenty." He then stood to get more when he was cut off by a clattering from the garage. Almost sounding like something was dropped. "I hope he's doing alright in there."

"Go check on him. You won't be able to help me if you're worrying about him," Baby dismissed. From her tone it was clear she wasn't too concerned. "Then come back when you see he's fine."

"I'll be right back," Scott agreed. Honestly, he too believed that Ennard was probably fine, but after today he felt like he needed to doublecheck and make sure. The amalgam preferred being alone when replacing his wires- probably the only thing that he didn't invite Scott to join in on- so he would make it quick. He slowly opened the garage door and looked in.

Ennard was standing with his back towards the door facing the washer and dryer, on which he had placed a bundle of the wires he removed from his stash. His mask was resting beside them, but at this angle Scott couldn't see his face. Not that he was looking when he was instead staring at the amalgam's back and shoulders. He was looking emaciated around those areas, to the point that he could see part of an endoskeleton structure poking out of his shoulder. There was a mound of discarded, melted wires by his feet; the noise must've been him carelessly dropping them.

"Everything okay in here?" Scott asked. Ennard hesitated in what he was doing. From the motions of his arms, he looked like he was guiding the wires into his mouth.

"Going good!" Ennard chirped. He kept his back to him and started to shift more wires in again. Scott watched as one slid into place around his shoulder. "Took a while to get 'em all out. Heh, didn't feel too good either. You wouldn't believe how attached you get to a bunch wires holding you together."

"Great, great. I just heard you from out there and thought I'd check in…" Scott could've very well left right then, but for some reason, even though Ennard was clearly fine, he didn't feel completely satisfied with leaving him alone. He shut the door and stepped into the garage. "Baby's listening to some music from the old pizzeria. She was talking about writing some too."

"For Lottie again? Aww!" Ennard giggled. "You should've seen how friendly they got while we were running around. It was adorable!"

"Actually, she was talking about writing for herself… She wants to go back on stage," Scott said carefully. "I'm not sure how that's going to work out, but she seems excited about it."

"Ooh, I knew this was coming. You can take Baby off the stage, but you can't take the stage light off Baby! Ha ha, but don't worry about it. We still have a lot of work ahead of us before Baby's ready for showtime," Ennard said. He lifted bundle of wires and guided it into his mouth, setting the wires quickly as they entered him, already showing a significant increase in bulk. He turned slightly as Scott came closer to him, but not enough to disturb his work. More just to talk easier.

"So, uh… Are you okay?" Scott quietly asked. "We didn't really get to talk earlier about how it went down there. Other than the furnace, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I can see why you'd think I'd get messed up, but I'm fine! Sure, I ran into some of my old _pals_ , but I finally got to meet myself and that was worth it. That's pretty much what they took from me, my identity. Just wish they would've been a little nicer about it," Ennard explained. He shrugged a bit, "Eh, maybe I still read as 'nightguard' or something."

Scott smiled a little. "Well, good! I'm glad you're okay, because I, uh…" He cleared his throat. "I think we need to have that talk now. You can just keep fixing yourself and let me start with it. I know you're listening."

" _Did they even know who I was?"_ Ennard wondered. _"Maybe they were thinking I just came out of nowhere too. They had to know something was up, putting all those bodies up against each other. Maybe they didn't know how souls got into animatronics. I mean, they would've had some sort of clue! Animatronics don't come out of nowhere!"_ As the wires slid in, Ennard slowed to a halt, taking in that thought. _"Huh, right. Animatronics don't come out of nowhere… So, where'd they come from?"_

"It's not that I don't trust you, Ennard. I want to get that out of the way first and foremost, because I do… But I know how you can get excitable and act without really thinking about what could happen. In some cases, this risk is worth it, like when you saved everyone down there- Though, I would've preferred you did it without climbing into a furnace. I'd prefer that my clowns don't come back extra-crispy." Scott gave a light chuckle to keep the mood light. "But, uh… In cases where you don't have to, you need to restrain yourself."

" _They had to be other workers, right? Baby wasn't, but the others could've been. You would've thought they'd be a little more with it. A lot of people disappeared at Freddy's, right? Or a lot of kids."_ Ennard went even more still as his wires began to tighten further. A creeping realization was climbing his spine. _"Lot of kids… Mari was a kid, Foxy kinda, that Max guy- the whole band was made to snatch kids!... Must've kept those kids close… Oh no."_ He twitched as the thoughts raced. _"No, no, no, wait. Wait a minute. Were they…?"_

"Because all joking aside… I don't want to lose you. No, really, I can't lose you. You're a big part of my life… Most of my life, actually…" Scott's voice trailed off for a moment. "And if one day I turned on the news and saw you on it, shot down by police or taken in by some sort of government officials, I don't know what I'd do… And today, if it wasn't for Marionette telling Mike, I wouldn't have even known where you went. I need to know this, Ennard. I need to know you aren't going to just run off and get yourself-!... Get yourself hurt."

"… _Were they the kids? Were they- Were they the souls of dead children who just didn't remember being children!?... And I BURNED them!"_ Horror engulfed him as he took in what he had done. He led to the destruction of their bodies, he forced them out and effectively took their lives, doing the same thing they had condemned Chance for trying to do. _"I killed them, I burned them, I took their bodies, I stole their bodies from them,_ _ **I BURNED THEM**_ _!"_

"I thought we went over this before and I know that you understand it… Ennard?" Only now did Scott notice that Ennard was looking a little twitchy. The amalgam shuttered before reaching blindly for his mask, clearly beginning to go into a panic. Concern outweighed his upset with the clown. "What's wrong? Are you hurting?"

"I k- I killed children," Ennard blurted out. Scott's eyes widened quickly as the worst-case scenario sunk in. "They were children, not employees. The children they stole, like Baby, like Lizzie. I took their bodies."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Scott asked, also growing more panicked at the wording. "There were kids down there?"

"Ballora, Funtime Freddy, Funtime Foxy, they didn't come out of nowhere. They came from somewhere and I-." Ennard shuddered as his wires immediately started to loosen, preparing to reject the ones he had just put in. He shoved his mask on and grabbed the edge of the washing machine, struggling to rein himself in. "Help. I can't- _**Coming apa-a-art**_."

Now Scott was brought up to speed for the most part. This wasn't about actual children, but the souls inside of the bandmembers, and the guilt he was suddenly feeling for burning them. It made sense that it would come back to haunt him, and Scott reached for him. As he touched his shoulder, he felt the new wires shift and slide in deeper, preparing to be rejected. "Ennard, I need you to try and calm down," he coaxed.

" _ **C-Can't? Did- Earlier- Buuuurned children!"**_ Ennard became more unhinged. " _ **Oh**_ God _**I'm-m-m aaas bad as Will-l-l-iam!**_ "

"Don't say that. That's not what happened. They weren't children, not anymore. Even if they didn't know what they were doing- Ennard, look at me." Scott tried to turn the clown to face him, prying his hands off the washing machine. "You were protecting yourself. You didn't- Ennard, it's okay." That familiar squeaking and shifting in his chest signaled the rapid decline. Scott tried another tactic, "Ben?"

There came that vice again. Suddenly his wires were too filling, and he could feel nonexistent skin being stretched and sliced. Ennard choked down the wires that threatened to come out. He bit down tightly and refused to let them out. " _ **N-Nooo. Not Ben, not now.**_ "

"Okay, okay, sorry. You're Ennard and everything's okay," Scott tried to continue comforting. It was clear that it wasn't working as much as he had wanted. He needed something more, and soon he decided on something. He took Ennard's head and turned him to look at him. "I've got a story to tell you and I think it might help, but I need you to listen to me and try not to think about anything else. Just focus on me." Ennard gave a stiff nod and Scott began to explain.

"Today wasn't the first time I've been in a tornado. Back when I was working at Freddy's we had a storm come up on us out of nowhere. We thought it was just going to be a bad thunderstorm but right before the lunch rush we suddenly got a warning that there had been tornado spotting. Now at the time, Freddy's was really concerned about their image, so there was a protocol for everything, and the protocol for tornados was to take everyone into the bathroom, since they thought they'd be the safest parts of the building. But not into the safe rooms."

"Now, the reason for this was because the employees were told to move the animatronics back into the safe rooms. They didn't want them getting damaged. So, I'm in the men's bathroom with the other dayshift workers, including Fritz and Chance, and a few parents and kids… And Fredrick was there too. He was running it at the time. So, again, we're all back there when the power dies. All we could hear is heavy rain on the roof of the building and people shuffling around. We were pretty much packed in like sardines. People were standing in stalls and kids were even under the sink."

"Then, suddenly, we all hear these footsteps. These loud, thumping footsteps coming down the hallway. And I just stiffen up because I know it's one of the animatronics. I look over, we probably all looked over, and the bathroom door creaks open. Except it's still pretty dark because we're in the back hall and all the lights are off. All we see is this outline of a shadow standing in the doorway. It's Freddy, and just as I realize it's Freddy his eyes start flashing and he starts playing his music. Keep in mind that most of the workers in that bathroom had worked through the night shift at some point."

"Pretty much everyone becomes hysterical. Everyone starts moving and fighting to get to the back of the bathroom, trying to get in the stalls. I'm hearing, 'Oh shoot, it's Freddy!' But, uh, you know, not exactly that. And yes, there were children in the bathroom, and their parents. And these parents are probably staring completely dumbstruck- if they can see at all- as the workers at this children's pizza chain are all freaking out because a giant, singing bear walked up to the bathroom door… On second thought, they might've been screaming too. It was, uh, pretty creepy."

"The whole time our boss is making it so much worse. He's standing there yelling, 'Gosh-darn it, it's just a bear!' You know, 'You work with these things daily, suck it up and get it back in the safe room!' And yeah, he _also_ served on the night shift, so he was just covering… Really, really badly. Eventually it got bad enough that Chance and someone- it might've been Dave- rushed the door and held it shut. I don't know how long we stood in there, but the entire time Freddy serenaded us through the door. Could've been an hour. It felt like days."

"Eventually, the storm slowed down outside, and we dared to leave the bathroom. We came out of that bathroom feeling like the living dead, and everyone took one look at the clearer weather outside, got their second wind, and split. Even the staff. Even me! Even now, every time the wind picks up, I swear I can hear Freddy playing his music outside the door. Especially if I'm in the bathroom."

Scott paused to clear his throat and could see Ennard still listening intently. The violent twitches had stilled, and he didn't look to be struggling with his wires as much. He was just waiting for the punchline, so the man decided to give it to him. "I bet you're wondering what the point of all this is, and there is a point," Scott said. Ennard nodded in anticipation. "…And that's that no crisis can outlast a Freddy's anecdote."

Ennard stared, his eyes twitched a bit like he was blinking, and then- much to Scott's immediate relief- he laughed. Not one of his typical, resounding laughs, but certainly an honest one. Getting that alone was enough to show that they were on the right track. By now the wires were replacing themselves, and the clown didn't even have to tightly clench his teeth.

"Okay, you got me. Ya really got me with that. I thought you were- You know what? I'm not even going into what I thought, cause I'm not getting on that train again. It leads straight back to all that," Ennard said. He struggled to try and keep his mind blank, to keep from thinking about all those horrible thoughts and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Guess today really did do a number on me."

"I'm starting to think so. I'm also starting to think that maybe all these projects right now aren't such a good idea. Maybe after you get Baby's arm fixed you should take a break. You can work on Baby's façade tomorrow," Scott suggested gently.

"Yeah, I know. It's just that I don't have anything else to do… I'll take a break. The second I get Baby's wrist set right; I'll take a breather. At least until I start getting stir crazy," Ennard said. He put his arm around Scott and led him to the garage door. "Just keep with the anecdotes. I don't want to think again, ha ha. Please."

"I have more than enough Freddy stories to keep us occupied for days… Though if it gets to that point, it might be worth loading everyone up and going back to the basement." This roused another chuckle and Scott could feel the tension easing. Even the wires on the arm around him were starting to feel more relaxed. He didn't want to bring back that frenzy so quickly, but he still decided to ask, "Did you get any of that back there? What I was saying about you being careful?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I heard ya loud and clear from the heart of madness," Ennard playfully said. That wasn't as assuring as it should have been, and he must've realized it as he continued. "I'm going to be more careful from now on. Only reason I went out today was cause I knew we'd be safe. Nobody sees anything in this town."

"See, that's the thing. People _do_ see things. They just don't act immediately." Yet as soon as Scott said this, he regretted it. Even as he was saying the words, he could hear his own paranoia speaking them, the worry that someone was creeping around and watching in the windows. He wondered for a second if it was just him. "But… I don't want you to live in fear. I've done that and it's not worth it. I just want you to be a little more careful, and to tell me before you're going to do this. Even if it's going to scare me."

"I can do that! I know you're gonna worry about me no matter where I am. That's why you came and checked on me when you heard me banging around, right?" Ennard asked almost teasingly. He quickly tugged Scott in and pressed his mouth to his forehead in a kissing motion. He lingered there longer than Scott expected him to. Then his voice grew quiet, a mere whisper. "Scott?"

"Yes?"

"…Do you think I did the right thing? I thought I was, but… Did I go too far? I really didn't want it to go that far. I didn't want any of us to burn."

"I know you didn't, Ennard. You were trying to protect everyone. I know you; you gave them more than enough chances to walk away… But they were too angry to even think about it." Scott patted his back reassuringly as he felt over his wires. They still felt alright; Ennard was keeping it together. "They weren't happy, Ennard. I know it's hard to believe, but not all animatronics want to keep going. They're neglected and angry at the world, fighting every moment just because they don't know what else to do… Maybe you set them free."

"But it's not like they got as lucky as I did. If things were different, they would've wanted to keep going," Ennard lightly protested.

"Well, maybe. I can't argue with that…" Scott gave a small sigh as he held tighter, trying to somehow ease the guilt and doubts when he wasn't sure how. "I can't say I know what happens after death, but I know there is somewhere we go. Somewhere beyond what we know or what we could possibly fathom. Maybe they're there now, getting to be free of everything down in that factory. Should they have had a better life? Yes, but we can't take that back. Maybe it was just their time to move onto that afterlife."

"…That was beautiful, Scott. Seriously, that's the only time I've ever heard someone talking about souls moving on and not make it sound horrifying," Ennard said honestly. He drew back and looked down at his human companion. He started to lean in and for a moment Scott thought he was going to press the mouth of his mask to his, bracing himself for it, except Ennard didn't. He just pressed his cheek to his, holding him close, nuzzling him thankfully.

A very small part of Scott almost felt disappointed. He swallowed it down.

"Well, let's get out there before Baby comes looking for us!" Ennard chirped before opening the door. He hesitated when it was only open a few inches. It took a second for Scott to realize why he stopped, because at that moment he heard something more than music coming out of the room.

" _Double the sweetness, serve it up twice... Dress it in vanilla, pour on the chocolate too. Fill it with every bit of your sweetness, because the sweetest thing I have is you…~"_

Sometimes they heard Baby half-singing when she was teaching Charlie a song, though she made sure to do this quietly and privately. It was very rare to hear her genuinely singing, but here she was quietly, soothingly singing to herself as she listened to music that only barely went with the song. She hadn't noticed the door opening as she was too focused on her own voice. They listened for only a few seconds before Ennard shut the door again.

He paused for a long moment before announcing, voice strikingly serious, "I've got to get her show stage ready."

"Do you think she's up to being on a stage? Damage aside, do you think she can really be safe? She… She hasn't really had to test her programming like you did. We don't know how she'll act if she gets around kids," Scott pointed out hesitantly. "Unless you have a plan?"

"Going in as blind as usual, but we can figure that out later. Getting her on a stage doesn't mean she has to get close to kids… But I can tell that she's not going to be happy if she doesn't get a chance to try," Ennard explained. He then perked. "We'll get it all figured out. First thing's first; we got to get her cleaned up, so she doesn't scare anybody… And we've gotta kill a couple of minutes, cause I don't want to walk in right now or she'll think I was listening in." Which he had been. "Got another Freddy's story?"

Scott had dozens of them. It was just a matter of which one could distract from both Ennard's restless thoughts and his own.

* * *

While Foxy had been told earlier that the pizzeria had been fine, there was little relief until he walked into the building and found it safe and sound. Like the weight of the world's oceans had been lifted off his shoulders. Not to mention that after a full day of forced socialization, Foxy was looking forward to a little peace and quiet. Along with a nap to kill a few hours.

He was stretched out on a mat hidden behind his stage curtains. It was pretty much just a typical gym mat that someone put back there to give Foxy a place to sit or lay when stuck on the stage for long periods. He wasn't sure who did it, but he was thanking them now. Or he would've been if that peace could've lasted. He faintly heard a door squeak open somewhere and his uncovered eye slowly opened.

He almost thought he imagined it but stayed on guard in case he didn't. When he heard the footsteps, he jolted upright, got to his feet, and was about to charge out and confront who he expected to be looters. He hesitated with his hook outside the curtain, realizing that looters wouldn't have gotten in as quietly. This was someone with a key meaning it was someone he knew. He cautiously drew back the curtain and peered through the crack, looking out just in time to see Jeremy stepping into the dining room.

Foxy swung open the curtain. "Ahoy there, Jer'my! Whatcha doin' here?" he greeted cheerfully. Jeremy smiled a little but was looking disheveled, more so than when he left the basement.

"Yeah, hey- hey, Captain," Jeremy said. His voice betrayed that something was wrong. "I was just… Driving around and I thought I'd drop in… For a little while."

It didn't take much perception to see that Jeremy was upset about something. Foxy could've believed it was the storm. Maybe the stress of his little animatronics and needing a few minutes away from them, so he drove back to the pizzeria. This seemed remarkably out of character for him, unless he was coming to invite Foxy back to his home. Though if that was the case then he expected the blond to be a bit more upbeat.

"What's troublin' ya, Lad? Thought you'd be home by now." It was the flinch that followed that tipped the pirate off.

"Yeah, I thought so too… But it turns out that I'm not," Jeremy answered. He looked almost in a state of shock as he fiddled with his glasses. "So, well… My apartment building was hit."

Foxy gave a sympathetic hiss as he stepped down from the stage. "Aww, Lad, I'm sorry. How bad's the damage? Ya gonna be able to move back in?" he asked. There were a few seconds where Jeremy fumbled with his words, and it wasn't until Foxy put a hand on his shoulder that he got it out.

"No, I meant… I mean the apartment building is gone. The apartment is gone," Jeremy clarified. He got a half-smile when Foxy's patch flipped up in surprise. "That was my reaction too. So, I can't… I didn't even check to see if any of my stuff was left. Not yet. I just… Drove around and… Ended up here." That smile turned into a strained grimace. "I-I didn't know where else to go. I need help, I don't even know where to start!"

Jeremy was beginning to hyperventilate, so Foxy took him by the shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. "Easy, easy, Lad. We're gonna work this out," he said, withholding his own reaction of shock to calm him down. Jeremy would come first; the implications of what the apartment's loss would mean would come later. "Just need you to breathe. Cap'n Foxy ain't gonna let his best mate live out on the street," he assured him. Jeremy clung to the pirate's arms.

"There we go. Easy breaths. Slow, long breaths, Lad," Foxy encouraged him. "Where's the dolls? They out in the car still?"

"Y-Yeah. They took it way worse than I did. They just- They're not happy. Nobody's happy, but they're just- They lost their home. I promised them a home, gave them a home, and now it's gone. Practically everything I have is gone, except the car and them, and you." Jeremy was starting to get choked up. "I should've just moved months ago. I knew the building was falling apart and I just sat there and let it happen."

"And what if ya had moved and the twister took yer new place? Twister's gonna take whatever it hits, good structure or not. This ain't yer fault," Foxy said firmly. "It just be a real bad stoke of misfortune."

While Jeremy knew he was right, there was a part of him who wanted someone more to blame. He wanted to be angry and to let out all the emotion at once, except that he couldn't. He was stuck with it.

"Sit down and take a breather an' I'm gonna call the others, a'ight?" Foxy asked. Jeremy nodded stiffly and shakily pulled out a chair to sit down. "There's a good lad." He patted his shoulders one last time before heading to the kitchen to summon the others. Jeremy slumped on the table and silently waited, having nowhere else to be.

It didn't take long for Mike, Marionette, and Fritz to get to the pizzeria. The speed alone showed how concerned they were, and they found Jeremy still laying on the table. Foxy ruffling his hair and trying to help, but clearly knowing he couldn't do much else. He looked up at the hallway as they came in and quickly beckoned them over.

"Wish ya got over here this fast on workdays," Foxy said as they came over. Mike gave a shrug.

"I don't know, Foxy. Then we might be expected to work," he said. Then he put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder, unsure if he was awake or not. "How're you holding up?"

"Oh, you know. Homeless," Jeremy said as he turned over. He looked up at his co-worker with exhaustion. "Wearing the only clothes I own on my back."

"Not for long you're not, because Fritz brought the van with him and we're going to go over there and help you salvage your stuff," Mike said with determination. He coughed a few times into his fist before adding, "And you're probably going to want to come too or we're going to look like looters. Mari's going to watch the Minireenas and everyone else until we get back." Marionette nodded in eager agreement.

"Really?" Jeremy pulled himself up. "Thank you, you guys. That could really help. There's… Got to be some things left… But I don't really have anywhere to put them. Unless we squeezed them in the office."

"Don't worry about that, Jeremy. Mike and I already discussed it and we think you should come stay with us. There's more than enough room for all of you," Marionette said. He kept a kindly tone and a warm smile to assure the man. Jeremy looked between him and Mike hesitantly.

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude…" He trailed off before he could add the obvious 'but we need somewhere to stay'. He had little more than rubble to go back to, but he was aware that taking in him and all his animatronic 'orphans' wasn't an easy decision. "What about Charlie? Did you ask her?"

"We did before we left. She was all for it," Mike said. Which she had been, sympathizing more than ever after what happened to her family home. "Let's go. It's been a long day and the sooner we get this done the sooner we can get you back to our place and pretend today never happened."

As much as Jeremy wanted to skip going back to the apartment at all, wanting to avoid the agony of seeing the place, he knew that Mike had a point about salvaging what he could. So he stood, received a pat on the back and an assuring word from Foxy, and was led out of the pizzeria by Mike and Fritz.

It didn't take long to get to the apartment building, and it was clear that it wasn't the only structure in the area that had been leveled. Like Henry's block, there was damage down the whole street. Though to a lesser degree. The apartment complex almost seemed to fold in on itself with the roof ripped apart and only some of the walls remaining. There were other unfortunate tenants searching through the rubble that was once their homes, people who Jeremy recognized and sympathized with.

"I don't see any rescue workers, so I'm guessing everyone got out alright. That's something," Fritz said. "You'd think there'd be at least one person who refused to leave. Odds are there usually is."

"They didn't have to go far. There was a storage room downstairs that they rented out to tenants that they used as a storm shelter. I guess whoever didn't leave just went down there… Except me. But even if I didn't have my troupe with me, I wouldn't have gone down there. I would've rather stayed with you guys," Jeremy admitted. He looked out the window as they pulled up outside where his building had been.

"We're pretty lucky for that. Statistics show people would rather die than hang out with us," Mike called from the back as he opened the doors.

"That's not true, Mike. Statistics show that people around us just wind up dead," Fritz corrected. He looked to Jeremy for a reaction but received none. He probably wasn't even paying attention to them anymore. "Hey," the technician said more gently, now catching Jeremy's gaze. "We'll work through this. Maybe they'll even rebuild, and you'll be able to get your apartment back. It would take a couple of months, maybe longer, but there's always a chance."

"What about that mall over in St. George?" Mike called again. "Two, three years? Will we have hit the millennium yet?"

"It's pretty much the only thing to do in St. George that doesn't involve going outside. They'll be on it like that, already probably are," Fritz called back, with a snap of his fingers to emphasize. He then looked back to Jeremy, gave him one last reassuring smile, and got out of the van.

It was much worse than Henry's house had been. There Mike had been able to walk inside and mostly have a roof above his head, here the whole lot had collapsed. Partial walls still stood to divide the building and there was a little roof left, but not over any of Jeremy's apartment. His had suffered one of the worst blows. There were things left behind, but they were both buried underneath the rubble and mostly destroyed. Any electronics or appliances were unsalvageable. Jeremy's clothes fared a little better, except his other glasses, which seemed lost for good.

In the grand scheme of things, it was just stuff. It was just a building, they were just objects, it was all replaceable; Jeremy should've been happy that he and his mini-animatronics had made it out alright. Which he was, but he was still devastated. Everything he owned and worked for was suddenly out of his grasp and he didn't know where to begin.

It eventually became too much. Without a word he dismissed himself and sat down on the front step of what used to be his home. It wasn't long before his absence was noticed, and as soon as Mike noticed he nudged Fritz and directed his attention to it. The technician gave a sympathetic sigh and set down the cardboard box he was carrying then went to his friend's side. He sat on the step alongside him, putting an arm around his shoulders, and said nothing just let him deal with it in silence. Shortly after, Mike came and joined them.

Jeremy would get through this, and they would stay by his side to make sure he did.

* * *

 **Mable: …Okay, so not exactly a festive chapter, but that's life. XD At least it's not Christmas where they are, or this would've been so much worse. Jeremy's a strong one though, he may make it through this yet. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Happy holidays!**


	82. Chapter 82

**Mable: Happy New Year! Guys, I have a feeling that this is going to be a good one!... So, either it will be and my prediction is accurate, or it will be a terrible one and I can look back on the irony of it. They say hindsight is 20/20, so this is the best year to see the bright side of what we can. But enough of my rambling on! Enjoy the first chapter of the new year!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-Two_

Jeremy hadn't been exaggerating when he said his animatronics were more upset about the loss of the apartment than he was. If Jeremy was scared and devastated, they were frantic and inconsolable. The Minireenas and even Plushtrap made little cries of distress and clung to each other desperately. The Bidybabs, usually fussy and spoiled, silently held hands and rubbed their eyes like they were crying. The only ones who had little reaction were Max, who hid every feeling by stoicism, and Balloon Boy, who was unfortunately used to losing homes.

They were slightly more together by time Jeremy drove them to Mike and Marionette's house. At least, they had all fallen into silence by then, and didn't fight as they were carried into the strange home. The usually curious little ones now huddled together in a group without the desire to wander. It reminded Marionette of when he had found some of them inside the false pizzeria and he instantly sympathized.

"Jeremy, why don't you take them into my room? There's plenty of toys and trinkets they can play with, and they can use the bed if they need to rest. It might be easier to adjust to one small room than one big house," Marionette offered. Jeremy, who had largely remained quiet himself, nodded and thanked him. Then he gathered up his bots and led them into the back.

As soon as they were gone, including Max who decided to make it easier on Jeremy by walking himself back there, Marionette let his smile drop.

"I worry about them," he admitted, turning to Mike and Charlie to voice his concerns. Mike was heading into the kitchen to make an early dinner while Charlie was still looking down the hall after Jeremy and the other animatronics. Marionette folded his arms worriedly. "It's going to be difficult adjusting to this, even if they have beds to sleep in tonight."

"To be honest, I'm more worried about Jeremy. He didn't look like he was taking it well… I wish there was something more we could do than just giving him a bed," Charlie said, equally concerned. "I know Foxy wants to get the pizzeria open as soon as he can, but maybe he should've come with us. He might've taken some of the edge off." Marionette nodded thoughtfully while Mike sounded less concerned.

"Jeremy will pull through. He's gone through a lot of hell over the years, it's going to take more than this to do him in," Mike said. Which he fully believed, even if he knew that Jeremy was going to be struggling for a while. That was why he was going out of his way to make a real dinner instead of just settling on whatever he could throw in a microwave. Chicken seemed easy enough and he took a pack of uncooked breasts out of the fridge and opened them. "I'll bring in his stuff before I take Charlie over to Henry's."

"If you think we should just stay here with them then I don't need to go back to the house tonight," Charlie said, to which he quickly waved it off.

"We made a plan and I'm going to stick by it. If there is anything left in there, then we're going to want to get it now before the place gets taped off. Besides, Jeremy's going to notice if we start hovering over him."

"That's a good point…"

"Are you coming with us, or are you going to stick around and make sure Balloon Boy doesn't find any weapons?" Mike asked Marionette with a playful smirk. He expected an agreement or decline, but not the lingering hesitance that followed the question.

"Actually," the puppet began as he tapped his fingers together. "…I was thinking of going to go see Chance." Mike paused his prep and sent him a disbelieving look. "I can't avoid him forever. Not when he's wanting to speak with me." Mike didn't look convinced and Marionette's certain tone faded. "He wanted to know about Goldie and I'm the only one who can tell him. I'm obligated to do that much."

"I don't think you're obligated to do anything with Chance, but I get your point," Mike said. He turned back to the counter. "But if he starts up, you know what to do."

"Teleport out as fast as I can and hope he forgets how to use a phone?" Marionette playfully asked.

"That's the one."

Dinner was largely uneventful, with Jeremy coming out to eat at the table with Mike and the puppets. Daisy was the only one who came with him and sat in his lap the entire time while the others stayed back in the room. Though Mike swore he caught a glimpse of Balloon Boy peeking out from the hall, but it was so quick that it was hard to tell. It was a relief to see that Jeremy wasn't as quiet, but he avoided talking about the apartment, and nobody pressed the issue.

Not long after dinner, Jeremy returned to the bedroom to his bots as he didn't want to leave them for long. It wasn't until it grew dark that Mike and Charlie left to go check on the house, with Marionette still at the house as they left. By now Mike was starting to feel a little worse again but sucked it up and pressed on. Telling himself that once he got home he could go straight to bed, which he planned on doing.

They were almost at Henry's road when Charlie straightened up in the backseat. It was dark enough out that she wasn't afraid of being seen, and she needed to take advantage of getting Mike alone.

"Hey… Can I ask you something?" She leaned over the shoulder of the passenger seat, wrapping her arms around the headrest. "And I want you to be honest with me. No sparing my feelings."

"This can't be good," Mike mumbled. Charlie made a motion like rolling her eyes along with a tiny smile.

"No, come on. I can handle it. I need to… Ask about something, and I can't ask Mari." As her smile fell and her tone changed, Mike realized this was more serious than he thought. He briefly looked away from the road and to her. She, meanwhile, looked towards the road to avoid eye contact. "Do you remember when we were in the warehouse after I found out that Mari was William's son, and Mari was telling me about my dad? He said something then that I don't think he meant to say… He said he didn't bite him on purpose."

" _Oh, this really isn't good,_ " Mike thought. He would've started sweating bullets if he wasn't already so chilled. _"Please don't ask me about the bite…"_

"When Mari said that, I noticed you got this… Look on your face. I didn't bring it up then and I forgot about it for a long time… And I should warn you now that I did overhear the conversation you had with my grandfather. More than just what you told me."

" _Please, if there is any mercy in the world, don't ask me if Goldie did it on purpose. Please don't make me say that,"_ the security guard thought. His teeth clenched tighter and he looked more visibly uncomfortable.

"I guess what I'm getting at is…" Charlie looked to him again. "…Do you think he bit Mari on purpose?"

"… _I swear, if I find out Goldie's somehow behind this, I'm going to drag him back from the grave and sucker punch him right in the mouth."_ But that wasn't going to help him now. Denying it now wouldn't be convincing, so he had to be forthright. "I'll be honest, I don't know what happened back then. I have my suspicions, yeah, but Golden Freddy denied it. He was pretty sure that he didn't."

"But you're not?"

"I don't know. Could he have done without realizing it, subconsciously trying to get back at the Purple Man? Was it just a freak accident and he really had no control? Who knows. All I know is that the whole thing is suspicious," Mike said. He then noticed how uneasy the Security Puppet looked and quickly backtracked. "But don't take my word on it. I wasn't even there, and I'll be the first to admit that I jump to expect the worst out of people. Take all this with a grain of salt."

"My dad was always buried in his work and distant with me. Quiet, but I do remember that when he was home that he was loving and caring. I couldn't imagine my dad doing anything like that on purpose. Hurting someone like that, especially a kid…" Charlie defended right off the bat. Then the thought sunk in a little longer. "…But then why does it make so much sense? Part of me knows he would never do anything like that, but I didn't even know my father. I was too young to know… And everyone changed after Sammy disappeared."

"Well, Mari knew Goldie a lot better than I ever did and he says it was an accident, so I'd be inclined to believe him. He's never been one for denial," Mike remarked. Charlie considered telling him about Marionette's fit of denial when they thought Ennard had burned, except it was then that Mike parked on the side of the street outside the house. "We're here. Let's get our plan down now before we go in."

"Plan?" Charlie asked in confusion.

"If someone shows up or the police pop in. We need some sort of backup plan," Mike insisted. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "If we run into anyone and you can't get back to the car, then it's just going to be safer for you to go somewhere you can hide and I'll pick you up from there. Not hiding here. Is there anywhere close by that'll work?"

"There's a church down that way that I can get to pretty easily," Charlie said, pointing in the direction. He gave her a thumbs up.

"Sounds good. You get there and lay low… And if I don't get there in two hours, assume I've been arrested and try to get back to the house. I'll need you to cue in Jeremy so he can come bail me out."

Charlie got a touch of a smile back regardless of the tense conversation, which had been Mike's main goal. Then they got out of the car and carefully headed up to the house. Either the power was out or most of the street had been abandoned, and either was possible with the state of most of the houses. Charlie kept her hood drawn up and stayed close to his side, giving the illusion of two humans wandering in the dark. Mike waited until they got inside to turn on his flashlight, as to not draw more attention.

It didn't look any better in the dark and Charlie flinched at the sight of the caved roof. Mike led the way into the hall and glanced around at the doors to the other rooms.

"Looks like some of the back rooms are totally blocked off and I couldn't get in the master, but your room and the living room is pretty clear. Kitchen is too," Mike said. He leaned to shine his light into the kitchen as she passed by, then went to follow. Only to do a double take and lean back into the kitchen as he noticed something.

The china cabinet was now straightened up and the pantry was open. Mike was sure that this wasn't how it was before. Slowly he drew his light from the kitchen and followed Charlie into the bedroom.

"I think I saw… What?" Mike began and cut off. He looked around Charlie's bedroom and instantly knew something was amiss here too.

Other that the closet door, which Mike had opened, things had definitely been moved. The bedside drawer was open and some of the dressers looked askew, some pulled out a couple of inches with clothes messily bunched in them. The biggest red flag was the lamp that had been on the floor and was now sitting up on the nightstand again. As though someone picked it up and tried to use it as a source of light.

"What?" Charlie repeated in confusion. She didn't notice the subtle changes like he had. Most of the telling things she wouldn't have known to look for, but Mike did.

"Someone's been in the house," he said. He scanned over the drawers and the nightstand and remembered back to the china cabinet and pantry. "And they were looking for something."

Charlie looked startled by the comment and watched as he went over to check the bedside drawer for himself. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, things have been moved. I can tell," he said as he looked through the drawer. She looked around and started to notice things too, like the drawers. She had packed her things in a haste but knew she hadn't left them like this. Mike couldn't find anything suspicious in the drawer and closed it again. "Was there anything in here worth hiding?"

"I don't think so. Mostly just supplies and stuff, nothing that anyone would want to steal," Charlie admitted. She looked around the room before her eyes landed on a toppled over horse toy. "The most valuable thing in here is Stanley."

"Could've just been looters looking for something to grab," Mike said. He hoped that was all it was and shut the drawer again. "I'm going to go check out the living room."

"Alright. I'll get what I can and meet you out there," Charlie agreed. She took off her emptied bookbag and began to look through the drawers for things to fill it.

Mike headed out into the living room and honestly couldn't tell if anyone had been there or not. It was still a mess, so it wasn't easy to spot the differences. He changed targets and instead headed to the master bedroom and tried the door. To his mild surprise, it opened wider than it had for him, but then struck the same wooden object and stopped. Someone had clearly tried to force their way in after he had. Seeing as he wasn't getting in, he headed to the fallen part of the house.

It was then that he found something that wasn't there before. It looked like someone had moved some of the rubble, making a sort of tunnel through the fallen wall and into the back. This was unnecessarily risky to find valuables that might not be there. He wouldn't expect this from a usual looter.

"Looks like someone tried to tunnel through here. I don't know what they were hoping to find, but they must've been desperate… Or looking for something specific." Suspicion was growing. Charlie came out of the room to look for herself and stared at the hole curiously for a moment. "I'm guessing probably not, but other than the bathroom is there anything back there worth finding?"

"…Dad's office," Charlie said, her own suspicion growing as she looked at the tunnel. Someone had been determined to get back there. Almost like they knew what was back there.

"Guess that makes sense. An office might have a computer, might have a safe, probably the best chance anyone would have of striking gold," Mike agreed. He crouched down and shined the light into the hole. It didn't look safe, so whoever headed through must have been desperate. He noticed when Charlie crouched a little closer to the hole, leaning forward like she was about to crawl in. "I wouldn't go in there."

"This doesn't look like a random theft. They were looking for something specific. I need to check the office and make sure," she said. She took off her jacket and handed it back to Mike before starting to creep inside. "You wait here and I'll go look. If something falls on me, I'll be okay."

"I don't think that's how it works, but alright," Mike agreed. He kept the light shining into the tunnel as the other puppet crawled inside.

'Tunnel' wasn't exactly the best way to describe the small space though. It was much tighter on the inside, with broken wood planks leaning in and poking through, and with the roof still slumped down in the center. A human could fit through here, but they must've been slow and careful as to not jar anything loose. Charlie couldn't afford to be that slow and sacrificed caution for speed. Hands felt along carefully to make sure the floor underneath wasn't set to collapse as she slid underneath a tight squeeze.

It was her elbow that tapped a piece of wood and set off a chain reaction. Apparently, it was propping up part of the roofing, which collapsed in along with a large slab of drywall that landed on her legs. She scurried forwards to get out from under it and barely skirted into the office before there was an almighty crack and the whole tunnel caved in on itself.

"Charlie?!" Mike called after her. He tried to look through the space only to see that it had been swallowed by the rubble. "Christ, the whole thing caved in! Charlie, are you okay?! Can you hear me?!"

"I'm fine! I made it through to the office!" Charlie called back. She then looked around at the room. "Or what's left of it…"

"I'm going to go around back and see if I can find a window to get in. Don't move around too much," he called in. He hurried out of the house and around the back.

Left alone to her own devices, Charlie looked around at what had been her father's office. Most of the things on the shelves and desk, including books and computer equipment, were strewn on the floor and she stepped over them carefully to get to the desk. It made sense that something powerful enough to tear down walls and the roof would throw these things onto the floor. What made less sense was how one of the top drawers had been yanked out and was now sitting on top of the desk, its contents empty.

Charlie didn't know what was worse; the confirmation that someone knew what they were trying to find, or the fact that whoever it is had stolen her father's recorded tapes.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by a knocking on the window and looked to see Mike peering in from outside. She went to unlock the window and raised it slowly to not shake the already fractured structure.

"You were right. Whoever it was stole some of my father's old recordings. They would've been worthless to someone just looking for things to steal," Charlie revealed as she started to climb out. "It looks like they might've taken some of his old paperwork too, though Aunt Jen got rid of most of it already. I doubt she would've risked her life crawling back here for cassette tapes."

"No, not Jen. You said yourself that she wasn't into opening up the past, right? Probably hasn't even found out about the damage yet," Mike agreed. He shined the light inside of the office briefly and looked over the scene inside. He then flicked off his light and handed Charlie her jacket. "That's not all. Here, come look at this."

He beckoned her around the back of the house and to the basement doors. He pointed the flashlight and clicked it on, the beam of light falling on a padlock that had barely kept the battered doors shut.

"Now I know that wasn't here when Mari found Springtrap. So, the question is: who locked it up, and why? Again, maybe Jen, but I'm thinking no," Mike said. Charlie shook her head, agreeing that she wouldn't do it. "And another good question is; when did someone have time to do this? Because the lock doesn't look brand new, so it could've been any time between then and now."

There were so many questions that had disturbing answers. The basement had housed some of Henry's old animatronic prototypes and blueprints- both knew this- and with the missing tapes it almost seemed like someone had been digging up information on Henry. That could never be good for them.

"Maybe I should get my stuff and we should leave," Charlie said. "We're not going to find any answers here… And I don't feel safe."

"It was probably almost getting crushed under falling debris. I know that always does it to me," Mike said with little inflection. It covered up his own unease well, though his was not out of fear of his safety but of what this information getting out could mean. _"If the wrong tapes got out, it could be the end of Foxy's,"_ he realized. This angled his suspicions. "You don't think it could be Burke, do you?"

"Clay? No," Charlie said with a shake of her head. "He's had access to the house for years. He didn't even need a search warrant; Jen would've let him right in. Why wait until now?"

"Good point." This only made him more discouraged; nobody wanted another Dave or Chance to pop up out of nowhere and cause massive problems. The problem was, too many former employees were currently unaccounted for and any of them could come back. Blackmail would be only the lightest threat; they could be looking at another martyr or psychopath with a bone to pick. "You're right. Let's get your stuff and go."

The two all but cleaned out the rest of Charlie's stuff from her bedroom. Neither intended to grab that many things, but once in the process they just continued until they had most of the things. The last things she took were a few of the broken pictures from the living room that she tucked under her jacket before hurrying out in the car. With the stuff in the back and the streets seemingly barren, she slid down in the passenger's seat and they started to drive back.

It was during that drive home that the other puppet started looking at the pictures in her lap. They were all taken before the family had crumbled and she didn't remember the memories. One was of her father sitting in a chair with her and her twin sitting in his lap. Her mouth was open wide in a smile, maybe laughing, while Sammy's face was scrunched up. Henry was smiling proudly, and it could only be assumed that it was her mother taking the picture.

Things could've been so different. She barely even recognized the people in the photo and had trouble looking past what she knew about them now when seeing her happy family. She shook the thoughts off quickly, not wanting to get into a mood before they got home. Though the thoughts did stir up a question.

"Hey, Mike. Did you think I was going to be living with you and Mari this long?" He was slightly surprised by the question but answered much easier than the earlier bite question.

"I didn't really think about it. Either you would stay with us or you'd get tired of us and go live with Fritz and Natalie, or with Foxy at the pizzeria," Mike explained. He sent her an encouraging smile. "But between you and me, I'm glad you stuck around."

She smiled again, "I am too." That was all the encouragement that Charlie needed to put the pictures away.

* * *

Chance stared numbly at the television in Fritz's dark basement sitting room. Some home repair show was on that he was playing little attention to. Fritz and Natalie had gone to bed early, exhausted from the events of the day and relieved that their home had been spared. He gave them their space and sulked to himself, staring at this screen, thinking of nothing and wondering about even less.

Then, out of nowhere, he was struck by a sudden jolt shooting through him. He straightened up on the couch and dropped the remote that he had been holding loosely in his hand. Every sense focused in for a few moments until he forcibly relaxed them, but even then he could still tell that _he was upstairs by the front door._ He knew exactly where he was but made no effort to get up or do anything. He just rode out the feeling.

" _What's he doing here this time of night?"_ Chance wondered. He supposed he would know soon enough as he felt the figure moving around the upper floor and heading to the stairs. He knew he could've tried to get up and head to his room, even if he wouldn't make it in time, and still didn't even make the attempt.

"Chance?"

Marionette was nearly whispering as Chance turned to look at him. His dark form looked eerie in the light of the television. Like a phantom that crept out of the darkness and now stood before him. The Puppet always startled him; even more now that he always knew where it was. His left hand gripped at a microphone that was no longer there; his programming trying to kick in and failing.

"What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night," Chance asked. He picked up the remote, still watching the new animatronic, and turning the volume down on the television.

"I know it's late, I just thought it would be better to wait until everything calmed down… I know you had questions about Golden Freddy. I'll tell you whatever you want to know," Marionette explained calmly.

Though by now Chance almost knew too much. Whatever the puppet would say could only worsen his already shaken image of his son, himself, and the situation they were all in. He turned back towards the tv.

"That's already been taken care of. Sorry to drag you all the way out here for nothing," Chance said. His voice held little emotion beyond exhaustion. He didn't even sound angry even though Mike had been harsh, and Marionette took this as a bad sign. Lethargy always worried him when it came to animatronics. That apathy could lead to malfunctions alarmingly fast, and he knew he had to do something more.

So, instead of leaving like was being suggested, Marionette moved closer to the couch. Chance turned to look at him again once he got only a few feet away, still just as paranoid as ever, so the puppet stopped there. He decided against sitting on the couch and instead lowered to the floor to sit on his knees. Then looked up at Chance and it was only then, in this somewhat submissive posture, that the television light cast the bear in the same eerie glow. Marionette shivered internally even when he knew Lefty couldn't hurt him.

But he regained his nerve enough to speak. "The first few weeks after I came into this body were difficult. I was confused, couldn't control myself well, and was virtually alone most of the time. The children were so close, but I couldn't speak to them or the employees. I could barely move myself so how would I escape if I got myself into a difficult situation? I couldn't… But it was alright, because I had Goldie."

Now he could see Chance paying more attention. Smiling a little more honestly, Marionette continued his story.

"Goldie was more than my best friend; he was my protector. There was nobody else there to help me, or us, and he was the one to do that. Many nights I would crawl out of my box and work my way back to the storage room or safe room, wherever he would be, and he would reassure me through the night. They made me sleep so much that when I had the choice I wouldn't, but Goldie would see that I was tired, and he would help make it easier. Those long, empty nights in those backrooms, when it was only us…"

Marionette lowered his head somberly as his smile reverted to its default. "I still miss him. That friend of mine, the one who took care of me, the one who saved me…" His voice faded with a low tune as his smile dropped. "…And that's why it hurts so much knowing what I do now." He couldn't tell what Chance was thinking when his eye widened, he couldn't even look directly at him. Marionette gave a dry and empty chime.

"I came here to counter what Mike said and show you that Henry still was a good person, even though he made mistakes… But all I did was just remind myself why I'm still angry at him. He didn't have to go to the lengths he did. I would've done anything he asked of me… Now I'm going to always be asking myself if he was even my friend at all," Marionette admitted. He looked up at Chance, noticing that he was still staring. "…Chance, I'm sorry. I shouldn't put this on you."

Chance didn't say anything, and they sat there silently in the dark living room staring at the tv screen and whatever was playing on it. It looked like a commercial for kitchen cleaner.

"…When you were little, you used to get sick all the time," Chance suddenly said. The puppet looked up at him. "Maybe it was having a baby around all those kids at the diner, but you used to catch everything that passed through. So, you used to spend a lot of time in his office. He'd stay back there with you, rocking you and trying to make you feel better. He treated you just like one of his own. He really took to you."

"He did?" Marionette asked hesitantly. "…I remember he would let me come in and stay with him if I got too upset. He used to give me brownies too."

"Henry spent a lot of time looking out for you kids. He'd take your siblings on trips when William was too busy getting loaded at a bar… At least, I hope that's what he was doing. Good God… A couple of years he even took you all trick-or-treating or out to movies on the weekends. Used to annoy the heck out of my daughter-in-law after the twins came and money got tight. They couldn't afford birthdays and Christmases for five kids… But then things happened and all that stopped."

"I know. Charlie told me."

"Yeah…" Chance began to make a stressed coughing sound, signaling that he was about to strain himself even before he did. "Did you ever find out what happened to Sammy?" Marionette looked to him wide-eyed and curious. "You've been around the bend. Thought maybe you found out where he went."

"Sadly, no. Or maybe not sadly depending on how you look at it. Of all the animatronics I have met, none of them were Sammy. And the ones who couldn't remember who they were didn't match up with the time frame… But maybe that could be a good sign?" Marionette asked hopefully. Chance gave him an exhausted look. "There is a slim chance that Sammy could still be alive out there. Someone else could've taken him. He could be living with another family and a different name, not knowing the truth but being alive and well."

"…Guess that's possible. You hear about people stealing babies, and Sammy was so little that he probably wouldn't be able to remember much. Nothing he couldn't replace with new memories…" It was clear from his tone that he didn't believe it, but still went along with it. "The point is Golden Freddy was not my son. He… He's just what my son turned into… If you're going to remember anyone as Henry, remember the man he used to be. That's what I'm going to have to start doing."

"I will try," Marionette agreed. "…I hope you do the same for me. I know you hate me, but it is in our best interest that we learn to cooperate."

"I don't hate you, Marion. I just hate that every time I look at you, I have alarm bells telling me to rip open my chest and shove you inside," Chance said bluntly and looked back at the television.

"Oh…" The puppet's eyes widened slowly as he stared at the bear. Then he quietly started to slide back across the carpet, barely moving as he did so. "I see…"

"Relax. I've got it under control. Even if I didn't, I'm not fit to do anything," Chance assured. He almost sounded a little bit amused for a second. "But I get it. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon… Unless I figure out where that clown got burned. Don't think I didn't notice that."

Marionette flinched lightly but stayed quiet.

"We'll figure it out," Chance finished. "You should get back home. They're probably waiting for you."

"Are you sure? I can stay," Marionette offered. He didn't know why he did when Chance had just said he was battling the programming to attack him. He just knew if he left it like this, he would dwell on it all night. "…Would you mind if I stayed a little longer?"

Chance considered it for a moment. "…Sure, Kid." For now, at least tonight, he would pretend this haunted puppet was just a normal kid, and maybe he would find out why Henry took to him so well.

It was an hour later before Marionette arrived back at home. The teleportation was tiring after the lengthy and exhausting day that he had been through. It was hard to believe everything that happened that day, and to believe that it had all happened in one day. Afton Robotics alone felt like a distant memory when it had only been some hours ago. It wasn't even midnight and he was already back to the state he was in he before his nap.

Charlie, Balloon Boy, and Max were all in the living room. Max standing prone as he watched the television while Charlie and Balloon Boy sat on the couch, but they all could feel when the puppet appeared in the room. They all turned to look at him, Max even spinning his head almost all the way around and could see how slumped his posture was.

"Didn't go well with Grandpa?" Charlie asked. He shrugged a bit, his head and neck tilting limply. She hummed and considered telling him about what they found at the house, but then decided it would probably be best to wait for morning. "You look tired. Maybe you should call it an early night?"

"I might just do that if you all don't mind," Marionette agreed. He glanced around the living room and noticed someone was missing from the group. "Where's Mike?"

"He already went to bed. He was coughing a lot when he got back from the house and I think he took more medicine. If he wasn't tired before, he's going to be now."

"Maybe I should go check on him," the puppet subtly suggested before heading to the hallway. He felt so slow and his body felt like a sandbag. It would be so good to get in bed and forget today happened.

"Are we not supposed to know that he's going to get in bed with him?" Max asked loudly- on purpose. There was a squeaking noise; Balloon Boy's neck as he shook his head. "Ha ha ha. That's cute."

He would choose to forget that too, Marionette decided. He gave no response and headed back to the master bedroom, quietly letting himself inside. Mike was already in a dead sleep. He had changed into his nightclothes and it looked like he had set the alarm, so he was intending to sleep through the night. Marionette liked the thought of that so much that he turned the alarm off and dropped onto the bed. He half-collapsed on the sleeping man, partially draped over him and almost still dangling off the bed and curled up against his back.

Mike was warmer than usual, the back of his neck dampened like he had just broken a fever, and his pulse seemed slower than usual. Still very ill, still very much in need of rest and today couldn't have helped matters. While Marionette was worried, this was something they could handle right here at the house. He could handle that much, and he drifted off holding him, trilling in contentment.

It was good to be home.

* * *

" _You need to do something about this or you're going to have to go to the hospital," Scott said as he leaned over the back of the couch. Mike looked up at him and huffed._

" _Scott, I'm fine. It's just a flu. I'll take more meds," he told him. This didn't seem to appease the older man, who was growing increasingly frustrated._

" _Don't you see what's going on?! You're running a fever of one hundred twenty! Look!" Suddenly Scott reached down and yanked the blanket off Mike's body, revealing that not only was he missing his clothes, but his entire body was turning a deeply flushed pink color. He stared down in shock, ignoring the nudity and focusing on the color. "Look at what it's doing to you, Mike!"_

" _That's not the fever… That's from that cough syrup!" Mike exclaimed. He sprung from the couch and ran into the bathroom where he found the empty bottle on the sink and looked at the back. There, underneath the side effects, he could see it written as plain as day: 'May cause skin discoloration'. "It says it right here! I don't believe this!"_

 _It was then that he noticed tiny words written underneath and squinted to read. "May cause teeth to fall out…?" Suddenly Mike realized that he was missing his front teeth._

 _Then, just as abruptly, something suddenly fell on him and Mike's eyes popped open to reveal him lying in bed in a white room. It took him a few seconds before he registered that he was in a dim hospital room. He was facing towards the windows that stared out at nothingness, and he could hear sharp beeping, along with the dull hum of a ventilator._

"… _I didn't actually get sick enough to go to the hospital, did I? I don't even remember anyone driving me here," Mike thought. He tried to shift and move but found himself frozen in place. Something was laying across him. "Probably Mari," he decided. He looked over the hospital wall and out into the blackness outside._

 _Something was looking in from outside. Mike blinked once and suddenly the_ hospital was gone and he was laying in his bed in the master bedroom.

As predicted, Marionette was wrapped around him with his mask pressed into the back of his neck. It looked like it was still dark out, but it felt like it was probably morning, so he guessed the sun would be coming up any moment now. He wasn't curious enough to turn over and look past Marionette to see the clock. He still felt groggy but the urge to cough had faded quite a bit, which he took as a good sign.

Except that something had been weird about that dream. Thinking back to it, or them, the two parts had felt very different. The first section with Scott had felt like a typical dream, already starting to become slightly foggy- save the image of him running around naked in front of Scott. Marionette would get a kick out of that- but the second section had that strange lucid feeling. That hospital had felt so real to him. So real that waking up felt less like rousing from sleep and more a simple blink. More like a hallucination than a dream.

He lazily reached up and felt over his own head. Less warm than earlier; not feverish enough to be hallucinating. It must've just been an extremely weird dream. At least there was no sign of Old Man Consequences.

Mike rolled onto his back and put an arm around Marionette, rousing the puppet just enough to have him nuzzle into his neck and warble lowly. It was adorable and Mike couldn't help but smile at it. Then faded back into a thankfully dreamless sleep. Nothing to worry about yet.

* * *

 **Mable: I hope everyone had a happy first day of 2020 and have a good year following! Remember: someone's always watching out for you!**


	83. Chapter 83

**Mable: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-Three_

Foxy gave his co-workers a grand total of one day off before he started calling and prodding them about coming back to work. While nobody thought it was the best idea to return to work so soon, especially with the town still in turmoil and many still without power, it wasn't too difficult to convince them. Not when he was as persuasive as ever, bombarding them with dozens of excuses why they needed to open.

Jeremy also pushed for it if only to get out of the house. While Mike and Marionette's was larger than his apartment, he still hadn't adjusted to living there. Neither had the little animatronics which had begun to come out tentatively and seemed to be becoming more curious to their new environment. This helped give Jeremy the confidence to leave them and go in to work.

Mike was halfway through getting his uniform on when Marionette came into the bedroom and caught sight of him. In the last two days, the fever had been a little more controlled and the struggles breathing had eased up, but he was clearly still sick with something. Which was why the puppet looked him over and gave a to-the-point, "You do know you aren't coming right?"

This barely surprised Mike. After all, this was why he had gotten ready without telling anyone that he was planning on going. "Don't worry about it. You're going to need me there and I've already got my clothes on. The hardest part is over," he said. It wasn't as convincing as he had hoped.

"Mike, I know you're feeling a little better, but you're not ready to go back to work. All you'll do is set yourself back. Or worse, catch something else while you're there," Marionette said with clear disagreement, folding his arms over his chest. Mike continued to get dressed and tried to ignore the puppet's frown.

He couldn't dismiss him for long, because as soon as he went to put on his hat it suddenly tugged out of his hands and right into Marionette's and he slipped it on his own head with a playful smile.

Mike raised a brow with an amused smile. "A diversion, huh? Sorry to ruin your plans, but it's going to take more than a stolen hat to stop me from going in," he pointed out. Then he reached for his hat, to which the puppet leaned back out of his reach. He swiped a little faster for it and every time Marionette ducked back out of the way or weaved to the side, teasingly, speed picking up with Mike's own.

Finally, growing a little more impatient, Mike started to step in, and Marionette instantly darted back beside the bed. This roused a light scoff out of the man. "Not taking the bait. I'm not going to chase you."

A slyer smile stretched across the porcelain mask. "But if you can't chase me, how can you chase children at the pizzeria?" he tutted. He knew exactly what he was riling up and continued pressing his buttons.

"I didn't say I _can't_ ," Mike said, gladly accepting the challenge. "Don't make me football tackle you."

To which Marionette promptly threw back his head and laughed like it was the funniest comment in the world. Only suppressing it to add in, "Oh, I would love to see you try!"

" _Oh, it's on."_ Without warning, Mike jumped for Marionette.

But Marionette had been anticipating it and went straight over the bed. Mike chased him around the other side, and he moved back over and around towards the door. Thinking he was making an escape, the man lunged for it and blocked it. The puppet had been waiting for this opening and went for the closet, his pursuer on his heels, threw open the door with his telekinesis, and darted up into the opening in the ceiling. All Mike caught was a glimpse of his legs before they disappeared up into the attic.

"Hey, that's out of bounds! You didn't say anything about me having to climb!" Mike called up after him, even as he was already starting to climb up himself.

"Really? You used to not have a problem with it…" Marionette's comment was punctuated by a both chiming and vocal laugh that seemed to echo through the small space. The security guard couldn't tell where it had come from once he poked his head through and started looking around the boxes.

"We'll see how much you're laughing when I catch you," Mike playfully threatened. This was easier said than done once he noticed how many of the cardboard boxes had been opened. _"Now which one is it?"_

He crouched in the small space and started to slowly make his way through, peeking into the first box he passed. Halloween costumes and nothing more. There was a light rustling through a couple of the boxes towards the back, trying to coax him over. Which instead made him suspicious that Marionette was closer to him and trying to lead him away. He smirked and pretended to start heading in that direction while scanning the boxes around him, and just happened to notice one that was loosely closed.

" _There he is."_ Mike slowly started to move in that direction while still angling towards the back. "Mari!~ I know you're back there!" he called. He inched closer to the closed box until his back was aimed at it. "Or maybe…" he drew out, smirking to himself. Any lingering tiredness was forgotten as he lined himself up. In a split second he flipped around, threw open the box, and reached deep inside. "You're right here!"

He was impressed with how well he knew Marionette because his hands instantly grabbed onto familiar fabric and tugged the puppet out by the arms. He pulled him out onto the floor and pinned him. The puppet squirmed and twisted in his grasp, trying to get away but not fighting hard enough to escape.

"So, whose going soft now?" Mike challenged. He dropped his hands to trail his fingers lightly down Marionette's thin waist. This instantly roused uncontrolled laughter. Marionette grabbed at his wrists and started to squirm more firmly, fighting against the new onslaught. "Not so tough now, are you? Not when you're up against someone who knows all your soft spots!"

Marionette suddenly got a competitive smile before pushing off the floor and quickly reversing their positions. Mike put up a good fight, but fatigue crept up on him, and he found himself back on the floorboards with Marionette above him. The puppet sent him a playfully proud smile that screamed "I win" even when he didn't say a word. He literally had the upper hand and he wasn't going anywhere.

"Alright, you win. I know when I've been beaten," Mike agreed. "Pick your prize. What do you want?"

As expected, Marionette perked up at that comment. He hummed thoughtfully while considering what it was that he wanted. He folded his arms on Mike's chest and rested his chin on them, peering up at his human companion with that continued playful look. He could've asked for anything and Mike would be willing to give it.

"Stay home and rest."

Of course he would have to request that. Mike was hoping for something a little more interesting than him backing himself into a corner. "You're asking me to stay home with Balloon Boy and his toy shop troupe and you're thinking I'm going to get any rest?"

"Think of it as working from home. You're still watching over children, you're just not getting paid and if they get out of the house it could be the end of life as we know it," Marionette said. His eyes narrowed with that teasing, smug glint. "I think you can handle that much. You're used to handling animatronics that are beyond your control."

"Yeah, but these ones don't have a cross that I can pull out if they get to rowdy," Mike retorted and received a trill. "If you're that determined to keep me here, then I'll stick around today. But I'm not staying home tomorrow if I get another good day."

"It's a deal," Marionette agreed. "And here's a tip: if Balloon Boy gets too out of hand, just tell him that someone might accidentally misplace the batteries in the remote. That should take the wind out of his sails."

"…I could see that working. TV is pretty much the only leverage I have against him," Mike admitted. Another chime, and this time Marionette leaned in to kiss him. He still looked as playful as could be, much more contented now that he knew the other would be safe. "Let's get down there and get this worked out with Jeremy. I'm going to need him to put in a good word for me if I have to play babysitter."

"Why rush? We have a few minutes before I have to leave," Marionette suggested with a low warble. He leaned in and pressed another needy kiss to Mike's lips. It had been so long since they had time together just to themselves and he couldn't afford to lose this moment. Mike responded well, taking his mask in his strong hands and tracing over his cheeks and along the edge of his smile. By now Marionette was trilling so loudly that it was vibrating through his chest. They drew apart briefly.

"So, all we have to do to get time alone is hide in the attic? Let's face it, Mari. We've lost control of the house." Not that Mike was complaining too much. He had never lived in a house so full and something about having so many bodies in the house was nice. Or, at least, it hadn't worn out its welcome yet. Just as long as they still had one room- and a crawlspace- to escape to.

He continued caressing porcelain, only interrupting the touches to press their lips together again. Over and over again, repeating the soft motions and savoring every last second they had.

By time Marionette was ready to leave for the pizzeria, he was still giddy from the affection and did little to hide how good of a mood he was in. It contrasted well against Jeremy's return to quietness as he gathered up the three performing Minireenas and put them in their dresses. He then drove them and the puppets to the pizzeria in his car. They got there a little after opening, but no customers had shown up yet and the curtains in the front hadn't been opened yet. He drove around back and got everyone inside.

Foxy was stuck steadfast to his stage as they came in and while he perked upon seeing them, he seemed reluctant to come down. "Ahoy there, lads and lasses! Where've ya been? Opening be twelve minutes ago!"

"Sorry, Captain. Just shaking off a slow morning," Jeremy apologized. Which wasn't a lie, as he had overslept after having a rough night of sleep. He carried the Minireenas over to their stage and set them down on it. "There you go, girls. Now this is just going to be a normal day, but if you get overwhelmed you can move into the back and I'll come check on you," he assured them. They all nodded in understanding.

"Ya gettin' up on yer stage, Mari? We're lookin' at a big day. I can just feel it," Foxy said. He began to pace on the stage before looking back to the puppet, who was heading towards the arcade. "By the way, we got a load of supplies in. Supply Guy himself carried it in and dumped it off in the Prize Corner."

"Prize Corner?" Marionette's head snapped over. "Wait, you mean the new plushes got here?"

"Haven't looked meself but I'd bet me boots it's the new stock," Foxy agreed. At this, Marionette spun and started to head towards the Prize Corner. "That don't mean fer ya to run off! We be openin' now, Lad!"

"It'll just be a minute, I promise," Marionette dismissed. He hurried up to Charlie who was in the process of climbing into her box and stopped her. "Charlie, wait. I need to show you something. It's important you see it before we open." He then whisked her into the Prize Corner by the wrist before she could give a proper answer. There was a large cardboard box sitting on the floor of the Prize Corner, and Marionette released her wrist, grabbed a pair of scissors from behind the counter, and quickly sliced the box open.

"Now I know this is sudden, so if it's too much then we can just put these away for another time," Marionette offered and opened the flaps. His smile widened as he reached into the box.

"What is it?" Charlie asked. She leaned over to see when he suddenly thrusted said object up towards her. To her surprise, it was a puppet plush, but from the coloring and design- and tiny bell- it was clearly not him.

"Our first line of Lottie plush toys!" Marionette chirped. He brought the doll back to look over it, scanning over its blue tear marks and testing its small bell with a light flick. "I know I should've asked you first, but I wanted it to be a surprise. We were ordering new plushes and merchandise anyway so why not? But we can still always change the design if it's not to your liking."

"I already have my own doll?" Charlie was surprised by this. He offered her the plush and she took it to look it over herself. "Isn't this a little fast? The cartoon isn't even out yet."

"It might be, but the kids have warmed up to you. I know Chrissy has and she's our best customer! It's only a matter of time before they'll be asking why they can't take a little Lottie home," he explained as he began to quickly unload the merchandise. The dolls were crammed into the box, each wrapped in plastic, and underneath them more of the ordered supplies were hidden. Which Marionette quickly began to restock the Prize Corner with. "There's already a spot made for them or we can wait until you're ready. Your choice!"

"No, I'm ready now. I'll help you put them up," she said with a joyful jingle. It seemed like such a weird thing to be excited about, but she was just as much as he was. She eagerly took the plush toys out of the box and started setting them up in an empty stand and passed a few on to Marionette who put them up on the shelf.

They were visibly distinct from his, both from the tear coloring to the surplus of this white stripes down its arms. The facial features were also different with wider, rounder eyes and a smaller smile. A good replica of her image, as if care was taken in making it. They were as close to perfect as she could imagine and looking at them on the shelf seemed to cement her place in the pizzeria.

She only realized then that looking at these dolls and thinking they looked like _her_ didn't feel strange at all.

Marionette noticed how she was staring at them. "What are you thinking about?" He was a little concerned that she didn't like them but covered it well.

"Oh, nothing. With this it's kind of like I've passed my final test. Now I'm finally a concrete part of the business," Charlie admitted. She turned to him with a smile. "No turning back now," she said without any doubt.

Needless to say, he was thrilled.

* * *

Mike had just planned on getting an extra hour of sleep since he was forbidden to go to work. So, it was a complete shock when he looked at the clock and saw that it was almost noon.

" _Maybe Mari was right, maybe I did need the rest,"_ Mike thought as he rubbed over his face. He groggily sat up and made his way out of bed for the second time that day. It was probably time to check on the little animatronics, let alone eating something since he had missed breakfast. Finally, his appetite was coming back after two days of coughing and sore lungs turning him away from food.

He staggered out into the hallway and into a mostly quiet house. This instantly put him on guard, and he glanced into Marionette's bedroom as he passed by, but all seemed to be going fine inside. The Bidybab twins were both coloring with colored pencils and sounded to be in a disagreement over what color to use next. Plushtrap and Lilium were playing with the Freddy boardgame nearby, but instead of playing the game properly they were just moving the little characters around like they were dolls.

So far so good, and Mike pulled the door to a crack before continuing on. The television was on and looking over he could see that Max was standing only about a foot from it and watching intently. He decided not to disturb him and went into the kitchen. After a few seconds of consideration, he started getting out the ingredients for a sandwich. Something basic that he didn't have to cook.

The sandwich preparation started off uneventful enough. He got out sliced turkey, cut a few slices of tomato from the half he had in the fridge, and then leaned over to wash the lettuce in the sink.

And turned back to see Balloon Boy suddenly standing beside him.

The animatronic's thin legs were partially bent in a bowlegged fashion, probably to support his weight, and he stared up with enormous eyes. Yet he was completely still and the only noise he made came after Mike spotted him, and that was his typical laugh. That equally innocent and equally diabolical laugh that Mike didn't buy for a second. He didn't take his eyes off Balloon Boy as he shook out the lettuce and laid it on the sandwich. He then stepped around him to get the condiments out, during which Balloon Boy's head turned to follow him.

Mike was finally forced to look away to spread the mayonnaise on the bread. In that second something moved out of the corner of his eye, and he looked down to see that the animatronic was now standing straight up beside him. His neck was craned up and he was staring Mike directly in the eyes, like he was waiting for something.

" _He wants something,"_ Mike decided. He glanced at his plate. _"The sandwich?"_ Looking back at Balloon Boy, he pushed the sandwich back further on the counter. "Don't even think about it, Buddy. This sandwich has my name on it." Balloon Boy gave another laugh, but Mike was sure he had gotten his point across. It wasn't like he could spell it out any clearer. He went to put the mustard and mayonnaise away.

All he heard was the light clatter of a plate and then the awkward clops of quick moving feet.

"Let me guess..." He already knew what he was going to see before he looked back at the counter and saw his sandwich gone. He looked to the hall and saw the last glimpse of Balloon Boy skirting inside. "I should've saw that coming." He did, in fact, and still did little to stop it. He wasn't going to let the little gremlin get away with it though. "You're not getting away that easy, BB," he called before pursuing.

"You'd save time making a new one," Max unexpectedly spoke up. Mike looked at him for a second, not expecting the comment, before retorting.

"It's the principle," he defended, then continued after the thief. Except that Balloon Boy had disappeared like a ghost that faded away and only left the distant thumping of footsteps. Mike started checking doors. Bathroom; nothing. Marionette's bedroom; just the little ones, who all looked over as he opened and shut the door. Foxy's bedroom; nothing. Except as he was walking away, he heard the door click shut behind him.

With an exhausted exhale, Mike turned back to the bedroom door and knocked curtly. "BB, I know you're in there. Give it up or I'm coming in," he called. Balloon Boy answered with a louder laugh and made no move to open the door. That was when Mike remembered Marionette's advice and decided to take it. "Well, I guess since I can't eat my sandwich, I should find something else to do. Maybe I can finally replace the batteries in my flashlight… With the ones out of the remote."

There was no laughter this time. He slowly started towards the living room, waiting to see if it would work. He was rewarded with shuffling, a small clattering, and the bedroom door shutting again.

Mike smirked to himself, " _Right on time_." And looked back to see the plate now set outside the door with the sandwich still on it. Except it was missing its top bread. "… _Eh, that's good enough."_ He picked up the plate and started heading back to the living room. _"I don't even want to know what he wants with a piece of wet bread."_

He replaced the bread with another piece and headed out to the couch. He sat down long enough to take a bite of the sandwich and register that a gameshow was on when he heard small, quick footsteps. The Bidybab twins popped up beside the couch before moving to stand in front of him. In their hands they held up their drawing; depicting two, small, undefined figures in overly detailed dresses standing on either side of a purple clad mass. They seemed to all be holding hands, so instead of a cryptic warning it was probably supposed to be Jeremy in his uniform.

"Whose dress is prettier?" the left Bidybab asked. "Mine's the pink and yellow one. This one." She pointed at it.

"Mine's this one. The pretty blue one," the right Bidybab said, pointing to hers. "Mine has real flowers on it."

"Real flowers will shrivel and start to smell funny. Mine is rubbed in candles so it will always smell good," the first said.

"You can't do that. It doesn't work unless you put the candles on the dress."

"Then I'll take the candles and make it into wax stamps and glue them around the dress. And then I'll take the candle string and sew it in too and it'll smell a lot better than nasty flowers."

Mike silently watched the argument as he continued to eat his sandwich. He only got a few bites in before they looked to him again. They decided that they wanted an answer more than they wanted to fight and he was put on the spot. He chewed slowly as he considered the safest way out of this, swallowed, and spoke. "It's a great picture you've got there. Is that Jeremy is the middle?"

"No," said the one Bidybab.

"It's you," said the other.

"Really?" Mike was mildly surprised and leaned in to look closer. He couldn't really tell from the blue eyes and lack of hair, but he appreciated the attempt to appease him. "Hey, thanks, you two. I don't get a lot of pictures of myself. What do you say this goes on the fridge?" Both Bidybabs stared at him as he set the sandwich aside and stood from the couch.

"You really like it?" the right Bidybab asked as he took the drawing from them.

"Sure do. Come on, I'll let you pick out where we put this up." There wasn't much pinned to the fridge as it was except a few takeout menus and a couple of drawings Marionette brought home from work. He started into the kitchen while the twins looked at each other, already concocting a new idea.

The left Bidybab chimed up, "Daddy gives us candy when he likes our pictures."

"He does?" Mike wasn't sure if this was real or a bluff. He was more taken off-guard by them referring to Jeremy as 'Daddy'. "What kind does he give you?"

There was a long pause.

"…Pink?"

"Sweet candy."

"Yes, sweet. Sweet, pink candies."

They were bluffing, no denying that. That didn't mean that Mike couldn't still buy them off. That could only make his life easier. He stuck the drawing to the fridge before getting a couple of pieces of candy out of the bowl in the upper cabinet. He knelt and offered them the pieces. "Will blue work?"

"Yes!" both answered as they grabbed up the sweets. They then began to tear at the wrappers ravenously as Mike returned to the living room.

He sat down and picked up his sandwich, and only then noticed that there was another newcomer to the living room. Because Max didn't have a Minireena climbing up his side a few minutes ago. Lilium moved slowly and scaled his back before climbing towards his raised arm, which was probably raised so she couldn't grab the remote out of it earlier. She carefully climbed up his arm towards the remote clasped in his hand.

" _How does he not feel that?"_ Mike wondered as he bit into the sandwich again. He squinted and at the angle could barely tell that the magician was glancing sideways at the doll. _"No, he knows. He's just letting her do it. Probably going to let her get to the end and drop that arm."_ Mike watched, more interested in that than the game show on the screen.

Slowly Lilium made it to the wrist, straddling Max's arm, and began trying to pry the remote out of his hand. Apparently, she thought he was oblivious to it, but he wasn't. He waited until she was half leaned over the edge of his hand and working out the remote when he reacted. Except instead of dropping his arm or flinging her off, he went with the most extreme reaction: shrieking like a banshee and flailing like a ragdoll. Lilium dropped off and made a mad dash out of the room while Mike just stared.

Suddenly the magician stopped and the room returned to its previously comfortable state. Or, it did for Max. Mike was still staring, as though looking away would trigger the animatronic to start up again. He eventually looked away just in time to see Balloon Boy standing beside him again, having snuck up during the commotion. He was eyeballing the sandwich again.

"No, we're not doing that again. If you want a sandwich that bad, I'll make you your own that you can pick apart," Mike said. It wasn't really an offer because he didn't think Balloon Boy wanted the sandwich beyond toying with the security guard by stealing it. So, he didn't expect the eager nod the animatronic would give him. "If I make you a sandwich, will you let me eat mine?" Another nod. Mike exhaled, "Same as this one?"

" _I just want mustard."_

That was not the voice he ever wanted to hear come out of that stiff smile.

" _The mustard tastes the real-ist of it all! It tastes like flavor,"_ Balloon Boy clarified. He waited a second before adding. _"And I want candy too."_

Max twisted his head all the way around and chimed in, "I could go for some candy."

"I could go for a drink," Mike muttered as he stood again and headed into the kitchen. Except that he didn't drink anymore. "Or another shot of cough syrup." Good enough.

He only hoped the others were having an easier time at work. Then they could take over when they got back and spare him the horrors of the night shift.

* * *

In a twist of fate, Foxy had been completely right about the load of patrons they were going to get in. By lunchtime the dining room was filled and the arcade was swamped in children. Most likely the schools were out and protective parents weren't willing to let their kids play in the streets just yet, or children who lacked electricity at their own homes came to find it here.

Tokens were moving as quickly as the tickets were. Prizes were flying off the shelves, pizza was in and out of the oven back to back, and it went on for hours. Long enough that some kids ran out of allowance and began the tried and true method of staking out the floor for dropped ones. It got to the point that the employees started handing out more free tokens than usual just to keep the kids from fighting it out.

It wasn't just children either. Plenty of parents were seated at the tables, talking, eating, and slowly being whittled out of more money by begging children. There was even one man who was reading at one of the quieter tables. At least three parents had expressed relief at Foxy's being open, emphasizing the mental exhaustion shared throughout the city.

As expected, Chrissy was there with her mother. She seemed less comfortable with all the children around and tended to follow Marionette around the pizzeria. When he was in the arcade, she was holed up playing or waiting for the fruit maze game. When he was making rounds at the Prize Corner, she was at the Prize Corner exchanging prizes. She took to the new 'Lottie' plushes just as fast as Marionette and Charlie had, and was soon carrying one around the pizzeria with her.

But she wasn't the only person there who they recognized. Jason was there, and while this wasn't too out of the ordinary, he was acting differently. He played a few games and wandered around, but mostly spent his time watching the puppet stage and Marionette. Almost like he was expecting to see something. Once Foxy noticed this he started keeping a closer eye on Jason, but the boy didn't do anything. He didn't even approach him. Foxy was relieved and almost a little disappointed.

Eventually the day ended. The patrons left, the front door was locked, and the curtains were drawn, but the animatronics were still positively buzzing. Foxy and Marionette were chattering about the surplus of children and exchanging anecdotes. Fritz and Louise were cleaning up the tables and the trash that had fallen on the floor. Jeremy tried to help them but was moving much slower in his efforts. The day had taken a lot more out of him than he expected. Or maybe he was starting to catch what Mike had; he hoped not.

It was then that Natalie called out to him from the kitchen. "Jeremy, phone for you!" He couldn't imagine who it was. To his dread, he realized it could've been his ex-landlord or his family, and he didn't anticipate either of them to have anything good to say. He was relieved when he came to take the call and Natalie added, "It's Scott." Scott he could deal with, and he picked up as she headed out to help Fritz and Louise.

"Hey, Scott," Jeremy answered. Only after that did he wonder if it really was Scott or not.

"Hello, Jeremy! I, uh, I heard about your apartment. Sorry about that. At least you all got out alright, right?" It had to be Scott. He sounded too uncertain of his own words to be anyone else.

"I know. It could've been a lot worse, so we really got out lucky," Jeremy assured them both. "But we've been staying with Mike and it's working out so far. It's not a permanent thing, but it's a lot easier than living in a hotel room."

"Good! Good, I'm glad to hear that. I was calling because I thought you could help me with something. I've got a game I'm testing, and I could use someone fresh to try it out and see if they're finding the same bugs."

This seemed like something Scott would be able to do himself and Jeremy wondered if he was just trying to give him a distraction. Jeremy accepted it eagerly.

"Sure! Is this one of the ones Bree sent you?"

"Not directly from Bree but from the company she works with. They did the old Freddy games, you know. Pretty big deal back in the day but they kind of lost steam between eighty-eight and ninety-five. Guess the boom of home consoles didn't given them reason to try again. But believe me, this is way bigger than platformer arcade machines. Nobody else is going to be seeing this until next year or later, so FYI- if anyone asks, I didn't show it to you. Confidentiality stuff," Scott explained. "When do you think you'll be here?"

"Just let me drop off everyone at the house and I'll be on my way!" It was the first time Jeremy had felt good excitement since before the tornado. He would be playing a brand-new game that nobody else would see, he would be doing something beneficial to help the creation of the game, and he would be away from the house. Away from the reminder that it wasn't his house he was staying in.

"Sounds like a plan! Catch you later and thanks again. You don't know how much help this is going to be." Scott ended the call and Jeremy hurried to finish up closing with a newfound vigor. Once he was finished, headed over to gather up the animatronics. He could faintly hear Marionette and Foxy's conversation as he walked up to them.

"If you really feel like it would help, then why don't you? It's not like we can't get you back here before morning, we have the van," Marionette said quietly. Foxy grumbled a little under his breath.

"But it's more than that, Lad. Ya know the lil ones ain't fond of me. All me bein' there's gonna do is give Jer'my more to-." Foxy cut off as he noticed the blond walking up to them. He instantly changed tune. "Ahoy there, First Mate Jer'my! We just be shootin' the breeze here. Not talkin' nothin' fancy. What's on yer mind?"

While Jeremy had heard what they were talking about, he decided not to bring it up. "I got a call from Scott and he wants me to come by and try one of the games he's working on. So, that's my plan for tonight."

"Atta' boy, Lad! Getting' yerself out there an' helpin' the Phone get his game ship-shape!" Foxy encouraged. He couldn't help but feel guilty not being there for Jeremy, so he was willing to support him in any endeavor that seemed helpful. Getting out of the house sounded like a good step. "Just don't stay out too late. Ya don't want to get stuck spending the night among circus folk."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem. I can't imagine playing a game for twelve hours," Jeremy said with a smile. "I'm still driving everyone home, but do you think everyone will be alright without me?"

"Don't go worrin' 'bout them! Those kids can go one night without ya coddlin' 'em," Foxy disregarded with a wave of his hook.

This got a playful look from Marionette. "I think you'd be singing a different tune if you were coming home with us…" he remarked. Foxy sent him a discouraging look while Jeremy lightly chuckled.

"I'm going to go get the girls ready to go. Take care tonight, Captain. We're still not out of the woods on looters," Jeremy sympathized, patting the fox affectionately on the back. His wording was undeniably teasing.

"Oughta be wishin' that on the looters. Best believe if they get in here that I ain't takin' no prisoners," Foxy said confidently. He watched the blond head to the small stage before turning back to the puppet. "See? He's lookin' better already! All's ya gotta do is give 'em somethin' to take his mind off his cares." There was a moderate pause. "I'm graspin' at straws, ain't I?"

"I wouldn't say that. This is definitely the happiest he's been…" Marionette watched as the Minireenas reached up for Jeremy as he lifted them into his arms. The striped one smiled to his brother. "I think he'll be okay, Foxy. Just try not to worry about it too much. We might have another big day tomorrow."

"Yar…" But Foxy knew that it was going to weigh on him, and with everyone leaving he would soon be alone with his thoughts. He had a feeling that he would be wishing for those looters soon enough.

* * *

 **Mable: Looks like Jeremy's on the right track! Maybe a fresh gaming experience is what he needs to get his act together. We shall see!**


	84. Chapter 84

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-Four_

Jeremy got to Scott's house right before dark. He hadn't intended to come that late but settling the animatronics in- and helping pick up the dozens of candy wrappers- took a little longer than he anticipated. He knocked on the front door eagerly, ready to get into the house and into the game. Scott answered the door shortly after.

"There you are. I thought maybe you got lost on the way," Scott lightly joked. He let Jeremy in before closing and locking the door behind him.

The younger man looked around for the animatronics that he knew lived there but they were nowhere to be seen. "Where's Ennard and Baby?" he asked.

"In the garage. Don't worry, they're not avoiding you. Ennard's working on Baby's thigh tonight and I'm probably going to be spotting, so you'll be free to test the game without anyone peeking over your shoulder. Which will probably be a good thing once you get the headset on," Scott explained before beckoning him to the office. Jeremy originally assumed that 'headset' was a fancy term for headphones, but he soon realized that wasn't the case when he saw what was resting on the office desk.

"This is the headset that came with it," Scott introduced as he lifted the headset. It almost looked like a square shaped screen fused to a pair of goggles, bulky and clunky, with five or six cords hanging off it. "Now you don't have to use this. It just came with it and I had to use it to make sure everything was showing up right. All it's for is "full immersion", and, well, it's not really too helpful."

"No, I can try it. Can I put it over my glasses?" Jeremy asked as he sat down in the office chair and picked up the controller that was hooked to the computer.

"You shouldn't need them. I didn't." Scott handed the headset over and Jeremy removed his glasses before trying to put it on. The older man helped him and at first there was nothing but darkness inside. "Okay, here's where the keyboard is if you need it." He guided Jeremy's left hand to the keyboard. "Let me start the game for you so just sit tight for a second…"

Jeremy was in the dark as he could hear Scott clicking with the mouse and the computer tower begin to hum. Then text suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. As Scott had said, it was just close enough and bold enough that he could read it fine without his glasses. The text spelled out that it was a demo, along with a slew of numbers designating which version of the demo it was. Then, without any fan fair, the screen suddenly switched to what looked like the inside of a room.

The room looked to be stereotypically futuristic with metal walls and a grated floor. A white cot was right in front of the screen, like his character had just woken up, and above the cot was a window that showed stars in the distance. It seemed like it was supposed to be inside of a spaceship.

"Here's the story: you're a crewmember on a spaceship and you wake up to find everyone missing and the ship driving towards the nearest sun. You've got to make your way through the ship, rescue the people locked up in the brig, and get to the bridge to change course. But the captain has gone insane and is trying all he can to stop you. Basically, all the doors are locked, and you need to find your way through. As easy as that! You move and turn with the buttons on the controller… And brace yourself, because you're going to turn really slow."

Jeremy tried the side button and watched as the screen sluggishly began to turn. "I don't walk this fast, do I?"

"Oh no, you walk fine. Not sure if the turning was on purpose or not, but you'll get used to it. The right trigger opens the inventory and the right button, the one under your thumb, is what you use to open doors and look closer at things. Now, the audio in this copy isn't finished. There's some ambience music once you get out into the halls, but most of the other sounds are just placeholders. Don't be surprised when opening vents sounds the same as doors, closets, computers- pretty much everything sounds the same."

"I don't think that's a problem. Unless I'm listening for something?"

"If you are, it's not in there now. So, I'm just going to leave you to it and go check on how Ennard and Baby are doing," Scott said. He patted Jeremy on the shoulder. "Just tell me if you have any glitches at all, okay?"

"Can do," Jeremy assured. He could hear Scott walk off as he continued turning his character until he was facing the door of the room. He approached it and pressed the button, only for a text box to pop up.

" **The door is in shutdown mode. There must be another way to leave the room."** To which Jeremy spotted a vent on the wall and approached it. **"It looks big enough to squeeze through, but I need something to open it with."** Now he wandered around the room before returning to the bed and clicking on it. **"I don't feel like sleeping right now. Look under the bed?"** He did. **"There's a screwdriver under the bed."** Which was taken and used to get through the vent and out into the hallway.

The game followed like this, starting with simple puzzles that grew slightly harder. Most of them involved him finding a tool and then using it to get further down the corridors. It was going pretty well, and he was having fun exploring the ship as he made it to an elevator that led him down to the cafeteria area. It was a large room with a wall of windows, this time showing the large star that the ship was flying towards. When he approached a textbox automatically appeared.

" **It looks like we're flying straight towards that sun! I have to get up to the bridge and change course fast!"** He agreed and slowly turned the character around to face the archway into the kitchen. In the last frame of the turn, he saw a shadow in the kitchen, or a fuzzed out grey mass that was supposed to be one. He took it as his cue to follow into the kitchen. The room was smaller and better detailed than the large dining room but was mostly empty except for a chopping block on the counter that sparkled like it housed an item. He walked up and pressed the button.

" **That's funny. The block seems to be missing a knife. There is a keycard stuck in its slot though, I should take it."**

" _That's pretty ominous…"_ Up until now, the game had been playing like a typical adventure game crafted for anyone, even children. That detail was oddly out of place. " _Maybe I'm overthinking it. They could've just needed an easy place to stick the card that was up on the counter."_ It seemed fair enough, and he used the card on the second door out of the cafeteria.

The game progressed on without much drastic change. After the cafeteria, he moved through a storage room, which required him to go through a maze of shelves like walls to find tools to fix and unlock a broken door. Then he entered a larger lobby and found his way into a library, where clicking on different shelves talked about different planets, the ship, and even the mad captain himself. Little details that built the in-game world before getting a keycard to the laboratories.

It was while looking for the door to the labs that something peculiar happened again. Though this time it was less of an odd design decision and instead a noise. It was quiet and repetitive and almost sounded like the same noise used to activate the vents and doors. It almost seemed like a glitch until Jeremy went further down the lobby corridor and realized it was growing louder, then quieter, signaling one specific door.

" _Okay, I get it. I follow the noise."_ A placeholder noise; it might've been something more distinct in the final product. So, he approached the door and unlocked it, then stepped into another metal hallway. He slowly inched down it and to a ramp that led to a lower hall. There were a few doors but trying them said they wouldn't open, which usually happened on a door that was just there for decoration. He continued to trudge down the hall and turned around the corner.

There was a blip of something dark around the next corner. The shadow again and as he followed it he could hear the sound returning, quicker and faster. It sounded like tapping more than door opening.

" _Wait, are those supposed to be footsteps? Guess I'm supposed to follow him. Scott said I was supposed to find people, right? Or maybe it's the captain leading me into a trap,"_ he thought with amusement. A trap, yes. A small room with more puzzles to solve to make a quick escape. After wandering aimlessly some direction seemed like a good thing. He activated the doors and the game loaded the new section.

With it came a new noise. It was nothing like the stock noises from before. A loud vibrating noise that seemed to echo out of the attached headphones. It was so grating that his eardrums felt like they were throbbing. A warbling, static noise echoing through, so loud and present that he lifted the headset enough to listen outside of them. It was coming from the game itself.

"That's got to be a glitch," Jeremy noted as he slid the headphones back on. He reached forward and felt around for Scott's plugged in speaker and turned it down, hoping it would affect the volume. It did not. It was already giving him a slight headache and he slowly turned around towards the door he came in. He doubted there was another way but was willing to try it. But when he approached the door it didn't open, and a new message appeared. **"The door is shut tight. You can't go back."**

" _So, it was a trap after all… I've got to admit, that's a good way to get me to give up. Or maybe that's what made the captain go insane."_ He hated to think there was a story reason for this horrible noise. With little options, he started to slowly turn back around. One slow inch at a time until suddenly, there was darkness at the edge of his vision and couldn't turn anymore. _"What did I get stuck on?"_ He moved forward a little, but the darkness was still there, like he had hit the wall. Then he backed away.

The figure was there. Only for a split second, a single frame, and then it was gone. The noise faded with it, but it didn't go away.

Suddenly Jeremy had a strange feeling in his stomach. A strange sensation that he couldn't put his finger on. It took a few seconds to realize it was anxiety, and to realize exactly how uncomfortable the game was making him. Yet something pushed him on and he found that he could turn again. There was another hallway and he began to move down it to another turn.

The next hallway had a few doors and a sparkling mark on the floor. It finally looked like the game was returning to normal and Jeremy headed down to the sparkle to collect the item. He clicked the button. **"It's the knife from the kitchen. I wonder who brought it here?"** That discomfort returned instantly as Jeremy took a slow breath.

"I'm overthinking this," he told himself loud enough to almost hear over the background noise. "Maybe I need to cut something. That would make total sense. That thing in the kitchen was just an excuse to put the knife here so I can use it to cut a wire or jimmy open a door or something. I just made a big deal out of nothing," he said as he clicked the button and the screen raised again. "It's just an unfinished game that's got broken sound effects-… Where did the doors go?"

The doors in the hall were gone. Instead it was just a sterile hallway without any details, save some checkered print. Jeremy slowly turned his character around to look at the rest of the hall and found that every door, except the one he had come through, had vanished. Instead there were dark lines where they once were that flickered and moved as he shifted his character. Like the doors had completely glitched away, including the one he had been heading to. It felt like a trap.

Jeremy's mouth was starting to grow dry as that unsettling feeling returned in full force. He didn't understand it; anxiousness or not, what was happening was not scary. It shouldn't have been creeping him out as much as it was. Yet he still felt like he was in danger, and not just in the game itself.

Beginning to grow more frantic, he started to hurry down the hall towards the door he had come through. Suddenly he felt like he was walking as slow as he turned as he inched towards the door. It felt like an eternity before he arrived and pressed the button. He was rewarded with another message: **"This isn't the way out. You should turn around."**

"How am I supposed to turn around? The doors are gone!" Jeremy asked out loud. Naturally, the game did not respond, and he started trying to turn around. This time his character didn't turn slow, it just didn't turn at all. "…What? But it just said-!" Now he found himself stuck at the end of this hallway, facing a locked door, and unable to turn around when the game was telling him to go back. "Can I move backwards?" He tried it and his character slowly moved backwards. "Okay, I can move backwards… But can I open a door backwards?"

It wasn't like there was much choice but to walk backwards and hope for a way out. He was only a few slow paces when there was a sound like a door opening. For a second he thought it was the one in front of him, but there was no way to tell. He continued backwards agonizingly slowly.

That was when the noise, which had quieted to an uncomfortable murmur, began to grow louder. It grew in volume with each pace backwards, like he was approaching the source of it. It grew louder until it reached that same point of vibrating in his ears. Pain shot up his temple as he continued moving back towards the source of whatever it was. Until he was stopped and couldn't move any further.

" _Is this- This isn't where the door is. The hallway wasn't this short."_ He could barely hear his own thoughts over that intruding noise. Trying to turn around elicited no response. "Well, what am I supposed to do, Game? I can't turn around, there's no doors, there's nothing here-!"He clicked the button and a text box appeared. "There's- There's something here."

" **The captain used to fly on some of the first trans-galaxy ships that left Earth! It is an honor to serve him!"**

"And that's a text I already got…" Jeremy sighed and clicked again. His heart was pounding, and he was beginning to sweat nervously.

" **I see something shiny in the back, but it's too far to reach."**

"That too. What's…?" He started to spam the button. "Come on, do something!"

" **The lift won't work because-."**

" **I don't feel like sleeping-."**

" **It looks big enough to-."**

And he was stuck there, midway down the hallway, pressing the button quickly, scrolling through text box after text box.

" **Nothing but endless space and-."**

" **This is the button for the-."**

" **The door is shut tight-."**

Right then, right as he was spamming the button, right as he was rushing through and so close to shutting off the game, it happened. It happened so suddenly that he almost missed it.

" **Maybe there's another way-."**

" **It's the knife from the kitchen-."**

" **Jeremy."**

It was so quick that he had clicked past it and his brain registered it only a second afterwards. That said Jeremy. It had said his name.

In an instant, Jeremy ripped off the headset and threw it onto the keyboard. He shoved back in the office seat and rolled until his back hit the shelf, knocking things off and over, and still pressed back into it. His ears throbbed now that the horrid sound was gone, and his eyes were blurry from having the screen so close. It was disorienting, and that was on top of the growing panic from what he had seen in the game.

It had said his name. Without ever entering it or being programmed to, the game had _said his name_ … Hadn't it?

Rational thoughts started to creep in. Had someone else put his name in? Specifically Scott, maybe to enhance the experience or to set up the game, and then he never forewarned Jeremy. Then it just hadn't appeared until now. Or with his eyes blurry maybe it had said something else. He was clicking through so fast that it could've been possible that it said another word and he read it as "Jeremy".

The computer screen showed what looked like a basic title screen, either because he threw the headset so far or just as its default when the headset was plugged in. There was nothing to suggest anything weird going on, and finally Jeremy started to comprehend that he might've overreacted. Slowly he took up the headset again and listened to it. The noise seemed to have tapered off and for a moment he wondered if he had let it get out of control and overreacted. He lifted the headset up.

" _I don't want to put this back on,"_ he told himself. His hands kept raising it to his head. _"…Just one look."_

So, he did. He slipped on the headset, was brought back into the hallway, and saw a single textbox waiting.

" **I want to carve off your face."**

Flinging the headset down again, Jeremy jumped up and darted out of the office. "Scott!" He hadn't even grabbed his glasses and squinted his way through his panic as he sprinted into the kitchen. "Scott?!"

"Jeremy?" The garage door opened behind him and Scott stepped in. Jeremy turned towards him with a wild look and he was taken aback. "What happened? Did the game break? Is it the computer?"

"Scott, that game- there's something wrong with that game! Seriously wrong! It's not- it's possessed- It's like it's possessed!" Jeremy choked out. He was babbling and knew he sounded nonsensical. It was enough to cause Ennard to lean out and look at him. "It said my name and then it said- the noises, you wouldn't believe the noises coming out of it. A-And it kept bringing up this knife and it said- it said this thing- it said this _horrible_ thing-!" So horrible that Jeremy couldn't even repeat it. He kept choking up until all words failed.

All the while both Scott and Ennard were staring as Jeremy devolved into wordless babbles.

Finally, Ennard looked to the still shocked Scott and blurted out, "Yeesh, Scott. What kind of R-rated slaughterfest did you show him? You almost traumatized the poor guy!"

"It was just a space game. Like one of those adventure puzzle games," he started to defend, cut off by Jeremy.

"It started off fine! I-I think I played for like an hour before all this- before all _that_ started!" Jeremy exclaimed as he gestured wildly towards the office. "And then all of a sudden there's this shadow and this sound that's just ripping into my ears, and it just kept talking about this knife-!" He was hyperventilating as he stumbled over his words and now Scott reached for his arms, concerned he was going to get so worked up that he inadvertently hurt himself.

"Jeremy, you're going to have to try to calm down. Maybe it's just… Maybe it's a horror game. I didn't test far into it, maybe it's a horror game that starts out normal?" he tried to rationalize. This could be true, but Jeremy still shook his head rapidly in denial. Adamant that something more than that was wrong. Even horror games didn't act like that; didn't say things like that.

Ennard suddenly nudged Scott towards Jeremy and squeezed by. "I've gotta go see this game. Here, hold the Phone." Before the older man could stop him, he was off into the office trying to see for himself.

"Ennard, would you just…?" Scott sighed in defeat and turned his attention back to Jeremy. "Just take a few deep breaths. Let's go sit down in the living room, okay? Just sit down and relax a minute."

As much as Jeremy didn't want to sit down since he felt so wound up, he agreed and went along with when the Phone Guy said. He was still disoriented from the effects of the headset, leaving his already blurry vision even more askew to what he was used to. The couch offered little comfort as he thought about the unsettling comments the game had thrown at him. He could just imagine the feeling of a knife cutting into his skin, just like the headset had left marks on his face. He shuddered at the thought.

Jeremy had managed to physically calm down by time Ennard came back. "Well, it's busted alright," the clown said.

"Wait, you saw it too?!" Scott exclaimed with wide eyes.

"I wish! All I saw was a black screen and "no input". Fooled around with it, but every time I try to pull the game up it just doesn't do anything. Soooo if we're looking at a haunting, it's cause the game offed itself." Ennard came over and leaned over the back of the couch. "You sure the game wasn't just broken? I've seen some messed up arcade cabinets, and they make noises that sound like they spawned from hell."

"But it wasn't just the noises. I-It was _saying_ things like it was intelligent enough to piece things together and not just random things mashed together," Jeremy explained. He shivered inwardly. "I know I sound crazy but trust me, I know what I saw."

"Huh… Well what did it say?" Ennard asked. He leaned over the back of the couch and cocked his head, then craned his neck further to look curiously at the blond.

Jeremy's tongue dried out at the thought of even repeating it. Yet right as he was going to try, there was a small thump from somewhere behind him. Jeremy flinched while Ennard looked past him towards the garage door. "Hold that thought. Sound's like Baby's waking up and if I'm not in there she's gonna get up too fast." Ennard passed by the back of the couch and headed out to the garage.

"I should go check in with her too, but you just sit tight and when I get back I'll see if I can get the game running… I can't say I want to, but if there's something like this in the game- uh… Let's just say that I've found risky things hidden in games before and sometimes you can let them slip by, but this isn't one of those things. This I'm going to have to report," Scott said. He kept his calm tone but it sounded like he believed him.

"So… You think someone put this in on purpose?" Jeremy looked to him quizzically. "Why'd it know my name?"

"I… I don't know what to tell you on that one… But yeah, I've seen scares snuck into non-horror games. Little things that are usually only found by cheating or looking really hard. Maybe since the game isn't finalized you managed to trigger it early." Scott almost seemed convinced by this and it would explain everything that had happened, save his name appearing.

"Maybe I misread it. I was already on edge, so I could've seen something else and thought it was my name…" Jeremy admitted. He was quick to add, "But I'm positive about everything else it said. Just not that."

"That could be it. Not much of a relief knowing someone would put that in a game that's going to be sold to children, but better than the alternative," Scott said, trying to ease the pressure. He could tell that Jeremy was still on edge. "I'll double check, don't worry, but I think that's what we're looking at: a tasteless joke."

"Yeah…" Jeremy was starting to believe it too. He looked up as Scott started to head to the garage to check on Baby and considered his own little family at home. He felt unsafe and he needed to be with them, so he stood and quickly called after the older man. "I think I'm just… Going to go home, okay?"

"What?" Scott turned back and leaned out the garage door. "Are you sure? I don't know if it's a good idea to get in the car right now. Maybe you should sit down for a few minutes? You can put on the TV or read."

"Thanks, but I think I'll be okay. I think I just really need to get home," Jeremy admitted. He looked back towards the office reluctantly. "Let me just… Get my glasses and I'll be out of your hair."

"Jeremy, really, you don't have to go. I'm not going to be in here long," Scott tried to convince him. He could hear Ennard chime in from somewhere in the garage.

"Yeah, stick around! The Immortal and the Restless comes on in like twenty minutes!"

" _There's no way I'm sticking around for that,"_ he thought, biting his tongue. "I, uh- No. No, I should really get back. I'm still shook up but I'm okay to drive. Just need to get home to my Bidys and Reenas, and… Max."

"I think I'd take a pass on that one, ha ha!" Ennard remarked. He then started to explain to Scott and presumably Baby about whatever he had done to her leg. Jeremy took this moment to rush into the office and grab his glasses. He didn't look at the computer screen or his headset, and he was brisk in his walk to the door.

"Okay, bye! Thanks for having me over!" Jeremy rushed out before closing the door and speed walking to his car. He was backed out of the driveway and off down the street before anyone could really process it.

" _Okay, okay, deep breaths,"_ he mentally coaxed himself. He took a deep breath, a relief after the shallow hyperventilating. _"It was just a bad prank by a developer who wanted to mess around. Or it was actually a horror game that just kind of rushed into the scares halfway through. That wasn't my name I saw."_ He took another labored breath. _"But the face carving was."_ He exhaled in a shaky cough.

It was fine. It would all be fine once he got home. He knew he was going to reach his turn soon and focused on the road, feeling like it was taking forever.

All of a sudden, something darted across his path and he hit the brakes hard. Definitely a small dog, but it shook him up enough to keep him at a complete halt, and he dropped his head on the steering wheel.

" _Just calm down. This is exactly what Scott was saying. I got spooked and now I'm driving like a maniac_ ," Jeremy scolded himself. Another deep breath and he looked up, then around, and then noticed something. "…Wait, where am I?"

He was still in Hurricane, no doubt about that, but he couldn't recognize the road he was on. Just some random patch of suburbs lined with empty houses and no street signs to speak of.

"Well, that's just great! I got hysterical and now I'm lost!" Jeremy vented as he looked around. With a huff, he started to drive ahead again, looking through the houses he was passing. All of them had darkened windows. "I guess this town really does shut down after six," he muttered. He wasn't even considering knocking on a door for directions. Not when he was lost in his own town. He sighed and looked ahead.

Another small shadow darted past the front of the car. Again, Jeremy hit the brakes and again he recognized the small figure as a dog. "What in the heck is going on with all these dogs?!" Jeremy blurted out. He huffed and looked at the rearview mirror to see behind him.

There was a something in the back seat.

With a short cry, Jeremy threw open the door, wrestled out of his seatbelt, and jumped out into the middle of the road. He looked at his car as he backed away from it, but there was nothing there. The backseat was dark but empty and he was alone. He couldn't even see the dog anymore he was just standing in the middle of the road alone. Whatever he had seen wasn't there, if it ever had been.

"That-!..." Jeremy swallowed thickly and refused to finish the sentence. It had looked like the shadow from the game.

He was almost reluctant to get back in the car, but the darkness of the road and the distant sound of barking dogs and lonesome wind made him uneasy. He slowly climbed back into the driver's seat and closed the door again. He took a deep breath. "I'm on edge… I'm seeing things that aren't there… Just like when I thought it said my name. It's just me." He plugged in his seatbelt. "Have to get back to Mike's."

Soon he was driving again, but he was still turned around. It took him a while to realize that he was somewhere out by the turn for the highway- or he thought he was- and if that was the case wasn't anywhere near Scott's. His heart was pounding and the urge to completely panic continued trying to resurface, only shoved down by him reminding himself that all of this was his own doing. He turned on the radio and started to click through the channels for something to calm him down, but so many of them were distorted with static.

He settled on what sounded like fuzzy classic rock and tried to focus on it as he turned onto another street. He drove past a burger restaurant and only then realized how hungry he was but didn't dare stop. He would have to get something when he got home. At least the lights of the mostly empty restaurant eased his mind, reminding him that he wasn't alone.

The music began to grow quieter as he drove further out of range. With a sigh he began to turn the dial again, but then paused when one of the channels, only one of them, started to play a dull music. It was garbled and hard to hear and almost sounded like circus music. The static was too loud to tell, and he started turning it back down as he drove past the burger restaurant. He took a left down the next road as he considered that tune. Circus music on the radio in the middle of the night; very strange.

Jeremy almost spaced out enough that he drove into the middle of the road. He shook it off just in time to correct himself and was back in his lane as he passed by the burger restaurant. He really was starving. Mike was, thankfully, a much better cook than he was. A shocker since he hadn't anticipated Mike to be the type to patiently put a meal together. Jeremy himself tended to go with easier meals, usually microwavable, since he usually devoted his evenings to relaxing and taking care of his animatronics.

He started to reach into his glovebox to see if he left anything edible in there when he suddenly snapped out of his food trance to realize something was off. He soon realized what it was when he looked over to see the same burger restaurant passing by. How many times had he driven past it? It had to at least be four or five, but he had been turning. Had he been circling it? And he was going to do it again, he realized as he had already turned into what might've been the same road.

In a kneejerk reaction he took a sharp right onto a road that led behind a small strip of stores. The road was rough and full of potholes, barely paved and probably not maintained like it needed to be. Jeremy's trepidation was through the roof, but he started to drive down it slowly. He just had to go slow; he had too many run-ins with loose dogs tonight.

He was halfway down the backroad when a smell started to waft through the car vents. It was something that came from outside, and with the dumpsters and garbage everywhere he wouldn't be too surprised if the whole area reeked in decay. Turning off the fan only helped a little bit and he tried to bury his nose in his sleeve.

" _This can't get any worse. Ugh, Mike and Max are going to have a field day with this story. Foxy's never going to let me out again and forget telling Scott. He'll just… Worry?"_

Jeremy's thoughts were interrupted by a thumping and clanking noise. It started out quiet but steadily grew in volume.

"Please don't be my car. Please don't start clunking now!" Jeremy muttered as he tried to carefully drive on. He looked ahead to see he was just about to the other side, about to be back on the road, when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He slowed to a stop as he looked over and saw the source of the clanking noise.

It was not coming from inside the car, but from one of the dumpsters outside, and he only knew which one because of how violently the lid was shuddering. Something was rattling it from the inside so hard that it was starting to creep an inch at a time. The smell grew stronger even with the vents off and he watched in growing dread as more of something began to reveal itself through the crack of darkness. The noise itself pounded in his ears, sounding too familiar to ignore.

Jeremy could see something moving just underneath the rattling lid. It had to be an animal, couldn't be a person. Maybe a bear, maybe a coyote; not a person, not a dumped body. It was getting louder and faster until it was almost shaking the car with the force of its movements. Then all at once it suddenly swung open and slammed against the wall behind it. Jeremy decided not to wait around and see what was inside.

Panic took hold and Jeremy's foot slammed on the gas pedal, sending the car into a start and peeling forward. He drug his eyes from the darkness of the dumpster and to the damaged road before him.

He didn't even have time to react to the short form standing in front of his car before he drove over it. He could hear the sickening thump as it hit the front of his car before being dragged underneath the tires. By time he slammed on the break again, Jeremy's car had completely run over the small, humanoid shaped figure. He had seen few details but knew exactly what he had hit.

"Oh… Oh my God," Jeremy choked. "Oh my God!" He had hit a _child_.

Forgetting the dumpster, the game, and everything else, Jeremy stopped the car and hurriedly threw himself out. He grabbed his cellphone on the way, expecting to be calling 911 as he raced around the back of the car to find who he had hit. No, not hit, had completely ran over. He came around the back of the car and saw the dark lump laying crushed into the asphalt, and his breath caught in his throat. He took a few steps towards it and looked down at what he had hit.

It was just an overstuffed garbage bag.

"What?" Jeremy's eyes widened. "Wait, how did-?" He looked back at the car and back down at the bag "It looked just like a…" His voice trailed off as he noticed something else, something he didn't notice before.

The crushed garbage bag was just barely _moving._

Suddenly the fear returned, and he slowly crouched down beside the bag. Something was inside of it, something that had been able to stand and move, and he had to know what. He reached down and took ahold of the end of the bag, which was twisted by not tied. He slowly started to open it and was taken aback by the foul smell that had come from inside. It was the smell that had come through the car. At once he took the plunge and yanked open the bag the rest of the way to see what was inside.

To his relief it wasn't a body. Just a mess of food refuse and a squirming mound of larvae feasting upon it. So many of them that they nearly shook the bag with their movement. Jeremy choked and shut the bag again, then sprung up from the street and wiped his hands on his pants.

"That was _disgusting_." He coughed and covered his nose with his sleeve. "Ugh. Not hungry anymore. Good grief…" No longer even wanting to question how the bag got in front of his car- maybe it was sitting in the road and he just hadn't seen it- he started to turn back to the car. He was just at the bumper, slipping the phone into his pocket, when he noticed the faint sound of the music from earlier. He hadn't remembered leaving the radio on.

Because he hadn't, as he realized when he stood at the driver's side door. The radio was off and the music was coming from somewhere outside.

Slowly Jeremy raised his head and looked towards the open dumpster. Just from the turn of his head he could tell that was where the music was coming from. It wafted out of it like the rancid smell had. His heart started to pound but he knew better than to walk over and look. Something told him if he did, he wouldn't come back.

"There's a radio in the dumpster," Jeremy blurted out. He then leapt into his car and slammed the door. "They break all the time!" He started up the car and peeled out again, this time taking care not to hit anything.

Soon he was back on the road, now realizing he was in the business-oriented district of Hurricane, and it was only then that Jeremy caught a break. It didn't take him too long to recognize where he was and realize that he wasn't too far from Foxy's. Knowing that, he could easily find his way back to Mike's house… Though that would require him to cross town and hope nothing else stopped him along the way. In another abrupt decision, Jeremy decided that he couldn't risk it, and he took a sharp turn to drive to Foxy's.

His vision was getting worse on the way, though it could've been because he was beginning to hyperventilate again. His glasses had fogged up too, but he wasn't willing to stop driving long enough to clean them with his shirt. Not when he could soon see Pirate Cove's sign out front. Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief and peeled into the parking lot before driving around back.

His hands were shaking as he tore off his seatbelt and staggered out of the car, making a mad dash for the back door, scrambling to unlock it, and flinging himself inside. He slammed and locked the door behind him. His heart was pounding in his chest as he dragged himself off the door and headed down the hall towards the dining room.

"Foxy?" His voice sounded so loud in the quiet pizzeria, even when he tried not to be too loud. " _Please be awake…_ Foxy? It's me, Jeremy." But there was no response. He stepped into the dining room to find it empty and cold, with the light from the hallway stretching across the room and leading right to Foxy's stage. As though it was beckoning him. "Foxy?"

There was still no answer and Jeremy swallowed his fear and crossed the room towards the stage. His footsteps echoed through the room and his breaths sounded so loud that they were almost suffocating. There was no reason that Foxy shouldn't have heard him, unless he was in the kitchen or the office. Jeremy felt drawn to check the stage first.

"Foxy, are you in there?" Jeremy asked as he leaned over the stage to reach for the curtain. His other hand rested on the stage and laid upon something wet and sticky. He instantly wrenched his hand back and looked down at the stage, and only now did he notice a dark fluid that had puddled on it. "Ugh… What's this?"

It was a thick, viscous fluid, and it smelled foul. He recognized that smell from a distant memory; it was the odor that came from the old, withered animatronics back at Freddy's. But it wasn't blood. He couldn't see it well in the light, but the fluid was either black or a dark indigo, not red. Jeremy guessed that it was paint even though the consistency seemed too thick. To have it on the stage was odd since Foxy was such a stickler on keeping his show stage in pristine condition. That, along with Foxy's lack of an answer, made Jeremy very worried.

Throwing caution to the wind, Jeremy stepped up on the stage and threw open the curtain. "Foxy!"

The light was even thinner behind the curtain and Jeremy could barely see the figure laying on the mat and covered with a tablecloth. It wasn't moving at all and Jeremy was becoming increasingly worried. Suddenly he wondered if this fluid smelling like the animatronics wasn't just a coincidence. If they had a fluid inside of them like this, like a coolant or oil he didn't know about, and Foxy had sprung a leak… That would explain why the pirate neither heard him nor responded.

With a renewed vigor, Jeremy grabbed the tablecloth and tore it back. He wasn't prepared for what he what he saw underneath.

Because it wasn't Foxy, it was a _body_.

A man was lying face down in a puddle of the fluid with something jutting out of his back. Jeremy jumped back and when he did the light caught the object, revealing it to be a kitchen knife.

Jeremy foot slipped on the fluid and he tried to stop himself by grabbing onto the curtain, but only succeeded in yanking it with him as he fell onto the stage, barely keeping from falling back off it. Now he could see the body fully in the dim light, and it was a dead body. There wasn't even the faintest movement of breath. He had walked in on a crime scene.

The blond barely suppressed his own cry of horror by slapping his hand over his mouth. Thankfully he used the clean one, not that he could even think about that. All he could do was stare at the body. Its face was turned away, but he could tell it wasn't Mike or Fritz. Maybe a looter? Would Foxy have murdered a looter and fled? It looked like that except he doubted Foxy wouldn't have attacked someone with a knife. Jeremy crawled backwards to the edge of the stage and climbed off, backing away from it as he stared wide eyed at the corpse left on the stage.

He called out desperately, "Foxy?! _Foxy!"_ Silence."Anyone?! Please!" Still nothing. He was alone in the pizzeria with this body and evidence all over him. He choked for air as he turned away from the stage and scrambled to get his phone out. "I-I need help. Need to call someone." He was just about to dial 911 when he hesitated. _"What am I supposed to do? I should call the police, right? But if it was Foxy- the police are watching us- they'll see I was in jail and they'll think- I can't just leave him-!"_

 _ **Crack.**_

All those thoughts vanished at that sickening noise that came from directly behind him, from the stage. It was joined by another crack as his phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor. It went forgotten as he slowly turned around to face the stage again.

The body's head had turned all the way around to face him, explaining the noise from its neck snapping. More disturbing was that now he could see its face. It wore a rusty colored mask that looked like it had become so worn and faded that he couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be. The hollow holes stared at him for a long moment before the body began to twist and turn over. Slowly it laid its hands on the stage and pushed itself up, staggering almost drunkenly as it stood to full height.

It was almost ironic; he should've been thrilled to see the man standing up, but instead it was the most frightening moment of all. Because somehow, he knew that even though it was standing _it wasn't alive._

When it dropped down off the stage- this tall corpse with a knife jutting out of its back and the vile liquid staining its hands and clothes- Jeremy reacted instantly. He turned and ran as fast as he could across the dining room. By time he reached the hallway he could hear the rapid footsteps behind as it ran behind him, dogging his heels, and he knew it would catch up before he got out the back door.

In a last-ditch moment to avoid being grabbed Jeremy ran into the office and slammed the door. He locked it just before the heavy form slammed against it behind him. Jeremy's heart was beating so hard that it felt like it would burst out of his chest and he was breathing so quickly that he started to become lightheaded. He moved away from the door and watched it tremble as the man- the body- that _thing_ tried to break in.

Jeremy quickly scrambled for the office phone and dialed Mike's number in a panic, but there was no response from the phone. Not even a dial tone even though he knew the phone had been working earlier. It didn't matter how many times he tried to dial the results didn't change. In that moment his only sanctuary became a prison he couldn't escape from. Now he was stuck there in the small office with something outside, Foxy nowhere to be seen, and no way to get in contact with anyone.

He could only hope the door would hold until six.


	85. Chapter 85

**Mable: Sorry tonight's chapter is so late. Had some issues pop up that delayed me quite a bit, but here we are! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-Five_

When Jeremy woke, he instantly remembered the night before and for a moment thought it had been a dream. That desperate hope only lasted a few seconds before he realized that he was in the office of Foxy's Pirate Cove laying on the couch. He had driven there, he had seen all of that, last night had really happened. There was a shifting noise above his head. A squeaking noise, like the wheels of an office chair, and he shot up with a start.

"Easy, Lad! It's just me," Foxy said. He caught Jeremy's shoulder before he could jump up and eased him back onto the couch. "Yer in the office. It's safe."

"Foxy! Thank goodness!" Jeremy replied breathily. His pulse was already beginning to race but eased as he laid back down. He turned to look at the animatronic. "You- You wouldn't believe the night I had…"

"Aye. Prob'ly wouldn't've iff'n I hadn't seen it meself." It was clear from Foxy's tone that he was worried. That and the fact that he was sitting in the office chair watching the blond like a hawk. A quick look at the clock showed that it was six in the morning, but opening the pizzeria was the last thing on his mind. "Ya came in in bad shape. Ya weren't actin' right," he continued. He squeezed the man's shoulder in concern. "The bloody 'ell was that, Jer'my?"

It was weird. Jeremy couldn't remember relaxing enough to sit down on the couch, let alone lay down and fall asleep. Not to mention how Foxy got into the room when he had locked the office door. He looked over to see it shut but knew it was probably unlocked, meaning that man- or whatever that had been- had already left. He doubted Foxy would be so calm if he hadn't.

"It's a long story…" Jeremy hesitantly began before trailing off. It was an utterly insane story in hindsight. There was no way Foxy would believe it.

"We've got hours, Lad. Maybe more dependin' on where this tale goes," Foxy pressed. That firmness showed that he wasn't planning on backing off. He wanted answers- he had probably saw the state of his stage. The pirate grabbed Jeremy cellphone off the desk, which he must've brought in, and handed it over. "Just start at the top."

Jeremy swallowed thickly and forced himself to think back on the night. Surprisingly, he could remember most of it. He wished that he didn't.

"I, uh… I went over to Scott's to try out this game of his. This game where you're exploring a spaceship trying to stop it from flying into the sun. It looked just like a normal game, a-and for a while it was…" Foxy was nodding and coaxing him on. With a slow exhale, Jeremy sat up to lean on the back of the couch. He reflexively pulled his legs in as though to shield or brace himself. He could already feel his nerves beginning to fray even in this safe, fully lit office. He was thankful that Foxy was sitting so close.

"…Then about an hour into the game something changed… I started seeing shadows and was getting weird messages… I think it said my name," Jeremy admitted with a shudder. "So, yeah, I stopped playing after that. I told Scott and Ennard tried to go look at it, but the computer shut down or something. I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out. I got in the car and… Started to drive home… And then things got worse."

"Whaddya mean, worse?" Foxy probed.

"First off, there were dogs _everywhere_ and they kept running for my tires."

Foxy snorted. "Aye, that be worse alright." Jeremy gave a small frown. "Err, sorry. Keep goin'. You stop anywhere else?"

"I stopped _everywhere._ I stopped when I thought there was someone in the car, I stopped when I thought I hit a kid, I stopped when I drove past the same restaurant three or four times!... It was a garbage bag," he clarified, seeing the fox's look when he had made the 'child' comment. "And the whole time I… I was seeing and hearing these insane things. And then I got here and I saw this body and there was this thick, paint stuff everywhere… And I think it must've come from that game. It all started after that."

There was a long pause. Foxy was sitting there watching but had no further comment. Jeremy felt a different kind of fear creep up. "You… You believe me, right?" he asked. It took the fox a little too long to answer him, and even when he did it started with a mechanical sigh, which sounded like a bad sign.

Foxy rolled the office chair beside the couch and looked intensely at the man. His stare was almost too much; Jeremy already felt like crumbling and he hadn't even done anything worth being interrogated over.

"I believe ya, but… Look, I don't wanna be like this. I don't wanna be the one askin' this," Foxy admitted vaguely. He tapped his fingers on his leg, built up his nerve, and then, "…Ya take anything ya shouldn't have?"

" _What?!"_

"Lad, I ain't gonna judge ya if ya dabbled in somethin' ya had no business gettin' into. Ya tried somethin' stupid, ya had a bad trip, and now ya ain't gonna do it again. But I wanna know what ya did, where ya got it, and make sure you ain't gonna do it again. All it takes is one puff or drink or-."

"Foxy, I didn't take any drugs! It was that game that did it!" Jeremy cried in defense. "God, Foxy- It said it wanted to carve my face off! And it kept talking about knives! It was _threatening_ me!"

"It said what?" That caused Foxy's head to snap up quickly. Almost as quickly as Jeremy stood up from the couch, and Foxy leapt up after him. "Lad, wait, wait! I didn't say I didn't believe ya!"

"You didn't see what happened last night, Foxy! It was a living nightmare! There were _corpses_ walking around!" Jeremy defended.

"The heck I didn't, Lad! I saw exactly what happened once ya got in here," Foxy affirmed. He grabbed for Jeremy's arm to make sure he wouldn't leave, which he wasn't planning on doing anyway. "Ya were half mad. Stumblin' 'round in a frenzy, wide-eyed, and ya took off on me when I tried to help! What was I supposed to think?"

Jeremy was about to retort when he noticed something. He caught his voice and blinked, and then asked, "I… Wait… Wait, you weren't here when I got here last night."

"Course I was! Ya just weren't actin' right. Second I got anywhere near ya, ya bolted!"

"You got near me… Were you on the stage?" When Foxy nodded, Jeremy felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered the shuffling body from last night. "That was you."

"'Course it t'was! Who else'd be here in the middle of the night? Who else be wearin' fox fur in the middle of the night?"

The blonde's eyes were still just as wide as his frustration was quickly replaced with dread. He slowly shuffled back to the couch before dropping on it to process the rest of the information.

Foxy persisted with a huff, tossing up his hands. "A'right, Lad. A'right. If ya say ya didn't take anything then I believe ya. No reason to hide that from ol' Foxy… How about eatin'? Did ya eat anything weird? Lad?"

"Was… Was all of that just me hallucinating?" Jeremy asked in quiet disbelief. "Getting lost, the garbage cans, seeing and hearing all that weird stuff, was it just… Did I have some sort of psychotic episode for no reason? Did I suddenly go insane because I'm stressed out?!" He shook his head in disbelief as the weight of it all crashed down on him. "Was I just imagining the stuff that happened in the game too?!"

"Take it easy, Lad. May not be like that," Foxy tried.

"Then what is it like, Foxy?! I got lost in my own town and saw things that weren't even there! What am I supposed to do, never leave the house alone and hope that I don't go hysterical again?!" He yanked off his glasses and dropped his head into his hand. "Why now? Why does everything have to go wrong now?"

Foxy sighed and slowly sat back down on the office chair. "Jer'my, it's gonna be fine. People don't go addled fer no reason." He didn't get an answer. He scooted up closer and rested his hand on Jeremy's knee. "Look, it ain't… It could'a been the game."

Jeremy gave a weary sigh, assuming he was being humored. "You don't have to try and make me feel better… I need to know if there's something seriously wrong with me."

"I'm not tryin' to make ya feel better, Lad. It be true! Back at Freddy's, the old arcade cabinets would act up on their own. Nothin' inside 'em that we knew of, but they used to show things they weren't supposed to. If it could happen to those hunks of metal then it could happen to a game that ain't ancient."

"…Really?" Jeremy hesitantly asked. "Did you ever find out what did it?"

"Nay, but me best guess be it somethin' 'bout havin' 'em close to a bunch o' haunted bots. Same goes fer Scott's rig, whatever it be we know it be close to Ennard an' Baby. Might've picked up their remnant."

" _The headset could've picked it up and then I picked it up from that maybe?"_ Jeremy thought. "But that doesn't explain why I was still seeing stuff when I left."

"… Nah, it don't. But you ain't seein' things now, are ya? Maybe that be the end of it." Foxy patted his shoulder with his hook. "We got bigger fish to fry. Whaddya say to a mug of joe and a slice? Yer prob'ly half-starved after all that!" Jeremy wasn't sure if Foxy was putting him on or not, but food sounded good right about now.

There were always plenty of leftovers and the pizza hadn't lost much taste from being microwaved. Jeremy took it with a soda instead of a coffee, thinking that the sugar in it would do the same as the caffeine boost. He kept an eye out for anything strange and was second guessing his vision constantly, but to his relief the hallucinations weren't returning. By time the sun fully rose he almost felt confident that he was in the clear. Foxy helped that, staying close and keeping him grounded.

He knew Foxy was worried. He was too, but he couldn't stick around forever. Eventually it started to edge on the time when the other employees would get there to start opening. Foxy noticed it first.

"Tell ya what, Lad. How's about ya go home and get some sleep. We'll handle a day without ya," Foxy encouraged. While Jeremy would've appreciated the distraction, he knew he wasn't good to work, and nodded in agreement. The pirate scratched the back of his neck with his hook, his other arm circling Jeremy's shoulders. "And, uh… Maybe if all goes good, ol' Foxy can ship off outta here and back home fer the night. Just so ya don't have to handle all those dolls on yer own."

"I'd really like that. If you think you can," Jeremy said with a smile. It hesitated. "Did, uh… You talk to anyone? Last night, I mean. Any calls?"

"Nah. Phone was back on the fritz. All's anyone knows is that ya disappeared off the face o' the Earth. That is, unless Scott saw ya drivin' around his street hittin' dogs," Foxy teased with a small snicker.

"Hah, no. Thankfully no. I somehow got to the one street in town that was completely deserted!... Which means I probably found my way into the tornado drop zone. Guess I should just be glad I didn't run over any live wires… Foxy?" Foxy looked to him and the smile returned in full. "Thanks. For being here for me and for helping me. Really, thanks."

"Don't mention it, Lad. Ya know that's what a good cap'n does fer his favorite," Foxy said, pulling Jeremy in and nuzzling his shoulder affectionately. Part of him didn't want to let him drive home alone but the other part didn't want to risk him staying and being overwhelmed by another busy shift. Regardless of what caused the hallucination, he needed the rest to recover. "Be careful out there, Jer'my. And know if it gets bad you can always come back here. I'd rather have ya with me then runnin' 'round the city."

"I know and I will," Jeremy said. He tilted the fox's head closer and pressed a chaste kiss to his muzzle. "I love you, Gabe. I really do."

Foxy gave a subdued rumbling in his chest, nuzzled him a little firmer, and held him close. He didn't want to let him go, regardless of what he said. He was more worried than he was willing to admit and he wasn't nearly as confident in the idea that it had been the game as he let on.

"Are you going to be okay with me leaving? You're tensing up on me," Jeremy lightly teased. Foxy snapped out of his trance and hid his concern.

" _If something happens to him, I'm never going to forgive myself."_ The thought betrayed him and he had to shake it off quickly to fake a normal sounding response. "Nah, this how I always be before work. Ya just usually ain't close enough to feel it. Ya take care of yerself and I'll see ya tonight." Foxy nudged him with his muzzle once more before releasing him. "And I love ya too. Yer me first mate fer a reason."

The drive home was largely uneventful. As paranoid as Jeremy was, nothing seemed out of place in town and he made it back to the house without getting lost or disoriented. It wasn't until then that he realized his animatronics were probably going to have strong feelings about his absence, but he swallowed that dread and knocked.

Mike answered the door already dressed in his work uniform and looking much more natural in color compared to his feverish self. He quirked a brow. "Morning, Jeremy. Forget something? Like a half-dozen kids?"

"Something like that," Jeremy answered with a smile as he stepped in. "Sorry about last night. I had a rough time and it's a long story."

"Can't be any longer than mine. Forget-Me-Not got stuck behind the dryer and we had the move the whole thing to get her out. Good times," Mike remarked. He got a slightly playful smirk as he lifted his coffee cup. "But seriously, what happened? Scott called and said you were on your way and that was it."

"Yeah, I was… What else did he say?" Jeremy squeaked out. Another raised brow.

"He said something went wrong with the game he had you trying and you left quickly. When you didn't show I called him back, but he hadn't seen you, and your cell kept going to voicemail."

"Maybe I had it shut off… But Scott's not wrong. The game was- Long story short, a disaster, and I was just… I was too worked up to come home. I-I didn't want to worry everyone. Or I wouldn't have wanted to if I was thinking straight. I stopped off at the pizzeria and spent the night with Foxy."

" _Ding, ding, ding_! I knew Foxy was about to come into the equation, ha ha! How very predictable of him," Max called out of the living room. He shuffled to the side enough that Jeremy could see him from around the couch. "That pirate sure has his hook in you, Jerry."

"Heh, well uh, what can I say? He's charming." Jeremy knew more questions would follow so he had to quickly change the conversation. He looked back towards Mike. "You're looking better. You're going to work?"

"That's the plan unless I go massively downhill in the next few minutes," Mike agreed. "I'm starting to get a little stir crazy, so I'd probably fight to go in even it did come back."

"That's great! We were getting worried back there with the wheezing and everything." Jeremy really was relieved. Maybe this meant that his own absence wouldn't be as noticeable. "Hey, so… I didn't get much sleep last night. Would you and Fritz mind if I took a personal day? I just… Need to get my head together. Captain's orders."

"It's fine by me and I don't see Fritz having a problem with it. He knows about last night, so I'll bring him up to speed when I get over there. This might be for the best anyway. Someone's got to keep an eye on the place or I'm going to get stuck fishing a doll out of another appliance," Mike said as he turned to rinse out his cup.

He could've easily told Jeremy how worried everyone was and how worked up all the dolls had gotten the night before. How the Minireenas slept in his bed and fussed all night at their caretaker being gone. How mercilessly cheeky Balloon Boy had gotten the closer it had gotten to midnight. He didn't though, because he wasn't oblivious. Jeremy was drenched in nervousness and stress and bringing up that he had been with Foxy just seemed to confirm that he needed an escape. To Mike, the game had just been the last straw that led to Jeremy taking a night away. He understood it.

"Besides, captain's word is law. And you better believe that if we don't follow that law, we're looking at a chew-out," Mike added. Jeremy looked relieved. "Just try to take it easy. I mean, as easy as you can with a bunch of little toys hanging off you and that one wailing like an air siren," he teased, gesturing over to Max. The blond chuckled and coughed into his fist, catching Mike's attention right away. "When did that start?"

"Just now, it's nothing. Just pizza grease and not enough water," Jeremy declined quickly. He was more interested in the hallway as he heard many small footsteps coming.

Marionette came out of the hall with Plushtrap in his arms, the Minireenas and Bidybabs following at his feet, and Balloon Boy tailing at the back. He had heard Jeremy come in, but it was clear that the others had not, as they caught only one glimpse of him and reacted with surprise and excitement. In seconds they began swarming him. Daisy and Rose began to climb his legs, the Bidybab cried out for attention, and Marionette set down Plushtrap so he could run over and chatter eagerly.

"Hey, there you all are!" Jeremy greeted with a warm smile. He knelt and let them nearly overtake him. He could tell they were worried; if not from the Minireenas' fussy noises than from the Bidybab twins' rapid firing questions. "Sorry I was so late. I… Got caught up last night."

"He was with _Foxy_ ," Max said matter-of-factly, eyes rolling to Marionette.

"Yeah, big shocker," Mike chimed in, sending the same puppet a playful smirk.

"I had a little… Trouble with Scott's game," Jeremy admitted, clearing his throat halfway through. "It turned out that it wasn't what I thought it was going to be, and I didn't want everyone to see me upset so I went to Foxy's to cool down… And I ended up sleeping in the office." It wasn't a lie, but he hated having to give these half-truths. He might've been willing to tell Mike, Marionette, and Max- even if they thought he was losing it too- but the little ones wouldn't understand. It would scare them too much to think their parent couldn't take care of them.

"Did the game cheat, Daddy?" one of the Bidybabs asked.

"No, it was just… It pretended it was a normal game and then got really scary," Jeremy admitted. He felt a weight on his back and looked to see Balloon Boy leaning against him and peering over his shoulder.

"Oh! I don't like those scary games," the same Bidybab sympathized. "I don't like when the scissor boy jumps out."

"Why does he get to run with scissors? Because he's scary?" the other Bidybab asked. "He wouldn't be so scary without them."

Jeremy chuckled at their innocent conversing. "I think running with scissors might be the least of his worries." He hugged them all closer. "But I'm going to stay home today to make up for being gone last night."

"Just don't push yourself too hard, Jere. If you're picking up whatever I had, then there's a chance you'll be out of commission for more than just a day," Mike reminded him. He then got the rest of his things together to leave. He scooped Daisy and Rose off Jeremy and reached for Forget-Me-Not. She was more reluctant and began to circle the blond to avoid capture. "Help me out here?"

Balloon Boy beat Jeremy to it. When Forget-Me-Not tried to rush by him, he quickly grabbed her in a bearhug and held her through her squirming until Mike was able to retrieve her.

"Thanks." Mike then wrapped them in his jacket to carry them easier. He could feel them kicking and hear them hissing underneath the fabric, but after last night's fusses he knew it was best to just get them under control and handle their reactions later.

As he was doing this, Charlie joined up with them from the hallway. She noticed Jeremy's return right away and sent him a smile. "Jeremy, you're back! Glad to see you're okay. We got a little worried when you never came home last night," she said as she unfolded the sheet to cover herself with.

"I meant to call, but things got a little… Out of hand," Jeremy excused. He was fumbling it a little worse now, but they didn't seem to notice as they were getting ready to leave. "So, uh, just tell Fritz I'll be back to work tomorrow and that I'm fine."

"Fine but dying of flu. Got it," Mike agreed as he held the Minireenas under one arm and grabbed his keys with the free hand. "If it gets any worse, there's medicine in the cabinet in the bathroom. And call Scott if you can. You know how he gets." With that, he headed out to drop off the Minireenas before returning to collect Charlie, with Marionette disappearing sometime in between. Leaving Jeremy alone with his animatronics.

"Daddy, will you play with us now?" one of the Bidybabs asked as she hugged his knee. He patted her head lovingly.

"Sure. Just let me call Scott and tell him I'm okay, okay? Why don't you all find something we can do together." The Bidybabs detached and scurried off first with Lilium and Plushtrap more hesitant to do so. "It's okay, guys. I'm not going anywhere. Go help them find a game." This was all the encouragement they needed. Plushtrap grabbed Lilium's hand and led her off in a clumsy jog. This just left the weight on his back, Balloon Boy. "You can go too, BB, if you want."

Balloon Boy leaned up and hooked his arms tightly over Jeremy's shoulders. He wasn't going anywhere.

"Well, looks like you're coming with me then." Jeremy hooked his arms under the bot's body and started to lift him. He was heavier than he looked but nothing compared to Maxwell. Ironically, he was the only one that felt to be the weight of a child. Jeremy hefted him up and carried him over to the phone where he took the receiver, held it with his shoulder, and began to dial Scott's number.

It was then when his eyes started to wander and as though out of their own reflex fixated on a picture hanging by the phone. It was a frame photo of Fritz, Natalie, Mike, and himself standing outside of Foxy's. Probably taken close to when they had opened the business. On its own it was a nice memory but the photo was rather unremarkable, but seeing it gave him a new idea. Without saying what he was doing, he hung the phone back up and started to wander around the living room and kitchen, looking at the pictures on the walls.

Most of the pictures had been put up recently and most of the ones left behind by the Afton family were no longer decorating the walls. Jeremy moved into the hallway to continue his search and it was there, just past the grandfather's clock, that he found what he was looking for.

It was a professional family portrait of a much younger Marion, Elizabeth, and Gabriel. Elizabeth was the only one in the picture with a genuine smile as Marion's looked small and Gabriel's looked like a half grimace. Jeremy was sure he had seen this picture before, and Gabriel before, but this was the first time he looked this closely. It was difficult to compare this image with what he saw last night. The corpse had been of an adult, had been drenched in that vile fluid, and had a mask shielding its face.

It was the slightly more tanned skin that gave it away. Jeremy hadn't just hallucinated Foxy as that body; the body had looked like Gabriel. A cold weight settled into his stomach.

" _Foxy was there the whole time and I couldn't even tell it was him… What if it happens with the others too? It could happen any time. I could lose it and end up hurting someone... I guess I could just close my eyes and ride it out,"_ Jeremy considered. He closed his eyes and stared at the darkness behind his eyelids. _"…It couldn't have been from the game. Something's wrong with me."_

He cut off with a raspy cough and Balloon Boy leaned over his shoulder before poking him with his fist. "I'm okay," Jeremy assured him as he cleared his throat. "Let's go call Scott before the others get back." Balloon Boy gave a laugh of what he assumed was agreement and Jeremy carried him back to the phone.

He would just close his eyes and ride it out next time. If there was a next time. Or when.

* * *

The pizzeria was crowded again. Mike had been told about the day before, but he hadn't known the true extent of it until now when he had kids running underfoot. It was a lot more work to keep everything running and yet it was such a relief to have the business thriving, even if it was only a temporary boost in sales.

While the number of patrons were up, the number of parties hadn't changed. Today there was only one and the only thing that might've stood out was that it was requested for Marionette to entertain the kids instead of Foxy. The general fulness of the pizzeria had made everything much more compact and crowded. Presents were stacked on the same table as the food and drink while kids were running around and parents were bumping elbows.

Marionette had watched the cake's journey from the kitchen to the table, to the edge of the table, to sitting dangerously on the corner, and knew it wasn't going to stay there long at this rate. Not with how everyone was moving around like they were. He was the only one who seemed to notice too, with Mike pouring drinks on the other side of the table and everyone else oblivious to it. It would've all been fine if they had served the cake already, but no. They brought it out, the birthday girl blew out her candles, and then for some nonsensical reason they decided to wait longer.

All he had to do was gently nudge it further onto the table except there were too many people watching. Too many kids circling his legs and demanding attention to even get one-on-one time with the birthday girl, let alone to reach out and shove the cake back onto an already packed table. So, instead, he just kept an eye on it and hoped nothing disastrous would happen. Which meant he was watching when one of the fathers came over, getting the plates doled out, and promptly swung his elbow back without paying attention.

It was as though everything was moving in slow motion. Marionette watched the elbow hit the cake, the cake started to tilt, and then began to tumble.

All at once, Marionette released his strings and dropped down to catch the cake. Which he did, right against his chest. He inwardly cringed as he felt the icing smear on his fabric and the cake itself squish against him. Now he was wondering if he should've just let it drop on the floor, it wasn't like it was going to look very pretty after this. He knew he wasn't going to.

The man looked horrified, either because the cake had just gotten partially ruined or because he might've been liable for the animatronic. He didn't even dare touch either, just gawking at the scene as the children all rushed over to look. It wasn't until Mike came over that he turned the cake and lifted it off Marionette, who had been frozen still in place, and set it back on the table. Most of the toppings were smeared, patches of the cake was bald, and any words written in icing were lost, but it at least looked partially edible.

He could've said the same thing about Marionette, who had white icing and sprinkles caked into his chest. One of the candles was still stuck to him which Mike noticed and plucked off, sticking it back into the half-mangled cake and muttering a, "Good as new."

The man began to profusely apologize, the birthday girl started to get red faced like she was about to cry, and Mike was quick to pull Marionette up and whisk him away. "We'll be right back!" he promised before rushing off. Then he muttered under his breath, "Just as soon as someone else comes and cleans up that mess."

He took Marionette into the Prize Corner and sat him on the counter before dipping under it for the hidden cleaning wipes. They always had a spare container there since children frequently brought food in regardless of any posted sign saying not to. Thankfully the corner was currently empty, save for Natalie who took the opportunity to step out and stretch her legs now that someone else was watching the counter.

"I need Fritz to look at my programming. There must be some way to program a realistic looking reflex where I'm allowed to detect and move things before they fall and make a mess everywhere," Marionette remarked. From his tone it was obvious that he was disappointed. "Or just install a loud and obnoxious siren whenever anyone gets too close to the cake."

"I don't know why, but I can see both of those going wrong. Right here, in fact," Mike said, pointing over the icing stain. Unlike the puppet, he found the situation borderline hilarious. "You were the one who tried to play hero and made a dive for the cake."

"It would've been much more heroic if I saved the cake," Marionette pouted.

"I'd still eat that cake," Mike assured. The puppet looked gave him a flat look and he responded by swiping his thumb over his upper button, catching the icing there, and licking it off. "Tastes fine to me."

"I don't think the birthday girl's going to agree," the puppet said, though now his smile was creeping back up. He gave a light chime that was cut off quickly and reverted to his default smile just before he could be noticed by a child who walked into the Prize Corner.

The boy walked up to the counter with about a dozen tickets crunched up in his hand. It didn't look like enough to get anything off the shelves, but he seemed more interested in the puppet anyways. He watched as Mike continued to wipe off the black and white fabric. "What are you doing?" he asked. Like it wasn't apparent what he was doing, wiping smeared icing off with a cleaning rag.

"Just cleaning up Mari here. He got into a scuffle with a birthday cake," Mike explained. "Just give me a second and he'll be as good as new."

"Can I help?" the boy asked. Mike wasn't sure why his first reaction was to inwardly ask "why". Even if he was trying to weasel out of more tickets, he didn't look like he was up to anything malicious, and it wasn't like he could make it worse. Mike knew what Marionette's encouraging answer would've been.

"Alright, Kid, sure. Here." Mike handed over the wet wipe. "Just wipe over the icing and it'll come off. And don't put the rag in your mouth or on your eyes or anything."

The boy began to work. His motions weren't as thorough as they needed to be and Mike knew he would have to go back over it with another wipe, but it was nice to see one of the children trying to help. Even with how still Marionette was he could tell he was just as happy to see it.

A familiar ringing broke out from Mike's pocket and he pulled out his cellphone and checked the number. He expected it to be from either Jeremy or Scott, but he didn't recognize the phone number. The only thing he noticed was that it was from out of town. Probably one of his relatives using a number he wasn't familiar with. He would call back later, and he put the cell phone back in his pocket without much thought.

The boy finished up shortly afterwards and, ignoring some of the icing stuck around the buttons, he had done well. "Good job, Kid. Who knows, maybe someday we'll be paying you to do this," Mike encouraged. He then pointed to the tickets. "You want to trade those out?"

"Yup. How much chocolate can I get for these?" the boy asked as he handed out the tickets. "The big bars, not those little, gross ones."

Sudden, Marionette leaned backwards over the counter and reached into it to grab a few Foxy-themed candy bars. He straightened quickly and offered the stack while holding his other hand out for the tickets. Mike was certain that there was one too many in the stack for that amount of tickets but didn't say anything, instead getting an amused smile as he watched the boy eagerly snatch up the bars and thrust the tickets back. With short thanks, he hurried back out again, leaving the two in the Prize Corner.

Marionette's smile had brightened considerably once he was free enough to show it. Mike got another wipe out and quickly went over his buttons again to get off the last bits of cake. "There, good as new," he said before looking to the puppet. "Ready to go rejoin the party?"

"As ready as ever," Marionette chimed as he slid off the counter and offered his arm to be guided out. Which he was, and he was ready to go try and salvage the party better than the cake.

They stepped out of the Prize Corner just in time to see a child trying to get rid of a soda cup in Charlie's box.

"Hey! I saw that!" Mike called. The child's head snapped up before they bolted off into the dining room. "There's a trash can ten feet away," he muttered as he headed over to the box and lifted one of the flaps. "Hey, you need me to- Oh." He was answered by a cup being handed up to him, empty except for some half-melted ice at the bottom. "Looks like you've got it covered. I'll get rid of this." Charlie gave a thumbs up, or her equivalent of it, and returned into the box again. Mike tossed out the cup and returned to Marionette.

"You've got to love these kids. For everyone doing their share you've got another going out of their way to give us work," Mike remarked. Marionette gave an amused chime but stayed silent as he was led back to the party. Thankfully, the birthday girl had been calmed down and they were already dividing up the cake. "See? I told you it was still good."

At least it wasn't a total loss.

* * *

"We're back," Mike called into the living room as he set down the Minireenas and then shut and locked the door behind Charlie. Marionette had already made his way in.

"Oh, hey! How'd it go?" Jeremy croaked out. Mike lightly cringed at how crackly his voice sounded and exchanged that look with Marionette's startled one. He could vaguely hear Charlie make a hissing noise of sympathy as she knelt to pet Moppet, who had come to greet them. "Is Foxy still coming?" Jeremy asked as he was bombarded with eager Minireenas that climbed into his lap.

"Yeah, Fritz is bringing him," Mike said, coming over to lean on the back of the couch. He could see a light dusting of pink underneath the blonde's eyes. "You look like you're running a temp."

"I know, but if I ignore it it'll go away," Jeremy offered with a light smile.

"I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I think that only works with bills and toothaches," Mike said sarcastically. He started to turn towards Marionette who was coming over when Jeremy spoke again.

"By the way, someone named Jen or Jennifer called?" he said. Both looked over and Charlie's head snapped up, the bell on her prong ringing from the movement. "She said she was going to call you at work."

" _Someone_ called me at work…" Mike muttered as he got out his cellphone. He checked the missed call again and was confused. That was not Jen's usual number. "Did she say why?"

"She said it was important but wouldn't go into details," Jeremy admitted. He then looked down at Daisy, who was tugging at his collar. "Okay, okay, I see you! I'm all yours now."

Mike exchanged a look with Marionette and then gave Charlie a slow side glance. Then he yanked his eyes away quickly, as though that was inconspicuous, and headed to the home phone. He picked up to redial when Charlie stood. "Hey…" she began. He paused to look back at her. "…If you can, ask if she was the one who locked up the basement." With a nod, Mike dialed the number and waited.

But it wasn't Aunt Jen who answered. "Hello?"

"Jen?" Mike asked in confusion. There was a relieved sigh on the other side.

"Matt! Good to hear from you! I thought maybe you didn't get my messages. Your inbox was full… I can't remember which one."

"Jen…?" It was then that he suddenly remembered who she was, with her calling him 'Matt' tipping him off right away. It wasn't Aunt Jen, but the woman he had met at Hickory, Dickory, and Dock's Funcade. "Jennif _e_ r? Never thought I'd hear from you again," Mike greeted her. "How's life after Hickory's?"

"It would be great if I had one," she answered tiredly. "Aaand you've probably already figured out the topic of today's conversation."

"Whose Jennifer?" Charlie whispered to Marionette. He leaned in to answer quietly while still listening to the call.

"She worked at Hickory, Dickory, and Doc's Funcade. She was the designated 'Phone Girl' of the location, but I thought she quit…" Marionette didn't take this as a good sign. His suspicions immediately went back to the remaining animatronics and he dreaded the thought that they had somehow 'woke up' again. He sighed, "This can't be social call."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Chance, does it?" Mike asked.

"No, I haven't seen him since he left. It's actually… there's an issue at the Funcade. I don't know if you heard, but the place got fixed up and is doing okay business again. I'm _not_ working for them."

"Okay." Mike wasn't entirely convinced. "And I'll go out on a limb and say that if you're calling me, the issue is with a set of busted up animatronics that aren't working right and wandering at night, and they're looking for a night guard to come in and keep an eye on them."

"Well… Kind of. See after you left, most of the animatronics stopped working and they got rid of them. The only ones that were still there was Hickory and Dickory, and they weren't walking around anymore. I don't know what you did to stop that, but you probably saved someone's life doing that."

" _Yeah, my own,"_ Mike thought. _"And maybe Jeremy's."_

"But whatever you did, we- I need you to do it again," Jennifer insisted. "Pretty recently the Funcade bought a couple of new animatronics at auction and they… Yeah, you guess it, they walk at night. They don't have people doing the nightshift anymore so nobody's in danger, and they don't act out during the day, but you know how some of the old animatronics used to damage themselves? Well, these ones just trash the arcade every night. I'm not kidding. There's literal trash everywhere when they open during the day. Which is… Annoying."

"Sounds like, but I don't think you'd be calling if it was just trash. Not when compared with what we've seen before… Especially since you don't work there," he added with a touch of smugness.

"I have a friend who works there, but that's not the point. And you're right, it's not just trash. Yesterday the workers found Hickory laying on the floor with his right arm dislocated because something knocked him off the stage. Now he's in repair, out of service, which means they're going to have to put one of these ones on stage and it's just- It's a recipe for disaster. So, if you could work your magic, I'd really appreciate it."

"Wish I could say I could, but I don't even work there and I doubt they're going to rehire the same guy that split when all of the animatronics stopped working," Mike pointed out.

"Not a problem. I have a code to get in and since they aren't hiring nightguards anymore we won't run into anyone… The only issue will be the cameras, but you can leave that to me. The more important thing is that someone does something about the animatronics… Again."

Mike hated how tempting the offer sounding. Half of him knew it was a bad idea and was willing to just dismiss the whole plan altogether, more than usual. With the business just now becoming stable and the police still a very real threat, injecting himself into a business with unstable animatronics was a bad idea. Worse it would link him to Chance, a 'missing' person who Burke was very aware of. The suspicion that would arise if it came out that he snuck into another business with a fake name…

"…I'll think about it," Mike finally answered. "I'll call you back tomorrow just give me a night to mull it over."

"Okay, sure. Take all the time you need… And if you do, just know that I've got your back. I'm not going to let anyone else figure out what we're doing, so… Yeah. Glad to talk with you, I'll hear from you tomorrow. Good-bye," Jennifer rushed out the end awkwardly. That alone betrayed her unease in the situation. Maybe he wasn't the only one aware of how testy this situation was. He hung up the phone.

The others waited for Mike to say something and when he didn't, seemingly lost in thought, Marionette ventured to do so. "So… What's the plan then? Another all-nighter at Hickory Dickory Doc's?"

"I don't know. That would be the dumbest thing I could do right now, screwing up our entire lives… I don't know. Usually I'm all for this, but I don't exactly look back on my week at Hickory's as a success," Mike admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. This time he knew he had to be responsible. "I guess not. I'll just tell Jennifer tomorrow that I can't do it. She said herself that they're not attacking anyone…" He waited for an agreement from Marionette and didn't receive one and looked to him to see a thoughtful look. "…Unless you're thinking something different?"

"I… I don't know what I'm thinking…" Marionette said. He sounded just as hesitant as Mike. "If it was anywhere else it would be a firm no, but considering who we found there last time…" His mask marred with dread as he lowered his head. "I would hate to think that one of them is still there, stuck in a new body and crying out for help."

"Yeah, but that's where Chance was working and Burke knows about Chance, and Burke's going to lock in if he finds out I've been going by other aliases. You've seen how he's latched onto Fritz," Mike said. He tapped his fingers on his arm before shrugging. "Then again, it's is really far out there. He might not be able to find out."

"Where is Hickory's?" Charlie asked.

"A couples of hours away. Pretty sure it's over the state line," he answered.

"I know Clay and I know how dead set on solving a case he can get, but I don't think even he's going to travel that far. He wouldn't have jurisdiction out there anyway and he's not the type to track your car. He's a criminal investigator, not Inspector Gadget," she reminded. Then raised her hands in defense. "Not that I'm leading you either way, just adding my two cents."

"If we're adding cents then I'll add mine," Jeremy volunteered. He leaned over the back of the couch, looked Mike dead in the eyes, and gave a firm, "Don't go."

"Well, that clears it up," Mike said dropping his arms in exaggeration.

"I'm serious. I mean, I know you and Mari had better luck than I did, but I wasn't even supposed to be in there and I almost got mangled. No pun intended," Jeremy continued. "Just for an example, she said they weren't attacking anyone, right? Well, if they're not around anyone, or if they're around too many people at once, then of course they're not going to attack anyone! And not all of them are as friendly as these guys." He lifted the Minireenas in his arms for emphasis. They shook their heads in agreement with him.

"Then I suppose we're still down the middle on this," Marionette sighed. He lazily looked to Balloon Boy who was now standing alongside him. "You would know the arcade better, what do you say?"

Balloon Boy just gave a non-committal laugh in response. Practically a non-answer interrupted only by the sound of the van driving up.

"That's Fritz and Foxy. Let's put a pin in this until later. I've got until tomorrow to figure out what I'm going to do and I don't want to get Foxy riled up this early," Mike suggested.

Jeremy got up from the couch and set the Minireenas down. "I'm going to go help them get in," Jeremy volunteered. He yanked on his jacket and hustled outside to meet them. He seemed more eager than usual to greet the captain, but nobody paid much attention to it.

"Weren't we talking about scissor boy earlier? I ought to check on him if nobody cares," Mike said. Nobody seemed to mind, and Marionette even eagerly followed him into the living room to help him set up the game, silently agreeing that a distraction would work wonders and pretending that they didn't both know what was inevitably going to happen.

* * *

 **Mable: It's happening again.**


	86. Chapter 86

**Mable: Apologies for this post being a day late. You might know, but I recently posted a FNAF fic called "Skin Deep" and it was just enough of a squeeze that I didn't wrap up the chapter in time. But I did get it finished as you can see! And Skin Deep is there if you'd like to read it, but it's completely unconnected to this story so you don't have to. ^-^ Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-Six_

 _Mike came to in a familiar forest and found himself walking in the direction of an equally familiar clearing._

" _Oh good, I could always use more unsolicited advice," he thought as he continued his steady approach. The grass crunched under his shoes and the air was still around him; everything felt comfortable and safe. "Have I seen him since the hurricane? Since Mari and I were talking about him? Wonder if he saw that. Maybe that's why he's been laying low."_

 _A distant sound akin to a squeak caught his attention and he looked back. "What was that?" It almost sounded like the squeak of Freddy's nose and he stared into the trees._

 _There was nothing there. Just an endless tree line._

" _Nothing." Mike turned back only to find that he was suddenly on the edge of the clearing. "…Alright, that's weird. Note to self: watch where you walk." With that, he stepped out and approached the pond._

 _Old Man Consequences sat on the edge of the pond with his line in the water and his back hunched over. He was slowly reeling at it and stared deeply past the red depths as though watching something. When Mike looked, he couldn't see anything except the line disappearing deep into the abyss below. He decided to break the silence._

" _So, what do you think we should do? I know you've probably been watching and know all about Hickory's," Mike asked. He sat down in the grass alongside the man._

" _That's one way to greet an old friend," Old Man Consequences remarked. He sounded amused but also a bit distant, seemingly entranced by the pond._

" _I just assumed you'd have an opinion since you dragged me in here the same night, I've got to make this decision. A little too coincidental," Mike pointed out. He looked in the water. "What are you looking at?"_

" _Nothing that should concern you," the red man replied. Then he finally drug his gaze from the pond and turned towards Mike. "I haven't seen Hickory's. Tell me about it. Is it a competitor for Foxy's?"_

" _Not even close. Just another business that got the Afton touch of death," Mike quipped. Old Man Consequences gave an echoing laugh at the comment. "They stuck in a rut of having broken down animatronics that run rampant at night. Last time Mari and I stepped in and stopped it. This time the woman who works there- or something like that- she asked me to come back and do it again. I don't see me helping them or not helping them affecting Foxy's… Unless we get caught and it gets back to Burke."_

" _I wouldn't worry so much. You have more control than you realize, Mike," Old Man Consequences suggested. "You said yourself that it doesn't change Pirate's Cove. The only one it would change is you."_

" _I mean, it might help out the workers," Mike vaguely offered._

" _Perhaps, but you won't see the benefits of that. It is, primarily, for you and Marionette's own comfort. There's nothing wrong with helping yourself sleep easier by helping another," the red man explained. "Those animatronics may not be capable of understanding what you're doing for them, but does it matter if you are, in the long run, doing what's best for them?"_

" _I don't know," Mike admitted. He saw red out the corner of his eye and looked over to see a red hand reaching for him. He flinched back. "What are you doing?"_

" _It's alright, Mike," the red man quietly rumbled. Then he laid his hand on his shoulder. There was no reaction, no sudden pull or indication that he had done anything, though the weight felt odd and fuzzy. A little too warm too in contrast to the tepid feeling of the world around them. That feeling of being on edge melted away quickly. "See? I wouldn't hurt you."_

" _You heard what we said. You were listening," Mike pointed out. Slightly suspicious and slightly disturbed, but quickly losing those feelings._

" _I hear a lot of things, but it's easier to draw my attention when you're talking about me. When you say my name," Old Man Consequences explained as he removed his hand. "I don't blame you for being hesitant to trust me. We all know about_ _ **the gold bear**_ _." He turned back to the water and Mike considered asking about if he knew Golden Freddy, but he couldn't get the question out fast enough. "You worry too much. It's not good for your blood pressure."_

" _But running around a blood pond with a crocodile is?" Mike asked. To which, once again, Old Man Consequences gave another chuckle. It was odd sounding but comforting to hear him in a good mood, and Mike smiled a bit. "I bet you've been having the time of your life watching my house get overrun."_

" _Yes, yes I have. I always make time for that. It may be the only time I see you with children of your own," he said with a lower chuckle. "We're running out of time, Son. Ask the Marionette about Hickory's. Go with what he says," Old Man Consequences offered._

 _Just like that_ Mike woke to the alarm clock. He shut it off and turned over to look at Marionette. The puppet's eyes were barely open showing that he was slowly waking up. He leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Morning." Marionette warbled in response and pressed back again him. Mike smiled a little, "Rise and shine, we've got another long day on the dayshift waiting for us." The puppet slid in further, tucking his head under Mike's and taking in the warmth. Mike didn't ask yet to not ruin the moment of quietness.

It wasn't until he was forced to get up and get dressed by his secondary alarm that he decided to bring up the first of two elephants in the room. "Old Man Consequences showed up last night," he said, ripping off the band-aid in one swift motion. "We shot the breeze a while and he didn't give me any real answers, but he did manage to get his hand on me."

"What?" Marionette asked in alarm.

"Apparently he heard us talking about him and wanted to prove that he was safe… Which means he probably is listening to everything we're saying right now too," Mike realized. He paused a moment and then shrugged. "I asked him what he thought about Hickory's and he said to let you decide. Which either means that he has a high opinion of your opinion or he just dodged the question again. But even if he didn't say that, I would've had you make the call. I trust your judgement better than mine."

That didn't ease Marionette's mind much. He was still wary of Old Man Consequences, and even if this was an attempt at an olive branch, he couldn't be certain that it was also a means to lower his guard.

"So…" Mike began, bringing the puppet out of his thoughts. "What do you think?"

It took the animatronic a long time to respond. He lingered there with his arms crossed and his gaze locked on the bedroom door. Mike continued getting dressed while he waited patiently for his answer.

"I think…" Marionette tentatively began. He gave a huff of static, frustrated with his own indecision- and the inability to do anything about the lingering, red presence. "I _think_ … I think it's a bad idea."

"Then we won't go," Mike offered.

" _But_ ," he countered instantly. "But… There are some things we haven't been considering. We've been looking at the risk of us getting caught and Foxy's going under versus the welfare of the animatronics and the employees there, but the fact of the matter is that our pizzeria is in jeopardy either way. If there was an accident with an animatronic that went public, then it would reflect badly on us. That, added with the possible… Conditions of the animatronics and the risk they pose is more than enough reason to get involved."

"So, we just can't get caught. I think we can handle that."

"It's more than that, I think… I think we should go, together, and see if we can help." Marionette spun towards Mike. "But we can't treat this like Chipper's or Magictime. Even if they attack us, even if they corner us, we can't fight back and risk damaging them. Or even break anything in the building. We don't have Chance there to cover up for us if we got too rowdy. For once, let's keep a low profile." Even he sounded doubtful of this plan. "Can we do that?"

"I think we can manage that. At the first sign of trouble we split and wash our hands of it," Mike agreed. He then took a more serious tone, "So we're mostly checking in to make sure the animatronics aren't lashing out because they're in pain, and if they're not we let it lie."

"Right," Marionette agreed. He was still hesitant, knowing that this would be risking a lot. "Maybe wait until after work to call her? We might change our minds."

Mike agreed even though he had a suspicion that neither of them would do so. He finished putting on his shoes before going over to open the bedroom door.

He found himself face to face with Foxy.

"He ain't goin' in," Foxy boldly announced. Mike was about to point out that Marionette's plan was rational and that they would be safe when he was cut off. "Jer'my. He be tossin' all night. Wanderin' 'round at the crack o' dawn and coughin' up half a lung. He ain't comin' into work with us." Mike made a sympathetic hissing noise, realizing what the fox meant. Foxy then sounded a little more disgruntled, "I'd like ta know how he got this bad when ya were doin' fine with it 'bout a week ago."

"Might've just hit him harder. I don't know, I _was_ passed out most of the time," Mike retorted. He slipped by the fox. "Let me go get him some of that cough syrup. It might help break some of that up."

As he headed down the hall, Marionette floated over to Foxy. Apparently, he didn't do a good job in disguising his worry as the fox caught on to it. "What's wrong, Lad? Ya ain't lookin' right."

"It's nothing, Foxy. Just… Worrying about some things. Nothing unusual," Marionette said as he turned away. Foxy looked primed to pry for more answers. "We should get ready. We could be looking at another long day today if we're lucky," the puppet added with a smile. Then he breezed past and headed to knock on Charlie's door, proceeding with the morning like there wasn't trouble looming over them.

The day went largely uneventfully. Still more busy than usual but not to the degree the last few days had been, which was both a relief and a disappointment depending on how one looked at it. It unfortunately gave them ample time to mull over their choice about Hickory's, but neither changed their mind. It almost made Mike feel ashamed knowing that he was getting more out of this than he should of. The only reason Marionette was going was to protect everyone involved; Mike's main reason was more a mix of curiosity and self-fulfillment.

The day came to an end without much issue or notable moments. Foxy decided to come home with them again. Fritz didn't mind driving him back since he was just as worried about Jeremy as the everyone else was. Which was reasonable, considering that when they got home they still found Jeremy red faced and coughing, and yet still up and about tending to his needy dolls. After seeing which, Mike and Fritz exchanged a look, flipped a coin, and then Fritz dragged Jeremy out of the house and to the walk-in clinic.

Foxy took charge in trying to reign the small animatronics in. They were still as disinterested in him as ever- save Balloon Boy and the Minireena trio- but it did keep their minds somewhat off their missing caretaker. Marionette decided to help, going into his bedroom and looking through the boardgames tucked under the bed. As much as he loved the Freddy boardgame, they would need something he could stretch to fit more players. Easier said than done but hopefully doable.

Mike came up to the bedroom door while he was knelt by the bed. "Hey," he began. The puppet looked up to him. "I'm going to go tell Jennifer that we'll do it. Or that I'll do it."

"Alright," Marionette agreed. His answer was stiff, and his tensed body posture reflected that. It wasn't too convincing, and Mike was hesitant to accept it.

"Are you sure?" he asked. The puppet nodded. "Okay then… I'll be back in a few minutes." He headed down the hall towards the bedroom so he could get some privacy. Marionette considered following him but then decided that he didn't want to. He would know what she would say soon enough. After all, the important thing was what they were saying, and that was already decided.

It always startled Marionette to learn about another sentient animatronic. For a while it had seemed like there were only a few- the lot consisting of those nearly burned at the false pizzeria- and at the time it had been a relief to think that he wasn't alone. There wasn't many of them, but they had formed some sense of community, and that helped them regain their long-lost humanity. Except that now more were appearing. More than they even had performing at Freddy's, ones unconnected to the missing children incident.

But in a way that would make sense. He always thought the only ones were the ones he and Golden Freddy brought around, but special cases showed that animatronics could become haunted from close contact with a dying person. Meaning accidents could easily trigger the same phenomenon. Then there were the murders William committed that he didn't know about, as he doubted he knew about them all if he couldn't even account for everyone he knew his father murdered. Plus there were all those other Freddy's locations that shut down for numerous reasons.

In a matter of a few seconds, Marionette suddenly realized exactly how many more human souls could be tied to animatronic bodies. Performing in restaurants and arcades, stuck in warehouses and the corners of old storage rooms, covered in sheets and caked in dust, laying out in the elements or in abandoned alleyways crumbling apart and rusting away…

"Alright, we're on for tomorrow night. We'll head up there after work, get there sometime after dark, and probably be back in the morning," Mike said as he returned to the bedroom door. He then cut off before he could continue, looking at Marionette with a slight squint. He could hear a faint, familiar noise coming from him. "You're ticking," he said.

Marionette hadn't noticed it until now, but he was ticking in nervousness. He couldn't suppress it fast enough, so he did the only thing he could think of, "No I'm not."

"Mari, come on. I can hear it," Mike said flatly. His voice then softened up with concern. "What is it, Stripes? You know we can talk about it-."

"Twister?" Marionette offered as he pulled out and showed him the box.

" _Guess that's a no."_ Mike exhaled at the other's deflection before squinting at the game box. _"Looks like this is about to be a no too._ " Except then he remembered Foxy was home, and trying to play the role of active babysitter, and a slow smirk started to slide across his face. "If you think that you can get Foxy to play that… Then I'm game. Sure."

"Foxy is proud and protective of his image, Mike," the puppet said as he rose from the floor. By time he looked up again, he had his own smirk. "But he doesn't back down from a challenge."

"You get him riled up and I'll get the camera," Mike suggested. Satisfied with the answer, Marionette stacked a few more game boxes and carried them to the door, regaining his smile. Mike put an arm around him and tried to silently assure him. It looked like it was helping, but he could still hear the faint ticking.

Marionette seemed determined to ignore it. It wasn't too hard to once they succeeded in getting Foxy on the mat. Though even that took Mike volunteering a, "I bet twenty bucks Foxy goes down in three spins."

Foxy promptly gave a, "I be takin' that bet!" and then forced himself to do so, regardless if his body was made to do so or not. Hilariously, Jeremy walked in right in the middle of this and caught him in the act. Leading to him breaking into snickers, which still didn't stop the stubborn pirate.

Jeremy got a predictable bill of health. The doctor had said that he couldn't tell what it was but guessed it was a bad cold or flu, suggested a round of over the counter treatments, and sent him home without much else to say. It seemed like a step in the right direction, confirming that it wasn't anything worse. That allowed the rest of the evening to take a lighter tone without worrying as much about him.

So many things seemed to be going fine now, yet the ticking quietly continued.

* * *

Maybe it was because of what was coming that night, but the workday preceding it seemed to skyrocket past. Even with the still healthy amount of kids and adults- and including an incident where a kid's jacket got stuck in one of the riding rockets- it all seemed to move much too quickly. It seemed like the clock was ticking as fast as the puppet was, counting down to the moment of truth.

They stayed late enough at the pizzeria that by time they leaving it almost seemed late enough for them to leave. Unfortunately for them, while Jeremy had gotten a somewhat reassuring diagnoses from the doctor, he hadn't been able to come into work again. Largely at Foxy's insistence. So, this meant that Mike couldn't just call when they were on the road and drop the news quickly and without discussion.

Charlie was the first one to notice that Marionette hadn't come inside the house, even before Mike had. "Where's Mari? Is he still out in the car?" she asked. It didn't take Mike long to realize what was going on.

" _I should've known something was up when he said 'break it to them easy',"_ he lamented. On second thought maybe this was better. Maybe he could get it out and detach himself quicker on his own. "He is… Since we're about to take off for Hickory's. We should be back by morning."

If he thought that quick explanation would go over Jeremy's head, it didn't. Sick or not he heard it and reacted quickly. "What? You're really going to go down there?! Again?!"

"We don't have much of a choice. Someone gets maimed over there and it's going to look bad on us. People aren't going to see two separate establishments; they're going to see crazed animatronic and avoid them all like the plague. I've kind of got my hands tied here," Mike defended.

"But that's- that's only like one of the reasons you might need to go. And didn't she say they weren't doing much?! There's cops, and you're breaking and entering, and that's going to look a lot worse for us on the news than a… Oversized mouse threw a trashcan at someone!" Jeremy rambled. Mike was surprised at how defensive he was acting about it. He had never seemed that fired up about Hickory's. Jeremy must've realized how he sounded because he suddenly reeled himself in. "I just don't want you two to get hurt."

"We've got it under control. This isn't some big excursion into cracking open the secrets of the arcade. This isn't a Magictime Theater thing, or even a weekend at El Chip's thing. This is pretty much a drive through night shift; any sign of trouble and we're getting back in the car and leaving," Mike reassured him. Then he looked to Charlie, who was much less concerned. Or more likely was expecting them to go. "Think you two can handle all of these guys alone?"

"I'm sorry to break it to you, Mike. But they don't act up as much when you're not here," Charlie said with light playfulness. "But we'll be okay. Don't worry about us. Focus on just not getting caught."

"That's the plan," Mike agreed as he headed back to the door. "Should be back by morning. Probably before anyone gets up. So, check the bedroom before anyone starts calling." With a few nods of agreement, a 'be careful' from Charlie, and an uncomfortable look from Jeremy, Mike headed out and go back in the car. As he got into the driver's seat, he noticed Marionette peeking out from underneath the blanket in the backseat through the rearview mirror. "Thanks for backing me up in there."

"You know I was with you in spirit," Marionette chimed back. He propped his head up with one arm and tried to keep the lighthearted tone going. "You know, if we're still looking at staying until five-twenty then maybe once we leave we should find a motel. It might be fun!"

"Since when did staying in a motel become fun?" Mike asked with amusement.

"It's an adventure! Really any time we're out of the house is, isn't it?" The puppet gave another mix between a chuckle and a chime. "What are the chances that we go in there and find animatronics who are not alive, just programmed badly and running amuck at night, knocking things over? That could very much be a possibility!"

"I hope that's all it is," Mike admitted.

"Me too…" Marionette's voice fell. In only a second the tone changed again, and after that Mike could hear the ticking again. It was the only noise Marionette made that put him on edge.

"…Yeah, you know what? We deserve a full night out," Mike spoke up. "We'll probably be early anyways. We'll stop and get a hotel room and then once we're out of there we'll have a place to go. At least we'll get a couple of hours of TV without Max dictating the remote or a bunch of kids running around in front of it."

This perked the puppet up considerably and once they were on the road he slipped into the passenger's seat, bringing the blanket with him and bundling it around himself until only his mask peeked out.

" _That's_ adorable _,"_ Mike thought as he smiled at his companion. _"Maybe getting out of the house together is what we need. Just need to stop worrying and enjoy the moment. It's not our first rodeo."_

Somehow the mood turned back around at that point. The drive was still long, but it had been a while since they had time alone and Marionette was in a talkative mood. Which was great because when he was talking he wasn't ticking, and when Mike was listening to Marionette he wasn't listening to his inner thoughts. It was a win-win.

They had arrived at Hickory's much earlier than anticipated so Mike went ahead and drove on until he found what wasn't quite a town but looked to be more than a rest stop. He chose a motel on the highway and paid for a room, requesting one further in the back. He parked outside of their designated room before getting out and circling to the passenger's side door, gathering up the puppet and as much of the blanket as he could into a bundle, and toting him inside.

The motel room itself was nothing special. Just about the same as any other they had stayed in, but there was always the slight thrill from risking getting caught. That alone made it more exciting than what it really was; sitting on a bed and killing time watching tv. Not exactly the thrill that Mike subconsciously drove all this way for.

This lasted until eleven-thirty when they drove back to Hickory's. Mike noticed a car in the parking lot that wasn't there when they drove by earlier, and he parked alongside the building before getting out and walking over to it. As he approached the car door opened and out stepped a woman who he assumed was Jennifer. She was about what he expected; around his age or maybe a little older, bobbed brunette hair, and an incredibly anxious look.

"Well, well. It was about time we met each other in person. Jennifer, right?" Mike asked as he offered his hand. She eagerly took and shook it.

"Nice to finally meet you… Matt?" She furrowed her brows for a second. "Wait, have we met before? Do I know you from somewhere?"

"You probably remember me from the three months I spent in the news after Magictime Theater shut down," he answered. She got a concerned look but didn't recognize him. He waved it off, "I'm kidding. So, what's the plan here? Does it still go on lockdown until five and am I looking at everything in there becoming aggressive when that happens?"

"Oh! No, probably not… Kind of. Here, I'll explain. Come over here." She beckoned him to the front door. There was a little locked box beside the door that she unlocked with a tiny key. Opening it revealed a keypad inside. "This is how we lock and unlock the doors; the code is five-three-one-eight-two. _Five-three-one-eight-two._ Obviously you need to have this key to go in this way, so I'm not worried about you having the code."

Mike repeated the code in his head. "So, I can just leave whenever? Stay a couple of hours and see what I can do, then leave if I can't do anything?" Jennifer made a sucking noise through her teeth.

"Not exactly… See, the true horror of Hickory's is that if anyone touches this keypad between midnight and six, the alarm goes off and the cops are called. It's a new anti-burglary measure they added in since they still think that night you broke out that someone broke in. Point is, you'll want to leave before midnight." She looked at her watch. "And since they don't usually get started until this late anyways... You're looking at a really tight window here."

"And once I'm in you can't get me out?" Mike flatly asked. He slowly became less amused by the situation.

"No," Jennifer simply said. Mike gave a slow sigh; there always was a catch.

"Okay… Then I'm going to try and get out before midnight. I can't say I'll fix anything in that time, but I don't want to get caught sneaking out in the morning," he said. She nodded in agreement, not questioning it, and unlocked the door for him.

"No, that's pretty much all I expected after last time. And I rather you get out without… Another last time." Jennifer practically shuddered at the thought. "We don't need anyone to start looking at as like we're vandals. I don't even think they check the cameras anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're in there somewhere. Who knows? This places fixes one thing and slacks on the next."

"And yet you're wearing one of their uniforms," Mike pointed out. She stared blankly; he quirked a brow.

"…It's my old uniform. I was just wearing it for, uh, old time's sake- Just go in! If I have the door open at midnight then we're going to have the state patrol all over us," she lightly snapped in embarrassment.

Mike smirked a little as he stepped inside and looked around. Things looked mostly the same from this section of the arcade, save that some of the older machines- pinball and skee-ball tables- had been swapped out for newer machines. Maybe he was imagining it, but the foreboding atmosphere of the arcade seemed to have loosened up. Or that could've just been because of what transpired giving him a false sense of security.

"Call me when you leave… And if you don't, I'm just going to assume you're still in here and come by at six to make sure you get out," Jennifer offered awkwardly. Not willing to say what she was thinking; that he could somehow wind up dead. "But please call me if you get out. I don't want to wake myself up and drive all the way over here just to find out that you're already gone." She flinched at her own comment. "And what I mean by gone being that you left. Not that you're… Dead."

"…Didn't you say they were throwing trash and knocking over stuff?" Mike asked. He was slowly growing more wary and she waved him off.

"Yes, sorry. Just jumping the gun. If anyone's risking anything, it's me." Jennifer started to edge the door closed. "Last chance to back out."

"If I didn't leave when I thought there was danger, why would I leave when I thought you might be overreacting?" Mike asked jokingly. "Trust me, I've got it covered. I'll see what I can do."

"Alright. Thanks again, Matt. I really owe you for this," Jennifer finished. She then shut the door, locked the keypad box back up, and headed to her car.

"Yeah, you sure do," Mike muttered. He turned away from the door and started to walk down between the towering aisles that separated the arcade games. "You could at least buy 'Matt' a sandwich or something."

"Or maybe she could reimburse us for the hotel room," Marionette said as he popped around the corner. It caused Mike to jump back, having not even realized the puppet had let himself in. Marionette hung out from the shelf by one arm and smiled cheekily. "You should ask her when she comes for us at six."

"Thanks for the mini heart attack. I didn't even see you come in," Mike said as he brushed the surprise off. "And who said anything about us staying?"

The puppet smiled wider. "Preparing for the worst." He then drew away from the shelf and beckoned his companion. "Come along. Let's go check the office," he said before leading the way further into the business.

Mike shoved his hands in his pockets and followed along. There was clearly a different feel to the arcade even with the tight space and foreboding words of Jennifer. At least it didn't feel like he was constantly being watched by some sort of invisible force. It looked like the place had been spruced up a little too.

"You know, I went ahead and put money on the room to keep us from doing something stupid. Like changing our minds and deciding to stay all night. Unless they installed cable and put a bed in the office, I don't see that changing," Mike said. Marionette chimed in amusement and they came up on the 'office'.

It was even more barebones than before. What once had a desk and a monitor was now just a table sat beside a line of change machines. There was a simple office chair behind it and the closet in the back was still there, but it was apparent that this was no longer set up for a nightguard. Now it was just the corner for a dayshift worker to exchange cash for coins and tokens to play the games.

Marionette looked over it momentarily before looking towards the stage. The curtains were drawn closed and hiding the animatronics. Whatever lay beyond those curtains could change things drastically; it would mean the difference between a suffering sentient or a broken bot.

"We could probably use a few of these in Foxy's," he said as he looked at the coin changers. He then looked back to see the look that the puppet was giving the stage. He looked too and saw nothing except the curtain, so he went ahead and sat down in the office chair. He kicked his feet up on the table and prepared to settle in for a long wait. "So, what are you thinking?"

"I think I should go check the animatronics," Marionette quietly replied. He then began to ghost over towards the curtains, floating slowly up to them, and then pausing outside of them. He stared up at them with an unreadable expression. All he had to do was go in and look for a response. He had done so many times, but this time felt different, heavier, likely because of his last visit to this place.

He didn't know what he would do if the other Toys were still stuck here. He already failed them more than once.

Mike watched as Marionette's unreadable expression slowly became more distressed until it was a clear frown. He inhaled deeply and exhaled in a sigh, then pulled himself together, put his feet down, and leaned forward onto the table. "I can come with you," Mike offered. Marionette considered it before shaking his head. If the animatronics were alive it could by risky letting him get seen. The security guard tried another tactic now, "Or you could just wait a few minutes and whatever's in there will probably wander out here."

Marionette gave a small chime of amusement and turned towards the office to say something. In that instant, something reached out from the curtain and yanked him in.

Mike shot up from his chair. "Mari?!" He could hear clamoring behind the curtain. He could hear 'Pop Goes the Weasel' beginning to ring out and with it came a peal of boisterous, nearly crazed laughter. Mike ran over to the stage and was about to throw himself through the curtain when it suddenly opened halfway and revealed what had gotten the puppet.

"Of all the pizzerias in the world, I never thought I would hear such a beautiful sound again! My muse has come back to me!"

It was the Music Man that currently had Marionette wrapped in his arms and was spinning him around in excited delight. His torso and upper half spun while his legs remained in place, and the puppet flailed like a ragdoll as he tried to fight the arms. Mike had seen this animatronic before at the auction but had never seen it move or heard it talk for himself, but he wasn't too surprised with what he was seeing.

"I've missed you so much, my little silver bell! All these countless hours listening to the cracks spreading across my battered heart, waiting for your music to reach it again, and here you are!" Music Man cheered. He then drew Marionette back and stared at him. His large, black eyes finally focused in on the puppet in his arms and within seconds he realized his mistake. "…Hey, wait a second! You're not my muse!"

"Hey!" Mike snapped. Music Man looked over and the second he saw the man he stiffened up. His arms, wrapped around Marionette and still holding his cymbals, suddenly snapped open into a default pose as those preparing to play music. In an instant he returned to being a 'lifeless' animatronic, and in the suddenness of it Marionette dropped onto the stage. The security guard narrowed his gaze. "Oh no, don't stop on my account. You just keep tossing him around. Don't mind me."

Marionette got up quickly and hovered closer to the edge of the stage. He didn't leave it though, instead looking to Music Man with slight wariness but mostly confusion. This being the last thing he had expected to find. Mike came over to check over him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I can handle spinning," Marionette assured. He never took his eyes off Music Man and turned fully towards him. "Don't worry about Mike, he knows about us. He's no danger. How did you get here?"

"He was auctioned back at Animatronicon," Mike answered instead. "We saw him get sold while we were waiting for Chance's turn. He was hands down the most expensive animatronic I've ever seen."

"Yes, but what was the true cost?" Music Man suddenly blurted out. He slammed his cymbals together once. "Me, a musician, a professional, stuck in a pizzeria that doesn't even serve pizza! With mice statues that don't even sing!" He swung a cymbal out wider to gesture towards Dickory, who was still half obscured by the curtain. It stood there dormant and stared ahead with the glassy, lifeless eyes. "And the kids who come in don't listen to music, they only care about the games! This has been a real nightmare!"

"I take it you don't like it here," Marionette sympathized. "Have they been hurting you? Have you been suffering?"

"Does suffering in silence count? No, no, because even silence would be better than the constant noise of the game machines!" Music Man began to bang his cymbals faster in irritation. "And nobody can hear me because I'm stuck in the back all the time. I should be the star and here I am playing second fiddle to a couple of rats and a pompous blowhard!"

Marionette silently looked over at the unmoving Dickory. It didn't look too pompous to him.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Music Man's hands stopped short right before they would clatter the cymbals again. He stared at the puppet with a newfound interest. "You might not be my muse, but you were the guy running around withmy muse! Do you know where she is, my silver bell?"

"She performs at our pizzeria. We're good friends," Marionette answered. This seemed to catch the other animatronic's attention and he leaned in a little more.

"How good of friends…?" Music Man drew out slowly.

"I consider her family. I'm closer to her than I am my own sister… Then again, my sister is closer to her than me too."

"That's _wonderful!_ ~" Music Man rung out. He began to excitedly clap his cymbals in delight. "Then that means you can bring her here to see me! Oh, how good to see her again, to finally release the song that I've caged in my heart!" He continued to gush excitedly before spinning again and leaning in close to the puppet. "Will you bring her here?"

"I don't think that's possible," Marionette vaguely answered. With how unstable Music Man was acting he expected that a 'no' wouldn't go over well. Already the spider animatronic had dropped his arms and was now staring at him blankly which he didn't take as a good response. "It wouldn't be safe to try bring her here. What if she was trapped here? You said yourself that life in the arcade is less than appealing."

"But we would be together!" he protested. It was only then that it occurred to the puppet that he really couldn't bring Charlie here, because the Music Man wouldn't let her willingly leave. He started to drift back towards the edge of the stage, but Music Man stepped forward. "Hey, wait a minute! You can't just run off like that, Buddy!"

"I'm afraid we are pressed for time. If we don't leave soon we'll be stuck here all night, and you wouldn't want to give your 'muse' a reason to worry. I can tell her that you're thinking of her," Marionette offered kindly, trying to defuse the situation. For a moment it almost seemed like it did as Music Man calmed down and stared ahead like he was thinking. "We do have a few minutes though. If you would like you could sing for me and then I could mimic it back to her."

"She would worry if you didn't come back to the pizzeria, wouldn't she…?" the spider asked calmly. "And then… If you still didn't come home…" A low glow illuminated his eyes in excitement as he looked back to the puppet and spread his arms again. "She would come to find you and we'd be together again!"

Marionette's eyes widened and Mike suddenly noticed how the cymbals were positioned, right where they could slam closed and catch the puppet in between them. They started to swing closed-.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The unfamiliar voice caused Music Man to stop instantly, with his arms still poised to try and catch Marionette. Though the puppet instantly jerked back regardless and backed off the stage. Once he was in reach, Mike grabbed his arm and pulled him behind him, eyes now glued onto the curtain where the voice had come from.

Music Man made a rapid cymbal noise from his chest and turned on the curtain with a cry of anger. "I don't remember asking you for your opinion- and you let him get away!" he snapped.

"They're already watching us for what happened to Hickory. If anything gets broken, if anything gets moved, they might take us off stage," the voice reminded. It sounded significantly older in age, almost like an elderly man, but even without seeing the speaker Mike just knew it wasn't a human. "You think it's hard now but being labelled out of service and taken away would be much worse. That's what they'll do."

"That's easy for you to say! You've been coasting since the day you got here!" Music Man snapped. He began to beat his cymbals sharply. "You just don't want me off stage because then they might expect you to perform more!"

"…Well yes, that is true," the unknown voice agreed. He gave a short chuckle that popped just enough that it was evident it came out of a speaker. "But unlike some people, I quite enjoy sharing my stage."

"Only because you're always in the front. Actions are louder than words, Stage-hog," Music Man scolded. This only amused the other more who began to laugh louder.

By now Mike was starting to become impatient with the routine, especially since it was becoming increasingly clear that this was not a dire situation. They were possessed animatronics, yes, but they were acting more like children throwing temper tantrums than adults, and from their voices neither sounded like they were children.

He spoke up loud enough to get their attention. "He's got a point. The only reason we're here is because the staff's getting tired of cleaning the place up every morning. These people already dealt with their machines becoming hostile, so they aren't going to take much more of this," he warned. Out of reflex he checked his watch. "…And can we wrap this up in the next four minutes? Because if we're not out of here by midnight then we're going to be stuck here all night."

"… _I'M STUCK HERE ALL NIGHT!"_ Music Man exploded. He began to slam his cymbals so fast and so hard that Mike was sure he would soon have a pounding headache.

There was a rustling at the curtain. Ignoring the spider's outburst, the voice spoke up from behind it. "It's you!" he gasped. "The mime. I remember you… I never thought I would see you again."

This immediately perked Marionette's curiosity and he drew away from Mike to raise up onto the stage. He kept some distance from Music Man as he approached the curtain, though said spider still looked towards him like he was considering making a grab for him.

"Don't you even think about it, Music Man. You try anything with him and I _will_ taze you," Mike lightly threatened with a weary tone. He still patted where his taser was, or where it was supposed to be. "With the taser I left in the car," he muttered under his breath before running a hand over his face. This was not how this night was supposed to go.

Meanwhile, Marionette approached the curtain. The speaker inside shuffled back. "No, wait, you shouldn't come much closer. It's very late…" He almost sounded fearful.

As the puppet peered in he was surprised by what he saw, giving a soft clink of surprise. "So, you were alive! This whole time?" he asked with a tilt of his head. Though right then he received another call.

"Mari, we've got to go. Now," Mike suddenly warned. He was already starting to back towards the aisle but not ready to run for the door when Music Man was still watching his companion like a hawk. He kept looking between the spider and his watch. "We're out of time."

Marionette was torn now that he had seen what was hiding behind the curtain. The speaker was insistent however, "Go on. It's fine. You need to get him out of here."

The warning caught the puppet off guard. He internally checked the time and seeing how close they were to midnight took it much more seriously. He turned immediately, brushed past Music Man quickly, and hurried after Mike. The security guard was still waiting for him, so the puppet waved for him to go. Which he did and tried to make it to the door before they ran out of time.

Halfway to the door the lights suddenly dimmed and there was a noticeable powering down noise. It had just turned midnight.

Marionette instantly felt a touch of dread. Mike did not, instead tossing his arms in the air and slowly turning around in defeat. "Well, that's it. Choice made for us," he announced as he already started heading back towards the makeshift office. He called past the puppet towards Music Man still on the stage. "Looks like you got your wish, Music Man! We're spending the night!"

"Mike, I'm sorry. I wasn't even paying attention to the time," Marionette apologized guiltily, anxiously. "Maybe there's still a way for me to get the door open without triggering the alarm."

"It's worth a shot. Considering what's going on in there, I don't think us being here's going to fix Hickory's problems," the security guard suggested as he gestured towards the stage. Noticing the other's guilty look he was about to assure him- after all, he could've been paying closer attention to the clock too- but he soon noticed something. He did a double take back towards the stage and noticed something odd. "Hey," he said quietly. "Something's up with Music Man."

The puppet spun around to face the stage and could see for himself that Mike was right. Music Man was standing prone on the stage with his eyes now flickering and his arms lightly twitching. His fingers began to slowly unwrap from around the handle of his cymbals until they clattered to the stage. His fingers flexed and his wrists twisted as he regained feeling in his hands. Then he stiffly turned his head and stopped to stare in their direction. He was completely silent.

"I don't like that look he's giving us," Mike muttered. He looked over towards Marionette only to see that his expression had also changed. He was staring back at the spider with a stoic and smile-less face. Mike didn't like that look either, or what it could mean. A rustling at the curtains caught his attention and he looked back in time to see a hand drawing the curtain open.

Orville the Elephant was the last person he expected to see standing there. He was moving just as robotically as Music Man had been moving as he stepped out and stared at the two. It was clear that his now shrunken pupils were focused on the only human in the arcade. Then he spoke again, but his once warm if fearful voice was now lower and labored.

"It's… _Him_."

* * *

 **Mable: They're going to have fun with this one.**


	87. Chapter 87

**Mable: Here we are! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-Seven_

Mike and Marionette looked on in shock as the two animatronics on the stage went from friendly to feral in a heartbeat. Their eyes were focused in on their newfound prey and their personalities were lost within their own programming. Music Man was the first to move. He teetered sideways and dropped off the stage, somehow still landing on his feet even with how clumsy he looked. He then started to shudder in place.

"That's what he meant…" Marionette quietly gasped. Suddenly he realized why Orville had been so insistent that they left and so reluctant to come out. He knew that midnight's arrival would trigger this change. The puppet quickly got in front of Mike to shield him. "Keep behind me. They're not going to be able to stop themselves."

At least they didn't look very threatening. Or that was what both thought before what followed. Music Man gave a full body shutter before suddenly his chest opened down the middle- save the speaker that stayed attached to one side- and swung open wide to reveal endoskeleton, folded metal parts, and an unnaturally hollow space underneath. The folded metal unfurled to reveal two sizable hook-like claws that poised forward like the pincers of an insect. Then he darted towards them.

"Let's get out of here!" Mike yelled as he grabbed Marionette's arm and turned to run for the front door. This turned to be a good choice as Music Man's legs were just wide enough that he had to slow down to follow them between the machines. They were back at the front door in seconds and Mike was staring at the keypad blankly. He couldn't even remember the numbers, let alone get them typed in. He froze up.

Music Man started to barrel down on them again once he got past the longest shelf. Marionette turned on him aggressively and began to play his 'Pop Goes the Weasel' in a warning. It must've stirred something as for a second the spider slowed but then he continued rushing in.

"Backdoor!" Mike called. He grabbed Marionette to drag him away again. This time having to struggle with him for a moment before he willingly came along. As though he wanted to fight Music Man regardless of what they agreed on earlier. Not that any of those agreements mattered now that they were in this situation. He ran along the outer wall and straight to the backdoor, still where he remembered it.

The door was not the same one he remembered though. It was a new, reinforced looking one and lacked a keypad. Even though it was clearly an emergency door it wouldn't open either.

"Can you get this open?!" Mike asked. He made sure to be loud enough to snap the puppet out of his defensive trance. It worked and in a second the animatronic was at the door trying to get it unlocked. He laid one hand on the handle and another on the door and tried to focus. He could feel the mechanisms in the door fighting his prodding and that with his frayed focus was a sure sign of impending failure.

Mike tried to keep watch with his back to Marionette's and his eyes shifting quickly, but he didn't have much of an advantage. He didn't have any form of a weapon, he knew for a fact he couldn't take Music Man on with bear hands, and he still didn't know where Orville went or if he had come down from the stage at all. He could hear Music Man's frantic footsteps as it searched for where they had gone.

"I can't get it," Marionette admitted frantically. "Every time I start opening the lock it snaps back into place. I just can't get it to stay." He continued trying while his companion tried to think of a plan.

"Okay, okay, we're just… We're going to have to just bite the bullet and go out through the front. Alarm or not, it's-." He was cut off when Music Man suddenly appeared in his line of vision, down at the far corner of the arcade. He hadn't seen them yet so while he was still stiffly turning, Mike grabbed Marionette and pulled him back from the door and down the path beside the office. "Front door. Now. Only way."

Marionette got the picture and followed along behind him. Mike was ahead and just at the edge of the office when the puppet noticed something and cried out, "Get back!"

The man didn't even have a chance before Orville suddenly lunged around the corner and grabbed him by the shoulders. He shook him like a ragdoll before slamming his back into the outer wall of the office. Orange fingers dug into his shoulders so tightly that it felt like they would shatter his collarbone.

" _ **I know what you did to them…**_ " Orville choked in that broken, booming voice. " _ **Children… Children!**_ "

"That wasn't me! Get off!" Mike yelled, well-aware that the words were falling on deaf ears. It was no good; all of Orville's rationality had been swallowed by his programming. It was no better than trying to talk down a wild animal.

Though in this case he had someone on his side. Marionette sprang into action and onto the elephant. He swung around to his back and tangled his strings around his head before pulling back like he was trying to physically rein him in. Orville stumbled back over his round, clumsy feet. Mike noticed this lack of balance instantly and was quick to take advantage. He twisted out of his arms, hooked his leg behind Orville's, grabbed for his neck, and shoved him back.

Between him and Marionette they knocked Orville off his feet and onto his back, with the puppet barely skirting out before being landed on. Right when it seemed like they had it under control, Mike heard a creaking of metal rushing up behind him, Marionette's music having muffled the sound of another threat coming up behind him. He turned around just in time to see a claw launching at him and the only way to dodge was to throw himself onto his back beside the downed elephant.

" _ **Your screams will be music to my ears!"**_ Music Man chirped as he stood above Mike. His other claw reared back in preparation to strike. _**"NOW HOLD STILL!"**_

As soon as the claw struck forward, Mike lifted his leg and smashed his foot into it. The thin arm holding the claw- barely bigger in circumference than a microphone stand- was hollow save wiring and broke sideways under the blow. Music Man cried out in more anger than pain and struck out with the other one, hitting the floor as the Mike rolled to the side until being stopped by an arcade machine. He reached up and grabbed Marionette's waiting hands and was yanked forward out of the way before Music Man could descend on him.

The puppet helped pull the human to his feet and led back to the front door. They only had a small window as Music Man tried to get around Orville and would have to use this time wisely. Mike found himself back in front of the keypad again.

" _Forget the police! We'll be halfway to Hurricane before they even get here!"_ he decided. He hesitated as he tried to remember the passcode, which was now jumbled in his head. "What was the code again?"

"Five. Three. One. Eight. Two," Marionette slowly recited. He sounded so stiff and stared down behind them like he was prepared to pounce. Maybe his programming too was going haywire.

That would have to wait. Music Man was already on his way, so Mike typed in the numbers. The keypad clicked like it registered and a little red light began to flash, probably signaling that the alarm had been tripped. But when he tried to open the door it still felt locked tight.

"…What?" Mike tried to shove it again to no avail. "Why isn't it working?! That was the right code! That should've unlocked it!" As he struggled with it, a look of increasing dread fell over Marionette's mask.

"She said that after midnight touching the keypad would trigger the silent alarm…" Marionette said. "…But did she say the code would still unlock the door after midnight?"

There was a short pause before Mike swore under his breath. He turned back to his companion. "Alright, new plan-," he began only to be cut off by the sudden appearance of Music Man circling the corner.

" _ **I will tear out your vocal cords and strum them until I hear you scream a song of suffering!"**_ Music Man called before barreling down towards them. He laughed with psychotic joy so loudly that it nearly shook the arcade machines. The imagery alone was enough to shake Mike or cause him to cringe and grab his neck. That was a fate he would rather avoid.

"New plan: back room," Mike clarified as he turned to run.

Without a word, Marionette suddenly decided to ignore this suggestion and launched himself at Music Man. He hit the spider animatronic with his full weight and knocked him back against one of the cabinets, the screen cracking underneath its head. Music Man recovered quickly and began to struggle as the puppet climbed over him, clawed at him and twisted his strings inside. All while Mike watched on.

"Mari, what are you doing?!" he yelled after him. It didn't look like Marionette was listening, or maybe he couldn't hear him over his raging music and Music Man's clattering cymbal cries. "It's not worth it!"

A dragging noise caught his attention and Mike looked over to see Orville crawling towards him. It looked like the elephant hadn't yet figured out how to get back on its feet or realized that by laying on the ground he couldn't get knocked down again. Either way he was coming up at the worst possible time.

"Come on…" Mike looked around quickly before noticing a propped-up push broom near the door. He snatched it up, quickly unscrewing the handle from the head, and pointed the makeshift weapon at the approaching elephant. "That's close enough, Orville, unless you want me taking out an eye!" The elephant kept coming and Mike aimed the metal tip to jab right into his face.

Meanwhile, even in his delirious and program-controlled state, Music Man ran out of patience with Marionette. _**"Tone-deaf pest!"**_ he snapped. His good claw lashed out and caught Marionette's waist before beginning to tug him into his chest cavity. _**"I'll put you back in your box!"**_

The claw was just as weak as the other one had been but as Marionette tried to pull free the spider's arms grabbed and started to push him inside. As unthreatening as Music Man looked, his strength was impressive. Marionette pressed against the edge of the chest cavity with his hands and into the cavity with his legs to no avail as he was becoming overpowered.

All at once he realized that he was going to be shoved inside the cavity and sealed inside. The horror that struck him was unlike any he had felt in ages and his music became wails of panic.

"Mike! Mike, _help me!_ "

Mike looked over and instantly knew what was happening. That spike of fear hit him too as he saw the puppet being dragged inside. He ignored Orville and ran over to help Marionette who was still calling for him. Mike drove the broom handle into Music Man's chest cavity and angled it down to pin one of the arms enough that it lost its grip. He then wrapped his arms tightly around Marionette's chest and pulled him back.

Even with one hand, Music Man's grip was impossibly tight. It was only when Mike shifted the pole and must've bumped something painful inside of the spider that the grip released his prey and grabbed at the weapon jutting into his chest. In this moment Mike was able to pull Marionette free and made a run for it. He kept an arm securely around the puppet to make sure he wouldn't even consider fighting back again.

Orville had crawled out in front of the door and was still turning himself to get around the corner of an aisle. Seeing no other option, Mike just sprinted faster and nearly leapt over the elephant before he kept going down the aisle beyond him. The only option seemed to be getting into the back where the kitchen used to be, but he didn't recall if the doors had locks and unless they put in a third exit it was a dead end. He realized just seconds before running through the doors that it wasn't going to work.

Mike tried to formulate another idea. The animatronics were too aggressive and unpredictable to fend them off in the office, the bathroom also didn't have a lock and the flimsy stall latches were doomed to fail and trying to get Marionette to unlock the back door again wasn't a choice. They just needed somewhere to stop, hide, and plan.

His eyes fell on the ball pit; not good enough. Then they raised to the slide connecting between it and the climbing tunnels; that might work.

"Change of plans," Mike announced abruptly as he took a sharp turn and hopped down into the ball pit. He waded through waist-deep plastic balls and climbed up into the slide. It was a tight and awkward, sure to be uncomfortable, but he knew the animatronics wouldn't be able to climb inside. He pressed his back to the top of the tunnel and climbed upwards, shoes squeaking on the bottom.

Suddenly something crashed into the ball pit behind them. From the rapid footsteps and the fact that it wasn't crawling it was obviously Music Man, and he started to approach the slide. Marionette looked back at him and unlike before had no desire to throw himself at him, especially when his chest cavity was still gaping open and currently collecting a mass of plastic balls as he trudged forwards.

Marionette helped Mike the rest of the way up the twisting slide. By time they were at the top they could hear Music Man scraping and banging against the plastic like he was going to rip it apart. Marionette peered out of a small, round window and could see that the animatronic was trying to follow them into the tunnels, but he couldn't fit himself in.

"I think we're safe for now," Marionette whispered as he drew back. "I still can't see Orville, but I think he'll have trouble getting in here with the ears and trunk."

"That's what I was thinking. I remember Jeremy saying he hid in here that time he got stuck here with Foxy and I thought if it could buy him time it could do the same for us," Mike remarked, pointing a thumb down the slide as he tried to get into a comfortable position. "But we've got to think of something quick because we're going to suffocate in here, if I don't cut off circulation to one of my legs first."

The plastic was hard and cold, the air was stuffy and stale, and he could still feel the dull vibrations of Music Man's tantrum at the bottom of the slide. The animatronic yelling, _**"You can't stay up there forever!"**_ Then continuing to make the banging cymbal noises without the cymbals, showing just how worked up he was. By now Mike was unphased by it.

"I think we're safe," Mike whispered. He looked at Marionette questioningly. "What the hell was with you and Music Man? You just launched yourself at him. It was like you couldn't even control yourself."

"That was stupid, wasn't it?" Marionette admitted with a tiny smile. It dropped into a guilty and embarrassed look, maybe even one of fear. "I don't know, I just… Something about Music Man brings the worst out of me. He becomes so fixated on people and how he talks about them… He reminds me of my father," he quietly admitted.

Mike face softened in realization and watched as the puppet moved to sit alongside him. He hugged his knees close to himself and wrapped his arms around them like folding into a box; a squeeze of self-comfort.

"I didn't even think twice about the storage tank…" Marionette admitted. He shivered as he remembered the fear he felt being pulled inside. "That brought up so many bad memories." At this Mike put an arm around his shoulders for more comfort. It helped right away, even when Mike had a thought and asked an uneasy question.

"Do you think he was made to kidnap kids too? Seeing him up close he definitely looks like he was made by ARI, and now that we know he's got this storage tank and claws…" Mike trailed off for a second before hissing through his teeth. "Not a good combination in a place like this. Not with him being that strong already."

"I'm not sure. The inside of him wasn't like the inside of Lefty. It wasn't really a storage tank just empty space. Not to mention that they're hunting you and they obviously think you're the Purple Man. Chasing a child kidnapper while kidnapping children seems a little counterintuitive."

"Maybe he's killing off competition," Mike added. Marionette gave an amused chime.

"Now that does sound like the Purple Man…"

For a short while things fell silent as they rested, but then it was back to the more important topic: how they were going to make their escape. They began to go back and forth on the different ways out of the arcade. The front door was clearly not opening, the windows- in the few spots where there were windows that could open- were too high and small, and the kitchen could still be a dead end.

They decided that the best chance would be if Marionette went alone to try and unlock the backdoor. Without Mike, the aggressive animatronics would probably not notice him, let alone hunt him down so ruthlessly. He could work on the lock until he got the door open and then tell Mike, who would then have to make a mad dash across the arcade while the puppet played the distraction for Music Man and Orville. This seemed like a good plan and both were ready to attempt it.

Until Marionette suddenly perked up in alert. He stared at the window on the other side of the tube and listened closer, hearing whatever it was before his companion could. "Is that…" he began slowly. "Is that a police siren?" Blue eyes widened in shock right before he too heard the noise of an encroaching police cruiser.

"Christ, it's the cops! I thought Jen was bluffing!" Mike whispered frantically. He tried to look out one of the windows to see and eventually dull flashes of red and blue could be seen reflecting off floor tiles and arcade cabinets. "We are dead. We are so _screwed._ How do we get out of this one?!"

"Don't panic. That's the worst thing you can do right now, save handing yourself over," Marionette said firmly. He noticed movement across the arcade and saw Orville upright and stiffly walking towards the aisle behind the office towards the backdoor. It almost looked like he was trying to hide from the cops. "…Maybe they'll see that the door is still locked and won't come in?"

"That's not how this works. They're probably going to call the owner and get the code to get in, then they're going to look around until they find what set that alarm off, and only once they can prove this place is totally empty are they going to even think of leaving," Mike explained. As cynical as he usually was, he had no doubt that he wasn't exaggerating. "What do you think the chances are that they're going to just walk by these pipes? Because I think they're pretty low."

"We don't know that yet…" Marionette defended to try and keep the calm. They fell silent as they continued watching, with it taking almost ten minutes before they heard the front door open. "Here they come!"

" _Damn_! Get down!" Mike whispered as he laid on the bottom of the tunnel to try and avoid the windows. Marionette pressed to the corner by the slide where he couldn't be seen but could still peek through.

Two cops came in with the leading one carrying a flashlight and calling in, "Police Department, if there's anyone in here then come on out." He sounded too nonchalant, like he already didn't think it was a real burglary. Considering that the front door had still been shut it would've made enough sense to suspect maybe someone hid and stayed after hours. This didn't make their situation any better. This just meant there weren't any guns drawn.

They walked around the aisles and arcade machines at the front for a long while before coming further into the back of the arcade. They looked into the office, probably not even recognizing it as an office, and then headed in the direction of the stage.

"There's got to be a way out of this," Mike quietly muttered. He didn't want to panic but he could already feel his heart beginning to pound in his chest. A familiar tightness settled in his throat and he was becoming restless. "Maybe I could call Jen? If she'd even get over here in time." He caught himself when the flashlight shined over the tunnels and Marionette flinched back. "Are they coming this way?" Mike asked. The puppet nodded and they went still and silent.

The flashlight briefly shined over the tunnels again as they looked at the outside of the structure. They must've not thought it was suspicious enough to check as they continued to the door into the back, right beside the climbing tunnels. They called in before heading into the dining room and the abandoned kitchen. Mike dared to peek out and could see that the doors had closed behind them. In this precarious situation it was possible this was his only chance to escape.

"I'm going to try and make a run for the door," he announced. Marionette gave him a doubtful look. "This might be my only chance. They're not going to stay in the kitchen long and I can't see Orville or Music Man. I've got to go for it." He started to move back down the tunnel to the slide.

"Just be careful… If I need to, I can try to mislead the police, but I would rather not get too close," Marionette offered.

"We'll see. Hope it doesn't come to that," Mike said. He then took a deep breath and began to slowly lower down the slide. He tried to be as quiet as possible while creeping down the twists of the tight slide. He got to the last bend and began to move a little quicker, trying to think of a way to get around the ball pit quietly.

With a crash and no warning, Music Man burst out of the ball pit right in front of the slide. Mike instantly scrambled back as the animatronic tried to reach in after him. Its fingers barely brushed his shoe as he forced himself backwards up the slide. Striped arms suddenly hooked under his shoulders and helped drag him up into the tunnels. Music Man hadn't said a word and had still been excruciatingly loud, so Marionette wasn't surprised when he heard the cops running back out of the dining room.

A flashlight shined past the tunnel windows and Marionette quickly laid back, legs folded underneath him, flattening himself enough to dodge being seen. Mike was half in the slide and half out, with his back being clutched against the puppet's chest. They stared at the roof of the tunnels and could hear talking.

"It must have fallen in," one of the cops said. "But where did it come from? It wasn't on the stage."

"Could've been in that back corner," the second cop said. He shined his light into the far, dusty corner. Then he looked back down at the Music Man and noticed how it was poised; still as could be and staring blankly ahead at the slide. The cop's flashlight aimed at the slide and then up towards the tunnels. "You don't think there's a kid hiding in there, do you?"

The panic returned in full force. Mike started to sweat as he heard the dull ticking through Marionette's chest against the back of his head. This was it; they were going to be caught. Or he was.

The flashlights continued shining over the tunnels as the cops tried to look in. The first one spoke, "Guess one of us should go in and make sure." He shuffled over to the opening that led inside and yelled in, "If there's anyone in there, come on out."

Unlike the animatronics, the cop could definitely fit into these tunnels and Marionette realized he had to do something quickly. He had to go ahead with a distraction, hopefully one that would ward off the cops for good. Maybe if he could somehow convince them that one of the animatronics tripped the alarm. Except the door hadn't been broken or forced open, it had been the keypad's tampering that triggered the alarm. They would have to think one of them touched the keypad.

Then an idea suddenly struck Marionette and he knew what he needed to do. He squeezed Mike tighter and whispered telepathically, _"Don't move. Don't let them see you. I know what to do."_

Before the security guard could even respond, the puppet teleported away to inside the office. The cops had their backs turned towards him and thus didn't notice him. The one handed his flashlight to the other to hold for him as he began to awkwardly climb into the structure; time was short. Marionette circled the office and found Orville still in the corner by the backdoor with his head bowed like he had powered down.

As much as Marionette hated doing this, he didn't have a choice. He laid his hands-on Orville's shoulders, raised himself up until he was looming over him, and began trying to possess him. Controlling unhoused animatronics was extremely easy, like pulling on invisible strings and having the body respond with every pluck. Sentient animatronics were different, they fought it even when they weren't aware of it, and Orville was one of these cases. Even with his stillness, his midnight programming was still going strong and resisting the puppet's influence.

Unfortunately, this meant that Marionette was going to need a more physical connection. At least Orville didn't fight when the strings slithered into his body and forced a tighter hold on him. This time it worked, and Marionette was able to seize control. In the back of his mind he could hear the familiar whispers of the programming. It almost sounded like Golden Freddy's voice, except faint and foggy. It was probably him that implanted this animatronic to hunt at night, just like the others, but it must've been long ago.

There was no time to dwell on it. Marionette puppeteered Orville fully and guided him into making a mad dash towards the front door. This caught the attention of the cops, with one asking, "Did you hear that?"

All according to plan. The Puppet stopped Orville beside the keypad and tried to let out his strings as far as he felt comfortable in his hold, then looked for a hiding spot, but there was none. The footsteps were starting to approach and at the last second Marionette climbed onto a row of the cabinets and laid down on them. He turned himself away and went as limp as a forgotten toy. His dark fabric would somewhat obscure him, but he knew they would see him is they looked close enough, so he tried to resemble an abandoned prop.

He loosened his strings enough that they would lay on the floor and went completely still. He would be much too close to them. It was a risk that he would have to take for Mike. Right as the cops came around the corner, Marionette took control of Orville once again and raised his arm stiffly. Then he had the elephant tap the buttons on the keypad.

"Look at that! I've never seen anything like that before. It's pressing the buttons all by itself!" the second cop said in surprise and a little awe. That awe quickly faded. "They're going to have to do something about that… Ma'am, can you come over here for a second? Has this done this before?"

To Marionette's surprise there were footsteps as another person walked up. For a moment he thought it would be Jennifer, but it wasn't. It was a blonde woman of middle age who was dressed in a thick jacket and pajama bottoms, like she had just run out of the house. It occurred to him that she was probably in management and might've been out there as long as they had been. She stepped in and looked at Orville in shock.

"I- No! Oh my goodness!" the woman said in surprise. "We let them wander at night so their joints don't stiffen up, but we've never had them do anything like this!"

"Well, we didn't find anyone inside, and it doesn't look like anyone broke in from what we can see. All the doors and windows were still sealed. We did find something strange. The other one, the purple one, we caught it looking up into the slide that goes to that playground in the back corner. Is there any chance a kid could've crawled up in there?"

"No. No way," the woman insisted, much to Marionette's immediate relief. "We have a staff member go through and make sure its empty before we lock up for the night."

"Then I'm thinking that this is your problem," the cop said as he shined the light on Orville's poised arm. None of them noticed a single string reflecting in the light. "You're going to want to get a cover for this side or we're going to be called out here constantly, and we can't be driving out here on false calls." The woman nodded in agreement. "Now, can you do something about this tonight?"

"I can lock the keypad," she offered. The cops agreed and she reached in past Orville's poised hand to type in a new code. She seemed uncomfortable around the elephant and didn't look like she wanted to be near him. She pulled back quickly. "The morning shift will get him back on stage when they come in. I'm so sorry about this! This is just so bizarre!"

As strict as the cops had been, the three all shared a laugh as they made their way outside, still talking as the door was shut. The lock was reengaged from the keypad outside.

Marionette retracted his strings quickly but waited until the woman had driven off before he returned to the tunnels. The cops were still outside, but they looked to be writing something up in the car and were sure to leave soon. Seeing that his job was done, Marionette returned to the tunnels. He teleported in and instantly ran into Mike's back.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. Instead of drawing back he readjusted and hugged Mike from behind. "I took care of everything. They're leaving and they're none the wiser." Mike exhaled in sudden relief.

"You're a miracle worker, Mari," he said. All the tension drained out of his muscles as the immediate threat slipped away. "How'd you manage to pull that off? Did they see you?"

"No, they saw Orville. I just… Convinced them that Orville set off the alarm." Marionette glanced to the side as his blank smile hid his unease. "It had to be done."

"It saved our backends, that's for sure. I much rather play hide and seek with those two than have to explain to a couple of cops why I'm hiding in here. They'd think I'm some sort of child predator," Mike pointed out. He looked over his shoulder at the puppet and reached back to pat his arm. "I'm going to seriously owe you one after this."

"Actually, you owe Music Man one too," Marionette said. Mike clearly thought he was joking by the half-scoff he did. "No, really. One of the workers from Hickory's was right outside the door and would've seen you if you had gotten out that door and blown our cover. The day was saved by Music Man's complete disregard for the police!"

"…I don't know what's worse, the fact that I was really thinking that was going to work or the fact that now I'm in debt to Music Man too. Maybe I'll put in a good word for him with Jen and we'll be even." At that moment Mike remembered the woman and started to get out his cellphone. "Guess it's worth calling her and warning her about what happened. Maybe there's still a way to get out of here." He noticed the quietness from the puppet and looked back at him before redialing, seeing his distant look. "Everything okay?"

Marionette gave him a subdued smile of assurance. "You know I don't like to exert control when I don't have to. But my strings were tied." He turned his head enough to look out the small window at the arcade. He couldn't see any sign of Orville but wasn't looking too hard. He was sure Orville would understand; he at least sounded like the type who would.

Mike took his hand and squeezed it. "Nobody got hurt," he reminded. "Let's just focus on how we're going to get out of here." To which Marionette nodded in agreement.

For now, they were looking at a long night ahead of them.

* * *

 _Charlie couldn't help but feel uneasy sitting in the empty diner. It was the usual place where they met up to get lunch, or in this case a late supper, but nobody else had arrived yet. She glossed over the menu before looking back up towards the counter. There had been someone there cleaning up when she first came in, but now they were gone. She almost wondered if the place had closed. At least the lights had been left on and they gave a warm glow that made the room less lonely._

 _It was then that she noticed a dull sound in the distance and looked out of the window beside her. There was a car driving through the darkened parking lot that slowed to a stop. Almost like it knew she could see it. It was hard to make out the details of the car and she wondered if it was one of her friends' or maybe Mike's. The lights of the diner flickered with a staticky sound and she looked up to them, then back to the car. She slowly stood from the booth and headed towards the diner door._

 _The moment she stepped outside, the car began to slowly drive further across the parking lot. She watched as its headlights illuminated the darkness immediately ahead of it, passing over a fence and tree line, and then stopping on the entrance to a dirt road. Charlie began to lightly jog after the car and watched as it entered the dirt road and disappeared, causing her to slow to a stop._

 _There was something about the road. She didn't know what it was, but she had a feeling that she needed to follow it. One last look at the diner showed that the lights had fully gone out. In the faint darkness she could see something moving inside. Charlie decided she didn't want to stick around and see what it was. Instead, she continued to head towards the road, and stepped onto it._

 _It was nearly pitch dark save the area directly around her. Trees lined the path tightly and opened above to a starless sky. The road itself was in poor condition. Barely a road at all and more of a path that had been created from a few cars driving by. Her friends wouldn't have come down here, but something about that car felt important. Like she was supposed to follow it, and like something waited down this road._

 _Charlie slowly began to walk down the path after the car. She could no longer see its lights but knew it must've come this way. Something must be down here if someone would drive here this frequently._

 _There was a dull crunching behind her, like footsteps, but when she turned back there was nobody there. Just a road leading into darkness. She began to quicken her pace. Someone was waiting for her at the end of the road and they would tell her what was going on._

 _Another noise interrupted her. This time not footsteps but something much more unexpected; a squeak. Like the squeak of a toy that just randomly came from the path behind her. She looked back and strained to see through the darkness. This time she waited for a few moments and then called, "Is anyone there?"_

 _That was when she saw it. It started as a shadow then slowly came more into the dull glow surrounding her vicinity. It staggered and swayed almost drunkenly, struggling with its heavy body as it followed her, each leg trembling and body shuddering violently as it moved. It was Freddy Fazbear, with his head was cocked painfully to the side as he stared at her with darkened eyes._

" _Freddy…?" Charlie started to back away as she realized this was familiar. "Didn't I see him before outside the diner? That dream where Baby was a cartoon?" It was as though she always knew this was a dream and yet still found herself afraid of the bear like it wasn't. "I've got to wake myself up…!"_

 _She turned around and began to sprint down the road. Thankfully she had the speed of a puppet, running faster than she ever had as a human, but the road seemed to go on endlessly. Almost like the scenery was cycling around her without her going anywhere and looking back over her shoulder she could see that the bear was steadily getting closer._

 _Right then she looked ahead and saw what looked like the end of the road. It was hard to distinguish it- it looked more like a dull light than anything else- and a gust of pleasant warmth that coaxed her in. She was almost there, so close to safety, and she could hear a guttural groan from right behind._

 _Charlie looked back to see Freddy right on top of her. He reached out and grabbed her._

The shock of it startled the Security Puppet awake. She gave a small squeak of her own, a confused chirp, and her eyes darted around the dark bedroom. It was all just a nightmare and she almost felt relieved, but something still felt strange. She couldn't explain it but she could tell something was still wrong, so she turned over to turn on her lamp.

Jeremy was standing over her.

With another short ring of alarm, Charlie jumped back against her pillows and stared up at the man. He just stood there with his head slightly turned down and his eyes half closed and glazed over. He didn't react when she jumped and didn't even look at her when she moved higher on the bed. Almost like he was completely in a trance. She tilted her head slowly in growing confusion.

" _Is he sleepwalking?"_ That was odd. Though she didn't know him well enough to know if this was something that happened occasionally or not. She wasn't sure how to approach this and started to gently rouse him. "Jeremy?" Charlie quietly spoke. He didn't respond and she repeated a little louder, "Jeremy?"

Suddenly the man flinched dramatically and began to blink his eyes like he hadn't done so in ages. It took him only a few seconds to realize he was standing in the dark. "…Where am I? What's happening?"

"It's okay, Jeremy. You're in my bedroom," Charlie assured him. " _…For some reason."_ She didn't say that part out loud since he was already looking like he was about to panic. He began to rub his eyes with the heels of his palms and she reached over to turn the lamp on. "It kind of looked like you were sleepwalking. I've never seen anyone do it in person but that's what I guess it would've looked like."

"Sleepwalking…? I don't- I've never sleepwalked before. Why would I…?" Jeremy's voice was hoarse and he groaned as he continued rubbing his eyes. "My eyes are killing me."

"It didn't look like you were blinking."

"Ugh, my eyes are already bad enough. What was I even-?" Jeremy dropped his hands and looked to Charlie. He clammed up instantly and his eyes popped open like he had seen a ghost. He silently gawked at her.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked.

"I… I uh, yeah. Just… I'm fine!" Jeremy forced his own assuring tone and closed his eyes tightly. "Just tired. Just should… Get back in bed… Sorry for coming in. If I do it again- I hope I don't do it again, but if I do just… Maybe just wake me up and push me back out." He turned around and headed towards the door. It wasn't until he reached the wall and started feeling over it that Charlie realized he still had his eyes closed.

Maybe he was delusional from a fever. That thought got Charlie out of bed. "Here, let me help you back to your room."

"You don't have to do that…" Jeremy quietly declined.

"It'll only take a few seconds. Just keep resting your eyes and I'll make sure you don't bump into anything," she insisted. He was still stumbling on his words when she took his arm and started to lead him out the door and into the hallway, eventually going along with it once they were out there. She led him back to Foxy's room where the door was left open. None of the small animatronics were there so she guessed they were still fast asleep in Marionette's room. "Here we are. You need some water or medicine or anything?"

"N-No thanks. I'm just going to try and lay back down. Maybe get some sleep before morning." Jeremy swallowed thickly as he almost staggered to the bed. He slowly climbed under the covers and pulled them up over his head. "Sorry about all of this! I'll try to, uh, sleep… And not get up, I mean. If it happens again then just wake me back up, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan. Good night," Charlie said before shutting the door. She stood outside the door for a few seconds before returning to her bedroom.

That had been strange and slightly unsettling. Though it might've been so unsettling because it had happened right after that nightmare. That bear was still haunting her dreams and then to turn over and see Jeremy standing over her was just too much. She wondered how long he had been watching her sleep. Then again, he technically hadn't been watching her if he was sleepwalking. A weird chill rushed over her back as she stepped into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Moppet was back on the bed. She had been there when Charlie went to sleep but had vanished with Jeremy in there. Probably having wandered into the closet or somewhere if she wasn't as familiar with him. Charlie sat down on the bed cross-legged and pulled the cat into her lap. She pet over her back, then her belly when the cat rolled over and offered it.

Charlie tried to convince herself that it all felt so weird because Mike and Marionette weren't here. Because she wasn't used to being alone with Jeremy, who was still very sick. That the nightmare crept up on her because she was vulnerable. The only problem was that something didn't feel right this time. Then she realized exactly what it was.

The bear was getting closer.

* * *

 **Mable: I think something's wrong.**


	88. Chapter 88

**Mable: Here we are! Quick news: firstly, I finished with chapter ten of my novel A Fool's Golden Cage. Huzzah, progress! Secondly, I wrote and uploaded a second FNAF story called "Running On Empty". It's about Michael and Eggs Benedict working together to stop a crazed Funtime Freddy; the usual. You might want to check it out if interested. It's only one chapter so it wouldn't take much time, but no pressure! Anyways, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-Eight_

A loud knocking roused both Mike and Marionette out of a dead sleep. In the night they had moved to a room inside of the tunnel system- mostly to get some quiet from Music Man's continued thumping and clawing at the bottom of the slide- where the floor was spongey, and it was less uncomfortable to sleep. It was still a nightmare trying to sleep in there. The two clinging to each other and using Mike's jacket as a blanket, Mike barely sleeping and Marionette staying awake to make sure nothing came in, losing track of how many seconds ticked by.

The knocking became more insistent and Marionette sat up and tried to look out of the window. Unfortunately, their room was tucked behind more of the tunnels, meaning that he didn't have nearly as good of a view. If he wanted to see what was knocking, he would have to find a better angle. Except before he could a voice called out.

"Hello? Are you still in there? It's after six, you can come out now!"

To Marionette's surprise it was Orville calling to them. Mike was just shocked at the time and double-checked his watch to see that it was in fact six already. Hopefully that meant Jennifer would show up soon; out of the three or four voicemails he left her one must've gotten through. It wasn't like he could get out on his own with the keypad locked.

"I know you're scared, but you're safe now. We're back to thinking straight again. We won't hurt you."

Marionette didn't entirely trust him at first. A quick check of his internal clock did confirm that it was after six though, so it seemed like it was worth a shot. He looked to Mike uncertainly, "Shall we?"

"I don't see much point waiting in here," Mike offered. "Jen should get here soon and if she's not all bets are off and we'll make our own way out."

"Maybe we're not that desperate yet," Marionette playfully trilled, patting his cheek. "I'll go first to make sure they're as together as they say they are. Stay close, if I get into trouble I may need you."

"You say that like it's a joke but after what he put us through last night, I'm looking for any reason to deck Music Man. Two hours of nonstop cymbals for crying out loud…" Mike was exhausted and fed up. So much so that laying back down on the mat and sleeping until Jennifer got there didn't sound like too bad of an idea right now. Still he forced himself to crawl behind Marionette to the entrance to the tunnels.

Orville was waiting for them outside and shirked back when Marionette came out of the tunnel. At first the puppet thought that this was because he was afraid of him until the elephant hung his head and spoke.

"I must apologize. Last night… That was not my finest hour," Orville admitted sheepishly. "You see, you saw, we cannot control this. _I_ cannot control this. Ever since I was first turned on, I have had this nightly curse, my Hyde if you would, who controls my body and leads me to hunt. There was a time when I was able to manually shut myself down and sleep through it… But things have changed. It is quite a shame…" He laid a hand on his shaking head. "And now I've dragged the Music Man into it too…"

"I don't know what he's been telling you, but he was just as into it as you were," Mike spoke up as he climbed out behind Marionette. Orville seemed to cringe at the comment as he peeked at the man from between his fingers. Mike corrected himself, "By which I mean he lost it just as much as you did. It's not just you."

"But it was just me when I first got here. Did I somehow spread it to him…?" Orville trailed off as he slowly lowered his hand to stare at Mike. "Wait a moment… You…?"

" _Here we go again_ ," Mike thought, trying to ignore the slowly rising dread in his chest. He couldn't take another round fueled by a case of mistaken identity. But thankfully, Orville didn't proclaim him as the murderer again and throw himself on him. That wasn't how he recognized him.

"You're the one who saved those children from the basement! I knew I recognized your voice from somewhere. It is quite an honor!" It didn't take long to realize he was talking about Magictime Theater.

"Anyone would've done it… Wait a second. So, you're saying…" Mike hesitated to look at Marionette in confusion, then back to the elephant in disbelief. "You were alive back then? So, wait. That means you saw me down in the basement while that was going on? While your head was taken clean off?"

"I heard you, yes. I was quite awake for most of it," Orville chirped. "They didn't shut me down properly."

"That sounds traumatizing," Mike admitted with a slight grimace. Marionette too looked uneased at this reveal.

Orville gave a good-natured chuckle. "I was just happy to be a part of the effort! Hearing those poor children and not being able to do anything was simply awful…" The elephant fell quiet for a long moment before regaining his cheerful tone, his ears perking and giving away his mood. "But I suppose that's not important anymore. What is important is that last night-."

" _HEY!_ " A voice brazenly interrupted from the stage. The closed curtains were suddenly yanked apart to reveal the Music Man, now holding his cymbals and trembling in frustration. "I would like to know which of you thought it cheeky to jam a piece of wood in me! Why, I haven't been so insulted since my last employers muted my speaker!" There was a clanking noise inside of his chest. "And you broke my accordion hand!"

Mike rubbed the back of his neck, knowing he had been the cause of both. He didn't regret defending himself but the intention hadn't been to leave behind damage.

"Yeah, that was me…" Mike exhaled slowly and rested his hands on his hips. "Tell you what, how about I take a look and see what I can do to fix it now that you're back in your right mind? I'm no technician but I've worked on a few animatronics. I could probably figure out how to get it back in working order," he offered. He started to walk towards the stage. "I might be able to just snap it back into place."

But Music Man reacted quickly. He flinched back and pulled the curtains further closed until only a single eye peeked out. "Hey! No! Stay back! You might not be purple but you're still a maniac!" Music Man snapped and yanked the curtains closed the rest of the way. Shutting the man out and refusing his help. Mike wasn't shocked but something about being compared to the Purple Man still hit a nerve. It always did.

He turned back to see Orville shaking his head and looking like he was about to say something, but before he could there came a beeping noise from the front of the store. The sound of the keypad booting up.

Orville dropped everything, including his magician's wand, and strode to the stage stairs at the side and disappeared behind the curtains. Marionette followed behind and handed him his wand underneath the curtain. Right as the elephant grabbed it, before the puppet could draw back, Music Man cracked open the curtains.

"Do a cripple a favor and don't tell my sweetheart this happened. I wouldn't want her to think her soft-hearted Music Man was a basket case," he requested. Marionette gave him a flat stare as though questioning if he was serious. "Then will you at least tell her why I did it?! It's not like I had a choice" He did have a point there, so Marionette nodded. "Splendid! Have a safe trip, but chime-voiced mime!" he closed the curtains again right as the front door creaked open.

"Matt, are you in here?" Jennifer called. Marionette made a last-minute decision and slid under the curtain. Mike wasn't concerned about him hiding and instead got his own act together.

"Back here. About time you showed up," he said nonchalantly as he walked over to greet Jennifer. She was back in uniform again and he was too tired to think of a clever comment to make. At least she looked happy.

"I'm just glad to see you in one piece. I had a feeling you were going to stay so I wasn't too shocked when you didn't call, but when I wake up to an answering machine full of messages- I've got to admit. I kind of thought I'd find you as banged up as Hickory was." She looked around the arcade and couldn't see any immediate damage or animatronics out of place. "So, how did it go?"

"I take it from you asking me that that you didn't listen to all of the messages or you'd know the cops swung by last night," Mike remarked. Her smile dropped instantly and her eyes widened. "Relax, they didn't see me. I mean, obviously if I'm standing here, they didn't see me. There was a woman here too, I think she was a manager or something. Anyway, they saw Orville fooling around with the keypad and left it at that."

"Orville's been messing with the keypad?" Jennifer asked in disbelief.

"No, but it got them off my back. It's a long story, don't worry about it." He could tell she was very worried. "So, let's get through the bad news first. You can't get a nightguard in here because those animatronics from the auction have that nighttime programming where they wander and they will attack someone if they're alone. It's not something I can fix either. The only thing you can do- or the employees can do- is just let them wander at night. Just move the other animatronics into the back and cover the garbage cans."

"I was afraid this was going to happen… I knew something had to be wrong when they bought them from some random auction. They weren't even cheap! But I knew something must've happened because they both came out of failed pizzerias, or party stores, or whatever they were." She huffed in irritation. "But now we know… What's the good news?"

"I'm not dead."

"You said there was _good_ news."

"And you said you didn't work here," Mike challenged with a slight smirk. Jennifer didn't have a retort. "In all seriousness, this is something Hickory's can deal with pretty easily. All that's got to happen is keeping workers out of here between midnight and six and not leaving anything out that they don't want to get knocked over. It's that simple," Mike laid out to her.

"But what if someone gets hurt? You're saying they tried to attack you?" Jennifer asked worriedly. Mike nodded and she pointed at him. "See, that's what I'm worried about. Do you know how many kids come here?"

"They're not going to attack kids," Mike reassured quietly. "They're not going to attack anyone outside of those hours and they're not going to attack groups of people. You just need to make sure nobody comes in here then. Other than that, they're completely safe… Unless one falls over on someone. You're on your own preventing that one."

"Okay… Okay, I think that's doable. Any business should be able to do that much," Jennifer said uncertainly. More like she was trying to convince herself than simply repeating it to remember it.

Mike's face softened in sympathy. "I know you're thinking it's like it was before but trust me when I say it's not. This is something that can be managed as long as the staff is told what they need to do and management is willing to keep an eye on it," he assured her.

It was strange how much this felt like doing business. With a competitor, no less, but it felt like the right thing to do. He was keeping people safe, he was keeping the animatronics safe, and averting a disaster that could spread to Foxy's. Maybe Old Man Consequences had a point.

"Guess we're going to take off soon. I don't remember when this place opens but I'm guessing sooner than later to cover up that keypad," Mike said as he checked his watch.

"They're usually in here at seven… We're?" She caught onto his slip up just as he did. "How many people have you got in here?"

"Just me and my buddy Orville. Sorry, force of habit. This is what happens when you spend most of your workday with robots, you start treating them like people," Mike excused without looking up from his watch. "It's when they start talking back that you start questioning your life's choices."

"…I know you're joking, but you really do have a knack for this," Jennifer pointed out.

"That's me: Matt Schmidt the Animatronic Whisperer," Mike said wearily with a small salute. "Now, let's get out of here before someone else show's up."

"By 'let's', you just mean you and me, right?"

"Funny." Mike followed her back towards the front door. Behind the curtain, Marionette had been listening to the whole exchange and knew that his time was limited. He looked up at Orville whom he was kneeling in front of, the elephant looking down at him almost curiously. Like he was genuinely concerned that the puppet was about to be abandoned here.

"Orville, I'm so sorry," Marionette apologized honestly. His face twisted in guilt as he confessed. "About last night. Do you remember?"

"About something you did?" Orville tilted his head curiously. "No, I don't remember anything at all." Right before the puppet was about to confess-, "And I don't want to know."

Marionette continued to stare with questioning and that same remorse. He clearly didn't understand, and Orville leaned down towards him and lowered his voice to a gentle tone.

"I think we can agree that neither of us had much of a choice in what happened last night… And for that I would rather not know and then maybe I will never have to remember. Let's just call it even," the elephant offered. The puppet wasn't sure what to think of the offer but agreed with a nod. He understood exactly what Orville was going through, he had heard it when he took control of him, and it pained him to think of such a kindly soul forced into such a role. "Now run along. I'm afraid your friend might be leaving without you."

With another nod, Marionette went to slip underneath the curtain again. He paused to send back one last look at Orville and Music Man who watched him silently. Without their voices, boisterous or joyous, the was something much more melancholy lingering in their gaze. It was only then that he realized, regardless of everything that happened, he didn't want to leave them. He had no choice.

Marionette slipped under the curtain and headed to the front door where he looked out. Mike was in the driver's seat and Jennifer was talking to him through the window, so the puppet waited for his chance.

"Thanks again for all of this. I know it went… At least you got good intel. If you left at eleven then we would still not know what to do with those two," Jennifer thanked him graciously. "Someone would've gotten stuck watching the place and ended up locked in the bathroom all night." He raised a brow at her and got a slow spreading smirk. She didn't give him a chance to make the comment he was dying to make. "Alright, it would've been me! They hired me back!" she blurted out in exasperation. "They were desperate, I was desperate. They offered me double, I caved."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm Matt Schmidt, the Animatronic Whisperer, the genius who keeps taking the nightshift just so I can get chased around by colorful robots," Mike remarked with a wink. Still exhausted he decided to spare her and draw the conversation to a close. "Take care of yourself. A place like this is always going to come with risks."

"You too, Matt," Jennifer said with a smile. She started to walk to the arcade, probably to relock the door, when she hesitated. "Wait, when you said- You said your name was Ma-? Matt, Matt _S_ _chmidt?_ " Mike wasn't tired enough to ignore that emphasis. She recognized that last name and the wheels were starting to turn. "Did you say Matt _Schmidt?_ "

To which Mike called, "Catch you on the flip side!" and hit the gas. He nearly peeled out of the parking lot and onto the highway. "I hope you're back there, because I'm not going back to get you if you're not."

"I'm here," Marionette chimed with amusement. He drew back the blanket and looked out at him. "But good to know you would throw me to the wolves, or whatever animals are lurking about."

"Think of it less like I'm abandoning you and more like I'm gifting you," Mike retorted. He relaxed back in his seat. "Not that I'm really worried about her saying anything. It's not like she can rat me out without incriminating herself… But yeah, way too close this time." He ran a hand through his hair. _"Like every time."_

"Where are we going?" Marionette asked in confusion. He peeked out the window carefully.

"Back to Hurricane. I know we have the room until noon, but we're already awake. Why waste the gas when we can get home in only a few hours?"

"Because I thought you still had the room key," Marionette reminded. There was a short pause, then a sigh.

"…Damn." Mike steered into the turning lane to turn the car around. "I've got to wake up and get my act together. What's next, me getting pulled over by one of the cops from last night?"

"Maybe you shouldn't drive when you're this tired. We can stay at the hotel and rest a while. We don't have to hurry home…" Marionette trailed off. Mike noticed and looked into the mirror.

"Kind of sounds like you don't want to go home," he pointed out. To which the puppet gave off-tune noise, unintentionally vocalizing his distress.

"No, I want to go home…" He trailed off again and didn't finish whatever he was saying. Mike would've preferred to just head home, even if he was entirely convinced that he could stay alert the whole drive, but something was clearly upsetting his companion. Just like before he decided to go ahead with it.

"Why not? It's not like we'd get to sleep when we got home anyways when we're being bombarded by questions and pint-sized primadonnas. At least we'll get our money's worth."

"Really? We don't have to. I'm not afraid to go home because of questions," Marionette pointed out. He must've caught his own slip up as he quickly added in, "I'm not afraid to go home at all! I just enjoy our time together. Away from the house and the business…" His voice grew to nearly a whisper as he added. "And other things."

Before Mike could ask it suddenly came to him. _"Is this about Old Man Consequences? That's the only thing that changed, him popping up again,"_ he thought. He even considered commenting on it, but then held his tongue. _"…Nah. This isn't the time or place to bring him up. I don't want him looking in at us more than he already is."_

That was the first time Mike really thought about it and it sent a chill down his back. At least he could look forward to some uninterrupted dreams.

* * *

Scott hadn't intended to look it up. He didn't feel the interest to look up businesses such as Freddy's online because it always brought up uncomfortable memories. Not to mention the dread he felt that Ennard would catch sight of the wrong thing and have it trigger something. Maybe once or twice in the past Scott had done the faintest of research- usually to make sure all of the Freddy's were closed- but not recently. Not since he had gotten Ennard and Baby secured into his life. Except for now and ironically because of Baby's presence.

At first Scott had found exactly what he expected when he looked up Circus Baby's Pizza World. Some old advertisements, reports about the business' unexpected closure, even a few forums of curious people or conspiracy theorists wondering what exactly happened to the restaurant. Scott avoided those like the plague; he hated reading about people's fond memories of Freddy's and knowing the truth behind them.

What he had not expected was a single video to pop up out of nowhere. It was crudely recorded on what had to be a cheap camcorder and looked to be years old, but it was real footage from Baby's restaurant. Most of the recording was of children or just moving around recording nothing in particular, walls and the floor. It wasn't until the last minute or two that Baby herself was revealed. She was almost exactly what Scott had expected; an older Baby model standing on stage shifting slightly and singing.

But the big question was whether it was worth showing Baby or not. He didn't want to upset her when she was still in the process of reinventing herself, but maybe this was something she would want to see. The cartoon had been a mixed bag in the way of reactions, but she had never specifically said that she would've rather not seen it. This case was a lot more difficult to judge and he knew he needed a second opinion.

Scott paused the video, nudged a cat off his lap, and went out into the living room to get Ennard. The clown was in the process of doing one of his new nightly rituals: watching The Immortal and the Restless with a phone to his ear, mimicking every voice dead on into the receiver. A look at the clock showed that the episode was just about to wind down so Scott decided to wait it out.

" _Clara, you have to believe me! I wasn't with a woman; I was locked in the trunk of my hearse!"_ Ennard mimicked. He then went into a dead-on woman's voice, _"I've heard that excuse before! If you're going to lie, then you'll have to try harder than that!"_ There was a knock on the door on tv, which Ennard mimicked impeccably well and followed with the voice of the woman outside the door. _"Vlad, I'm pregnant and you're the father."_ He switched to the narrator's voice. _"Did Vlad cheat on Clara with Lupina Van-Elsa? Were Vlad's parents really murdered? And will Zachariah ace his math final? Tune in tomorrow to find out!"_

And in only an instant, Ennard switched back to his usual voice without a beat. "Ha, I know! You should see it from here. The bump's totally fake… No, I know they use a fake bump, but I mean it looks like it was bad on purpose. And heck! Who gets super pregnant in one day? It took Clara like three seasons and I don't remember her ever having a bump! Girl's totally just coming in for the inheritance…. What?... Hey, yeah, I didn't even think of that. Maybe she's hiding a crossbow under that pillow under her shirt, ha ha!"

Seeing that Ennard was in the midst of another conversation, Scott sat down on the couch beside him to try and wait it out. Ennard reflexively threw a welcoming arm around him and continued rambling.

"They're not gonna do the same evil twin twist twice… Yeah, Clara's sister. She disguised herself as Clara and got herself legally married to Vlad so that she could then divorce him and get half the money. What she didn't know is that Vlad's like perpetually broke, so it didn't go anywhere. Then she just got shafted off the show and never mentioned again," Ennard explained. He gave an excited giggle at whatever the other said. "You should see it from my perspective! Hey, yeah, you've got to come over one of these nights! ….No, the cat fur's not that bad. Don't be a big _kit_."

Scott must've been obvious in looking like he was waiting because Ennard glanced over at him again. The man gave him a half-smile. "…Hold on, Scott's got a weird look on his face. I think I'm about to get bad news."

Scott's brows furrowed, unsure of what look he was giving, shook his head and waved a hand as he mouthed, "It's fine. Keep talking. It can wait."

"No, he didn't hear that. You're off the hook! …Every Sunday, yeah. Sometimes Saturday if there's a potluck. Then he comes home with about five different casseroles." Were they talking about his church? What? "Okay! You have a safe night, Mike! No wandering without me, ha ha!" To which he finally ended the call, still in a good mood. "Alright, Scottie! What's the bad news?"

"It's not bad news, it's just… Uh… So, I found a video of Baby's old pizzeria online," Scott admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck hesitantly. "And I'm not sure if I should show it to her because it has her in it."

"Are you serious? How?! I didn't even know that place really opened! Let me see it, I'll tell you." Ennard jumped up from the couch and Scott followed him into the office and brought up the video.

Since the beginning of the video wasn't much other than children running around- Scott checked Ennard's gaze and noticed interest without being transfixed on the kids, which relieved him greatly- he kept talking. "How's Michael holding up?"

"Pretty good!... Except last night. Someone tried getting in the warehouse last night," Ennard revealed. Scott got a look of surprise and he was quick to add, "But don't worry! Nobody got in or anything."

"Did he tell Fritz or Mike?" Scott asked.

"You kidding? He won't even call me and I'm the entertainment! Nah, I'm just gonna do it myself. _I think I can do Michael's voice well enough_ ," the clown said as he demonstrated his 'Michael' voice. It sounded close to the real thing if not a little deeper and less raspy, giving Springtrap a more human sound. "Probably just some kids trying to get in. I wouldn't get worried about it yet- Hey look, there she is!"

Ennard turned up the volume that Scott had set low so that nobody would overhear. This gave both of them a better chance to hear the music and Baby's voice. It was strange in how this Circus Baby's voice was to Baby's voice like Ennard's mimicry was to Springtrap's. It sounded awfully close but something in it sounded off. Not just the stiffness in it either or Baby's usual tone, but a slightly higher pitch to it.

It was then that the amalgam noticed something. "Just to give you an idea of how old this has got to be, I've never seen a working Baby with blue eyes. The whole time I knew Baby she's had green ones. This might've been before they started renting her out," he revealed. He paused a long moment. "…And _maybe_ even before Baby was Baby. She doesn't look very lifelike and she doesn't have the twitches or anything."

"That would make sense. I don't know how many parties Baby performed in before… You know, that last one." Scott coughed awkwardly. "So, what should we do? Should we show her?"

"…Sure! Might get her fired up like the cartoon did, but she's gonna flip if she finds out we knew about this and didn't tell her." He couldn't argue with that. "Let's go get her a give her a show she's not gonna forget!" Ennard chirped as he started to head out. He almost immediately leaned back into the office. "You've watched the whole thing, right? It doesn't end with someone getting maimed?"

"Oh no! No, no. I checked even before I showed you. I wouldn't make a mistake like that," Scott assured him. "I'll rewind the video. You go get her." So, he did. As soon as he was gone the man's face fell into a frown. Not over the video but because of what he said earlier about the warehouse. Maybe he would call Fritz himself and give him the news.

Ennard popped up a few minutes later. "She's coming! Just give her a couple of seconds to wheel in here." He came over to lean over the back of the office chair and the man's shoulder, looking at the paused video. "I was just thinking about how weird it would've been if we found a Circus Baby old enough to fit my mask. I mean, think about it! This mask came off somewhere. I'm guessing it was a Circus Baby."

"Or there's another clown floating around out there somewhere," Scott said with light amusement. Almost a pun if he thought about Ennard's little shortcuts through the sewers. Though this reminded him of something else. "This is a little off topic, but you know if you ever wanted to visit Michael, I could drive you over there. I don't think Fritz would mind if I borrowed his van if I paid for the gas," Scott offered.

That's what he said but Ennard could read what he was really saying: _"I don't want you going out at night and getting caught."_ He didn't have to say it out loud for Ennard to know what he meant. All at once the amalgam became very nervous, eyes lightly twitching and wires shifting.

"Aww, that'd be great, Scott! Just- You know with all these people snooping around we might be risking it. I mean, ha, I haven't gone out prowling since-…!" He really didn't want to lie. "It's been a while."

"It was Wednesday." That comment instantly wiped out Ennard's display entirely. Scott gave him a partial smile and confessed, "I've lived with you long enough to be able to tell when you're not in the house."

Ennard broke into a strained chuckle. "Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" he asked. His voice quickly deflated, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't too worried about it, and I had a hunch you were going over to the warehouse. The timeline matched up," Scott explained. He still didn't sound upset which surprised the amalgam. "I'm a little more worried now, to be honest. So just think about it, okay? I don't mind driving over there, even if it's late at night," Scott assured with a smile. Then his eyes fell past him and onto Baby who was coming into the room. "There you are, Baby! Ready to look into a time capsule?"

"Is that what you wanted to show me? A time capsule?" Baby asked with a tilt of the head.

"…You, uh, didn't tell her, did you?" Scott asked Ennard. The clown perked instantly, excitedly, covering her earlier twitchiness.

"I didn't want to spoil the big surprise," he said, sharp teeth grinning through his mask. He splayed his arms at the computer screen right beside Scott. "Ta da! We got real footage from Pizza Baby's Circus World!"

Baby stared blankly for a few moments. Then Scott cleared his throat and quietly added, "You got a few of those words mixed up there."

"You mean… My pizzeria?" Baby asked slowly. "My old pizzeria? You have a video from there? How?" She looked to the screen with an unreadable look. Upon seeing the paused video, currently showing the top of a party table, she became transfixed and rolled closer to the screen. "Is this it?"

"This is it!" Scott proclaimed with a smile. "But you don't have to watch it. I just wanted to give you the option since I found it anyway."

"…Am I in it?" Baby's voice was as unreadable as her expression had been.

"Well… In a sense, yes. There is a Circus Baby on the video but Ennard doesn't think it's you," Scott said as vaguely as he could. There always was a slim chance that this was an entirely different body altogether, so it was a possibility, especially since it had the different eye color. "Again, you don't have to watch if it's going to make you uncomfortable."

"Why are you so reluctant to show me? Is it singing out of key? Is it falling over itself?" Baby asked flatly. She had noticed the two's peculiar behavior and them walking on eggshells. "It can't be any worse than the _other_ things I've had my face attached to." Scott smiled more reassuringly.

"It's nothing like that. I just thought…" He shrugged a little before turning to turn on the video. "Here, you can see for yourself." He swallowed any hesitation and started the video before moving his chair back so Baby could lean in closer. Ennard wrapped his arms around Scott's shoulders and peered over the top of his head. Both watched with hesitation that they hid behind smiles.

For the beginning of the video, Baby watched the screen with anticipation building. She could hear the music, she could see the children, but not the animatronic that was supposed to be her. It wasn't until she started to become impatient when the camera finally found its way to the Circus Baby that was on the stage. It was as though the room suddenly narrowed in as she became fixated on this reflection that wasn't her. She didn't remember any of this, so it couldn't be her.

The other Baby moved stiffly and while its voice was passible, it sounded lifeless and bland. It moved like the robot it was, blue eyes rolling like the glass eyes of a doll, and faceplates shifting slightly whenever it jerked into a turn. It was only now that she realized how big she used to be down in Afton Robotics' body. This version of Baby had to be the same size and looked like a gargantuan. It was shaped like an oversized toddler instead of a woman and it wasn't the slightest bit cute.

She didn't look like that at all anymore, Baby knew this, but an unsettling feeling crept into her chest.

"… _Is this how I would look on stage?"_

If Circus Baby had been this dull and unappealing then why would anyone want to see her on stage again? How could she show her face and be expected to be taken seriously when the successful version of herself was this poor performer. Children would be terrified of her- she couldn't be around them anyway, but she digressed- and no adult would see her as anything more than an embarrassment.

That was the perfect way to summarize what she felt; embarrassed, and for the first time in ages even self-consciousness.

The two noticed that she hadn't made any comment even once the video was over. Scott glanced back at Ennard before asking Baby, "What do you think?"

"…I think the business would've closed even without the gas leak," Baby murmured. "If the noxious fumes coming from that performance were any hint." Ennard snickered and Scott gave a half-smile.

"I'll admit that it's not… You know, back then the animatronics were a lot less advanced. They really didn't have the means to move around and were usually fitted with cheap speakers. And who knows; if she was a prototype then this could've been… Baby's first performance," Scott said with a more joking smile. Baby turned to give him an unamused stare but Ennard was still snickering. "That wasn't entirely intentional."

She gave a huff and turned back towards the screen again. "This couldn't be my pizzeria anyway. It didn't look like this at all. There's no other videos?"

"Ah, no. There's, uh… There's a couple from Freddy's, but I don't think you'll want to see those," Scott said with a nervous chuckle. "It looked like a lot of them were taken when Freddy's was on the decline. You see eyes missing and fabric starting to peel off, mouths getting stuck open- that other Baby body might be stiff, but at least she's still altogether."

Ennard rested his head on the man's. "Don't hold out on us, Scott. Show us the eyeless Freddy with the gaping maw and let us judge how bad it is," he joked. Though he did sound legitimately curious. Scott considered putting one on even when the thought of looking at those broken-down suits made Scott squeamish.

"Wait…" Baby said interrupting them. Suddenly the video went forgotten as a new idea snuck up on her. If her and Freddy's pizzerias had videos she could find, then maybe there were others. "Do you think… They would have videos from Foxy's on here too?"

"I don't see why not. Let's look." Scott scooted closer, Ennard giving him a small push in the chair, and he began to type into the search engine.

It didn't take him too long before results appeared. A list of videos popped up, probably because it was a newer business and access to cameras was better now than it was years ago. There were more chances to upload that footage onto the internet as well.

"Looks like there's a few of them. I'm kind of impressed. You know how much of a figure Freddy's was and I couldn't find this many videos… Err, unless someone deleted them." Scott wouldn't put it past Fazbear Entertainment to try and scrub the internet before they vanished. "Which should we start with?" Before Baby could speak, Ennard pointed one out.

"That one: Foxy falls in the ball pit! Probably fell right off that high horse of his!" Ennard volunteered too eagerly. Baby wanted to roll her eyes, Scott was a little more amused and clicked onto the video.

It wasn't a video inside of the pizzeria but in a backyard decorated for a birthday party. The video started abruptly with someone walking across the grass before raising the camcorder and leveling it on none other than Foxy. Except he wasn't in a ball pit in the traditional sense, but what looked like a kiddie pool full of balls. But it wasn't just him. Marionette was laying there too, strings tangled on Foxy, and both Mike and Jeremy trying frantically to get them separated. Knowing that Foxy and Marionette were awake and aware of it only made it so much worse.

Then, just like the icing on the cake, the guy holding the camera spoke, _"Fox had a little spill over there… Yar, blow the man down!"_

Just like that, Ennard lost it. He bowed over laughing so hard that he almost took Scott and the office chair with him. His whole body seized as he laughed until his voice broke, mixing into a mess between the Freddy mimic and his true voice. It wasn't clear whether it was him or the video that caused it but Scott began to chuckle too. It wasn't even that funny to him and yet everything became too absurd to resist. Baby just gave a scoff sort of noise, both at Ennard's display and Foxy's embarrassing position.

She sobered up quickly when the man holding the video camera turned towards a group of children standing around what looked like a puppet box. That was the first time Baby realized that Charlie was there too.

The man with the camera got closer and she was able to see more. She was halfway out of her box, moving her arms but little else, looking especially stiff but still graceful. She wasn't doing any routine that they had ever done together so she wondered if this video was taken before that. It seemed like the Security Puppet was being extra careful.

But then she heard her voice. It held that same hesitation, confirming that this was an early performance for the Security Puppet. Even then her voice was melodic, and she sounded like she was enjoying herself.

" _-treasure has long been forgotten and hid itself far in the deep. So, I will swim straight to the bottom and plunder the depths of the sea,~"_ Charlie sung. Even with how tentative she was, how amateurish it was compared to her recent performances, it was leagues above what Circus Baby offered in the video of the pizzeria.

That thought alone shook Baby to the core. Only then did she realize that she wasn't going to be compared to the old Baby. Nobody remembered that old clown with the failed pizzeria. No, if she got up on stage and sung they would compare her with recent performances, current performers, such as Charlie. She didn't know if she could be that fluid or look so carefree as she sung. Whenever she tried to sing the lighthearted jingles it came out sounding forced and nobody would pay for tickets to listen to a sad clown.

Not to mention that it was only now that she realized the puppet's looks were also at an advantage over her. Even if Baby finished getting fixed up, she would always scare people, be too uncanny to love. Charlie was that border between uncanny and cutesy that any animatronic would wish they could get to. The kids didn't even look afraid of her- and she could be alongside kids.

This was her worst fear; what was arguably her best friend would now be her rival for the spotlight. If she wanted that spotlight, then she would have to jeopardize her own friendship. Her _only_ friendship.

"Okay, okay, enough! Let's- Let's stop laughing at Foxy and find another one," Scott said, almost trying to quiet himself down. It was only then that he noticed Baby's silent staring ahead. "Everything okay, Baby?"

"Aww, she's just watching her gal pal sing her heart out," Ennard dismissed. He poked the man's shoulder to prod him on. "Let's find another one. Something Foxy'd kill to keep quiet."

Scott let it drop and started to look through the rest of the videos. Which was for the best as Baby didn't want to talk about what was on her mind. She didn't even want to think about it anymore.

There was no point even considering it. Charlie was her friend. She wouldn't compete with Charlie…

…Because she _couldn't_ compete with Lottie.

* * *

"You look awful."

Jeremy looked clammier and pastier than he had in days. His voice was hoarse, and he coughed now and then, remedying it occasionally by popping a cough drop that did little to help it. He was a walking mess.

The fact that he had been saying that to Mike made it all worse.

"Nothing coffee won't fix," Mike assured. He somewhat staggered his way into the kitchen, trying to step over Moppet who was doing circles in between his feet. He started to pour a mug of coffee that was by now cold and probably stale tasting without batting an eye.

"I think the first thing I'd do is wash my hands. Or maybe that's just this cold talking," Jeremy offered as he coughed into his sleeve. "Just think about how many kids have been climbing in there. Doesn't get much air and I don't think those things get clean, and the doctor I saw at the walk-in clinic said that there's a bad flu spreading around. Not what I have, but I bet having kids spitting and pattering around in there-."

"On second thought…" Mike slowly sat the mug of cold coffee back down on the counter. "I think I'm going to go take a long shower."

"Good plan," Jeremy complimented as he watched him head to the hallway. "I think the bleach is under the sink," he joked.

"Nah. One blond in this house is enough," Mike quipped back before disappearing into the hallway. He didn't see the other man breathing a sigh of relief, glad to see him home.

With Mike busy, Jeremy turned his attention to the back of the couch where Marionette and Charlie were talking. He immediately noticed the uneasy look on her face and listened in closer. To his relief, they were not discussing anything about him but instead what they had seen at Hickory's.

"But on the plus side, I think Music Man might be a little less extreme with his advances if you do ever see him again. If only because he might be afraid of Mike kicking him again," Marionette said with a light chime. "How were things here? Quiet I hope."

"Well… Yeah, they were. But there was this one thing," Charlie began. Jeremy's heart began to pound until his chest was aching. "I had that dream about the diner again. Except this time there was nobody else there except this car that was driving outside. I followed it out and it led me to this road-."

Jeremy instantly was awash in relief. False alarm, she wasn't telling him about the sleep walking incident. Which was good because he didn't even know what he would tell the others if they asked. If it got back to Foxy, then eventually the others would learn about the hallucinations he had that night in the pizzeria. Then they would find about the one he had last night too. He didn't want this getting around, not when he was still holding out hope that it would go away on its own.

It was still hard to look at Charlie without imagining the battered body he had seeing lying in her bed the night before. At least Mike was home. Maybe having another human around would keep it from happening. Jeremy hoped so for his own sake.

* * *

 **Mable: One left…**


	89. Chapter 89

_**Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Eighty-Nine_

* * *

It had been so sudden that he barely believed he could've seen anything at all.

It almost looked like a moving garbage bag caught under a car. Shiny in the light and shifting fluidly as it slid underneath. That's what he had thought it was, a crumpled garbage bag, and if he wouldn't have looked back at the car, he would've never realized that it wasn't that at all. Instead of a wet garbage bag it was something made of metal. Something akin to a bundle of wires sliding underneath the tight space.

But that wasn't what he saw that caused his heart to nearly stop and his blood to run cold. It was the white face staring out at him from underneath the car.

He could only see empty, black holes for eyes and a shiny red nose that sat above an equally empty looking smile. Cracks ran across the face like it was meant to open but he couldn't imagine what would come out of such a terrifying clown face. He had heard the rumors of clowns prowling Hurricane but never took them seriously. Now he knew why people were so spooked.

Then the face disappeared underneath the car. He hit his brakes and, after short consideration, threw the car in reverse and backed up enough to see underneath the parked car where the thing had been. Except now he could see clear underneath it. To his continuing horror, he realized the underside of the car hadn't been as shadowed as he though, the creature had just been so big that it filled up the entire space.

Whatever that horrifying clown thing had been he wasn't going to stick around and wait for it to come back. He hit the gas and sped off into the night, unknowing that this wasn't the end.

* * *

It was a quiet night. A good night to settle in and watch a movie. Marla had everything set up; it was her parents' date night, so they were out of the house, she had picked out a movie, the living room was clean, and all that was left was for the food to get there. She nearly bounded into the living room with a couple of extra pillows to throw on the couch.

That's when she noticed that Jason had perched himself in the armchair with his legs dangling over the arm and his handheld clutched in his hands. He stared at it with intense focus and she knew it would be difficult to drag him from where he was. Which meant he was going to barge himself in as a third wheel. She almost missed the days when she could just toss him out, but she didn't feel comfortable doing that anymore since his kidnapping. Not that it was the only thing that changed considering how odd Jason tended to act now.

She plopped down on the couch with a pillow in her lap and was about to settle into a wait when suddenly a car peeled into the driveway. She perked in confusion; that was too quick to have gotten the food and come back. Marla headed over and looked through the blinds only to see a familiar car parked and a familiar redhead running up to the door.

Carlton flew through the door like he was being chased and slammed it behind him. His eyes were wide, he was panting, and he looked all askew. He looked like he had just run a mile.

She looked over him for one moment and simply asked, "Where's the tacos?"

"Oh _my God_ ," Carlton choked and swallowed thickly. "You are not going to believe what I just saw out there." He pointed an unsteady finger to the window as he looked to her with those wide eyes. "I just saw a freakish _clown_ under a car right off Airport Road."

"What?" Marla asked with disbelief and a little exasperation. Carlton wasn't unknown to making a weird joke every now and then. One that came to mind was when he convinced John that he was caught in a sudden flash mob outside of the strip mall and had been so believable that his friend partially bought it. Marla was a little more skeptical about this tale. "What do you mean? There was a guy dressed as a clown under a car?"

"This was not a guy," Carlton persisted with a rapid shake of his head. "Oh no, this- this was a clown. It was _huge_ , jammed up under the car."

Marla wasn't any more convinced but now Jason raised his head to listen. "A clown," she repeated.

"Yes!"

"Did it look like the marionette from Foxy's?" Jason chimed in. Marla fought the urge to roll her eyes. Here they went again, back to that fixation with animatronics. If this was a joke it was going too far.

"Yes!" Carlton blurted out. That didn't help. "But not exactly like it. It was like- It had a white, shiny face with a red nose. I didn't see much of its body, but I think I saw something metal. It was moving weird."

"Maybe it was a guy dressed like a clown trying to get something from under his car," Marla volunteered. "And you just saw him at a weird angle."

"What would a clown be doing running around at night?" Carlton asked. It almost looked like he was asking himself more than her. Then she snapped her fingers in realization.

"You know what? I bet it's that guy that robbed those people! You know those three guys who were robbing people and then got caught because they said a guy dressed like a clown robbed them? I bet it's that guy and he was just- Oh! I bet he was trying to hotwire that car! He's a criminal who wears a clown disguise, like a bank robber. That's all."

"You don't hotwire a car from the bottom," Carlton said in his own exasperation. "…But yeah, that could've been it, I guess…" He was starting to second guess himself, but he had an uneasy feeling that he hadn't imagined the metal. That the clown wasn't just a man running around in a suit. He stared ahead as he thought back to it and only snapped out of the trance when Marla held out her hand.

"Give me the keys. I'll go get the food," she offered. He slowly got them out of his pocket and handed them over.

"I don't know if you should be out there if that guy's still out there, whatever he is," Carlton said warily.

"I'm just going to go through the drive through. I'll be fine! Unless you want to come with me."

"No way! I'm not going back out there!"

Marla sent him a flat. "Then you just sit tight and chill out, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes, we'll put the movie in, we'll eat, life goes on." She leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out. "And if I don't get back, start checking the local circuses."

"Very funny," Carlton replied. He watched her through the door as she got in his car and drove off. Only then did he wonder if his eyes had deceived him and what he thought he saw wasn't there at all. He closed the door and headed over to sit down uneasily on the couch. Jason was still watching him and slowly set his handheld aside. He turned fully towards him in the chair.

"…You could've seen one of those robots like the marionette," Jason offered. Carlton made a dismissive, doubtful, scoffing noise. "No, I'm serious. Nobody believes me but the ones at Foxy's are alive."

"I don't know about that," Carlton dismissed. Then he paused for a long moment. The clown did have a mask and a metal-looking body. He straightened up and looked to Jason. "So, uh, how do you know?"

Jason almost looked a little paranoid as he scooted to the edge of the chair and lowered his voice. "When I was kidnapped with the other kids, you know how they said Mike saved us? It wasn't just him. It was there and Foxy was there! The marionette was the one who unlocked the door before Mike came and got us. I think they're working together."

"…Are you sure? No offense, I mean you went through a lot, but maybe you got confused or something?" Carlton asked in disbelief. The younger shook his head in determination.

"No, I saw them! I touched them and everything and they were the same ones from Foxy's… Even that other mime one, the one in the box? It came from that theater too. It was there in the arcade before it went to Foxy's. I know, I looked in its box when I was there, before that guy got me." As unbelievable as it all sounded, Jason sounded completely honest with it. It was becoming a little more convincing from that alone.

"So, you think the clown is an animatronic?" Carlton asked. Jason nodded vigorously. It sounded unbelievable but he was starting to become more interested. It wasn't a coincidence with how his father had been researching and investigating that old rundown pizza place that Charlie's father used to own. Thinking of it in that context suddenly connected a lot of things in a weird spiderweb of leads. But the main thing that could confirm or deny this was if Freddy's had a clown animatronic. "…Think your dad would mind if I used his computer?"

Shortly later, Carlton was sitting in Marla's parents' office and browsing the internet on their computer. Jason stayed in the living room and promised to call back to him when Marla got home. The truth was, Carlton didn't want her to know what he was doing. She would think he was being neurotic. Maybe he was, but he needed to double check. He looked up the list of animatronics from Freddy's and started searching.

Information on the business was scattered at best and outright hidden at worst. Obvious things, such as the four lead characters, were easy to find, but other characters were much harder to find information on. Apparently, there were spinoffs like a 'Toy' line of animatronics, one of which showed a picture of a baby blue Bonnie, but it took a while to find what he thought was a complete list. Even then there was no clown.

The only thing he found of interest was a confirmation that the Puppet animatronic from Foxy's was formerly from Freddy's. Though research on that was muddled, as typing up anything about Foxy and the Puppet resulted in information about Foxy's Pirate Cove. A quick search of which confirmed that there wasn't a clown animatronic there either.

"That couldn't have been just some guy…" Carlton mumbled. Though it seemed much more likely. In a last act of desperation, he typed in 'Freddy Fazbear's Pizza clown animatronic'. It was in the results that he found something else waiting for him. Instead of Freddy's, there was another pizzeria listed. "Circus Baby's Pizza World…" he read. He scanned over the article. "Cancelled due to… reported gas leaks?" Now suspicious, he typed in 'Circus Baby's Pizza World'.

There was a little on the establishment, but it was the animatronics he was looking for and finally found a poster for sale that showed them. There was a clown, Circus Baby, and is looked slightly like what he saw but still wasn't it. Though what did catch his attention was that the displayed animatronics had the same odd plates on them that the mask almost looked like it had. He continued searching for any other mascots for their pizzeria but couldn't find a thing. Only one clown and it wasn't it. Back to the drawing board.

Carlton was sitting there silently staring at the screen, waiting for a solution to appear, when Jason called back, "Marla's home!" Quickly turning off the computer, Carlton headed out to greet her and continue with their planned night. This was as far as he could go tonight, but this wasn't the last of it. He wasn't ready to forget the clown.

* * *

That was how Carlton found himself at the last place he considered willingly going after Jason's unnerving talk, Foxy's Pirate Cove. He stepped into the pizzeria and looked around at the children cluttering the area. The place looked like it was getting a lot of business and he wandered nonchalantly towards the other side of the restaurant. Foxy was walking around the tables and the Puppet was on stage. The other puppet's box was closed-up so maybe it wasn't turned on. The ones that were moving did look lifelike though.

" _Maybe Jason just thought they were alive cause they were walking around like this?... But wait, what were they doing over at that place anyway?"_ Carlton furrowed his brow and looked forward just in time to keep from walking straight into none other than Mike Schmidt. That strange guy in the purple uniform and the one who could throw him out if he wanted to. "Hey…" he greeted with an unconvincing grin.

Mike raised a brow at him. "Well, hello, hello. What are you doing here?" He knew something was up already. Carlton knew he stuck out like a sore thumb here and had to lie quick.

"Actually… I'm here to see you," Carlton explained. "This is going to sound a little random, but do you know anything about a clown robot? Like one of them." He pointed a thumb back at the animatronics.

Mike stared silently for a second before his face fell into an unenthused look. "You'd think being a detective your dad could find better ways to get his info then sending you in here," he said.

Carlton rolled his eyes. "No, my dad didn't send me in here. He doesn't even know I'm here, and if he did, he would've stopped me from coming. Really, it's nothing big, I just saw this-… Okay, here's the truth. I saw this poster for sale online for a place called Baby's Circus World or something and I looked it up and found out that it closed under mysterious circumstances, and wanted to know if you knew anything," he explained. Then quickly added in, "And it was the article that said the closing was weird. 'Something else might've been to blame' or something."

"And you didn't just ask your dad? Isn't he making his living off digging up Freddy's?" the security guard flatly asked.

"We're not really talking much anymore." That was the most honest thing he had said with how holed away his father always was now. "Even if I did ask him, he'd probably blow me off. I just want an honest answer."

After a long pause, Mike gave a weary exhale and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay, so… None of this gets back to your father, okay? I don't want him trying to incriminate me because I've heard gossip, got it?" he asked. Carlton agreed instantly. The man lowered his voice a bit. "So… The word is that it was gas leaks, but chances are that the animatronics were just defective. I don't know if your dad told you about a guy named Afton, but he was the one who made those bots and he wasn't exactly a competent technician. If you get my drift."

"Wait, didn't he own Freddy's?" Carlton asked. Mike quirked a brow questioningly. "The other owner was Charlie's dad. I got a lot of the info from her… Before… Before, you know…"

"I know," Mike agreed. There was an awkward silence between them. The older man coughed into his fist, "Anyway, that's what happened to that place. Most of those old animatronics probably would've broken down by now, and I didn't see any of them for sale at Animatronicon. One scary looking spider though. You wouldn't believe this thing." He shook his head with slight amusement before looking at Carlton. The young man had become a little distant since they started talking about Charlie. "Anything else on your mind?"

There definitely was. Thinking about Charlie reminded him of her untimely death. The daughter of the former owner of Freddy's who also died untimely, who died at the hands of a former employee of Freddy's, witnessed by another former employee, all surrounding these robots that always seemed to act strange when nobody was looking. Just watching Foxy revealed that he moved a little too easily for a robot.

Something was going on here. This was bigger than just the clown, but he didn't know what it was. To keep face, Carlton looked to Mike and said the first thing that he thought of. "Any job openings?"

Mike got an amused smirk. "You think your dad would let you walk in here and get a job?"

"No. That's why I'm asking you and not him," Carlton retorted.

"Good point. I'd have to run it by my co-workers before I randomly hired on the police chief's son. Especially since you've met our chef, Tabby," Mike remarked. Carlton must've winced visibly at the name. "Tell you what, if you still want a job next week then bring in a resume and we'll consider it," Mike added. Though the way he said it sounded like he wasn't entirely serious. That wouldn't help him in his mini investigation.

"I might, thanks. You guys keep doing good," Carlton vaguely said. He then started to head out. He got one last looked at the animatronics. He swore Foxy was staring at him as he left. Almost like he knew something.

No wonder Jason thought these things were alive.

* * *

With most of his leads coming up empty, it almost seemed like time to give up. Except Carlton wasn't ready to end his pursuit for this clown. That afternoon he returned home and immediately was back on the computer searching for answers. He followed whatever trails he could find but none of them led anywhere. So, he started to look up people instead of animatronics and see where that got him.

Running a background check on Mike was impossible because there was nothing of note on him before the Magictime Theater incident. All that he could find were articles on those events, and everything else was pieced together from things he already knew; he worked at Freddy's, he owned Foxy's, and somehow he ended up at the theater the night of Charlie's death. Dave was equally as mysterious, though it was easier to find some of his criminal history touted by websites discussing the incident and his death.

Henry and William were also dead-end leads. Henry died in a springlock suit accident and that was it, and William apparently disappeared off the face of the Earth. Though he did confirm that Circus Baby's was backed by Afton Robotics, a company and factory that his father had been doing extensive research on. In fact, Clayton Burke spent more of his time scouring that building than he did at home. Or that's what his mother would say in her disapproving comments.

By evening he was no closer to finding the truth about the clown, and then his efforts were thwarted entirely when his mother got home. Clayton must've been home the entire time and locked up in his basement without Carlton knowing, as his mother went straight to the door, knocked aggressively, and waited for a response. What followed what a heated conversation that Carlton could hear through his bedroom wall.

"I'm getting tired of this, Clay! You spend all day down at the station and all night locked down in that basement!"

"I'm doing my job, Betty. There's lives on the line. If I don't solve this case soon then who knows who will be next?"

"What are you even talking about? Freddy's? Freddy's closed years ago! Yes, it's tragic that nobody found those children, but you're not finding them doing this to yourself!"

"Found those children? Those children are dead. Nobody's going to find them unless someone starts looking." Clayton was growling, or maybe he was wheezing. "We can't all just overlook death because you want this town to look good."

"I-I can't believe you're saying this. I really can't believe this."

"That's it, I'm out of here," Carlton muttered as he powered down his computer. He grabbed his jacket and pulled it on before grabbing his keys and heading out. His parents were fighting louder and didn't hear as he left the house and drove off in his car. He felt leagues better once he was in the car with the music turned up. "Okay, focus on the clown. That's what I'm looking for, answers on the clown… That's it." He perked as though he received an obvious answer. "It was about this time when I saw it. I'll drive around until I see it again."

So, he did. For the next twenty or so minutes Carlton drove down the same few roads and looked for the clown. He passed the same strip of houses to turn around and would then drive right past where the car had been parked. Though it was now moved. There was nothing there interesting and he eventually gave up. He turned around in a warehouse parking lot and started to head home again.

By time he got inside the fight was over, but he heard some weird noises from the bedroom. Like a shuffling and thumping noise, and when he got closer he heard his mother breathing shakily, almost like she was crying. He peered into the bedroom and his heart leapt into his throat when he noticed she had her travelling bag out on the bed.

"Mom?" he tentatively asked as he opened the door. She looked at him for a second before looking away. He still realized that she was crying. "Mom, what's going on?"

"Your father and I had an argument and… We need some space for a few days. I'm going to be at my sister's… You're welcome to come with me," she offered to him. Carlton didn't know how to respond. "I'm going to be leaving tonight so you can come with me or wait until tomorrow. I just think it would be good for both of us to get away from the house."

"I don't understand. Is this still about whatever Dad's working on for that Magictime case or is it something else?" Carlton probed. Betty seemed reluctant to speak. "Mom, you can tell me."

"I just… I can't live in the past anymore. We spent so many years with Freddy's hanging over us. First Henry's passing, then those children went missing, and then Charlie… It needs to stop, but it can't stop if your father is determined to dig it all back up. I've tried to be patient, but I can't live like this anymore," Betty finished. Her son nodded in understanding and slowly turned away. He returned to his bedroom once again.

Carlton collapsed in his office chair and stared at the wall for a few seconds. He knew what was coming; he had seen the signs in his parents for a while now. It was only a matter of time before their already strained marriage crumbled. He wasn't even sure what he felt, maybe he was in shock. He tried to keep his eyes on the prize. The clown. He needed to find out about the clown.

The next morning, he found his mother gone. He wasn't even sure if his father left the basement.

* * *

Tactics would have to change if he was going to make any progress, so the next day Carlton found the location where Circus Baby's Pizza World had been and drove out. He didn't want to go alone and he didn't want to tip off Marla, so he invited John to come with him. Soon they were looking through the windows of the building. The doors had been boarded up and he wasn't comfortable trying to sneak in with the situation with his parents going on. The last thing he needed was to be arrested while they were feuding.

"Looks like there's a poster in that back corner. Can you see it?" John asked. Carlton turned his head to look. "I think there's a clown on it."

"Yeah, it's Circus Baby, but she's not the clown I saw the other night. This thing was bigger and had a different looking face," Carlton explained. His friend exhaled through his nose and drew back from the pane.

"I'm going to be honest here; I don't think we're going to find this clown looking around here. Are you sure it wasn't someone wearing a Halloween costume?"

"Trust me, I know what it wasn't and it wasn't just a guy in a clown suit. This was something else," Carlton insisted. He drew back from the window. "In fact, I'm doing a stake out tonight if you want to join in." John looked slightly uneased by the idea.

"No thanks… Hey, this thing about the clown… Do you think you're so focused on this because of what's going on with your dad?" John asked bluntly. He was never one to pry and the fact that he was doing so gave away that he was genuinely concerned. Carlton gave a long sigh.

"I was trying to figure out about this clown for two days. That's long before Mom left… Who told you, Marla?" he asked as he looked to his friend. John had a look of shock. "…Or maybe I just told you."

"Your mom left? For how long?"

"She said she's going to my aunt's for a few days, but I don't think she's coming back. Things just have been so weird at the house… I don't want to talk about it. We need to figure out what's going on with this clown," Carlton dismissed. Finally, John let it drop, but their search of the outside of the old building revealed nothing.

Next, they drove to Freddy's, blocked off with police tape and devoid of anything worth looking at. They found nothing. Then they finally drove out to Magictime Theater. The place had been cleaned out and was locked up tightly, to which Carlton went around and tried all the doors. It was once he was around back that he found their way in, the basement window left unlocked. He crouched down and opened it as best as he could.

"Here's our way in," he announced as he started trying to slide in feet first. He looked back at John only to double-take and notice he was staring down behind the back of the building. He knew why; this was where they had found her. This was where Charlie had died. An ache settled in Carlton's chest as well, almost akin to guilt but he didn't know why. It wasn't his fault she came here, and he doubted he could've stopped her and yet regret still lingered. "…Do you want to come in with me or wait out here?" he asked awkwardly.

"I'll come in," John agreed. With that, Carlton slipped inside and his friend followed.

The entire building was cleared out just like the others had been, but someone did an especially good job on this one. The basement room the kids had been staying in had all the evidence removed from it and even the padlocks had been taken off the door, probably by the investigators. Going upstairs revealed a barren building that contained only the slim remains of a business; wallpaper, colorful carpet, a few partially torn posters, and the empty stage itself.

"I just don't understand it," John suddenly vented out of nowhere. "Something doesn't make sense to me, but I don't know what it is. It's like there's something wrong about all of this."

"That it was Charlie?" Carlton guessed. "That it was a guy who used to work for her father?"

"That too, but something else…" His friend looked torn, brows furrowing, looking across the empty room in confusion. "…You know they never found her jacket."

"What jacket?"

"Charlie's jacket. She started wearing this green jacket all the time. When she wasn't, she would have it on her seat or somewhere in her car. She went everywhere with this jacket. Jess told me they never found it."

That was weird. Carlton remembered seeing Charlie in a green jacket the more recent times he saw her. He never thought anything of it, just assuming it was her favorite. The fact that it was gone without a trace did seem weird. "Maybe she left it in her car." John shook his head.

"We checked her car. Jen and I cleaned it out before she sold it and there wasn't anything in there. We checked the house once too and I never saw it. I wasn't looking for it then, but I know if I had saw it I would've taken it with me. Maybe given it to Jen and… Give it to Charlie." They both knew what he meant. Nobody would've cared how it would've looked if Charlie had been buried in her favorite jacket. It would've been nice.

"Maybe Dad has it," Carlton offered. John gave him a weird look. "Or not him but maybe in an evidence locker. You know what I mean."

"Maybe… Could you ask him?"

"If he ever gets out of the basement then sure."

Not long after that, Carlton and John left Magictime Theater and drove around a little more. To try and counteract the downer mood, they hung out a little longer without doing any pizzeria research. It was John's day off anyway, so it was worth doing something considering that he gave up so much of his time to drive around looking for nothing. Eventually John dropped Carlton off at home and left to visit Jessica. His father wasn't home yet and his mother wasn't coming home, so Carlton was alone.

Again, ignoring what was going on in the house, he thought about the clown, and now he concocted a plan. Last night he had attempted to stake out for the clown again, but maybe he had gone about it the wrong way. Maybe he needed to wait until it got later. Maybe he needed to take a camera with him and plan a long-term stakeout. Carlton left the house shortly afterwards to buy a disposable camera, a couple of energy drinks, and a bag of chips. If he had to stay up all night, then he was going to.

Clayton brought home dinner but it didn't look like he ate much of anything before he returned to the office, and then into the basement about an hour or so later. He completely threw himself into whatever work he was doing. Carlton gladly did the same. Around eight o'clock at night, his mother called for a short and mostly uncomfortable talk. She asked how he was doing, she asked if he was coming to stay with them, and he said he was fine and that he didn't know yet. He still didn't think about it.

It was thirty after midnight when Carlton finally decided to leave the house. He had been waiting for his father to go to bed before he did, but Clayton was pulling later and later nights, so eventually he gave up and snuck out. That was when the long night began. It started on the road he first saw the clown with him parking right where the car had been and waiting. He cracked open an energy drink and began to watch.

About thirty minutes passed without sign of anything, so he moved to the next road over and repeated the process again. He finished the energy drink and ate the chips and continued waiting. He forced himself to stay there for a full thirty minutes before moving back to the first road and waiting. He continued moving back and forth between them, soon moving every fifteen or twenty minutes instead of thirty to keep moving.

It was pressing on three o'clock when Carlton started to feel the effects of the lack of sleep. He began on his second energy drink which wasn't nearly as cool or refreshing as it would've been an hour ago. The houses around him mostly had their lights off and the streets were largely barren, so it wasn't like there was much to distract himself. He started to nod off against the window and woke startled by nothing and with no idea how long he had slept.

It was about time that he would switch to the other road again, but Carlton was instead considering calling it a night and giving up entirely. He gave a disappointed sigh and started up the car before glancing into the rearview mirror to make sure nobody was coming down the road.

His breath caught in his throat as he noticed something white amongst the grey of the road. It stood out like a beacon, bright white against the asphalt, and staring out from the storm drain. It was like a horror movie.

It was the clown. It had been watching him.

Carlton reached slowly into the passenger's seat and felt around until he grabbed one of the disposable cameras and the flashlight. He got the camera poised in his right hand, prepared to take a snapshot, and carefully leaned over to inch open the car door. He kept his eyes on the mirror the whole time and watched the clown's face stare out at him. The moment he stuck a leg out it disappeared into the sewer.

He had come too far to let the clown slip away this easily. Leaping out of his car, Carlton dashed down the street to the storm drain and knelt beside it. He shined his light inside.

"Hello?! Anybody there?!" he called inside. "I know somebody's in there! Hey!" All he could hear was his voice echoing out. With a huff he reached the camera in and started trying to take snapshots. He knew once he pulled the camera back out that there was little chance that he actually got a picture of whatever it was. "Stupid! I should've gotten a picture _from_ the car!"

Carlton stayed kneeling there for a moment as he considered his next actions. Except that was when he noticed something. His voice was still echoing through the drain. He could hear it as plain as day: _"Anybody there?"_ ringing through the concrete. It shouldn't have still been echoing like that unless the sewers were utterly massive, but even then it wouldn't explain why only part of what he said was echoing for so long.

Except then it got closer. The distant echo of his own voice was louder and clearer. Still echo-y but now like it was being called back from another source. His heart started to pound as he leaned in closer. _"Anybody there?"_ He got low to the ground and turned his head enough to almost fit it inside, trying to see through the darkness. Shining his flashlight inside did little because of the angle unless he was willing to shove his arm down inside. _"Anybody there?"_ He tried to scoot closer and listen. When he did he almost thought he heard squeaking. _"Anybody there?"_

It sounded too close to be his own voice. Swallowing thickly, Carlton steeled his nerve and asked again, "Is anybody there…?"

His own voice answered him, _"Nobody's here."_

That was when his courage ran out. Carlton leapt back and jumped to his feet. He barely resisted the urge to make a mad dash for the car and instead just stumbled back, staring at the storm drain, nearly shaking in disbelief. Suddenly he regretted coming down here; there was something ungodly in these sewers and he didn't really want to know what it was. Forget the clown, he had to get home.

The moment Carlton turned to run for the car, only running a few steps before hearing it, something else echoed out of the sewer; laughter. Laughter that grew from a low chuckle and raised until it sounded hysterical pouring out of the drain like water poured in. Inhuman, pitched and mechanical all at once, made of a voice that sounded horrifyingly comedic. Almost like a clown's laugh.

That was all Carlton needed before he ran to the car, leapt inside, and peeled out. He broke the speed limit to race home and thought of nothing but escape as he did so. It wasn't until he got into the house, door shut and locked, that he stopped and thought about what happened, and he gave a full-body shudder.

" _What am I going to tell everyone? Should I even tell them, or dad?... What am I talking about? Nobody's going to believe me. Nobody's going to believe that there's a clown living in the sewer harassing people! Crawling around under cars, and- Oh my God, that's why it was under that car. There was a storm drain right there too. It actually lives_ _ **in**_ _the sewers, under the town, what the hell."_

His heart was pounding, his head was aching, he was both exhausted and too wired to sleep, and he started to head to his bedroom. Carlton literally threw his hands up and prepared to go to sleep and try to pretend nothing happened. If it wasn't for him noticing his parents' bedroom door cracked open he would've kept going too. The room was dark past the crack, but his father usually shut his bedroom door. He quietly looked in.

Clayton was in bed fast asleep. He could hear his slow, raspy breathing and assumed that his father finally collapsed and had to sleep. Though considering what time it was he wasn't too shocked. He inched the bedroom door shut again and watched as the bed disappeared into the dark, then the nightstand, but then stopped when his eyes fell on the dresser and onto his father's keys. Just his key ring, sitting on the dresser like it always was, holding the keys to the car, the house-.

The basement.

He should've learned his lesson from the clown, but now there were new questions being raised in his mind. Mike raised them, John raised them, and now with his mother gone and his father asleep there was nobody left to stop him. He cautiously stepped in far enough to grab the keys.

" _This is crazy. Dad's not hiding anything, he's just going nuts over this case,"_ Carlton thought, trying to talk himself out of trusted his father that much. _"Yeah, but he doesn't trust me. All this stuff is adding up and he hasn't said a thing about it… There's got to be something else going on. Something made him change."_ He shut the door quietly and headed to the basement. It took him a few tries to find the right key.

The basement smelled strange. Carlton immediately noticed that the stuffiness had an extra odor with it, almost like wet carpet. It wasn't a furnished basement but there was a desk down here along with some storage things. He flicked on the light and a bulb illuminated at the bottom of the stairs. He carefully stepped down them and into the makeshift office.

The desk with covered with files and notebooks. A corkboard above it was littered with pinned notes that seemed to be purposefully written in shorthand. A couple of file cabinets were so overfilled that paper jutted out and kept them from closing all the way. None of this looked too weird but one odd thing on the right side of the desk was new. It was a shelf stacked with what looked to be a dozen cassette tapes, with a tape player sitting on the desk in front of them. He curiously pressed play to hear what his father had been listening to last.

" _Sometimes I just think about ending it…_ _Just having to get up day after day and return to the restaurant is a waking nightmare. As though I must experience the same pain over and over again after what I let happen. I look into those children's eyes and see my son, and I wonder… I wonder if he's still out there somewhere. If one of them is him… But I'm not that delusional yet, nor am I that desperate. I'll keep on going as I have… And maybe if this all works out as planned, I'll have the evidence I need to protect others before they too get forced to suffer such a terrible loss…"_

"Who is that?" Carlton mumbled. Pressing the eject button gave his answer as someone- it looked like his father's handwriting- labelled the tape as 'Henry Tape #3'. Curious, he looked through the other tapes and eventually stumbled on one that was recent. It was labelled 'Mike & Scott' along with the date. He stuck it in and pressed play, and what he heard shocked him to the core.

" _Hello?"_

" _Hey, it's me. I just wanted to tell you that Jeremy just left and should be getting home soon. We, uh… Tried the game, but it didn't work out like we expected. Something went wrong with it, it didn't work."_

" _Got it… Anything else? Kind of strange that you'd just call to tell me that."_

"… _Well, uh, actually… Don't tell Jeremy I told you this, okay? But he was scared by a glitch or something in the game and he took it way harder than I thought he would. I think he's really stressed out, Mike, and it scares me because I don't want him to have to go through having a whole mental collapse. Is everything been going okay?"_

" _I thought so. I mean, as good as they can go, you know? I know this whole thing about moving in here's upset him a lot more than he's willing to admit, but I'm not going to force it out of him. If he wants to pretend he's alright then maybe that's the best thing for him."_

" _Maybe but pushing all that down isn't good either. That could easily lead to a total mental breakdown… But I don't think Jeremy's anywhere near that yet! I just meant, you know, if you could keep an eye on him…"_

" _I'll do more than that. Maybe I can get him to decompress a little. Loosen him up, get him out of the house for something other than work. Think that might help?"_

" _I think that would be great… Just keep it low-key for a while. He's a little on edge."_

 _I guess that means going for another round of spelunking is out too. Good to know. Alright, I'm going to let you go. Thanks for the head's up."_

" _No problem, that's what I'm here for! Have a good night."_

" _You too."_

Carlton couldn't believe what he just listened too. Not the actual dialogue on the tape, but the context of what it was and what it meant. It was a phone call between Mike Schmidt and someone named Scott. His father had been tapping either Mike's or the other guy's phone line, maybe both. He didn't even know if that was legal to do outside of the police station. This did confirm that he was still a prime suspect, but in what?

Looking around, Carlton found his way back to the corkboard where he now noticed a group of newspaper clippings pinned in the corner. There were a few about the various incidents at Freddy's, but to his disturbance there were unrelated ones as well. A few snippets about missing children unconnected to Freddy's, a few accidents from animatronics, and most recent being one pinned about Magictime Theater.

" _What are you doing down here?"_ Carlton asked himself. He looked down at the desk and at a notebook towards the front. It had been closed, but it wasn't hard to find where he shut it on, as he had left a pen inside of it. Maybe even to mark the page. Opening it up revealed what was almost another language, an entry written in shorthand that was difficult to decipher. "Is this even English?! Come on, Dad…"

He trailed off as he noticed something that looked like it was written more recently, due to it being on the bottom of the page and in darker ink: " _I have enough to go ahead with the call. Aiming for Sunday."_

"Sunday?" Carlton had seen a calendar on the wall and looked over to it.

At first it looked like a normal calendar, though a little emptier than what his father's calendars used to contain. Days were struck out with a pen slash as though he was counting down to something, and most likely that was the only marked date in the entire month. The next coming Sunday had a check on it but no further details. Clayton usually at least listed where his appointments would be or at what times. All that he could make of it now was that he was making some sort of phone call on Sunday.

"This… Is going nowhere," Carlton admitted in defeat. Taking a step back and looking around gave a very unsettling picture of a man obsessed with his own case, but it didn't say much else. Nothing about the clown, not even much about Freddy's or anything concrete about this case. Maybe his mother had a point in how obsessed his father was becoming. Becoming paranoid that he was going to get caught- and suspecting Clayton would revert to normal long enough to chew his head off- he turned towards the stairs to leave.

It was only then that he noticed the back corner of the basement. Normally he would've overlooked it, as it really was just a place where they stored seasonal decorations and other unneeded things, but he noticed that there had been more added to the mass. Most of the boxes had been pushed to the side wall so that a large tarp could be laid out, hiding what was shaped like a mound of things underneath. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have taken much notice in it but this time it stood out to him.

Or maybe he was just paranoid because of the clown. Either way, he had to look. He walked over to the edge and leaned over, pulled out the edge of the tarp, and threw it back.

Freddy Fazbear stared back at him. He was in disrepair, plundered for parts, and slumped on the floor staring blankly at the young man.

A chill ran up Carlton's spine and he grabbed the tarp and yanked it back down without looking under the rest of it. But from the lumps he could see, it didn't look like Freddy was alone. Carlton backed up to the stairs, shut off the light, and then went back up to the first floor. He couldn't even comprehend what he had just saw. That wasn't supposed to be in his house.

Carlton replaced the keys and headed to his bedroom where he collapsed in his chair. Everything he learned in the last few days began to reel in his head.

Missing children and accidents were plentiful at Freddy's, a business that Charlie's father and a man named Afton owned. Dave had worked there and murdered Charlie at Magictime Theater where he also worked. Mike had also been at that theater and owned Foxy's, which had animatronics in it that were also from Freddy's, and Clayton was still suspicious of him. There was also Afton who owned a company that made Circus Baby's Pizza World, a pizzeria with a clown animatronic. There was an inhuman clown prowling the sewers.

When all laid out like this it didn't make much sense. So many deaths and so many accidents, so many employees who went rogue, so many businesses that failed; it didn't add up.

…Unless Jason was right. Unless the animatronics were alive, were the reason behind all this tragedy, and there was some sort of elaborate cover-up to hide it. Maybe his father was about to break open a massive conspiracy. Maybe his father wasn't locking the door to keep him out but to make sure something stayed in. Though if that was the case then why did it take this long? He had investigated every case and not solved and of them even with this surplus of information. It didn't make sense.

Worse still, Carlton knew nobody would believe him about any of this. It was unbelievable and he felt entirely alone.

He couldn't sleep like this, so after a moment of consideration he turned his computer back on and started typing up his resume.

* * *

 **Mable: It's only a matter of time until someone sees too much.**


	90. Chapter 90

**Mable: It's showtime!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Ninety_

There was no warning beforehand. In fact, it had been quiet leading up to that sleepy, Sunday afternoon. Even though it was the weekend, Scott was working away in his office so that he could get the evening off in full without having tasks gnawing at the back of his mind. Then the phone rang, and he didn't even have the slightest hunch that it was going to be what it was. The raspy voice was the last one he wanted to hear.

" _Afternoon, Scott. This is Detective Burke. I apologize in advance for calling you which such dire news but considering what you've been through I thought it only fair that I warn you about what's coming."_

"You… What?" Scott asked. His voice sounded so meek as his throat dried up. He already knew that tone; he was dreading this call.

" _Due to some evidence we uncovered at the old Fazbear Entertainment Processing Facility, we are going ahead and getting an arrest warrant for Mike Schmidt for the kidnapping and murders of the missing children at Freddy's. I know it may be a shock to you, but there was no denying what we found there… Unfortunately for you, he wasn't the only one that the evidence pointed to."_

"What?!" Scott was aghast. "You're saying- I- I haven't been to the old plant! I- Not even when I worked at Freddy's! There's got to be a mistake-?!"

" _Relax, Scott. We know you didn't commit the murders. It's your tampering with evidence that concerns us… But I did look back through the records and I recall you were used as a scapegoat for Freddy's before. I'm going to go with my gut on this and hold back on arresting you outright, but we will be by after we pick up Schmidt for a search and seizure of your property. In these cases, I shouldn't be warning you, but we have reason to believe that Schmidt may be dangerous and might go for possible witnesses, such as he did with Dave Miller."_

"I-I don't understand. Do you realize how young Mike was when the murders- missing children- the _murders_ happened?! He couldn't have done that!" Scott was beginning to panic. "I-I might know who did it."

" _Save it for when we get there. Just stay put and don't try to leave. We should be there within the hour, after we take Schmidt in and dismantle any malfunctioning animatronics on his property. You can do the right thing here, Scott. You can still save yourself."_

The phone call ended abruptly, and Scott was left sitting there at his seat. It took a minute to kick in, but he was suddenly hit by a wave of panic. His stomach twisted and his vision grew blurry and his hands shook so badly that he could barely get the phone back on the receiver. He was beginning to hyperventilate in moments as the horror kicked in.

"No, no, no, no-." A stream of 'no's fell out of his mouth, steadily growing more frenzied as he stared at his computer screen like it could help him. "No, no! This can't- This can't be happening! Not again- I can't do this again! God help me!"

"Scott?" Ennard leaned into the office to see what was up. Baby was starting to roll up behind him too as both could hear his frantic babbling. "Everything okay in here? Scott?" As soon as Scott looked at him and he saw that panicked expression, the amalgam knew that it was bad, whatever it was. He walked over to him and kneeled beside his chair. "I need you to calm down and tell me what's up, okay? What's wrong?"

"Clay is going to arrest Mike for murder and then he's coming after me!" Scott blurted out. He turned his chair towards Ennard. "Clay Burke! _Detective_ Clay Burke! He's coming after us for the murders at Freddy's!"

"What?!" Ennard cried. That panic hit him too. Baby, who was usually unmoved by most news, came to a halt halfway into the office and stared in alarm. She and Ennard exchanged a quick look before he looked back to the man. "How could this happen?! Those murders were years ago! None of those bodies can still be around! And I'm pretty sure _Mike_ didn't do it!"

"He said they found evidence at the processing facility- it was a factory Fazbear Entertainment used after they split ties with Afton Robotics. And that's not all he said. He said something like he thought Mike killed Dave and that he had evidence on me too and was coming here after he got Mike-!" Baby gasped, but that wasn't why Scott cut off. He cut off because he suddenly caught on to another comment made.

"And?!" Ennard pressed in a growing frenzy. "And what else?! What did he say about you?!"

"He said… He said he's going to come search the house after he got Mike…" Scott looked up from the floor and to Ennard. "And dismantled any 'malfunctioning' animatronics at his house… I think he knows."

"About?!" Ennard pressed.

"About us," Baby finished in realization. From the way Ennard dropped his head instead of acting surprised, it seemed he already knew the answer. "And when they search the house… They're going to find us too."

"That's- That's not going to happen," Scott assured with a tight swallow. He reached out to lift Ennard's head to make eye contact. "I'm going to call and warn Mike a-and then I'm going to call Fritz and get his van, and we're going to get the two of you out of here."

"What about you?" Ennard asked worriedly.

"…I need to get the tapes out of here too," Scott said. He turned to grab for the phone, to which Ennard smoothly turned his chair back to face him.

"What about _you_?" he asked again.

Scott was at a loss for words for a moment. He took a deep breath to try and steady himself. "He said… He said he didn't think I was involved with the murders. He knows Freddy's tried to pin crimes on their employees and he's convinced Mike is the one who did it, so… So, I don't know. I know if I run, I'm going to look guilty, but I have to keep you two safe." He reached out and cupped Ennard's mask with a shaky hand. "You and Baby are the most important people in my life, a-and if I have to go to jail to make sure you're safe then I will…"

Some of Ennard's expressions were harder to read, but the best guess Scott had to go on for the look he was giving him was one of devastation. His hand tightened on Scott's leg, saying more than he did.

"…But not until I get you two to safety," the Phone Guy affirmed. He then turned back to the desk and reached for his phone. He had a few calls to make.

* * *

It had been a typical day off until now. Mike had been trying to make the most of it, but it was hard to relax when all the small animatronics were climbing into everything and Jeremy was still as sick as a dog. Still, all seemed normal and nothing tipped him off that everything was about to take a dramatic shift. Until the phone rang and he answered it with, "Hello?"

" _Mike, I don't have much time and I need you to listen to me. I just got a call from Detective Burke saying that he found evidence at the old processing facility and he's got a warrant out for your arrest. He thinks_ _ **you**_ _committed the murders! And he thinks you were working with Dave, and that you killed him, and… And I-I think he knows about the animatronics. He said they were planning on shutting down any 'malfunctioning' animatronics they found on your property. He's coming here too so I have to get Ennard and Baby out of the house."_

"Are you serious?!" Mike asked in shock. He didn't even consider this to be an elaborate prank by Ennard; he recognized that dread in Phone Guy's voice. "Wait, wait! You've got to slow down! Burke said that?!"

" _He did and Clay is not the type to bluff. The only reason he told me is because- well- I think he's trying to threaten me into testifying? He wants you, Mike. He thinks you did it and he said there was evidence to prove it."_ Mike's mouth dropped open in shock as he took in the living nightmare presented to him. It was the worst-case scenario. _"I have to go. I-I don't know what I'm going to do, but I have to get the van and get Ennard and Baby to safety. I'll tell Fritz, just… Take my advice and get Mari and Charlie out while you can. And worn Jeremy."_

Scott didn't even say goodbye. He just hung up the phone and the call dropped like that. Mike was left standing there for a moment, stunned, and then just dropped the phone. It dangled from the cord and tapped against the wall. Then he bolted to the hallway and yelled down, "Mari, get down here quick!"

"What's going on?" Charlie asked as she sat up from the armchair. He turned towards her right as Marionette appeared and Jeremy came out from the puppet's bedroom and into the hall.

"Burke's got a warrant out for my arrest! He's charging _me_ with the murders at Freddy's!" Mike exclaimed. Everyone was just as shocked as he was. He looked back to Marionette. "And not only does he think I killed Dave, but he told Scott, or alluded to Scott that he expected to find 'malfunctioning animatronics' over here!" he said with air quotes.

Marionette looked horrified. "He can't…"

"He does. I know he does. Otherwise he wouldn't have made a comment like that. I knew it! I knew that son of a bitch was watching the house!" Mike turned to pace behind the couch, running a hand through his hair. "And if there were more cameras in the house that I didn't know about, then he probably knows everything, and he can spin this however he wants!"

The puppet was utterly speechless for a few moments. He hadn't really thought that Burke would do anything like this, thinking he was incompetent at his job. He still was in his eyes but now he was a real threat.

Finally, Marionette sobered up enough to speak and narrowed his gaze with determination. "We can't let him get away with this. We know the evidence clearly points to William Afton, not you. Unless Burke is blind enough to ignore the obvious signs. In which case we have to prove your innocence!" he insisted. "And we can't let him get you."

"I'm not turning myself in for something I didn't do. I'll gladly admit to breaking and entering, tampering with evidence, I'll even take the heat on not watching Dave, but I am _not_ taking the blame for that pizzeria," Mike promised firmly. He kept this inflamed look for a few seconds before it withered with a sigh. "Now how are we going to go about doing this? We don't have anything concrete we can scare up before he gets here. Even if we did it might not convince him." He was already becoming discouraged.

"There must've been something he found that convinced him you were guilty. Maybe he found something about Michael…" Marionette said thoughtfully, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers.

"I don't know what he found but Scott said he found it at a processing facility. You have any idea what that would be?" Mike asked. The puppet hummed and shook his head. "Well, whatever it is, that's where he found this evidence that's going to put me away, and it sounds like Scott knows where it is… And I sure as hell can't stand around here until Burke shows up. Looks like the only option is to head over there and look."

"Did… Did he mention me at all?" Jeremy hesitantly asked. "Are they coming for Fritz and me too?"

"They didn't say so, but you're going to be a target if you stay here. Especially with that 'malfunctioning animatronic' comment. The best thing you can do is get everyone together and split. Head over to Fritz's or the pizzeria, or just anywhere. Just out of the way where Burke's not going to look yet," Mike directed. Jeremy nodded and started to gather the animatronics around his ankles. They too were beginning to panic.

Meanwhile, Mike headed back to the phone. He grabbed it from its dangling position and only then noticed that Marionette had followed. He started to dial but then stopped and pulled the receiver away.

"I know I'm putting you in danger with this… But I need you to come with me. I don't know what's there- frankly, I'm not afraid of what I'm going to find there- I just need you to be my level head. Think you can do that?" Mike asked. Marionette's worried expression softened enough for him to smile.

"I would follow you anywhere, Mike," Marionette said. With that assurance, the man called Scott back.

After a few rings, Scott's voice answered with, _"Hello, hello."_

"Hey, it's me again." As soon as he said that, the voice on the other end contorted into a completely different one.

" _Mike, what the heck is going on?! What did you do?!"_ Ennard cried in exasperation.

"I didn't do anything! I certainly didn't kill a bunch of kids, that's for damn sure!" Mike defended. He reined himself in and rubbed a hand over his face while Marionette laid a supporting hand on his shoulder. "Put Scott on. I need to ask him about that place where Burke got this so-called evidence."

" _Scott's not here. He blew out of here about two minutes ago to go get Fritz's van. We've got to get boxes and boxes of tapes and clowns in that van and out of dodge or it's gonna get a lot worse. Because I'll tell you now, Mike, I'm not going easy! I have nothing to lose; I-I'm_ _ **n-nnot ending up i-in anooother fire**_ _!"_ Ennard threatened. He paused long enough to ease up, as his agitated static and squeaking wires could be heard over the receiver. Once he calmed, he added, _"It's a factory Fazbear Entertainment used after they dumped Afton. Why?"_

"Mari and I are going to go over and see this evidence for ourselves. I might not be able to convince Burke, but if I find something that contradicts him then I can go over him and prove I'm innocent."

"… _That sounds like a bad idea. That sounds like you're gonna look more guilty and some old, rusty Freddy's gonna still chase you around."_

" _If_ _ **Ennard**_ _thinks this sounds bad then maybe I need to reconsider this,_ " Mike thought. Then he shook his head. _"It's not like I've got any other way to do this. It's my only shot... Or at least a chance to see what they've got against me._ I'm going for it. If I can get myself off the hook, then I can get Scott off it too."

" _Yeah, good point. You do and I owe you for life. I'll get Scott to call ya when he gets back. You just try to not get caught before then!"_

"That's the plan. Take care," Mike finished and hung up. He then turned towards Marionette and brought him up to speed. "Ennard's going to get Scott to call us back. He said that it's a factory that Fazbear Entertainment used once they broke ties with William Afton."

"Which means that he was working there too under yet another false name," the puppet said with an unenthused look. He gave a low, disgruntled chime and started to head into the living room again. He looked to Charlie who was standing from the armchair and hurriedly tossing her book aside and zipping up her jacket. "Charlie…" he began as he leaned over the back of the couch. She looked to him. "Charlie, you should go with Jeremy. I'm not sure where he's going but it'll be safer there."

The Security Puppet nodded, and he started to turn back away. But then something happened. In that moment she seemed to suddenly have an epiphany, considering it for a long moment, and then her head snapped back over with a jingle. "No."

Both Marionette and Mike now looked back at her. "No?" the other puppet asked.

"I'm not going to leave you two. Let me come with you and maybe I can help. Even if I can't then I'm not going to make it any worse being there," Charlie insisted. She looked between the two. "We're like a family now. We should stay together and try to work through this."

Marionette looked dumbstruck by the whole comment, though maybe mostly from that last comment. So, Mike answered for him with a smile. "You've got a point there. Alright, you can come. Just as long as you don't pull an Ennard and go on a homicidal rampage through the city."

"According to Burke, you already did," Marionette teased lightly. He then circled around the couch quickly and pulled Charlie into a tight hug. One that she eagerly returned, responding to his chiming with jingling of her own. Mike smiled a little more at them and tried to ignore the dreadful thought that he could lose all of this. That in his efforts to find out the truth and protect the business he had inadvertently made himself a target, and now he would take the fall for someone who was already dead.

" _Focus, Schmidt. It's not over yet. Even if we can't find evidence, we'll find something. Burke doesn't have enough to convict on something I wasn't even around for,"_ he told himself. He then sobered up and headed to the pantry. "I'm going to put extra food out for Moppet. I think she'll be fine staying here," he said as he got the bag out. The pantry was cold and seemed to be buzzing louder than usual. Or maybe his paranoid mind just thought it was. "If he finds the basement, we're sunk…"

He overfilled the already half-filled cat bowl and hoped it would be enough. If he got stuck in a position where he couldn't come back, then he would have to call someone to take care of her. Possibly his mother but he really didn't want to get her involved. Right when he was about to return the cat food to the pantry, the phone rang again, and he answered. "Scott?"

"I'm skipping town," Fritz bluntly announce. "If you need the van, Scott has it. He said you two talked but I had to get on the highway as fast as I could."

"Yeah, that's about what I expected. Not that I blame you; Burke's been gunning for you longer than he's been going for me. Where's Natalie and Chance?"

"Natalie's with me," Fritz said. Mike could hear Natalie chime in with a 'hey Mike' in the background. "Chance is back at the house. I offered to work something out with the van, but he didn't want to leave. I don't think Burke can break in without a search warrant and due cause… Right?" Natalie gave a nervous, nondescript 'eh' in the background. "Call me if this blows over. Or when you find out what's going to happen."

"Sounds good. I'll bring you up to speed later, but I've got to keep the line open for Scott. And don't worry about Jeremy, he's taking off now."

"Tell him if he needs a place to stay that I'm going to be at my brother's. He knows where that is so if he's desperate he can come up… You just try to stay safe. I don't know what Burke's got on you, but you can't let him take you in on Freddy charges. It'll ruin your life."

"I know, I won't. I'll get to the bottom of this. You just drive safe and keep Natalie close and I'll call you back when I know more." With that, Mike hung up again. Now he was just stuck standing there again. He leaned against the wall with one hand and rubbed over his face with the other, hoping Scott would call back soon.

It was then that long striped arms encircled him and held him securely. Marionette pulled him into a comforting hug, trilling again but in a different way to when he was holding Charlie. He nuzzled his mask into Mike's shoulder and gave silent assurances that all would be okay. It was a brief comfort before the phone started ringing again.

This time it was Scott calling back. _"Mike? Ennard said you needed me to call you. What's going on?"_

"Thanks for getting back to me this quickly. I need to know where the processing facility is that Burke found this evidence. We're going to go in and see what's in there that's pointing at me," Mike explained. Scott choked on the other end of the line. "And before you say anything, I know it's a mistake and I know it's going to make me look more guilty, but I'm not giving myself up to Burke. You and I both know there's no real evidence pinning me to anything and I'm going to prove it. I just need you to point me in the right direction."

There was a long pause as Scott considered it. Once he began, "Mike, you can't-." But then fell into silence again, fumbling, and eventually giving a defeated exhale. "How quickly can you get over here?"

"You don't have to get involved, Scott. I just need the directions."

"It's going to take too long to talk you through where you need to turn and what the roads look like- it's practically out in the middle of nowhere! Just… Just come over here and I'll take you to it. J-Just hurry… We're running out of time here," Scott insisted.

Mike agreed and hung up the phone before turning to Marionette. "We've got to get over to Scott's and then he'll take us there," he explained, and the puppet nodded.

It was then that Jeremy came out of the hallway carrying a duffle bag in one arm and the Minireenas corralled together in the other. From the lumps in the bag it was clear that the Bidybabs and probably Plushtrap were squeezed inside. He hurried out behind Mike could say anything but returned quickly afterwards to get Balloon Boy and Max. Mike got his attention and brought him up to speed.

"Fritz is heading out of town to his brother's. He said you can follow him if you want. We're going over to Scott's to see if we can prove my innocence," he explained. The blond nodded stiffly and coughed into the back of his hand.

"Okay. I think we're just going to head over to the pizzeria… That way if anyone sees the animatronics, they'll think they're supposed to be there. I don't think he can do anything to them in there… I hope." He shuffled over to lift Max's heavy body when Mike stepped in and stopped him and started to do it instead. "You don't have to do that, Mike. You should get out of here."

"You're still sick so let me just do this. I can't lock up until we're all out of here anyway," Mike said as he toted Max out. Jeremy moved aside to pick up Balloon Boy before looking between the puppets.

"Uh… Take care you guys. I'm sure this is going to turn out alright," he said with a forced smile. Then he started to head out, with Balloon Boy waving over his shoulder at the two. He didn't laugh; he was eerily quiet.

Soon Jeremy was driving off and Mike came back inside to get the remaining two and close the house up. Marionette teleported into the car while Charlie enwrapped herself in the travelling sheet and waited as Mike got the keys. He paused by the door, looking back inside at the emptied house and Moppet eating at the cat food, oblivious to what was happening. He took a deep breath, hoped this wasn't the last time they saw home for a long time, and shut the door behind them.

* * *

One by one they all got the same cryptic call telling them to come quickly, that something serious was happening, that it wasn't a joke and that they needed to get there soon. That's what got everyone to Carlton's.

John had gotten there first as he was the closest, doing day labor at a construction site not too far away. He had managed to get out of work saying that it was an emergency, and he really believed it was from the message, and came into the house to find Carlton sitting on the couch looking anxious. His leg was jumping, his eyes were wide, and it was clear that John made the right choice.

Marla got there second. At first, she was prepared to tease him about the clown and then proceed to chew him out if this _was_ about that clown again, but then she saw the state he was in and knew it was serious.

"What's wrong? Did you get news from your mom?" she asked in concern.

Carlton shook his head. "No, it's not about her. It's about something else," he said. He looked to the front door with paranoia when Jessica came in, then relief when he saw it was just her. Though he then looked to the window. "What's taking Lamar so long? I called him like twenty minutes ago."

"It was more like seven minutes ago. He'll be here," John reassured. He then looked to Jessica who came over to sit down on the other couch beside him. Only then did he probe, "What did you call us about? Did something happen with your dad?" That was the other fear: that Clayton got shot in the line of duty. Again, Carlton shook his head and turned this down.

"No, it's not about him… Okay, it is about him, but not like that. Lamar better hurry up." Carlton leaned back on the couch for a moment and only then did they notice how tired he looked. Marla laid a worried hand on his arm. He looked to her, their eyes meeting for a few silent moments, and then he sat up again and began to explain. "I heard my dad on the phone today. He was saying that he found enough evidence that Mike, the guy from Foxy's, kidnapped those kids from Freddy's to arrest him. He's doing it today."

"What?!" Marla asked in disbelief. "But that- I mean- that guy? I mean, he seemed kind of odd, but he didn't look insane!"

"I don't understand. You're saying Clay only decided to arrest Mike now?" Jessica asked in surprise. Carlton nodded and she felt a wave of dread. _"He was the last one with Charlie…"_ She shook the thought off and continued. "Then he must have found something that connected him to the crime. I can't believe this. He was able to open another restaurant and everything!" she said, looking to John.

"Yeah, except that there's one problem…" Carlton murmured. He took a deep breath and looked between his friends. "I don't think he did it."

"Are you sure?" John asked.

"Yeah," Carlton insisted. He mustered up the courage to add in, "Because… I think the animatronics did it. I think Jason's right. I think they're alive." All at once he seemed to lose all credibility. Their shock and horror turned to confusion and maybe a little exasperation on Marla's part. She furrowed her brows and looked like she was about to disagree, but he beat her to it. "Dad has animatronics locked up in the basement."

That took the words out of Marla's mouth. Her eyes widened again and she gave a quieter, "He what?"

"Freddy is the one I saw but I know he has more of them. I thought he was keeping the door locked to keep me out of there, but now I'm thinking he's trying to keep them down there… That's not all either. The clown? The clown that _nobody_ believes me about? Not only did I see it again, but I heard it. It mimicked my own voice like a parrot."

"Where did you see it, in the basement?" John asked in surprise.

"No, out in the sewer. It was looking out of a runoff drain," Carlton explained. There were those looks of disbelief again and he grew more impatient. "I get it. You're thinking I'm crazy. You all still think I'm obsessed with this clown, right? Still think this is some weird story I've come up with to ignore my parents' collapsing marriage? That I'm connecting the wrong dots? Well, here's something none of us have thought of: what if Charlie wasn't killed from being hit by a car like everyone said? There wasn't even a car near her!"

" _Carlton_ ," Marla hissed, glancing over towards Jessica who got a horrified look.

"No, I'm serious! Listen to me! If the animatronics attacked Dave and that guy who was working there, who's to say they didn't attack Charlie too?!" Carlton asked. He was answered with silence. "…Well?!"

"What do you mean, the animatronics attacked Dave?" John quietly asked. "How do you know that?"

"…You didn't know that?" Carlton asked in equal surprise. "It was in the police report. Dad keeps copies of everything in his office, the one he doesn't lock. The animatronics came off the stage and attacked Dave and the other guy. Even Mike said it happened in the interview he gave."

"Oh my gosh, the letter…" Jessica suddenly got a look of realization and looked between her friends with newfound panic. "Is that letter was from Mike then what if he was trying to tell us that Charlie hadn't been killed by Dave? What if she was killed by the animatronics? It could've caused similar damage; broken bones, internal bleeding!"

"But then why didn't he ever show?" Marla asked. "We were all there, we all waited for him to come and tell us, but he never turned up."

"Maybe he couldn't… I think somebody's trying to cover up what happened at Freddy's," Carlton admitted. A cold look crossed his face. "…And I think it's Dad."

Everyone looked equally surprised at this, though no more surprised than earlier.

"There's been more children in this town that went missing than we know about. Did you know there was a group of teens that went missing before those kids disappeared? Then there was another group of kids that disappeared off a street not far from it, and other kids just vanishing here or there. Dad's been on these cases and hasn't solved any of them, let alone find a real suspect," Carlton said.

"But this is your dad we're talking about. I know you two don't get along, but he's never given us any reason to believe he was capable of that," John pointed out. It was then that Carlton's look of dread and determination changed to a more regretful one, an almost sad looking one.

"Ever since he's gotten on this Freddy case, he hasn't been acting right. He doesn't care about anything except this work, and that work in the basement- It's insane. He's tapping phone calls, he's got all these tapes with people talking on them- including Henry, Charlie's dad. Like, he's doing some form of detective work, but it's really sketchy..." Carlton paused long enough to take a deep breath. "He said in the call that he found something at Fazbear Entertainment's processing facility and that's what he's using to arrest Mike."

"And Fazbear Entertainment was obviously Freddy's," Jessica confirmed. To which Carlton gave a nod.

It all sounded outlandish, strange, like it couldn't possibly be real and that they were coming up with the most ridiculous claims to try and make sense of their tragedy. Except somehow it was beginning to make a weird sort of sense. There were questions that never got answered; why Charlie had even gone to Magictime in the first place was a big one. Unless she had found this out too and was murdered because of it.

It was then that Jessica realized what she needed to do. She pushed down any lingering mourning and looked up at Carlton. "We have to go see what he found," she said.

Carlton nodded in agreement while Marla seemed nervously hesitant. "Are you sure about this? We could get arrested walking around a crime scene," she reminded them. "Do we really want to do this…?"

"We already missed out on our chance to learn what really happened once. I'm not letting that slip by again. Charlie deserved better than that, and now we're the only ones who can find the truth for her." Jessica stood from the couch and looked between the two, then down at John still sitting beside her. She gave him a small and guilty smile. "It's better than sitting around waiting, isn't it?"

It was the words not said that convinced him. John nodded and stood from the couch with, "Let's find out where it is."

"I've got the directions. I looked them up while you guys were getting here," Carlton explained. He was already hustling towards the front door, not even grabbing his jacket as he threw open the door.

Lamar was walking up to the house when his four friends came hurrying out of the house. He watched in confusion as they all started to hustle towards Carlton's car. "Where's everyone going?"

"You're not going to believe this, but we're going to Freddy Fazbear's to solve a conspiracy that involves Charlie, corrupt cops, and a clown," Marla said, still sounding like she barely believed it herself. "You should've been here ten minutes ago. You missed the whole thing," she finished before sliding into the backseat, Jessica having taken the one up front.

Lamar just watched in absolute befuddlement before shrugging and following them into the car. He was sure he would get the details on the way.

* * *

Mike was fighting off a full-blown panic attack by time he arrived at Scott's house. His chest was in a vice as he fought a racing heartbeat and the pangs of nausea to ride through it. It wasn't like he had much of a choice but to keep driving and hope that it wore off before he got to Scott's. Marionette must've noticed as he reached over the seat to rub at his neck and shoulders, chiming soothingly in the tune of 'Tomorrow Is Another Day'. It helped enough to calm him down before he arrived at the house.

Scott was already waiting in the van when Mike drove up. He didn't even let the younger man get out of his car, he just pulled out of the van and waved for him, then turned onto the street and began to drive. Considering how panicked he was about their lack of time this wasn't entirely unexpected. Mike rolled with the punches and drove after him. He was glad he did too, because the drive to the facility was hectic.

It was out in the middle of nowhere like Silver Reef had been and involved going down roads that were faded by the sun. It felt like ages until they arrived at what looked almost like a cross between the warehouse and Afton Robotics' main building. It was in adequate condition, with the doors and windows closed, the latter caked in dust that had accumulated over the years. The parking lot was barren without even a scrap of trash or the remains of newspaper. It was completely abandoned.

Mike parked alongside the van and got out to go meet him. Scott was getting something out of the passenger's seat, so Mike leaned against the window. He caught a glimpse into the back and could barely see Ennard and Baby beyond a stack of boxes. "What's with all the boxes?" he asked nonchalantly.

"It's, uh… Incriminating evidence," Scott admitted. The younger didn't ask and was handed over a familiar radio. It was one that he had been given before when he went down into ARI. "Here."

"Thanks," Mike said as he took it. "I guess we'll tell you if we see anything. Looking at a place like this, I'm expecting there's something in here." He scanned the building with more suspicion in his gaze. "Doesn't look like the cops have been here…" No police tape, no tire marks; nothing looked disturbed. Then again, he wouldn't be entirely surprised if Burke had been using evidence he had found years ago to pin him to the crime. He looked back at Scott to see the man staring at the steering wheel in a trance. "Are you still with me?"

"Still here… In fact… I'll do you one better," Scott vaguely answered. He leaned between the seats and reached over the boxes to hand the other radio off to Ennard. "Ennard, take this."

"I don't like the sound of that tone. Sounds like something's I'd say before I ran off and did something stupid," Ennard pointed out as he accepted the radio. "To clarify, I think coming down here was a bad idea."

"It's not like we have a ton of options," Mike defended. He was partially taken off guard when Scott started opening the van door. He backed up and let the older man step out. Scott's hands were shaking as he buttoned up his jacket; he was clearly nervous. "You don't have to come in there with us. Mari's coming with me, we'll be safe," Mike said quietly.

"No, I… I don't have anywhere else to go anyway… Besides, heh, more witnesses are always a good thing, right? It's not like they're not going to make me testify anyways," the Phone Guy said with an uncertain smile.

"Scott, I really think you should listen to him!" Ennard called from the back. He tried to forcibly squeeze past the boxes, causing them to fall on Baby who let out a disgruntled huff and shoved them off. His mask poked between the seats as he protested. "Okay, if you're that sure then let me come with you! I'll be careful. I'll sure as heck not let myself get caught!"

"It's okay, Ennard. Nothing's going to happen. I just need you to stay here and watch Baby," Scott assured him.

Which brought another scoff out of Baby as she crossed her arms loosely. "You have our rolls reversed… But he has a point. There could be anything in there looking for an easy way out."

"Yeah, us," Mike chimed in. He handed Scott his radio back and started to head for the front door, waving to Marionette on the way. Scott watched him go before turning towards the clowns again.

"I need you to stay out here so that I know you're safe. If someone came while we were in there- like heaven forbid Clay showed up- you two would need to hide. Even if he takes me away in handcuffs, promise me if you have the chance you will hide," Scott insisted. It was clear that he wasn't going to be satisfied until he got an answer, one that Ennard didn't want to give.

"…If that's what you want then I'll do it. I'll wait here quietly and if Burke shows up, I'm not gonna do anything," Ennard agreed and Scott smiled. The clown quietly interjected, "BUT! If I start hearing funny noises coming outta that radio, _animatronic noises_ , all bets are off! And I want you to keep me up to date on what's goin' down in there, okay?"

"That's fair. I love you," Scott said. He reached out to reassuringly rub the clown's arm before looking further into the back. "I love you too, Baby. I won't be gone long…" She straightened a bit more as he drew back and shut the door, then turned to join Mike in getting the door open.

Ennard watched him go with discontent. He didn't trust this place; it all seemed too coincidental that their only lead would be in an abandoned factory. One that was so much further outside of town.

"He- He said he loved me," Baby said in surprise. She sounded absolutely stunned. He must've said once or twice in passing that he loved them, but she couldn't remember him ever saying it directly to her. It made her feel confused and fluttery at the same time. Just the sound of her awe eased the other clown up a bit, but Ennard couldn't say he felt much better about what he was looking at.

In the other car, Marionette turned back to Charlie. "I'm going to go in with Mike and Scott and make sure the coast is clear. Then, once I'm sure there's no threats inside, I can come back out and get you," he assured her. She nodded in agreement and he looked ahead again, waiting for them to get the door open.

Thankfully the door wasn't locked, just heavy and rusty, with the knob sticking momentarily before turning with a crack. Mike pulled the door open and shined a light inside the facility. There was a large room waiting directly inside and he pushed open the double doors all the way to let in as much light as he could. In a heartbeat, Marionette appeared beside him and stared into the darkness with better vision. Without exchanging any words, they began to venture inside. Scott followed hesitantly behind as the two led the way into factory Fazbear Entertainment left behind.

There had to be something waiting to be found.


	91. Chapter 91

**Mable: Time to go into the abyss.**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Ninety-One_

Fazbear Entertainment's personal factory was unlike what they were used to with Afton Robotics. Instead of looking futuristically sleek, with narrow corridors and cleanly tiled floors, the open room they stepped into looked much more rustic. The only light except for the flashlight was some coming through high, dusty windows into this foyer. There were a few dirty, dusty stations that looked like they were for mounting and working on animatronics and even a few abandoned pieces of endoskeleton left behind. Including some legs left on one of the stands.

While the room stretched further into the back, where there were workstations and desks before ending in more double doors, there was also a dusty glass window to the left that looked in on another large room. Upon shining the light on the glass some conveyor belts could be seen, but it was too fogged to see much else. Everything smelled dusty and there was sand and cobwebs all over. It was hard to believe that any investigation had happened at this building recently.

Mike looked around and whistled. "Definitely a step down from ARI. You would think that Fazbear Entertainment of all people could afford better than this," he said. It fit the creepy vibe he expected from an abandoned factory but didn't resemble what he expected from what disguised itself as a sterile company. At least to the general public.

"You've got to keep in mind that this was after many of the lawsuits. They didn't really have the money to invest in a setup to rival Will's, and they didn't really need one to be honest. Almost all their animatronics were being reused so they really didn't need to make too many complete bodies anymore," Scott explained. He was borderline rambling but the other two were too interested in the background to stop him. "I don't think it was open that long. Maybe a few years at most."

"I couldn't imagine being posed on one of those to be worked on," Marionette remarked. He looked over the stand with a mix of curiosity and unease, wondering if any of the animatronics he knew had been worked on here. He knew that he hadn't but Foxy couldn't have been accountable for all those years. Not that he received much maintenance then. "It would be like being on stage at your most vulnerable moment."

"It's like a cross between an operating theater and an assembly plant. Looks like most of the automated parts are over in that section though," Mike said as he shined the lights on those other windows again. There still wasn't a good angle to look through them. He continued scanning the room with the light slowly. "What would Burke find here other than some broken down Freddys?"

There was a long pause before Marionette quietly answered, "…The bodies." Mike's head snapped to him and the puppet looked more uncertain and uneasy. "So many bodies were stuffed into suits, Mike. Children, employees, they had to go somewhere. Not all of them were reported to the proper authorities and I suppose those might've been brought here… Those that weren't taken by the Purple Man himself."

"Oh Lord, you're right. That's what he found. He found bodies," Scott choked. He instantly began to lose his cool as he looked around in paranoia. Sweat was already forming on his forehead as his nerves kicked in.

"We don't know that yet," Mike started to defend. Marionette gave him a silent stare and waited for another explanation. "…But I'm not going to pretend that's not the most likely scenario." The puppet's face fell, and the man reached out to pat his back with an exhale. "Alright, let's see…" he said as he shined the light around. It eventually found its way onto a couple of open double doors in the back that looked like they led into a hallway. "Looks like someone's been back there. Let's check that out."

The three headed into the back and found a dark hallway waiting for them. There was an unresponsive elevator and past that a doorway, a door at the end of the hall, and a corner leading off somewhere by the latter door. The first doorway caught their attention the most, the one right at the corner where it turned off. It looked like an open office door and, sure enough, they looked inside to see a desk, an office chair, and a couple of file cabinets.

The one thing that stood out was what looked like an open fuse box against the wall beside the desk. There were monitors on the desk and between them and the wall was a mounted lever, almost looking like it activated the main breaker. Scott carefully approached the desk and looked around at the fuse box.

"I can't imagine being the night guard that had to work in a place like this… Maybe if we can get the electricity on, we can look at the security footage. Maybe that's what Clayton found," Scott suggested.

He started to check the fuses and flipped any that were off to on. So far there wasn't a response and it gave Mike and Marionette time to look around. Not that there was much to look at. Marionette had become fixated on an old Freddy poster that was still hanging on the wall while Mike stood alongside the door to look over the dusty supplies left on a file cabinet.

"O-Okay. Let's see if that does it," Scott forewarned. He sat down in the office chair and reached for the final lever, throwing it and activating everything to start. The lights flickered, a dull hum filled the facility, and then with a sudden pop everything failed once again, and the factory returned to darkness. "No good. Okay, let me try this again. Maybe with less of the fuses on." Scott wheeled the chair slightly to the side and began to check the switches again, now making note of which ones blew.

A dull groaning noise travelled down the hallway. It was mechanical and heavy, but it was impossible to tell if it was machinery, the settling of the factory, or something else. Mike looked towards the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you hear that?" Marionette quietly asked. Mike nodded and leaned out the doorway to shine his light down the halls. There was nothing there. In the meantime, the puppet turned back to the poster. Now he raised himself up to reach for it and ran his fingers down it. He noticed that he could feel little ridged underneath the paper and knew it was covering something.

"Second time's the charm. First time I turned everything on and it couldn't support it, so this time I think it's only going to be the lights. It's hard to tell with these little notes all over the place," to which he was referring to a few sticky notes with tiny memos on them. Only one of them directing to a fuse and it just explaining which one turned on power to the basement. With them in place, he pushed back to the desk and grabbed for the lever.

"Here goes nothing," Scott said before pulling it down and restarting the power again.

This time it looked like it took. The lights started to flicker on, the humming from before was much quieter, and then without any warning, a security door slammed down beside Mike.

"Geez!" he cried as he stepped aside. The doorway had looked like it was made with a security door, but he had no warning it would activate like that. There weren't even any buttons alongside it. "That could've taken my arm off," he muttered.

"Maybe there was a power surge and it activated the door? Uh, sorry about that!" Scott said awkwardly. He turned back to the computer and pressed the button for it. "Let's see if this'll come on…"

"It better, because if it doesn't, we don't-." Mike cut off as he turned back to the Phone Guy and, now with the lights on, could see the ceiling. His eyes widened as he saw what was hanging over his head. "Scott!"

Scott barely had time to react before the younger man grabbed the office chair and violently yanked him back out of the way. Once he was back near the door, Mike pointed up at the ceiling and then did he see it.

There was a hole in the ceiling, almost as wide around as the chair was, and just barely sticking out was a bundle of steel pipes. They weren't connected to anything and instead were just mounted precariously over right where Scott had been sitting.

He almost thought he overreacted when nothing happened, but it was just delayed. As soon as the computer screen lit up there was a clicking noise somewhere in the ceiling and the pipes dropped. They hit the floor with a thunderous banging while some of them even fell askew and stabbed into the monitor and caused it to flicker and die again. If Scott had been underneath the pipes he would've been impaled if not completely eviscerated, which he realized quickly.

"Wha-What? How-?" Scott shakily choked out as he grabbed the arms of the office chair.

"That wasn't an accident," Mike announced. He looked to Marionette, "You saw that too, right? That was a booby trap. That was set to go off." The puppet nodded and looked just as disturbed. Not nearly as unsettled as Scott who stood shakily from the office chair.

"On- On second thought, I think I just- I think I need to go wait in the van. I, uh, I don't want to leave you two alone in here, but I just- I need to go," Scott half-rambled as he shuffled back towards the door. Neither of them were going to dissuade him after what just happened. He looked around the door for a release button or keypad and found nothing. "Uh… There's not- This door won't open."

"It's probably a trap too. Set to stay closed if anyone turns the power on so that nobody can get back out if they survived that," Mike pointed out. His cynical outlook only made Scott more uneasy, but he himself was already working on a plan of escape. "So, it might be as easy as shutting the power back off. That's what usually gets these doors open."

He started to walk towards the desk when Marionette stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, then smoothly moved past him to approach the desk himself. He sent a wary look at the pipes before reaching for the lever and trying to lift it again to shut off the power. Except the lever was now stuck in the on position. It didn't budge no matter how much the puppet pushed or pulled.

It was only then that a slow growing dread started to crawl up Mike's spine as his brows slowly raised. "…We're actually trapped," he said in disbelief.

"What are we going to do?! As soon as they don't find you at home, Burke's going to know I called and warned you, and they're going to come looking for us both! It's only a matter of time before they find us-!" He suddenly cut off before getting a look of horror. "You… You don't think Burke- that this- that he did this?"

"I could've believed he did this," Mike clarified as he knocked on the door. Then he pointed to the pipes, "But that? No way. I've met Burke and he's hardheaded, but he's not a complete loon. This reeks of something William set up before he croaked." Though right after he said it he started to second guess it. " _But how the hell did the cops investigate this place without setting it off?"_

Marionette gave an irritated static noise as he gave up on fiddling with the fuse box. Trying to flip the fuses didn't do anything, as though the box itself was locked in place. He turned back to the two humans before beckoning them.

"There's another way out," Marionette said. He then returned to the poster on the wall and tore it down to reveal a vent opening hiding behind it. He looked closer at the screws holding it in. "Does anyone have a coin I can use? It'll be quicker that way."

"Hold on a second…" Mike reached into his wallet and got a quarter that he handed over. Then he looked back to Scott and pointed his thumb at the file cabinet. "Can you help me bring that cabinet over?"

Scott agreed and came over to help him. Thankfully the cabinet must've been emptied as it wasn't as heavy as they expected it to be. They made short work of moving it underneath where the vent was. By then Marionette unscrewed and removed the vent cover. He flicked the coin back over his shoulder towards Mike- who somehow caught it, impressing Scott- and then slid into the vent.

Mike turned to Scott. "Do you want to go next?" he offered. To which the older shook his head, fumbled something out, and waved him ahead. The security guard agreed and climbed up and into the vent.

The vent was pitch dark and smelled like a mix of dust and burnt plastic. It was cramped but no more than any other vent, if anything this was one of the roomier ones Mike had gotten stuck climbing through. The only thing that seemed odd was the temperature in the vent. He expected it to be cold considering that it was metal, but instead it was stuffy. Maybe the heat outside was somehow working its way into the ventilation system. He didn't pay it much mind and shined the flashlight ahead past Marionette.

They waited until Scott climbed into the vent before they started to move. Marionette was in the lead and moved fluidly through the vent as Mike followed close behind with the flashlight.

"You know, I was just thinking about what you said… And I think you had a good point when you said that trap looked like it was made by Will. I mean, I don't know if Will ever made traps, but I'm pretty sure he knew about this place. He, uh… He wasn't very friendly with competition, and after the falling out with Freddy's they were pretty much competition. There's a good chance he got in here and did something. Maybe tried to sabotage them or something, you know, maybe," Scott rambled uncomfortably. He cleared his throat. "But I'm just thinking out loud."

"So, you don't know of any accidents that might've shut this place down?" Mike asked.

"Not that I know about. They were open back when I was working as assistant manager, so I was handling only some of the paperwork and I wasn't the one coming out here," Scott explained. That seemed to be the end of any possible leads and they fell silent as they went around a corner.

Marionette could see another hatch at the end of the next section of vent and began to speed up towards it. His legs brushed the bottom of the vent as he easily slipped towards the vent towards his prize. When suddenly something snapped around him. A metal wire that had been hidden in the grooves of the vent suddenly tightened around his middle, catching one of his arms and trapping him in place. He immediately began to thrash like a trapped animal as he rang 'Pop Goes the Weasel' in alarm.

"Mari!" Mike saw him get snared and crawled to him quickly. He grabbed for the puppet who was still panicking and fighting against the wire. "Take it easy! It's okay, just let me see it. I'll get you out," he promised. This got Marionette to stop long enough for him to see what had caught him. It looked like a makeshift snare trap made with a metal cable and was so tight that it dug into his fabric.

"Okay, maybe we can try to loosen this up…" Mike said as he started to try and fit his fingers underneath the wire. "Or maybe you can teleport out?" he asked. Marionette nodded, calming down enough to try and do so. Right before he did there was another loud click in the vent, followed by a humming and a rumbling through the vents. Mike's head snapped up in alarm, "Now what is that?"

He was answered both by the gust of hot air that suddenly blew through the vent and Scott guessing, "It sounds like a heater."

Mike almost made a sarcastic comment about it- of course it had to be something uncomfortable kicking on for no reason- but then he suddenly focused on what it was. It was a heater, a unit made to heat up the vents, suddenly kicking on and heating the vents in only a matter of seconds. In an instant he was having flashbacks back to Chance's pizzeria and wasn't willing to wait and see if it was a similar circumstance.

He just looked to Marionette and gave a firm, "Teleport out. _Quick._ "

It didn't take Marionette being told twice. He got a look of horror as he suspected the same thing and focused enough to teleport himself out, ending up only a foot further down the vent. He instantly turned over and hurried to the hatch at the end to try and force it open, as he couldn't do the quarter trick from the inside.

Mike caught up with him quickly. "Move, I got it," he instructed. As soon as the puppet was squeezed beside him and out of the way, Mike began to kick at the vent at the end. Even though old it was resilient and only shuddered slightly under his blows. One random hit sent it flying off the vent and crashing to the floor. He knew he hadn't done that alone but wasn't about to argue against Marionette's help.

Both climbed out quickly. By now Mike was already sweating so he felt the full force of the chilled air as he dropped into the room. They were at the top of a stairwell leading down into a basement level, right beside a metal, normal door that with a keypad beside it. They waited for Scott to climb out as he took a little longer to get out. His face was pinkened and he was shaking worse in the hands as he turned to them.

They turned their attention on the door to their left first and Mike pulled his taser off his belt and held it up. "Think the overload trick will work?" he asked. Marionette gave a partial shrug.

"It might be worth a try," the puppet said. This seemed like enough of a go-ahead and Mike stepped forward to do so.

"Wait!" Scott caught up to him and stopped him before he could do anything further. He then reached to the keypad and tried a brief combination. "Let's just see if this works…" After he pressed the enter button, the keypad beeped and there was a click as the door unlocked. The two looked surprised and Scott gave a strained smile. "The year Freddy's opened. It works like a charm about twenty-five percent of the time."

Scott cautiously pushed the door open, being sure to look up at the ceiling and around the walls and floor before daring to step out. It was another hallway, but from the size and the corner at the end it seemed very likely that it was connected to the hall they were just in. He exhaled in relief and stepped out. "I think we're in the clear. That way should lead right back to the office."

"You go ahead. Mari and I are going to head downstairs and keep looking," Mike offered. Scott looked to him in surprise and saw he was dead serious. Then he looked to Marionette, who seems to be on the same page as he nodded in agreement without taking much time to think.

"But… You can't think this is a good idea! That back there- That's a sign. Someone doesn't want us in here, and I don't think there's going to be only two traps in here. Three if we count the heater. Four if we count the door," Scott rambled in alarm. He looked between the two. "I- I know what's on the line with Burke, but it's pretty clear that something's wrong here."

"I know. That's why we're going to keep going, because obviously there's something here if someone tried this hard to rig the place up," Mike pointed out. He gave a slow exhale and sent a weary glare behind him and down the stairs. "There really isn't any other option. Either we find out what's in here or I take the fall for a crime I didn't commit… But we'll be more careful from now on."

Scott still looked doubtfully at the two. He looked down at his radio, looking like he was considering using it, but then just gave a defeated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll come with you," he agreed.

"Scott, you don't have to," Mike insisted more firmly. "Look, you almost got maimed just getting the lights on. Don't come with us. I rather only have one life on the line." Scott shook his head.

"No, I need to… You might need me," he excused.

Marionette's face grew more serious. "We all know that we might face something worse once we get downstairs. If we have already weathered four traps making it to the stairs, then there is something in here worth hiding… And once you see whatever it is, you won't forget it. You shouldn't put yourself in that situation." He slowly turned his head towards Mike. "…That goes for you too, Mike."

"You couldn't pay me not to go with you," Mike quickly declined.

"No, I know you're coming… But if I see something that you shouldn't, I ask you to take my word for whatever it is and to not look. I don't want you to have those memories," Marionette explained. Mike wasn't entirely sure if he agreed, but at this point he nodded along with it. Things could always change later, and they didn't have the time to mull over such trivial details. He was sure he could survive whatever he saw. The puppet looked back to the Phone Guy, "Are you sure, Scott?"

"…I'm- I'm not going to be the one who runs away again. I've seen plenty. Might need another set of credible eyes," Scott tried to sound convincing. Then he beckoned them towards the stairs. "But if it's alright with you two I'm going to just… Be staying in the back, okay? I'll let you two go first."

"No arguments here," Mike said with a slight smile. He then turned back to the stairs and started down them, taking careful steps in case there was another trap waiting to be sprung. Marionette was right at his side looking around just as carefully as Scott followed a few steps behind.

Whatever was down here they knew they had to find it.

* * *

Charlie was starting to grow antsy at how long it had been since the three went into the warehouse. She had expected it to be a little while before Marionette came back to get her but knew that this was too long. He wouldn't have lied either, so she knew that something must've happened inside. Either that or they found something and forgot all about coming back. Neither was a good sign.

Just when she was starting to consider going inside, something happened that she did not expect. Another car drove into the parking lot and parked far enough away that she got a chance to look at it. For a second she was relieved to see that it wasn't a police car, but that only lasted until the doors opened and she saw who was climbing out, no longer hidden by the sun glinting on the windows. She was shocked.

The group was oblivious to the fact that they were being watched but had noticed the vehicles parked there right off the bat. Without any hesitation, John strode over to the navy car with Carlton in tow and they looked inside. It only took them a few seconds to come to the same conclusion.

"It's Mike's. I'm sure of it," John said to the others. He then looked past at the van with the obvious 'Foxy's Pirate Cove' on the side and his face grew more firm. "The others must be here too. Maybe they're trying to get rid of the evidence."

"Isn't it a little too late for that? If Clay found anything then they must've hauled it off to the police station by now," Lamar pointed out. He looked at Carlton. "What did he say they found again?" Carlton just gave a half shrug.

"He doesn't know. He just overheard him talking on the phone and saying they found evidence here," Jessica explained. She then looked towards the front doors and noticed one was still left slightly open. "They must already be inside."

"We're not… Actually going inside, are we?" Marla hesitantly asked.

"We're not going to find anything out here," John reminded. All he could see in Mike's car was what looked like a sheet or tarp that fell in the backseat floorboard. Nothing incriminating or that would give them any sort of clues. He turned away from the car. "I'm going in. You all can wait here or come with me, but I've come to far to go back."

"Same," Jessica agreed. She exhaled slowly and straightened her back. "He might be our last chance at finding out what really happened."

Little did the group know, but they were being watched. They were paying too much attention to Mike's car to notice the glimpse of something in the van's window.

"I don't _believe this_!" Ennard hissed in quiet shock. He sunk back further behind the seat so they wouldn't be able to see him. "This can't be happen-ening!"

"It's the cops, isn't it?" Baby flatly asked. "Isn't that wonderful? They take forever on an emergency, but they get here at a moment's notice."

"Oh, I wish! It's that weird, redheaded guy who was stalking me the other night! I don't know wha-what the heck he's doing here, but that's him alright! I'd recognize him _a-a-_ a _nywhere!_ " Ennard explained. He was abruptly cut off by a loud cracking noise as Baby's head suddenly turned to stare at him.

"What was that?"

Only then did he realize his mistake, having effectively incriminated himself. If he could've started sweating he would've. "Ha, I didn't tell ya? Remember about a week ago when that car kept parking down the street and leaving? Well, a couple of days before that-."

"You let yourself get seen," Baby snapped. She barely managed to stay quiet with her anger. "You could be the whole reason this is happening. That detective's evidence could've been **you**."

"Take it easy! It wasn't the police that saw me! And even if it was, how'd seeing me walk around tip 'em off to Mike doing something? I'm all innocent here," Ennard defended. He peeked back out of the van window again to avoid having to look at Baby's steaming expression. He looked just in time to see the group heading for the front doors. "Oh _nooo_. They're heading inside!"

"Call Scott. Warn him," Baby firmly commanded.

Ennard clicked the button and whispered into the radio. "Scott, you hear me?" There was no response beyond a low crackling. "Scott, come in! We've got a pretty big emergency out here!" Though he cut off when he noticed something almost immediately after the door shut and the people disappeared inside.

As soon as her friends were gone, Charlie uncovered herself and looked back at the warehouse. She had been able to hear them talking and now knew why they were here, or why they thought they were here, and it was disturbing to know that even they weren't sure of what Mike was getting arrested on. That and Mike and Marionette's long departure gave Charlie a bad feeling, and then a sense of déjà vu when she realized she had been in this position before. Alone and waiting in a car, unsure what was happening inside and yet knowing it would be awful.

She had felt that same way sitting in that parking lot before her death. She knew well what had come of her decision to leave the safety of her car and go looking on her own, and she had no reason to believe that it would go just as disastrously if she tried it again. She had everything to lose… But then again, sitting here and waiting could lead to that same outcome.

Last time she saved the life of a little girl, maybe this time it would be her friends and family.

With that final thought, Charlie swallowed her fear, looked out to make sure nobody was left to watch, and climbed out of the car. It was a risk she had to take, and she sprinted over to the front door.

"What's happening? What is it?" Baby pried. She nudged him in the back. "You have to tell me what you see."

"I see Charlie getting out of the car…" Ennard drew out. "…And she just went inside."

"…What?" Baby's eye twitched. "Why? Why would she go after them?"

"Probably to do the same thing I'm trying to do, warn the guys that there's a gaggle of people coming in," Ennard pointed out. He was then taken aback by the sound of the van's back doors opening. He swiveled around and grabbed Baby's ankle at the last second before she could climb out. "Wait, wait, wait! That doesn't mean we've gotta go in! We promised- _I_ promised Scott we were gonna stay put!"

"But Scott told you to keep an eye on me, didn't he? That might be easier if you follow me inside," Baby challenged. With that, she pulled free and fully climbed out. She wouldn't be swayed.

He had no interest in dragging himself out of the van and into a place like this, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that he didn't have a choice in the matter. His arm was twisted, and his promise would have to be broken, especially since Scott was still not answering. Ennard gave a staticky mutter under his breath as he took his finger off the radio's call button.

"Are you coming?" Baby asked. She was waiting for him outside the door. She looked around to make sure they were safe and then looked back at him expectantly. His arm was definitely twisted.

"… Of course I am!" Ennard said as he forced his usual tone. "Can't possibly see this going wrong. Heh, no. Course not…"

But if anyone asked, none of this was his idea. He wasn't taking the fall for this lapse in judgement.

* * *

The basement was moderately tighter and more crowded than the upper floors. Old, outdated electronic and boxes filled with endoskeleton parts to never be used crammed the walkways. Most of them looked like they had been factory new before they were abandoned but there were occasionally old pieces of costumes that were well worn and long forgotten. It seemed like after the business failed nobody came back to get what was left behind.

They were passing through a tight corridor stacked with shelves when a crackling noise came from Scott's radio. He quickly lifted it to try and hear what it was trying to make it through, but it was too staticky to make out more than the distant hum of a voice. As soon as it stopped, he pressed the button and tried to speak into the receiver.

"Ennard, is that you?" he asked to no response. "…Anyone? Is there anybody there?" There was still no response. He slowly lowered the radio with an uneasy look. "Well, that answers the question on whether we're going to get interference or not. I was afraid of that…"

"Looks like we're not calling for backup anytime soon," Mike muttered. That made him a little less comfortable, but he wasn't willing to say that out loud.

Instead he focused in on a window they were coming up on. He looked through the glass and saw two conveyor belts leading into what looked like deactivated furnaces. The belt was covered in old parts, as though they had just been halted in place when the factory was stopped. Just rubbish that would've been burned away left to sit there when nobody came back.

"Maybe we should check in here," Mike offered. He looked over the open doorframe warily before narrowing his eyes. "And here's another security door. Gee, I wonder what's going to happen when we go through."

Looking through the door he could see a few steps leading down into the furnace room. From this look alone he couldn't see and signs of trip wires or obvious traps, though he wasn't entirely convinced. There was a button outside of the door, akin to the usual light and open buttons seen on security doors, and he tried it. The door closed and he tried it again, to which it open, to which he continued pressing the button and received appropriate responses. He was still somewhat wary.

"Alright, I'm going to try and go through," he finally offered. Marionette seemed uneasy by this and slipped through the door before him. But if he thought something would trigger then he was mistaken because there was no response. He looked back to see Mike giving him a disapproving look. Marionette returned with a smile and a partial shrug. The man scoffed and carefully stepped down the stairs.

Then, before Scott could even step inside, Mike stepped down onto the third step down and the metal plating dropped under his weight. The security guard gave a shocked, "Oomph!" as he fell, stopped from going all the way through by something tightening around his calf and breaking his fall. His other knee hit the step painfully as he floundered. He was entirely unsurprised when the security door slammed behind him.

"Damn!" Mike hissed as he shifted awkwardly. Marionette was horrified by the scene and dropped down to look between the steps. To his alarm, Mike's leg was caught in a snare that looked very much like the one in the vent. The wire led back into the wall underneath the door, so it looked like it was what triggered the door to close. "How bad's the damage?" Mike asked.

Marionette hummed and tried to tug on the snare. He could just barely fit his fingers under the metal wire. "Tight fit. This is going to take a little working," he answered. To make it easier on them both, Mike sat down on the steps and tried to ease the tension on the snare.

Scott looked in through the window and could see some of what was happening. He had a pretty good idea of what happened by seeing Mike's leg stuck in the steps. He couldn't tell how bad the damage was and the thought of a broken or injured leg down here made him cringe. He needed to see if he could help, so he tried the button on the door with low expectations that it would open.

What he didn't expect was the loud buzzing noise that suddenly rattled out from a speaker on the ceiling above the door. Scott looked up in surprise and released the button which immediately stopped the noise. Startled but not entirely detoured, he looked in the window again. Mike was looking back at him and he shrugged without an answer and continued to watch.

For a little while he could just watch helplessly and hope that they could get Mike free. It looked like they were starting to make a little progress and Scott raised the radio up to his mouth to try and call Ennard again.

He was stopped by the sound of heavy footsteps creeping down the hall.

For a second Scott thought that maybe it was Ennard. Then the footsteps started coming closer, labored and sluggish, and he knew that it couldn't be. It was something else, something much heavier than any human, something that was following the sound of the buzzer right to his location. He looked down the hallway from where they once came and leaned to the side enough to see past the shelves, listening as it came closer to the corner at the end and waiting for it to show itself.

What Scott saw coming around the corner was something he could've only seen in his nightmares.

It looked to be a Chica at first glance, but it was some sort of abomination compared to the usual designs. Firstly, it was much taller and broader than the typical animatronic. It had a suit that looked almost brand new, save dust, with brightly colored fabrics of yellow and pink. Not that it made it anymore appealing with how it was designed. Instead of carrying a cupcake, two cupcake shaped mounds were stitched to her sides, like fabric tumors with grotesque faces that were styled to look like they were melting into her.

Her hands were large and glistening, sharp points stuck out at the tips of her fingers and polished to razor sharp claws. Large orange feet were stiff and clumsy as she wandered down the hallway which each heavy step. Large eyes glowed with a pink aura but stared ahead with a lifelessness that Scott had forgotten while living with alive animatronics. But out of all this one thing stood out as a horrific beacon over all the other details, and that was Chica's mouth. It was an enormous maw lined with razor sharp teeth.

Scott didn't know what was worse, that someone built this twisted nightmare of an animatronic or the fact that they had done it recently. This hideous animatronic looked brand new.

Chica turned stiffly and her pink eyes fell on Scott and focused in. It turned its body towards him and began to take faster steps towards him, to which Scott began to quickly back down the hallway. It was only now that Mike finally heard the noise and looked up at the window just in time to see the hideous Chica staggering down the hall. His blue eyes popped open.

"What in the hell is that?!" he blurted out. Marionette looked up from the steps just in time to share a similar look of horror at its disturbing design. Hearing Scott running down the hallway, Mike shook Marionette's shoulder and pointed back in the direction of the door. "You've got to go get Scott!" The Puppet looked between him and the door quickly, panicked and torn. "I'll be fine! Go get Scott!"

With that, Marionette nodded and teleported back out into the hallway. Unfortunately, a little close to Chica who took a swing at him. Thankfully it was slowed down by its wide swing getting caught on the wall and was able to slip back out of the way. At the end of the hall Scott was met by two doors. One locked tightly and the other one leading into what looked to be a storage room.

It was cramped with loose endoskeleton pieces and the remains of dozens of costumes. He had no choice but to run inside and look for another door out. Which there was in the back corner, hidden beside a rack of suits, but it too was locked and there was no keypad to save him. He had to figure something out quickly because he doubted Marionette could hold it back for long.

Which was correct. Marionette knocked over shelves and threw whatever looked heavy on them to try and slow down the mutated animatronic, but nothing stopped it for long. It climbed over what was blocking it and forced its way onwards to the room it cornered its prey in. From how its eyes stared ahead it almost seemed like it wasn't looking at Marionette or couldn't see him, a sharp contrast to it swinging at him earlier. Eventually he was backed into the storage room and quickly shut the door without any way to lock it.

The shelves were either attached to the walls or too heavy to move at his tugging, leaving Marionette in a precarious situation. He looked around the storage room to find Scott, but to his alarm the man was entirely missing. At first, he thought maybe he had escaped, but then he leaned enough to see part of a back door that was closed tight. No, Scott had to be in here somewhere.

Suddenly Chica rammed the door open so hard that Marionette was slammed into the shelf behind the door and pinned. It was by sheer luck that his head just dodged the edge of the shelf or he would've had a cracked mask. That didn't mean it was anymore comfortable being pinned sharply to the shelf. He struggled to free himself and climb into the shelf as Chica stepped inside. It wandered around the storage room looking for the human it knew would be there.

But it couldn't find him, and neither could Marionette who looked out from behind the door to see more of the room. Chica stomped around, knocking over things on the shelf, and making its was towards the back door, stepping over an old, fabric Freddy costume slumped beside it. Chica stared at the door blankly like it didn't know how to open it and was thus stuck there.

It was then that Marionette noticed the Freddy costume twitch and slowly start to scoot itself to the side. That's where Scott was.

Chica turned around before he could make a break for it and Scott went limp once again. It was a believable limp too; it could've worked on an animatronic that was more aware than this one. He stayed perfectly still as Chica passed by, it knocking over the other hanging suits and nearly stepping directly on him as it did so, and watched it stagger back out of the room.

Marionette slipped back behind the open door as Chica passed by and nudged the door further closed once he was sure it was too far away to hear. Now Scott struggled to climb to his feet in the awkward suit. Marionette floated over and gave him a hand.

"Clever," he complimented.

"Thanks. I knew all those years of climbing in these things would amount to something," Scott half-joked. It was clear that he was still tense. "Did- Did you see that thing? I mean, of course you saw it, but it wasn't… That was new. It looked creepy but it looks brand new. What even was it?"

"Someone's twisted version of Chica I suppose… But I'm more concerned about _whose_ it was," Marionette answered cryptically. He was gripped by concern as he remembered Mike, who was still stuck even though protected from Chica. He was still a sitting duck out there. "I need to go help Mike. You should wait here."

"Go get Mike. I'll be right behind you," Scott assured. To which Marionette rushed out of the room. Scott started to take off the Freddy head when he hesitated and then decided to leave it on. It wouldn't be much protection, but it was the only line of defense he had, and he needed one because he knew that nobody would make Chica alone.

While Marionette had rushed off to help Scott, Mike was left alone in the furnace room and had to focus on freeing himself. He continued to slide the looped wire down his leg and to his relief did find it willing to move. It was slow because of it catching on his pants' leg and he struggled to stay patient and slow.

That patience ran out when he suddenly heard rustling in the room.

Mike looked over the furnace room quickly. Across from him was the second door out of the Furnace Room, which was still open, and there were the furnaces and conveyors, but the noise itself came from the right.

The right side of the room was more of a mound of garbage than anything else. What might've once been neat stacks had caved into a mound of forgotten parts waiting to be burned. It wasn't until the mound started to fall apart that he realized there was a complete animatronic inside. Clawed hands reached out of the mass before it lifted itself out with loud clattering and a low groan.

As it climbed out of the garbage it revealed more of its hideous form. It looked like a large Freddy animatronics, but it was styled in a much less kid-friendly way than what was typically expected. It looked like Chica with growths hanging off it, though instead of cupcakes it just seemed to have tumorous lumps of fabric stitched into it at random places. It had similar claws to Chica and its mouth the same sharpened teeth of metal, with his eyes glowing blue instead of Chica's vibrant pink.

Something that immediately stood out was Freddy's chest which was sporting an unexpected addition. It looked like a second mouth, or a circle of teeth stitched into place to resemble one. As it started to stagger closer Mike could see that the hole in the center of those teeth led into what looked like a metal lined cavity. It was a storage tank, just like Funtime Freddy had.

It didn't matter what it had been dolled up to look like, Mike knew what it was capable of, and he knew what was going to happen if the bear reached him.

Thankfully it moved much slower than Chica did- which wasn't saying much- giving him a few more seconds to get himself out of the trap he was in. He struggled to continue sliding his leg out, fighting the desire to start yanking and flailing, and got it down to his ankle where it caught on his shoe. By then the twisted Freddy was right there and started to lunge forward right as he slipped out of his shoe and the wire. He ducked under the bear's "hug" and made a run for the other door.

Leaping over the middle step, Mike made it to the door and jammed his hand on the button before running through expecting the door to slam shut. He was instead rewarded with an irritatingly loud buzzer over his head and the door staying open. He sprinted into the hallway and started to run down towards the end when the door unexpectedly slammed shut.

Mike stopped beside the window and looked out to see that the nightmarish Freddy had managed to trip the stair trap. It hadn't fallen through, not with feet of its size, but it caused the door to slam shut. Now it could just stand there and claw pitifully at the door. With an exhale of relief, Mike turned back down the hall. Now to find a way back to Marionette and Scott.

To which he had few options. He could see the elevator nearby but after getting trapped in an office, a vent, and a staircase he didn't feel up to getting stuck in it too. There was another door that looked like it led around the back of the furnace room, probably in the direction of the staircase. That seemed like his best bet. Of course, it was locked.

"What now?" he asked himself. Like he didn't already know the answer. He knew how to get right back to the other side of the hall from upstairs and he knew where the elevator let out, so he would have to take it up. Even if he suspected it too would be booby trapped the only other option was getting past Freddy, which wasn't going to happen. With a huff, he hurried back to the elevator and pressed the button to call it.

The doors opened to reveal a normal looking elevator. He stepped inside cautiously and looked for any sign of a trap. Nothing stood out to him and not even the buttons looked tampered with. He finally pressed the one for the first floor and let the doors close, soon feeling the motion of being lifted up the shaft. It all felt like normal as it continued up and slowed down, still managing to lurch to a stop. He waited for the doors to open to step out, but to his immediate concern they didn't.

"Please don't tell me…" Mike pressed the button to open the doors and they started to do so, and for a moment he mistakenly thought this meant all was fine. Except then he realized he was staring at a wall with only about a foot of the first floor showing at the top of the doors. The elevator hadn't made it all the way, and from how it stopped he couldn't tell if it was a trap or an electrical failure. "You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed in exasperation.

Mike grabbed onto the edge of the opening and started to lift himself up. It would be hard pulling himself up, but he just thought he could do it, maybe, even if his arms and fingers would be sore after.

He just got his head out when he heard footsteps approaching from down the hall. He drew back inside when he realized that they weren't the thunderous footsteps of the twisted animatronics he saw downstairs. He immediately perked with hope and called out, "Hey! A little help over here?"

The footsteps drew closer and a familiar face appeared.

* * *

 **Mable: Wouldn't it be odd to have just Freddy and Chica animatronics? I suppose crazier things have happened… Will happen, perhaps.**


	92. Chapter 92

**Mable: Sorry about the delay on this one! It went through a couple of rewrites and needed a few more minutes in the oven to finish up.  
Also, there's a new poll! It's about the ARI Nightmares series, so if you're interested in those then please go check it out. It might be more important than you think. ^-^  
Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Ninety-Two_

None of them wanted to be there. Especially not once they got inside and looked around at what 'there' was; a dirty, falling apart factory that had been abandoned ages ago. They had no clue where to even begin looking. They weren't entirely sure what to feel either. Jessica's face was set with a timid determination while Carlton's was with growing dread, Marla and John's faces being a cross between both, and Lamar being the only one who still looked largely unphased by it all. Still, the building was creepy.

"What were they even making in here?" Marla quietly asked. She looked through a window at conveyor belts in another room.

"Animatronics from what I gather. That's what those are… Or what they were supposed to be," John said as he looked over the halved remains of an endoskeleton. It was left standing at a station and had been untouched for years. A lifeless and empty thing lost to time, a somber sight. "But then Freddy's closed down and they didn't need them anymore."

"I don't understand how that place stayed open if all of these kids kept disappearing. Look at Magictime, they closed that place down within weeks of what happened there, but Freddy's got off the hook?" Lamar asked. He looked to Carlton almost questioningly and the redhead just shrugged. He didn't know what to say anymore and he wasn't feeling up to defending his father.

There was a brief squeak from the floorboards by the front door, loud enough that all of them looked back. When they saw nothing there, they turned away one by one and focused on the task at hand.

"Where do we even start?" Jessica quietly asked herself. Her eyes scanned over the room before finding their way to the window that Marla was looking through. She looked inside as well but neither were able to get a good look. "…It looks like that's where they kept the heavy machinery. Maybe there's something in there that would be worth finding."

"You don't think there's going to be leftover animatronics in there, do you?" Marla asked. After learning about the animatronics' aggression and hearing Carlton's insistences about the clown she was becoming uncomfortable with the thought of going anywhere near another robot. Let alone in a cold, creepy place like this. She rubbed her arms in unease.

"Maybe, but they're probably no more put together than those ones over there. They wouldn't leave full functioning animatronics back here, it would be throwing away money," Jessica said to try and ease her mind. It didn't look like it was helping. "You can wait in the car if you need to. We don't all have to be in here."

"No, I need to be here. For Carlton, for you… For Charlie," Marla affirmed. The sentiment was shared, and Jessica nodded in agreement. Marla gave her a small smile and looked back into the window. "Alright then, Gang. Let's look for a door."

"Doesn't look like there is one," Lamar pointed out as he walked further into the room to look around at the walls. "…Except those double doors back there. They're going back in that direction though."

"It's worth a shot. I didn't see any other doors to get in," John said. He then led the way towards the back, Lamar behind him and Jessica and Marla following them.

Carlton had slowed down a bit and seemed reluctant to continue. Part of him knew that this was a betrayal of his father's trust and the other part just bluntly thought that there was something wrong with this place, like they weren't supposed to be there. His thoughts were cut off be a small tapping from nearby and he looked back to one of the assembly stations. Again, he didn't see anything, but this time he didn't look away.

"Hey." Carlton was snapped out of his stare by John's voice and looked back to see him and the others waiting by the double doors. "Are you okay?" John asked.

"Yeah. Just thought I heard something again," Carlton brushed off before heading over. The floor creaked underneath his footsteps and convinced him that he heard nothing once again. He followed them through the double doors and into the next hall. The doors shut behind them.

Charlie tentatively stood from behind the workbench and quietly hurried after the group. There was still no sign of Mike, Marionette, and Scott, but maybe that was good in this situation. She could still hear their voices coming through the doors as she approached, but that was interrupted by a creaking as the front door opened again. She spun around in surprise only to see Baby creeping in behind her.

"What are you doing in here?!" Charlie whispered sharply.

"I could ask the same thing," Baby retorted. She rolled inside and Ennard cautiously followed, leaning in low to the ground and peering around the room. Baby seemed much less concerned as she followed the Security Puppet across the room. The other puppet raised her hands to stop her.

"No, wait! They're still in the hallway. They'll hear you," Charlie warned. She leaned back against the door to listen. They were still heading down the next hallway and from their voices hadn't heard anything. She gave a low ring at hearing them so close before looking back. "Baby, you could get seen."

"I could say the same thing," Baby repeated as she coasted beside her. "I could collapse on the spot and be mistaken for out of service, but nobody would believe you were here long. You look too clean." She then looked to the door, unable to see past it but able to hear the voices from the other side. She became a little more curious. "Why did you come in after them?"

"…Those are my friends, the ones I told you about," Charlie admitted. She looked back towards Ennard to watch him scuttle in, not wanting to meet Baby's piercing gaze. She lowered her head solemnly. "I heard them talking and I think the reason they're here has something to do with me. So, I just… I need to figure out why… And see if I can warn Mike and Mari before they run into each other. I can't imagine how they'd react if they saw Mari and Mike's already in trouble as it is."

"I don't see how putting yourself in the middle of it is going to help. Again, you stand out too much. Someone would spot your white paint in a heartbeat," Baby said dismissively. She almost sounded a little irritated, but in these circumstances Charlie couldn't blame her. She wouldn't even be shocked if Baby blamed her for what was happening.

Before Charlie could answer, she heard something that sounded like a door opening and listened through the double doors. The voices were going quiet and there was a door squeaking to the far left. She was about to lose track of them and carefully started to open the door to look into the hall, nearly cringing at the soft squeak. She looked down towards the end of the hall just in time to see a glimpse of Carlton's back before the door slowly closed behind him and the others.

"Which one was _him_?" Baby quietly asked. Her curiosity seemed to beat out her concern of getting caught. Not that she was afraid of herself getting caught. Charlie simply waved her back and carefully stepped in.

"Hold on. I'm losing them," Charlie murmured. She then broke into a sprint down the hallway, her footsteps barely making a sound, passing outside a closed office door and stopping at the one that her friends had gone through. She listened closer and could hear their voices growing faded. Hesitantly, she started to reach for the handle, and steadied herself before turning it. Except the handle didn't turn. "What?" She tried harder only to find it stuck. "They locked the door?"

No, that wouldn't make sense. More likely, the door had shut behind them and locked itself, but that was an unsettling thought. Especially with an office door she had just passed being closed tightly. She looked around and realized the door they went through was the only one going in this direction. Maybe the only way to follow them. Out of desperation, she looked to a vent on the wall above it.

Baby watched for a moment, making sure that the coast was clear, and then followed down the hallway. Ennard called after her, "Hey, no, wait!" But she let the double doors slip shut and blocked out the static huff of exasperation he released. Instead, she rolled down the hallway after Charlie, who was now trying to jump for the vent hatch. Eventually she got ahold of the edge and somehow lifted herself up.

"You at least realize that this is a bad idea, don't you? I think you should, considering how critical you have been on my ideas," Baby said with a tsk in her tone. "But that's what friends do; they tell each other when they're making a dumb decision in what is already a stupid situation."

"Maybe, but I'm out of options," Charlie said with strain as she managed to get her fingers in the vent. She pulled at it and found it was loose, but not nearly enough for her to pull off with brute force. Especially not while she was dangling off it. She tapped her fingers on the metal for a moment before getting an idea and sliding her strings into the vent and weaving them into the hatch as best as she could.

Then she dropped down to use her weight to pry off the cover. Except she was caught by the strings and dangled there without the hatch even budging. She kicked her legs a little to no avail.

"You are now," Baby remarked. Charlie was glad that she was facing the door so that she didn't have to look the clown in the eyes. Baby gave a sigh. "I suppose I should help you. What friend would I be if I left you hanging there like a pinata?" The Security Puppet gave a disgruntled sort of chirp, but Baby kept to her word and didn't press for any further humiliation. Or worse, a demand that she admit it was a bad idea.

Instead, Baby reached around Charlie and clamped onto her strings with her claw. "Let more out," she instructed, and once done she wrapped her claw in the strings. "You would be surprised how much it takes for one of these to break." With that, she looped her other arm around the puppet's middle and began to tug back, turning her skates to the side so they wouldn't roll.

Charlie tried to focus on keeping her strings from unravelling as Baby applied more pressure to them and the loosened hatch. Then, with an unexpected and sharp tug, the hatch suddenly snapped free and flew towards them. Baby immediately swung Charlie to the side and clasped her arms around her head to shield her mask. This turned out to be unnecessary as the vent fell with a clatter only a few feet from the wall. The way had been cleared and the two separated.

"Thanks, Baby. I wouldn't have gotten that off by myself," Charlie said as she began to draw her strings back in. It was the same tingly sensation she had come accustomed to but part of her was surprised that she felt no pain after such hard pulling. "And I'll be careful. I know I can't let them see me, trust me… But if I'm the reason they're putting themselves in danger, then I need to at least watch out for them."

Baby wanted to disagree again but didn't, surprising even her. She just wasn't in the mood to physically restrain Charlie. As much as she was afraid of the police coming for Scott, Ennard, and herself, she wasn't afraid of a group of human _kids_ who senselessly wandered into an abandoned building. It wasn't like anyone would believe them- or they would say anything at all if the one saw Ennard and stayed silent.

With another disappointed huff, she responded by repeating her question from earlier. "Which one is he?" She immediately followed this with a flat. "It isn't that boy with the red hair, is it?"

"No, he's the one with the dark hair wearing the brown jacket. That's John," Charlie answered.

"He's cute… In a dull way. Like a piece of paper."

Charlie cracked an amused smile. "Gee, you make him sound like such a catch," she said. She knew what Baby was doing and ignored it to turn back to the vent. She leapt up and climbed into the vent, somewhat surprised how easily she pulled herself up. Once she had climbed into the vent, she turned her head back to look at Baby. "Just for the record, I still think you and Ennard should go back to the van."

"I know," Baby simply said. A nicer way of saying she had no intention to return to the van alone and wasn't going to be swayed into it. Charlie knew that and began to crawl into the vent.

The vent was poorly ventilated and smelled like stagnant air. Normally Charlie felt comfortable in an enclosed space but in this case she found it stifling. She still pressed onwards as she heard talking through the thin grates. It didn't take her too long to catch up with her friends, as they were moving slow through the halls, but they gave no indication that they had heard her and Baby.

It was so strange to see them up close again and hear their voices. They really were just within reach, just below her, and they looked like they were doing well compared to the last time she had seen them.

" _What would they think if they saw me?"_ Charlie wondered. It was something she had wondered in the past, though in those circumstances they weren't only a few feet away. She crawled quietly above them, her eyes beginning to glow in interest and hope. _"What's to say that they wouldn't understand? If they were willing to come all this way for me, then maybe…"_ Her thoughts trailed off in defeat; she couldn't risk it. It was then that her hand almost crossed over a groove in the vent. _"…What's this?"_

She suspiciously brushed her finger along the edge when suddenly something snapped in. She pulled her hand back just in time to avoid it but was soon staring at a dangling snare made of metal wiring. She stared at it in shock and knew immediately it was some sort of trap.

"Did you hear that? It sounded like it came from the roof," Marla said as the group came to a halt. Charlie went still in the hoped to not be detected, but suddenly there was a loud humming through the vent and within moments she was hit by a gust of warm air. "Okay, I know I'm not imagining that. What is that?" Marla pressed in unease.

"It sounds like the air conditioning kicking on," Lamar pointed out.

"Air conditioning in a place like this kicking on automatically?" John asked doubtfully. "Fazbear must've had some impressive technology back in the eighties."

"Why not? It's in the middle of the desert and that's exactly what it sounds like, and the lights are on, so the place has power. Maybe someone turned it on when they came in and it just kicked back on," Lamar offered. There were mixed responses but at this point it at least sounded like that.

Except that couldn't be further from the truth. Currently Charlie was being bombarded by steadily growing heat and while she had hoped to stay and ride it out, it was beginning to get too intense to withstand. Her body started to feel strange and her head grew muddled until she had no choice but to slip under the snare and belly crawl through the vent. Below, her friends could occasionally hear a thump or bump.

"Do you hear all that clanking?" Carlton asked is disbelief. "Heh, it's going to be embarrassing when the thing meant to keep the building cool sets it on fire."

"That's not too distant of a possibility either. Do you know how many of those old Freddy buildings had spontaneous fires?" Jessica asked. Charlie couldn't hear whatever came after that because she got too far away.

It took her going around a bend and halfway down another hallway length vent to reach a spot where the intense heat let up. It was still uncomfortably warm in the vent and her head was still swimming, but when she got open a hatch that looked down into the hall it started to ease up. She could faintly feel cooler air on her mask as she looked inside. Just another hallway, except that there was a door right underneath the hatch too. From the sign beside the door it looked to be a stairwell.

It didn't take long for the group to arrive in the hall, not giving her much time to even consider escaping the vent. They were walking along underneath the vent when Jessica stopped in place. She quickly reached out and caught John's shoulder to stop him, as he was the one in the lead, leaving them directly underneath the hidden puppet.

"Did you hear something?" Jessica asked cautiously. She slowly turned her head towards the wall as Charlie started to lean in to try and listen to whatever she was hearing, since it was clearly not the Security Puppet herself. Her hands cautiously rested on the vent cover.

Without even the slightest pressure the cover suddenly fell and clattered onto John's head. Charlie gawked for a second and then threw herself back right before anyone looked up. Everyone except John who let out an 'omph' and checked his head for bleeding. Marla could barely withhold a snicker while Carlton did something between a snort and a scoff.

"And here comes the flames. Any second now," the redhead remarked.

"You sure it's not your clown stalking you again?" John retorted as he nudged the hatch aside with his foot.

Carlton sobered up quickly. "Don't even joke about that. That clown fit in a storm drain, you know it could fit into one of those air ducts," he corrected.

Charlie's mask shifted in befuddlement. _"…Is he talking about Ennard?"_ She didn't really have time to think about it because Jessica had passed under the vent to the stairway door. The Security Puppet leaned to watch her as she listened closer to the door.

"I thought I heard footsteps," Jessica explained quietly. She cautiously began to open the stairwell door and step inside but hesitated at how dark it was inside. Her footsteps seemed to echo through the stairwell as she stepped back and felt for the light switch. John stood in the doorway, holding the door open, and narrowed his gaze at something barely catching the light in the darkness. Jessica flipped on the light.

All they saw was a mouth of sharp teeth before the monstrosity closed in on them.

With a short scream, Jessica ran back into the hall and John shut the stairwell door and held it closed. This turned out to be ineffective; before they even had time to explain the creature had gotten its sharp clawed fingers on the handle and easily tore it open. John's strength was no match and he could only stagger back as it lumbered out into the hallway.

The thing was clearly an animatronic, but it looked demented. Its fabric was a cross between blue or purple but so caked in dust and age stains that it was hard to tell. Its body was tall and thick, stitched crudely in some parts while having perfectly hemmed seams in others, showing the attempt to make it look this horrific. One of the most disturbing parts was a pair of mandible jaws that had been attached to its already toothy mouth. They spread and closed against its teeth while squeaking from the dust trapped in their joints.

The hideous version of Bonnie had its eyes affixed on John and Jessica, who it now blocked from the others with its sheer mass. They were cornered to the door at the end of the hall while the others had their backs to where they came from. Overwhelmed with fear, Lamar and Carlton made a run for it, the latter grabbing Marla and pulling her when she was frozen in shock. Though they stopped at the end of the hall once they realized that the mutated animatronic wasn't following them.

It pursued its two original targets. They ran into the next door and once on the other side John slammed his hand down on a button that looked to control the door, a security door. The heavy, metal door dropped down in an instant, but it was not quick enough. Somehow Bonnie had stuck its hands out at the last second and barely caught it only a foot from the floor. Slowly the animatronic began to raise it.

Jessica looked around frantically and realized they were in the windowed conveyor room they had seen before. She also realized that there was only one door into the room, and it was the one they had just come through. "What are we going to do?! It's a dead end!" she blurted out. John looked around as well and it didn't take him long to see that she was correct.

There was no time to even consider a plan. Right after that, the Bonnie malformation raised the door enough that it slammed back up into the ceiling the rest of the way. It stepped into the room with heavy footsteps and affixed its glowing eyes onto the couple. It started to stride for them, and Jessica pushed John in the direction to get behind the conveyor belt to shield themselves if only momentarily. John spotted a fire extinguisher on the wall and struggled to get it down while Jessica kept her back to him and stared at the encroaching rabbit.

Jessica knew she had a split-second window to escape before it reached her, but she stood her ground to protect John. She hadn't comprehended how much it was going to hurt when it swung its hand out and struck her in the side and shoulder so hard that she fell painfully against the conveyor. John looked back in time to see it but still hadn't gotten the fire extinguisher down. He had nothing to fight Bonnie off as it leaned itself over the young woman with its teeth too close and its arm raised high.

Charlie didn't even consider the results of what was going to happen. At this point it became a matter of life and death, and pure instinct took over.

She dropped down from the vent and all it took was a few quick strides before she sprung over the conveyor and threw herself onto the Twisted Bonnie. Music resounded through the room as she rung so loudly that her chest ached, but she barely noticed it. One hand grabbed its ear and the other one of its mandibles to hold on, ignoring how its teeth tried to cut into her palm. It thrashed in response and tried to knock her off. She focused enough to get her strings out and started to wind them into Bonnie.

But Bonnie wasn't as mindless as he seemed. It suddenly turned and dropped its body back, throwing her off it and onto the conveyor belt. Charlie braced herself to dodge as she expected a swing, but to her surprise the animatronic instantly lost interest in her and turned back towards the humans it had cornered. She noticed quickly that her strings were still wrapped in its face as they tightened up when it stepped away.

She could use that to her advantage. Without delay, Charlie rolled back off the conveyor and slid through the metal structure beneath it. She braced her legs on the metal, wrapped her strings around her wrists, and pulled them tight. The strings yanked Bonnie's head sharp enough that it took a staggering step to the side. It nearly stepped on the Security Puppet if not for her twisting to the side.

This gave enough time for John to get the extinguisher off the wall and get in front of Jessica who was getting up. Her leg bumped something, and she looked down to see a lever which she assumed started the conveyor. Looking back, Jessica could see that this belt led past a control panel and into a machine with a mouth just wide enough that it might fit Bonnie. Suddenly she had an idea; they could trap the rabbit.

"John, get it on the belt! I have an idea!" she cried before pulling the lever. With a loud groan and a mechanical squeal, the conveyor slowly started up.

While John wasn't sure what the plan was, he trusted her enough to go with it. "Got it!" he said, then ran forward and swung the extinguisher into Bonnie's face, knocking it back further onto the belt. The rabbit's glowing eye shifted and landed on him for a second before it lashed out. Its sharp nails swiped through his jacket like tissue paper and tore into his skin.

Charlie decided to make her move while Bonnie was distracted and crossed back under to the other side. She pulled her strings tightly to try and yank it down on the belt, only to result in a loud snap while one of her strings suddenly released and began to reel in, still holding tightly to Bonnie's broken off ear. The mandible still held strong though and she knew her best bet was to seize the other one. She waited for an opening.

She got it when John swung on Bonnie again, and she had to take it when Bonnie spread its arms at the last second and caught the blow in its chest, and the man in its grip. He tried to fight against it as its mouth crept closer, rows of teeth starting to spread open as they neared the top of his head. Charlie was quick to come up behind, Bonnie not even acknowledging her, and looping her string around the second mandible. She pulled his head back sharply and tried to pull him onto the conveyor.

With its head twisted again, John managed to slide out of its grip and saw what the Security Puppet was doing. He made a split-second decision to ram Bonnie with his shoulder and caused it to teeter. He struck again, working alongside the strings twisting its head and soon Jessica who picked up the fallen extinguisher to help. It was by sheer luck that the twisted creature was just clumsy enough that its heavy body fell back on the belt and was struggling to get itself up.

Charlie continued to keep its head twisted but noticed she was creeping closer to the machine. From what she was seeing it looked like she could go right through to the other side, so she leaned back and held her ground. Twisted Bonnie tried to roll off the conveyor, at one point coming so close that John had to awkwardly tackle it around the lower middle to try and hold it down while Jessica ran to the control panel.

The controls were barely labelled. Some still had small pictures on them but none of them had actual directions, so Jessica was going in blind. She eventually pressed one with a double arrow pointing up and the conveyor started to quicken. John just barely managed to pull back from Bonnie as its head started to slide through the opening and it rewarded him by clawing up his back. He hissed as the long scratches welled with blood and pushed down his shirt and jacket to cover them.

Seeing that it was inside and that John was free, Jessica tried to look for a way to now secure the foul animatronic inside. She pressed a button with a square on it and a small arrow pointing down.

Right when Charlie released her strings and prepared to climb out the other side, her exit was suddenly blocked by a hatch door lowering. The conveyor still had room to move but her exit was blocked. She was wheeled right up to it and banged her fist a few times, hoping they would hear her outside and decide to let her out, but it became clear that they wouldn't be able to hear her over the noises Bonnie was making.

"What did that do?!" Jessica asked frantically.

John was quick to run to the end of the machine and see the closed hatch. "It closed up this side! Quick, close the other one!"

Unfortunately, that was the only button that had that marking on it. Some of the others had their symbols worn off and she knew it had to be one of those, so she began to test them.

Blacklights flicked on inside of the machine. Thin electrodes like cattle prods shot out of the walls in the middle of the machine, trying to control shock an animatronic but not reaching either of the ones trapped inside. Though Bonnie was being pulled awfully close. A cloud of noxious chemicals was suddenly released inside the small space smelling of cleaner and poison. It was so strong that Charlie wished she could cough.

But nothing compared to the moment that the hatch on the other side of the machine started to close. If not for Bonnie's legs still sticking out and stopping it, causing it to raise again, she would've been trapped inside. That was when the panic set in and she threw herself forward, then dropped down to avoid the electrodes. The smell gushed into the room again as the vent tried to shut a second time.

Bonnie flailed blindly with its sharp claws, barely seeming to notice as she climbed over it, and only managed to pin her momentarily against its chest on sheer accident. She dragged herself free and threw herself out the vent hatch. She fell off the belt in her efforts but just managed to avoid the door closing on her.

Both Jessica and John looked over in surprise at the sound of something coming back out and realized it was the strange puppet. It started to push itself off the ground and out of reflex John stepped closer to Jessica to shield her, just in case this animatronic suddenly turned on them as well. It wasn't long before something stood out to him, something he couldn't ignore.

Charlie could feel their eyes on her even before she looked over to them. She was still, staring back like a wild animal, but she said nothing. Maybe she was still in the clear; maybe they wouldn't recognize her from Foxy's and would assume she was just another moving animatronic in this factory. Or that's what she hoped until John suddenly started to speak.

"That's…" he began shakily. His voice held shock she hadn't heard from him ever before. "…That's Charlie's jacket."

It was a harsh wake up call. _She had to get away._

Without warning, the Security Puppet made a dash for the security door and into the hallway. She skidded to a stop as she came face to face with the remaining three of the group, standing further down the hall, and watching her with the same shock. Marla flinched back behind Carlton while he and Lamar were both staring wide eyed. They had to have seen her drop down from the vent and must've seen part of what happened.

She didn't expect Jessica to run after her. "Wait!" she called desperately as she ran with all she had. The puppet reacted quickly and bolted for the stairwell, pushing the door open a sliver and slipping through.

"No, stop! Wait!" Jessica pleaded as she followed into the dimly lit stairwell. She caught only a glimpse of the puppet before it leapt over the railing and dropped into the shadows of the lower floor.

It had disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, but Jessica had still seen enough to remember what it was. She recognized it as the strange boxed puppet from Foxy's that for some reason was miraculously alive and it had saved their lives, and it was _wearing her jacket_. The jacket she always wore, that nobody had been able to find, not even her aunt. This moving puppet had it and wore it like it belonged to it.

Jessica was struck by a sudden thought and ran to the railing with an anguished cry.

" _Charlie!"_

Her cry echoed through the stairwell and was followed by silence. By now Jessica was panting and her heart was pounding in her chest. It had to be her, she decided, and ignored John and the others coming into the stairwell to continue running down the steps. It had to be her, she kept believing, it had to be. She reached the landing and whipped around the corner only to slow to a stop a few steps down.

There the Security Puppet stood at the base of the stairs facing the door. Not a single movement, not a single noise since the music faded after Bonnie was dealt with, just standing there in the shadow of the busted basement light. Jessica's heart was still racing as she stared down at her with equal dread and hope. The others ran up behind her and stood at the landing, with only John daring to take a step down, but none said a word. The silence was deafening.

Inside of Charlie's head there were dozens of alarm bells trying to remind her of the danger. Except she couldn't hear them past that call that still echoed through her head. Her name, her best friend said her name.

Just when it felt too stifling to go on, there was a noise. A partial hiccup coming from Jessica as she braced herself to speak again. She sounded so meek, like she was about to burst into tears. "Charlie…?"

It was then that the strings holding her back released and she went against her better judgement to slowly turn herself around. Charlie knew that this could ruin everything, but she still turned to look and still thought maybe she could run and escape if she needed to. That plan was dashed once she saw them, her old friends, her mourning friends, and Jessica looking at her with the same desolate hope that she must've had when she first saw her body. Begging for her to get up and be alive, now begging for this animatronic to be her.

For a moment Charlie was washed with guilt, because she knew that like her choice to go to Magictime this was about to change everything forever.

"You weren't supposed to see me like this..."

The noise Jessica made was almost like a cry of pain but no doubt one of emotion at hearing the familiar voice coming out of the foreign body. She covered her mouth in shock as her eyes instantly welled with tears. Like her, Charlie could feel the blue paint threatening to spill down her mask, but she held them in. She could faintly hear the woman muttering "Oh my gosh" or "Oh my God" under her breath, but Charlie had to stay strong. She swallowed the emotion and stood straight as she faced them fully.

After all, she wasn't ashamed of what she was. She could only hope that they shared the same sentiments.

Everyone else looked more dumbstruck than anything. Somewhere in their minds, wheels were turning- especially Carlton who was now equating this in with his growing animatronic theories. Even John who usually avoided exaggerated expression was staring with alarm. He seemed stuck like that until Jessica stepped forward and he glanced to her. Charlie focused solely on her.

She stepped down from the stairs and took a careful step towards the animatronic. Her eyes looked over the puppet as she tried to understand what was happening.

"It's… It's really you?" Jessica asked pleadingly. She pulled her hands from her face and started to slowly reach towards her before pausing when the Security Puppet nodded. The tears started to spill down Jessica's face. "I don't- I don't understand, how are you- why are you like this?... I thought you died."

"I did die. I just… Didn't move on," Charlie vaguely answered. She wasn't sure if Jessica could handle the full truth, not right now. Not when she was already starting to cry. Charlie's face softened with guilt and her voice crackled. "Don't cry, Jess. Everyone's cried enough for me already."

Maybe it was the nickname or the explanation, but Jessica finally cracked. She choked on a sob and reached forward, ignoring the consequences just like her friend had, and took her arms gently. They felt so different underneath her jacket sleeves, firm and slender, and it was still so jarring. Not enough to stop her though as Jessica caved the rest of the way and pulled her into a clutching embrace. She held on like she was holding on to her for dear life, like she thought Charlie would vanish again. She believed her.

Just as cautiously, Charlie wrapped her arms back around Jessica. Only now did she really feel how long it had been since she had done this last because she barely remembered what it was like. It was so warm.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there… I missed you _so_ much," Jessica whispered to her. Charlie held her a little tighter.

The next person to dare to come up was surprisingly not John, but Lamar. He came down the steps cautiously to stand alongside them and steadily reached out for the Security Puppet's shoulder. Charlie pulled back enough from Jessica to look at him and they met eyes for a long pause. It was so strange; it didn't look like her, but it all felt like her, even beyond the voice alone. Finally, he cracked a smile.

"I can't believe it. It really is you. You're actually… Here! You're alive!" Lamar exclaimed. This reaction was not expected after Jessica's more somber one and it was like a weight off her chest. "And this whole time you've just been… Where? Over at Foxy's?" he guessed. The Security Puppet nodded, and at this Jessica finally drew back.

"But if you were alive- if you were here the whole time… Why didn't you tell us?" she asked in confusion with lingering with iniquity. "We were there all the time! Charlie, you could've somehow… We could've done something…!" She struggled for words while the look of guilt returned.

"I couldn't risk it… Look at me. Look at what I am, I couldn't just get up out of my box and go find you. It would put me in danger… And you too." Charlie turned away. "You wouldn't have known it was me…" She crossed her arms and dug her fingers into her jacket. If it wasn't for that then they wouldn't have known; it was a dead giveaway. "And… It wasn't just me." This seemed to pique everyone's attention, goading her to continue. "…I'm not the only one who's like this. The only living animatronic. It was risking their lives too."

"There's others…?" Lamar asked slowly. He was cut off by a gasp from Marla.

"Jason was right," she blurted out in disbelief. She turned to Carlton with a look of horror. "All this time he was saying it and he was right, and I didn't believe him!... I'm a terrible sister. All this time I blew him off…"

"You didn't know. None of us knew," Lamar defended. He gave a partial scoff. "I must've been in that restaurant at least four or five times and I just didn't notice. It's Foxy, right? He's the one?" he asked as he looked back to Charlie. Then he took in her appearance again and remembered something else. "No, wait, the puppet! Jason always acted like he thought it was watching him."

"…Both of them are alive," Charlie admitted. She regretted it instantly, feeling like she was breaking some sort of code. Her music box began to tighten painfully as she took a step back from them to get space. "But I shouldn't be telling you this. Even letting you all see me is a mistake… I'm supposed to be dead! We're not supposed to be alive and when people find out that we are…" She trailed off or a moment before becoming more adamant and frantic. "You can't tell anyone. Anyone at all or they will kill us. And they _can_ kill us."

"We won't tell," Jessica blurted out quickly. She raised her hands and stepped closer, noticing the animatronic's body language and becoming afraid that she was going to run. "Nobody has to know."

"Thank you," Charlie murmured.

"Was that thing upstairs alive too? The thing that looked like Bonnie from hell?" Lamar asked. She hesitated a moment, thinking about it for a second, and then shook her head.

"I don't think so. Usually you can tell if they're alive and insane or if they're just mindless machines," Charlie admitted. It was then that she froze up. "Which means… That there could be more of them…" She looked back towards the basement door behind her. _"Is that why they never came back? Did they run into that thing too? It wouldn't just be Bonnie…"_

It was then that her thoughts were cut off by Marla rushing down the steps and taking her off guard by embracing her. Charlie let out a short ring of surprise that thankfully seemed to be ignored. Jessica got a look of alarm for a second but breathed a sigh of relief when Charlie hugged the girl back instead of pulling away. Marla squeezed much tighter than Jessica had but didn't hug as long.

Charlie knew that eventually she would have to face John, and this was the moment of truth. He finally approached after having watched silently from the stairs and she looked up at him. She kept her slight, sad smile as she greeted him with a quiet, "Hey, John. Its been a long time."

"Yeah, it has…" John replied. That faint relief at seeing her was cast over by a look of guilt and somberness. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to take your call."

"Don't be. I didn't want you to answer or I would've had to explain where I was and what I was doing…" Charlie admitted. Her face marred with the same guilt. "…But I'm sorry I didn't call you before then."

There was a long pause of silence as Jessica turned and hugged Charlie again. Now John came down as well and laid a hand on her shoulder. Marla joined into the embrace again and Lamar was standing alongside them but still smiling. They were all here, her friends, and they were still here even though they had seen what she had become. She could feel the dampness on her tear marks and was thankful that it was hard to notice against her mask's paint.

It was then that she looked past Jessica's shoulder and noticed Carlton still on the stairs. He was still looking a little stunned, so she tried to ease him up with a small smile and a stunted wave. He quickly snapped to attention, got a strained smile back, and raised a hand in greeting. Except it was much more forced because he was currently trapped in his own thoughts.

It seemed like a miracle that Charlie was here and that she was somehow alive in this machine, but in the back of his mind he couldn't forget his suspicions about the animatronics. The clown had mimicked his voice completely so this puppet having Charlie's voice wasn't concrete proof, and neither was her having the jacket. It acted like her, he felt like it was her, but he still felt like he needed to keep distance.

If Charlie was like this then his father would've had to have found out about it, and he would've had to say something… Right? He didn't know who to trust anymore.

The Security Puppet drew back from her friends and took a step back to distance them. She tried to ignore the light jingling that kept ringing every few seconds. It wasn't like she could suppress it with how happy she was. It had all worked out, she saw her friends again, and they said they wouldn't tell- and she knew them well enough to believe them.

The only problem was that now she had to break away again. She accepted that there would have to be a somber goodbye.

"I'm glad I got to see you all again, even if we had to meet up here for it to happen," Charlie said with a sadder smile on her mask. "…But this place isn't safe. You need to get out while you still can. The door you came through in the hallway felt like it was locked but maybe you could still get it open and get out through there."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Marla asked, to which Charlie shook her head.

"We came here to find something and until we do, we can't leave, because there's nowhere we can go. And now that I know that Bonnie was roaming around, I know the others could be in danger too. I can't fight well, but if push comes to shove, I can do what I have to," Charlie explained. She noticed that Jessica looked like she was about to protest, starting to shake her head. "I really don't have a choice. Until I find what's in here, I don't have a home to return to."

"This is about Clay arresting Mike, right?" John guessed. She almost wasn't surprised that they knew about it, mostly because their timing and earlier talking suggested they did. "We know. We came here because Carlton thought that the animatronics were the ones-."

"We thought that Mike was being framed," Carlton quickly jumped in. He was quick to shut down John's reveal of his suspicions, because if this really was an imposter of Charlie then it could ruin his chance to find that out. For the moment he would need to play it cool. "Dad's been acting strange about this whole thing and we think he's targeting Mike for some reason. Maybe he knew too much what was really going on… Which makes a lot more sense now if he knows about… You know, you."

"That's why we're here too. Mike had nothing to do with those missing children. The only thing he's been hiding is us," Charlie explained with growing desperation. "The person behind those murders was my father's business partner and he's been dead for years. Clay already said he was planning on dismantling any animatronics that get in the way of his arrest…"

"But I don't understand. If Mike didn't do it, then why would Clay think he did?" Jessica asked. She returned to their earlier suspicions. "A while ago we got these strange letters-."

"I sent them," Charlie admitted quietly. "…But I didn't follow through."

Everyone was a bit surprised at this reveal, but it changed very little.

"That still means that Mike is innocent, which means Clay still has the wrong man," John said. He looked back at Carlton and lowered his voice cryptically. "If he was tapping the phone lines then he should've known about Charlie…" Carlton nodded slowly in agreement.

"But I don't want you getting wrapped into this anymore than you have. Please, you have to trust me on this. There could be things down here much worse than Bonnie was," Charlie pleaded. Except this didn't seem to convince Jessica who suddenly got a fiercely determined look.

"Then we're coming with you!" she said. The animatronic looked ready to protest, putting more distance between them, but the young woman followed her. "Why do you think we all stayed in Hurricane? Why we've all stayed here when we could leave and try to forget? Because we loved you too much to let you go… And now that you're here, I can't let you go again. Not like this." She took a deep breath to still any tears threatening to resurface and looked to Charlie with that same determination. "This time we're coming with you and we're going to help you. Let us do this."

Charlie was entirely stunned. She expected resistance, but not like this, not with the devoted passion that Jessica had voiced. She didn't want to put them in danger, but if they all shared this certainty- and it looked like they did- then maybe she needed their help. They could help prove Mike's innocence and stop the arrest. She couldn't turn that down; she didn't want to.

"…Okay," she agreed almost reluctantly. "…But you need to listen to what I say, alright? If I tell you to run or hide then you do, even if I'm in danger and even if you have to leave me behind. And if we run into other living animatronics let me handle them. They might be confused and scared."

That was her sole defense for Baby, because she had a feeling she would not handle the group that well. Not with her comments earlier.

"We'll do it. After what went down with Bonnie, I'm leaving the decisions up to you. You seem to have a little more experience with this than we do," John agreed. He had a touch of a playful smile. It dropped as he sent a wary look at the door past her. "It looked like it was coming up from down here so there might be more in the basement."

"Which means that's where we're going. That's probably where anything worth finding is going to be," Charlie said. She turned and approached the door. A foreboding feeling weighed on her shoulders, like she already knew something was waiting inside. This time she wouldn't be alone, this time she would be with her old friends, but now their lives would be in her hands. She steadied herself and accepted her decision.

Charlie opened the door and led them into the darkness.


	93. Chapter 93

**Mable: Here we are! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Ninety-Three_

Baby watched Charlie climb further into the vent over the door and fought every urge to yank her back down. It wasn't long until she no longer had the chance to do so and could only watch the last glimpse of her disappear into the shaft. Now she was alone out here, unable to follow the Security Puppet to wherever she was going. She almost envied her but didn't know why. It wasn't like she wanted to follow them.

"Well, time for us to get moving! Scott's gotta be here somewhere." Ennard's inappropriately peppy voice snapped her out of her trance. She turned back to see him looking over the security door. He knocked on it and listened for a response from inside but didn't receive one. "Probably not in here. Heh, guess it would be too easy to find him in the first place we checked, wouldn't it?"

"I wouldn't be disappointed. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can leave," Baby grumbled. Ennard tilted his head and slightly 'narrowed' his gaze, getting a doubtful sort of look.

"Are you sure about that? Cause I've got a feeling you'd have a hard time walking out of here without your best buddy safe and sound," he said playfully. She hated that smug look he was giving her.

"I'm not that dependent on Charlie. She was the one who needed my help to get in there," Baby dismissed as she rolled towards the corner by the office. She crossed her arm over her claw and looked down both hallways before giving a small, mechanical huff. "It will take forever to check every room. Try the radio again, maybe it will work now that we're inside," she said.

He agreed and had pressed the button to call through when he suddenly heard a mechanical rumbling nearby. He raised his head and listened closely, then his eyes fixated on a different set of doors nearby.

"That's the elevator," Ennard warned. If not for the chance that it might've been Scott, he would've immediately got him and Baby out of the hallway, but since there was, he instead nudged her back towards the corner. Baby didn't protest this and wheeled back behind it, with the amalgam following suit. Hunching down and watching the elevator with full attention.

Much to his confusion, the elevator doors opened and revealed only part of a lift inside. Almost like it had stopped before it reached the landing. Ennard started to lean out a little more when he heard a voice.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

He perked and looked back to his companion. "Sounds like Mike," he whispered. He cautiously stepped out into the hall and started to walk towards the doors, making sure on the way that Mike was alone. Seeing all those people coming in had only made him more paranoid. He caught a glimpse of the man's hands as he tried to climb up before dropping back inside.

There was another call. "Hey! A little help over here?"

Almost immediately afterwards, Ennard dropped down beside the lift and looked inside. There was Mike standing inside looking disgruntled, understandable considering he was trapped in an elevator.

"Ha ha, hey buddy! What the heck are you doing down there?" Ennard asked, like he didn't already know. The security guard wasn't enthused by the question.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm having a pizza party and everyone's invited," Mike said flatly.

"But in an elevator? Gee, Mike, I don't know if that's a good place for it. There's not enough room!"

"Sure there is. We just line everyone up like sardines and pass the pizza box overhead. It'll work like a charm." Finished with the joke, he grew more serious. "Can you help me out here?"

To answer, Ennard reached a hand down into the elevator and Mike grabbed ahold to get pulled out. The clown slightly leaned on the top of the lift as he started to pull the man out when suddenly the lift shifted down. It was only about an inch, but both tensed up at it. Ennard removed his hand from the top of the lift immediately.

"…Ooookay, let's try this again. Heh… Just don't touch anything," Ennard said as he cautiously reached in with his other arm. He began to pull Mike up quickly before stopping when he realized how close he would be to the top. His wires twisted as he paused and then pulled a little slower. "Okay, easy. Keep your head down and don't move…" Right when Mike's shoulders started to pass the opening the elevator dropped slightly. "I said _don't move_."

"I didn't move," Mike insisted. He hadn't brushed the top of the lift at all and yet it was still falling. It started to slowly slide down further, and both realized it was soon going to pin him, and that his body wouldn't withstand the weight of the lift. "Quick, pull me out!" Mike blurted in panic.

Ennard instead suddenly shoved him back. The man landed on his feet with a stagger but the sudden shift in weight caused the elevator to shift down until there was only a thin crack left of the landing.

Seeing that his only means of escape had just vanished right before his eyes, Mike was both dumbstruck and horrified by the thought of the lift losing its brakes altogether. He hid both under a frustrated cry of, "Why'd you push me back in?!"

"Sorry, panicked!" Ennard called back. "You just sit tight and I'm gonna find a way to get you out."

" _You better…"_ Mike thought. Because if he didn't, then the outcome of this would either be a sudden death or emergency services having to pry him out. Considering the circumstances, the latter would probably end with him immediately getting stuck in the back of a cop car. Before he could dwell too long, the lift suddenly shifted and slid down another foot, and he grabbed onto the side to steady himself.

There was a creaking and clumping noise as something moved atop the elevator. It was slow, careful, and obviously Ennard climbing on the top of the elevator. Mike was shocked it didn't completely fall at the addition of the animatronic's weight, but he guessed it was because of how carefully the clown was moving.

There was some tapping at a hatch on the roof, some squeaking and twisting, and then suddenly it swung open. Ennard leaned down to stick his head in. "Heh, fast enough?"

"Thank God," Mike muttered under his breath.

"I would, but I think he's pretty much banned from all Freddy Fazbear establishments," Ennard replied as he offered down his hands. "…Don't tell Scott I made that joke. He takes his Sunday stuff seriously."

"My lips are sealed." With that, Mike cautiously walked up to him and grabbed his hands, letting the clown take all the strain in pulling him out. Once he was atop the elevator, he could see what kind of situation they were still in. They were slowly inching down further from the landing where Baby was standing and watching. "I can't even tell if this was rigged or just faulty brakes."

"From what I'm seeing it doesn't look like the breaks are failing. It looks like something's causing 'em to be real soft. Worst case scenario, we slide to the bottom and get stuck down there."

"That's not all that comforting if you knew what I climbed in this lift to get away from," Mike said. He began to take careful steps over the roof of the lift, trying to keep his feet on the more stable looking beams. Even as he did the lift continued to struggle with its own weight and shift downwards. He hoped that Ennard was right and that the real risk was just getting trapped. Just like in the office.

Mike got to the other side without much trouble and began to climb up. Unexpectedly, Baby offered her hand and helped pull him up. Ennard waited until he was up before making his way across as his weight caused it to react more. He crawled over the roof and then crawled up the wall without little change in transition. By now the lift was down so far that the doors kept trying to close and Baby kept having to nudge them open, much to her annoyance.

Once out, Mike looked down the shaft at the elevator. _"Either that was supposed to kill me or it was just supposed to feel like it was going to. Could've stopped me from trying to get out on my own if I thought any movement was going to make it freefall,"_ Mike thought. _"Why would someone go through the trouble and then make a trap that only looks dangerous? The pipe one was fatal… But the pipe trap took a long time to activate… Was it the computer or moving the office chair that did it?"_

"Done and done!" Ennard chirped as he 'brushed off' his hands. "Now you get to tell us where Scott is."

"He's down in the basement with Mari. Some deformed looking Chica chased him off and I had my leg stuck so we got separated."

"WHAT?!" The amalgam stared at him in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I couldn't risk you running off and ditching me in the elevator. That's where we're going anyway, right? Let's go, I'll show you the door to the stairs." By now Mike expected that Marionette and Scott had outran Chica considering that he outmaneuvered Freddy so easily. They were big and threatening, but they didn't seem to be nearly as agile or intelligent as even the non-sentient animatronics they ran across before. As he led the way, he dared to ask, "Did you tell Charlie you were coming in?"

"We followed Charlie in," Baby clarified. The man paused mid-step at the comment. "She's in here right now, climbing through the vents, following her _friends_." Mike spun around and sent her a look of disbelief. Baby would've been amused if not for the circumstances surrounding everything. "I told her it was a bad idea, but she wouldn't listen. At that point it's out of my hand."

"Wait, you're saying she's in the vents? What vents?!" Mike asked. Ennard pointed a thumb back towards the door with the vent open above it. "And her friends are here too?! How many of them?!"

"Too many of them," Baby dismissed. When he started to head back towards the door, she raised her arm to block him. "Don't bother, the door locked behind them when they went through."

"And you were going to tell me this when?" Mike asked with annoyance in place of his concern.

"Now. The moment you stopped long enough for me to speak," Baby retorted. She saw him getting distracted and reiterated, "We need to find Scott first. Charlie can take care of herself."

Mike was just about to argue when he realized he was fighting a losing battle. He knew he would probably need Marionette's help if a circumstance came where he needed to go find Charlie. As for her friends they had to avoid them and get the incriminating forms of Baby and Ennard as far away as possible. He turned back towards the stairway door and quickened his pace.

"But while we're talking about Charlie's friends… Do you know them?" Baby asked curiously as she wheeled after him. "You would have met them, wouldn't you? I'm sure she had a funeral or a death party."

"Death party… Yeah, I guess a funeral is a death party," Mike agreed. At this point he was so distracted with the many issues surrounding him that he had no desire to clarify. Death party would work. "I've met a few of them. I might've met all of them, but I wouldn't go so far to say I know them all by name." He expected her to either ask about Charlie's ex-love interest or her former best friend, but she didn't.

"What about that redheaded one? Do you know him?" Baby asked. Ennard instantly turned to her, still behind Mike, and crossed his arms in a desperate, silent 'no'. "Because he seemed strange to me," she added.

"You mean Carlton? About this tall, red hair, dark clothes? He's here?" Mike scoffed. "What am I saying? Course he's here. That's Detective Burke's son, he probably knows what's going on and came to watch."

Baby stared at the back of his head for a moment as she recognized the name. That redheaded guy, the one who saw Ennard, was a direct relative of the _detective threatening to arrest Scott._ She instantly swiveled to face Ennard and hissed at him like a snake. Said clown just looked utterly dumbstruck.

"Ha. No, you're kidding…" Ennard anxiously denied.

"I wish I was. All that him being here tells me is that the chances of Burke himself showing up have probably just skyrocketed," Mike muttered. He opened the door to the stairs before looking back and seeing the two behind him. Ennard still staring, left eye slightly twitching, and Baby sending him a look that could cause an ice sculpture to burst into flames. He looked between the two. "…Why? What happened?"

"Nothing! No- Didn't you hear? Heh, Lottie went after them. That's all! She's got us all worried, you know?" Ennard brushed past the man and into the stairwell, where he then hurried down the stairs with an ease that wouldn't be expected from an animatronic. "It's a heck of a thing, really," he could be heard mumbling.

Mike wasn't oblivious but he also wasn't in the position to get into it. Instead he started down the stairs after him when he was stopped by a voice from behind.

"Wait…" He looked back to see Baby standing at the top of the stairs. She looked down them hesitantly before looking to him. "I can't risk making noise, and if I go down by myself…" She trailed off.

He raised his hand. "Say no more." Then offered it to her. It was clear from how reluctant she was that she was embarrassed by this, and yet she still took his hand with hers and started to sidestep down the stairs.

"Easy. There you go, we're almost there," Mike coaxed. Then he got a small smirk and added, "Just take _baby_ steps."

Her eyes flashed onto him and his playful smugness. "If I wanted bad jokes like that, I would've made him come back up and help me," she remarked, gesturing her claw down at Ennard. She tried and failed to cover how embarrassed she really was. Mike only chuckled, which didn't help, and continued helping her down.

It was right when they were near the bottom that Ennard tried to radio Scott again. "Scott? You there?"

This time he finally got a response.

* * *

Marionette and Scott had been searching the basement relentlessly. They had been checking every room, even waiting for the Puppet to unlock the locked ones in case Mike had gone inside and the door shut behind him. Unfortunately, these all led to dead ends, and Marionette was becoming more restless with every passing moment.

When he had gotten back into the Furnace Room, he had found both doors shut tightly and Mike nowhere to be seen. Now he clutched Mike's abandoned shoe like he would a plush and continued searching.

Then, without warning, the radio came to life. " _Scott? You there?_ " It was so sudden and loud that Marionette jumped and Scott gave a yelp. He fought to get under the suit he was still wearing and got the radio out.

"Ennard! It's me, I'm here!" Scott eagerly answered.

" _There you are! Finally! Heh, you had me worried there for a while! I've been calling to you for a while now, but I wasn't getting anything back,"_ Ennard said, sounding relieved to hear the man's voice.

"Same. I think something's wrong with the connection down here. Anyways, listen, I'm down in the basement with Mari and there's animatronics in here. Dangerous ones, and we can't find Mike."

" _Guess I beat you to it then, cause he's right here!"_ Marionette, who had been keeping an eye out, spun around to face Scott and listen. _"Just pulled him out of a sliding elevator, so I guess I'm the big hero of the day this time. Maybe I deserve a reward for my valiant effort. I could reeeaally go for a pizza party right now.~ Whaddya think about you, me, and a pepperoni pizza?"_

"Ennard…" For a second it almost sounded like Scott was going to be exasperated, but then he began to smile a little more. "It's good to hear your voice." Ennard gave a contented hum instead of a boisterous response, showing without words that he agreed. "Where are you two?" Scott asked.

" _Three, Baby's here too. We're just coming down the stairs now,"_ Ennard explained. There was a creaking noise through the radio as he headed through a door and into the hall outside the stairwell.

It was just at that moment that the man heard something further down the halls. He blinked and listened closer, and sure enough he could hear footsteps.

"I think I hear you!" Scott exclaimed in relief. If he listened closely, he could still hear the footsteps through the crowded hallways. "Are you walking around now?"

" _Yeah, that's me! I'm comin' to find you, just stay put!"_

"Scott, I don't think we're that close to the stairs…" Marionette warned warily. He couldn't tell from this distance, but he thought the footsteps didn't sound entirely like Ennard's. "I don't think that's him."

But Scott was desperate to get out of the basement and to the safety that Ennard and Baby would provide. He knew they would be safe once they got back together. He continued to follow the light thumping through the hallways, the echoing sound of footsteps, and raised the radio again. "Still walking around? You're sure?"

" _I'm pretty sure I'm walking, ha ha! Can you hear this?"_ There was a dull knocking and Scott couldn't tell if he heard it in the distance or just through the radio.

Scott was starting to become convinced that the footsteps were Ennard's, especially once he thought he could hear his laugh from outside the radio. He quickened down the hallway, ignoring Marionette's pleads to wait, and circled around the corner only to stop on the spot when he found himself staring at a familiar, yellow, tumor ridden back.

It was the twisted Chica taking labored steps down the hallway, not Ennard. Scott's eyes widened in shock and he went completely still. Marionette came up behind him and stopped short too, just as silent, but that silence wouldn't last. The radio in Scott's hand was a ticking timebomb and he knew at any second Ennard could chatter through and lure Chica right to him. He began to slowly back down the hall in the hopes that he could just barely squeeze out of the hall and avoid a confrontation.

Except that silence was broken abruptly when Scott's suit covered elbow thumped against a rattling shelf. He backed right into it and immediately the mutated chicken straightened and started to turn her head.

Marionette grabbed Scott by the other hand and nearly dragged him back around the corner before looking for an escape. He had just focused his eyes on a nearby door they had passed earlier when he started to hear the chicken's thumping footsteps coming down the hall. Slow and heavy, definitely not Ennard's, but he couldn't blame Scott when he hadn't been sure enough to stop him. He tried the door and when he found that it was unlocked, he outright shoved the older man through and shut the door behind them.

The room was even smaller than the storage room they had been stuck in earlier and almost entirely emptied out. The only furniture was a few shelves and a metal table jammed into the front corner by the door. It was a dead end if Chica followed them in here, but Marionette wasn't ready to accept that. He started to circle the room and searched desperately for a way out. Meanwhile, Scott whispered into the radio.

"Enna-Ennard, you have to stay quiet. We- I ran up on Chica- there's a Chica down here- and it's… It's coming this way…" Scott's voice fell silence and his blood ran cold as he heard the footsteps outside the door.

" _What?!"_ While blurted out in exclamation, Ennard's volume had been lowered to a faint whisper. _"I'm coming to get you! Where are you?!"_

"I can't-!" With Chica getting too close, Scott was forced to make the decision to shut the radio off. He then looked to Marionette who he noticed had found a vent towards the back corner and was now trying to get it open. He tried to pat himself down for his wallet, but it was trapped under layers of suit, but thankfully he found a quick replacement on the shelf and hurriedly handed it to the Puppet. "Here, try this."

A box cutter. Marionette slid out the blade and realized it could work in unscrewing the vent better than his fingers could alone. He nodded and began to work. By now Chica was right outside the door and it sounded like she was listening in. Marionette and Scott both went still and waited to see what it would do.

It felt like ages before Chica started to continue down the hallway. Scott breathed a sigh of relief and reached under the Freddy head to wipe the sweat off his brow. His heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst from his chest and it was by sheer luck that he took his medicine today or he knew the shakes would've started up. The last thing he needed was to try and escape Chica while dealing with shooting pain.

He noticed that the Puppet was continuing to unscrew the vent. "I think she's far enough that we can leave. We could try that door she was down by," he offered. Marionette shook his head.

"I don't want to risk it. If that door's locked or any beyond it are locked, we'll be cornered again. This way we might lose her for good," he said. It wasn't long after that before he got the vent off and set it aside. He looked at Mike's shoe before passing it back to Scott. "Can you put this in your suit so we don't drop it?"

"Y-Yeah, it'll fit," Scott said as he fumbled with the costume. He managed to loosen the back enough that he could stick the shoe down into the roomier fabric around his chest. "Do you think I'll fit?"

"Absolutely. This vent's wider than the last one." Marionette started to lean into the dark vent and looked around. It was a little bigger than the other one but that wasn't the only difference. He noticed it was colder and the metal paneling on the inside was smoother. Almost like this wasn't designed to be an air duct, but what else it was supposed to be he didn't have the foggiest idea. Regardless, Chica wouldn't fit inside.

Once Scott was in, the two started down the shaft which immediately took a sharp left. The air was still stale but didn't hold that plastic smell from the other one. In hindsight, that might've been the smell of the heater, and he took care to watch for snares and traps. There didn't seem to be any in this shaft, but he was still on guard and too paranoid to let it drop.

They were just about to come up on another corner when Marionette heard a thumping noise from higher up. He stopped to listen and could hear the vents creak, scraping, and it all but confirmed his fears.

"There's something else in the vents with us," he whispered back to Scott. He straightened. "Not Chica. Not Ennard."

"Should we go back?" the man asked. The Puppet didn't answer and instead listened closer. Looking ahead he could see that at the turn there was an open shaft above it, possibly where the noise was coming from. "Mari, what should we do?" Scott asked a little more desperately.

"Shh…" Marionette kept his eyes ahead as he heard the movement above. At first it seemed like it was getting further away, but now he realized it was coming closer to that vertical shaft. Realizing this, he knew they were about to face something worse than Chica. "Scott," he said quietly but commandingly. "Start going back."

Scott didn't need to be told twice. He began to slowly crawl backwards down the vent. The bulkiness of the suit made it difficult to do it, but he made it work if only out of sheer desperation. Marionette stayed crouched in the vent, staring dead ahead, and waited to see what was coming. He thought maybe it wouldn't fit down the vent.

Until a mass of rotten copper-brown fabric and sharp metal came crashing down from above. Most of it was still stuck up in the vent but it clearly had a slimmer form than Chica did, along with a telltale reddish hue to its fabric. Marionette stared in horror and disgust as it twisted its head around with a sickening crack and revealed rows of sharp teeth and reddish-orange eyes. It was a nightmarish Foxy doppelganger, a twisted version of his own brother.

It saw them and spread its eager jaws wide, revealing layers of teeth. Unlike Chica, Marionette couldn't tell if it was looking at Scott or him, but it began to crawl towards them. Its long, sharp hook scraping at the bottom of the vent as it dragged its contorted body, cracking its joints as it moved.

Marionette scuttled back as fast as he could until he ran into Scott. Then he turned over and without a word of warning began to shove the Phone Guy down the vent shaft. All the while they could hear the hideous thing closing in on them, with the only advantage they had being that it took corners just as slow as they did. Every time Marionette looked back; the maw of sharp teeth was closer.

Finally, Scott reached the open hatch and struggled to back himself out. He stumbled back from it and barely regained his footing under the weight of the suit's head. Marionette rolled out of the vent and quickly slid the hatch back into place. He fumbled with the screws and box cutter for only a second before beginning to screw them back into place. As fast as he was working, he could still hear the twisted Foxy closing in.

But he wasn't the only one. Either they made more noise than they thought or Chica hadn't gone very far, because Scott could hear its heavy footsteps bringing it back. His throat ran dry as he turned to Marionette. "Chica's coming back! We have to go!"

"I can't let it get out," Marionette said firmly as he started to screw in the third bolt.

He was only halfway through when a heavy blow struck the vent. The Puppet paused his mission in favor of pressing his back firmly against the grate to hold it closed. That full weight on two screws would only succeed in damaging them and risk breaking the vent open for good. His legs tried to get footing on the floor as he twisted his right arm enough to continue turning the screw.

It was right then that with a loud clatter of metal that the hideous fox's hook broke through the vent, bending the slates as it did so, and hooked around Marionette. The sharp point came right down on his chest as it slammed the puppet back against the vent. If not for Marionette catching the hook with his good hand, it would've speared straight through to his music box.

Scott ran forwards and grabbed at the hook with the costume's thickened fingers and between them they barely started to pull it back. They were starting to get the upper hand, but at that moment Chica finally arrived at the door and started to grapple at the doorknob. Its clawed fingers clattered on the metal as it tried to let itself inside. Marionette looked to Scott and realized that he was intending on staying with him, continuing to fight the hook, but this would soon make him a target. Marionette grabbed his wrist with the boxcutter holding hand.

"Scott, go get in the corner and go still!" he commanded. Scott looked at him and hesitated, and even without seeing his face Marionette knew what he was thinking. "I'll be fine, just please! _Please!_ "

While Scott wasn't entirely convinced, he was out of options and fear made it easy to obey. He released the door and backed towards the corner, dropping down heavily nearly the second the door was finally thrown open. Chica's tumorous girth was so wide that it barely fit through. It stopped inside the door and turned its head slowly to take in the full scope of the room. Its glowing eyes passed right over Scott but failed to recognize that it was the same suit from earlier.

It was then that it noticed the rattling from the vent and looked in that direction. Its eyes were still unfocused, and it only seemed drawn by the sound, as though it didn't even see Marionette and somehow thought the sound of Foxy trying to get through was its human target. It began to slowly close in on the puppet, who was still fighting in his own predicament.

Scott couldn't foresee this going well. Marionette was about to have both animatronics closing in on him and he couldn't escape, elsewise he would've teleported out by now. It was almost like the hook was keeping him grounded in place, and once Chica got involved it was sure to sink deeper. In a moment of panic and protectiveness, Scott realized he had to do something. He climbed to his feet in a few clumsy steps, grabbed the first thing he could see that looked like a weapon- a two-by-four on the floor- and swung at the back of Chica's head.

The wooden object snapped in two as the chicken's head lurched. It did no visible damage, but it stopped Chica's steady pace on the spot. It was as though the beast suddenly woke out of a trance as it turned back to look at the suited human behind it. The pink eyes glowed with lifeless interest and Scott knew that the disguise no longer fooled it.

Scott turned and ran out of the room, knowing that the twisted Chica would be on his heels. Which it was, trudging out of the room and quickening its speed to a light jog as it tailed him. Marionette felt a surge of panic as he knew that if that door at the end of the hall was locked then the man would be cornered. He had to get away from Twisted Foxy, especially since the point was stabbing further into his chest. He worked quickly to finish screwing in the third bolt and hoped that much would hold.

Now he had to get out from under the hook. First Marionette tried to twist out while pulling the hook back, which only barely loosened the grip but not enough to free himself. Forcing himself at this rate would gouge into his fabric. Behind the grate he could hear its heavy body moving and could imagine the outline of it, and then realized that he could use that idea of where it was to his advantage. He struggled a little more, waiting until Twisted Foxy slid closer to the hatch, and then balled his hand into a fist and slammed it back against the vent.

The blow did little more than rattle the hatch. It was the telekinetic strike it directed that knocked the beast aside. It gave just enough give that Marionette spun out of its hook, sprung off the floor, and took off after Scott and Chica.

Meanwhile, Scott was running for his life, which unfortunately was going a lot slower than he wanted. Chica had knocked down boxes from the shelves and it left the hall like an obstacle course, one that would've been hard enough without the bear suit and a steadily loosening prosthetic leg. Soon he was grappling the shelves and pushing past them like he was swimming; he felt like he was treading water. It was a relief when he arrived at the door and found it unlocked, staggering through and continuing to run.

It was then that he finally got the radio on again and called through. "Hello?! Hello, can anyone hear me?!"

At the time he called, Mike and the clowns had just arrived in an open room with a mock show stage in it. Between the stage and all the props littered around, it looked like this was just a staging area to put together shows before they shipped them out of the factory. There were two different halls leading off from this room, not counting the one they had just come through, and were trying to figure out which way to go to get to their missing companions. Scott's sudden call caught them off-guard.

"Scott?!" Mike answered quickly. He had gotten the radio from Ennard after Scott had been cut off. "Yeah, Scott, we're down here! Where are you?!"

" _Running down a hall- Chica's behind me- I don't know where I'm going-!"_

But it was then that Mike noticed Ennard perking up. The clown had been listening to the radio call but then, as soon as Scott began rambling, turned his head towards one of the hallways and stared down it like he heard something. Listening closely, Mike realized that he too could hear what sounded like distant footsteps.

"I think I hear you! Wherever you are, keep going!" Mike said before pointing the radio past Ennard and down the hallway. "That's got to be him and he's going to have Chica right behind him!" He braced himself for both to come running around the corner.

What he wasn't braced for was for Ennard to suddenly climb one of the sturdier metal shelves and onto the ceiling like a spider, hanging onto the pipes on the roof. "The hell?" Mike asked in disbelief. Though that thought was short lived when he looked down in time to see a plush looking, humanoid shaped Freddy Fazbear running down the hall towards him. "The hell?!"

"Freddy" ran through the door and threw himself to the side of the door just as the twisted Chica came into view. Upon seeing it, Baby yanked Mike out of the way and took his place in staring down the door, raising her claw and preparing to tear Chica's cupcakes right off its body. Not that she had a chance. The second Twisted Chica squeezed itself through the door and turned herself towards "Freddy", whom she was still fixated on, Ennard dropped down from the ceiling on top of her.

As bulky and large as Twisted Chica was, it was also moderately clumsy, and the addition of that much weight capsized it instantly. Ennard sprung up, standing over it while holding it down, and grappled for the neck. He grabbed it like he was trying to strangle it from behind, but then delivered a heavy shock into its body instead. The results were instantaneous- the hideous creature couldn't handle the electricity and the lights left its eyes the moment it stopped being electrocuted.

Scott waited a second to make sure it wasn't going to suddenly rouse again and once he was sure it wasn't, he finally stepped closer. Both Ennard and Baby turned on him, but not with open arms.

Ennard's recoiled his hands from Twisted Chica with his fingers still sparking like live wires. He stared at the suit with the same aggression he would've sent Chica and it only occurred to Scott then that they didn't recognize it was him- not aware that Mike had told them of another, more dangerous Freddy running around. He raised his hands in defense.

"Wait! Wait, it's me!" Scott choked out He quickly reached up and lifted the Freddy head enough to reveal his face. "I was- I just had to hide from Chica and this was all I had, and it worked for a while… Heh, uh, maybe a little too well…"

"Oh…" Baby seemed a little surprised by it, but she got over it quickly. "Silly Scott; tricks are for rabbits."

Ennard was off Chica and over to Scott's side in a moment's notice. "Yeesh, you could've said something sooner! Sorry Scottie but there _is_ another Freddy running around down here, ya know," he said. He then snatched the suit into an apologetic hug, barely able to feel the man underneath the layers of fabric. Scott tried to hug back but it was awkward in the bulk.

It was then that Mike noticed something out of the corner of his eye and looked over to see something black and white literally fly over Chica. He only had a moment to brace himself enough to catch it, getting spun around by it. Marionette clung to him with eager trills and nuzzled into his shoulder happily. Scott saw the scene and was relieved to see that the puppet was alright. He gave a tired sigh as he drew back from Ennard.

"I'm so glad we found you! It's- This whole place- There's something wrong here… Well, I guess you've already figured that out on your own," Scott said.

"Hmm, I just assumed all Freddy's were like this…" Baby remarked as she looked down at Chica. She then began to scan the room and listen, obviously still on guard. Ennard was the exact opposite.

"You look perfect! Just like a real Freddy Fazbear! Wait, wait, I've gotta check something!" Ennard reached up to the top of the bear's head and tapped the nose. It gave a squeak much to his amusement. He crackled as Scott kept his small smile of relief, which stayed even when the clown pulled him into a tight hug again. Except then Ennard slid his mouth close to his ear and lowered his voice. "It didn't touch you, did it?"

In a heartbeat his tone had changed from happy-go-lucky to something much more protective and sobered. Scott shook his head. "No, it just chased me around. The usual."

" _Good_ … I'm… I'm _**sorry**_." Ennard's voice completely changed. _**"I know you didn't want me to co-ome in."**_

"It's okay. I'm glad you did… I wouldn't have last much longer at this rate," Scott assured him. He was pretty sure it was the truth too.

On the other side of the room, Mike and Marionette were having a similar moment of their own. "I'm so glad you're alright! When I came back and found you gone… I knew you must've got away, but it scares me to lose track of you in a place like this," Marionette admitted as he drew back. His smile became more strained. "You don't want to know what we found in the vents…"

"It'd take more than some overstuffed Dry Rot Freddy to take me out. Or Chica," Mike assured. He then sent a sideways glance towards Chica. "Especially now that we know they can't take a controlled shock."

Baby looked between the two couples and started to become impatient. "This is all very sweet, but we still have a problem. Five problems. Five of Charlie's problems." Marionette looked confused at the comment. "Charlie's friends are here, upstairs, and she's following them. And _evidently_ one of them is the s _on_ of the detective whose following us…" She gave a slow leer back at Ennard.

" _She wouldn't-._ " Marionette's thoughts cut off there. As much as he didn't like the sound of that, he knew Charlie. _"She wouldn't,"_ he mentally affirmed. He looked to Mike who was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, that's still our problem…" he muttered. He gave an exhausted huff and pointed to both Ennard and Baby. "You two are going to have to get out of here before they see you. We'll keep looking around and find Charlie." Mike looked to Marionette with a defeated look, "As for finding anything to clear my name that's going to have to wait." Marionette nodded in agreement, just as disappointed.

"Then you're going to need this and this," Scott said as he handed over his radio and Mike's shoe. "Not sure if the radio's going to do much in here, but if you're out of the basement it should work." Scott then replaced the Freddy head and looked to Ennard to lead him to the stairs. Baby started to follow before stopping and turning back again.

"What did you find in the vents?" she inquired. Mike also looked curious as he slipped on his shoe and retied it.

"A deformed version of Foxy. Very much like this one, but a little faster and a little more aggressive," Marionette explained. He looked down at the Chica body still unmoving on the floor. In hindsight, she had just been a walking obstacle, but the Foxy one was a threat. "And if there's a Freddy as well then that means there's a Bonnie one here too somewhere. I don't know if they'll be more like this one or that one."

"…That changes things." Baby's tone was unreadable but was enough that Scott stopped and looked back at her. She did the same and addressed her two companions, "I'm going with them. I have to find Charlie."

"Baby, she'll be okay," Scott reminded sympathetically. "Mike and Mari will get her. It's better if you're not seen."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told her: if I collapsed on the floor, I would look like I was abandoned… Not nearly as vile as whatever is already down here, but convincing enough," she added, sending a look of distaste at Chica. "Charlie is the one that will stand out and so will you, Marion. If they don't recognize you then they will notice your clean paint… And everyone knows who _you_ are," she pointedly said to Mike.

"Good point. Doesn't exactly explain why you want to come along," Mike countered.

"You have a taser?" she asked. Mike tapped on it on his belt. "Will you be able to get it onto a vulnerable area as easily as Ennard did? Fabric doesn't conduct electricity." He clicked his tongue; she had a point. "Then you need me. We will go together." To which Mike and Marionette both agreed. If she could reign herself in, she would be vital.

"Just be careful, Baby. Please, we don't want you getting hurt down here. We'll, uh… I guess we'll look around upstairs just in case they're still up there," Scott offered as he looked to Ennard, who nodded. "Just don't get yourselves cornered with that Foxy. He's got a hook on him like a scythe."

They watched as the three turned to the other hall that nobody had ventured through yet. They would have to check the rest of the basement first, just to make sure. They started ahead.

"And watch out for the redhead!" Ennard called after them. He then tried to ignore the look Scott- or in this case Freddy- was giving him. Maybe he could put off that awkward confession until later.

For now, there were more important things to be worried about. Things that made even Chica look small in comparison.

* * *

 **Mable: I decided to spare you the cliffhanger that begged to be put at the end of this chapter. XD… Which means that this victory in defeating Chica might not last long. Let's just hope our two groups of lost souls watch where they step. Anyway, until next week!**


	94. Chapter 94

**Mable: Guess who went for an emergency tooth extraction yesterday? Ah, good times! Nothing like having a gaping hole where my wisdom tooth used to be. XD Anyway, here's the update on schedule. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Almost Feels Like Home**_

 _Chapter Ninety-Four_

"I turned to look back and I saw the headlights… And then nothing."

Jessica lightly cringed at the explanation but listened with a nod. The group was currently making their way slowly through an overfilled basement and checking rooms as they passed them. Since she feared they had limited time together she had started asking questions, which inevitably led to Charlie's recount of the night of her murder. It was as uncomfortable to say it as much as to hear it, but she continued.

"I know I was alive for a little while after that, but I don't remember any of it. I don't even remember the pain or anything. It was just like I went to sleep. Like when they put you under for surgery, a split second and then I woke up like this."

"It doesn't… Hurt, right?" Jessica asked with concern.

"No. It actually feels a lot like being alive. Except for the little things, like it takes a while to get used to the feeling of not needing to breathe. Things you never really notice," Charlie explained. She looked down towards her hands momentarily. They felt so much like hers after all this time that it was weird to flex her fingers and know these weren't the ones she was born with. "There's other things too. I can feel the metal parts inside of me, ticking and shifting, almost like a heartbeat. It's still a little tricky controlling the ringing."

"I just… It's amazing. I can't understand it, but it's a miracle," Jessica said. Her smile returned eagerly. "That you're here and you're you. That you were so close the whole time! I must've gone to Foxy's a few times, but I never thought- Oh… Foxy's. We never- You mentioned losing your home. You've been living at Foxy's?" Her voice filled with concern. "They don't make you act like that, do they?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I chose to start performing there. That's another thing with this body. It comes with its own wants and needs. I never wanted to perform until I was suddenly made to do it," Charlie admitted with an almost embarrassed smile. "But I don't live there. I've been living with Mike…" She hesitated a moment, wondering how far she was willing to go with this. Jessica must've noticed how she was suddenly averting her gaze as she was looking closer now. "…And Mari," she finally added.

"Mari?"

"He's the one who saved me. He's been like a brother to me since then. It's hard to explain…" Specifically, it is difficult to explain it without telling her what Marionette actually was, but she wasn't willing to risk his identity yet, not even to one of her closest friends. Even when she trusted Jessica with her life. She tried to change the subject. "I had to learn to walk again. It was like walking on stilts."

Jessica hadn't really paid attention to her legs until now but looking down at them raised some brows. She had walked pumps with multiple inch heels on them and still couldn't imagine needing that amount of balance. It wasn't almost enough to make her forget what her friend previously said, but she thought back to it and caught something she almost missed.

"Wait, Mari?" From her tone alone, Charlie knew she must've caught on. Jessica looked to her in surprise as she asked, "Do you mean the Marionette? The Puppet over at Foxy's?" Charlie didn't reply and it was that silence that gave Jessica her answer.

They were cut off by a loud banging from ahead. Both looked over to see that the door John and Lamar were trying to get open had swung open with a bang. It looked like John had gone staggering through too, and Lamar looked in after him to make sure he didn't crash to the floor.

"Did you just break down that door?!" Marla called in disbelief, having been standing close enough to Charlie and Jessica to listen to their conversation. John shuffled back through.

"Nah, just gave it a little shove and it gave. Old building and all," he excused. He looked to Lamar and added quieter, "So, it's not breaking and entering or destruction of private property."

Lamar half-shrugged before furrowing his brow and asking, "Why are you walking like that?"

"John, your back!" Jessica's eyes popped open as she suddenly remembered his earlier injury. She rushed over to him, circled him, and started yanking up his jacket without any warning. "Let me take a look."

"Jess, it's fine," John tried to deny. He cut off his protests with a hiss as she lifted his shirt gently, which had become stuck to the blood on his back and pulled just the same. She frowned with concern as she saw the three long slices across half of his back. Most of the bleeding had stopped, save what was irritated from her lifting his shirt, but the skin was still an angry red. "How's it look, Doc?" John asked with a grimace-smile.

"You're lucky. I think you just avoided stitches, but unless you want to get this bleeding again, you're going to have to avoid straining it. That includes breaking down doors," Jessica said firmly. She looked over the wounds with dissatisfaction before slowly working his shirt back down. "We're going to have to clean them up as soon as we get out of here to keep them from getting infected."

"Who knows what was on that thing's hands," Marla remarked with a shiver. The thought of the rabbit period ran a chill down her spine.

It didn't unsettle her nearly as much as it did Charlie though. She caught a glimpse of the scratches and felt a newfound dread. The Twisted Bonnie had been so fixated on attacking the humans and yet it had completely overlooked her, even when she was climbing over it to escape its prison. This encouraged her to take the lead again as she passed through the door John opened.

This led into another hallway. There was a slender hatch against the wall that almost blended in, but Charlie overlooked it to continue down the corridor. Eventually this led in two directions; one was an elevator- probably connected to the one upstairs- and the other looked like another security door with a window beside it. She headed up to it and looked through to see what looked like a furnace room.

Marla looked through beside her while Carlton continued to the door. He looked at the big button beside the door for a second before raising a hand. "I'm going to try this," he forewarned. It was a good thing he did too, because the moment he pressed the button an obnoxious buzzer echoed through the hallway. The door didn't open. "…What is even the point of this?"

"Probably to tell those things we're down here," Marla said matter-of-factly. Charlie had to admit that it was a good point. "Which means that this is a dead end. Unless we take the elevator up."

"I think I saw a maintenance hatch back in the hall," Charlie said. Without provocation, she took lead in heading back to the hall to check, and Jessica was quick to tail her. Sure enough, the slender hatch on the wall opened without much issue and revealed a narrow crawlspace inside. "Not the most ideal choice, but it's a way forward," Charlie offered. Though one look back towards Jessica, and John and the others behind her, reminded her that there was still risk involved if this was like the vents. "You all stay here, and I'll check to make sure it's safe."

"No," Jessica outright denied. It surprised Charlie to see her that forceful, but she supposed she might've deserved it.

"Okay… Then at least stay a few feet back. When I was back in the vent I almost got caught in a snare. If someone could put that in a vent then they could fit something bigger here," the Security Puppet warned as she stepped inside. She was cautious as she took a few steps inside.

"A snare?" Jessica asked in confusion. Though she then got a disturbed look. "…To catch what?"

"…Probably us," Charlie admitted. She decided not to bring up the heater. For now 'us' could be all of them, but with that heater 'us' was definitely animatronics. Someone was trying to trap animatronics. Yet she couldn't ignore the fact that the vent was much too small for that Bonnie to fit. She tried to focus on the task at hand and not worry about where the others were.

It was dark but the walls were closed in enough that even without the flashlight shining behind her the others would've been able to get through rather easily. She kept her eyes focused on the walls and floor, expecting the path to be trapped like the vent had been but it seemed cleared out. Halfway down the passage she thought she could hear talking through the walls. Nobody else seemed to hear it.

There was a second hatch at the end of the passage and Charlie opened it only for it to stop after an inch. Peeking through the crack, she could see what looked a mound of scrap metal. She had no doubt more of that was blocking the hatch. She pushed a little firmer and the hatch barely shifted. "I'm going to need a little help here," she said.

The group behind her shifted around as they tried to get around each other in the tight space. John made a move for the front but was stopped by Lamar, unwilling to have him limping again. In the end it was Carlton who got to the front and leaned on the hatch beside her.

"Push on three?" he offered. To which she nodded and braced her back on the hatch. "Okay. One… Two… Hey, first-." Charlie caught herself at the last second and sent him a befuddled look. "I've got to ask you… Have you seen a clown?" The Security Puppet got a blank look, but he read it as uncertainty. "It's got a white face and this crazy, psycho laugh."

" _Oh great. Now I'm going to rat out Ennard,"_ Charlie thought in defeat.

"I saw it climbing in and out of the sewers twice and it sort of looked like an animatronic, and that would make a lot more sense than some guy dressed like a clown."

"… _Or Ennard already ratted himself out."_ At this point it wasn't like denying it would help. If anything, maybe she could cover for him. "Yeah, I know him. He's… eccentric," Charlie clarified, making invisible quotes with her fingers. "To be honest, he's upstairs right now, but you probably won't see him." Carlton immediately went stark pale. "On the count of three-," she said, snapping him back to the task. "One… Two… Three!"

They pushed with all their strength and the door slowly started to open. There was a squealing on the other side as metal slid on the floor, along with a clattering once it started to fall off the mound blocking them. Jessica came up to help as well, barely squeezing between them, and the three of them managed to get the door halfway open. It was just enough for Charlie to lean out and see the furnace room. They were against the back wall amongst the mounds of refuse, and she squeezed out and climbed on top of the scrap.

Carlton was soon behind her and then Jessica, and one by one her friends slid out into the room and started to cross over the scrap. It was awkward traversing over it. While it seemed like the scrap should've been there a while and thus settled, it hadn't. One wrong step caused Jessica's foot to slide and Marla's attempt to catch her caused both to fall onto pile. It was understandably painful.

"Are you two okay?" John asked as he offered his hands. Jessica took it and started to stand while Marla tried to straighten herself first. Lamar came around behind John cautiously, trying to avoid a similar slide.

"Ugh, all of us are going to get some sort of funky tetanus down here," Marla muttered as she started to push herself up. Carlton got his hands under her shoulders and started to help lift her as she got her unsteady footing. "If we're going to get stuck coming back the way we came- _Lamar!_ "

Complaint abruptly turned to a frantic cry and Lamar jolted at it. He felt a shifting underneath him even though he had stopped moving and looked down to see sharp points like knives jutting out beneath him. He choked and leapt back, stumbling over his feet and the loose scrap. Both him and Marla had been thinking of what Charlie had said about traps, so when they saw those sharp prongs they imagined the same thing, that it was a bear trap. Technically, it was.

As a large form rose out of the scrap metal, the prongs were revealed to be teeth in a gaping maw, the form being the twisted visage of Freddy Fazbear. It clawed at the metal and climbed out of the mass like it was a mound of dirt. Much to the group's horror, they realized they had all passed over it. Lamar was unlucky enough to be the target only because he was the one in the back, and its blue eyes affixed on him.

It let out a great bellow and took a few slow steps towards the young man, forcing both him and John to move back towards the back corner. It started towards them before suddenly turning itself towards Carlton and Marla. Carlton was quick in throwing Marla behind him and then backing from the bear while Jessica snatched up a small piece of pipe and threw it at the bear.

"Over here!" she called. Charlie looked at her in disbelief but soon realized what she was doing when Lamar and John started to move against the back wall. It was a distraction. "Over here, Freddy! Look at me!"

"Y-Yeah! Come on, Bear, what are you going to do?! Just… Stand there?!" Carlton challenged. He looked at the scrap before grabbing up something, only to realize halfway through that it was an endoskeleton head. "How about trying this on for size?!" He got over it quickly before throwing it at Freddy. Except that Freddy wasn't looking at him. It wasn't looking at Jessica either.

It was staring directly at Charlie. Unlike Twisted Bonnie, who didn't notice her at all, Twisted Freddy was staring directly at her.

Suddenly it barreled at her at a slow but steady pace. Stomping through the metal to try and get to the Security Puppet.

"Get back!" Charlie warned as she ran in the direction of the furnace.

Carlton and Marla were forced out of the way as it closed in across the room, pinning the puppet between the conveyor belts and furnaces. It took a swipe at her, clawed hand cupped as though preparing to scoop her in, and in a last-ditch effort to escape, she climbed into the furnace. It was the last place she wanted to be. The metal was deceptively cold, but she knew that it would heat up quickly, and unlike the vent she wouldn't have a chance to get out.

Twisted Freddy tried to reach in after her, leaning its bulky body over the belt and the control panel to do so. Its bulk started to press at the buttons, leading to a loud beeping noise coming from inside the furnace. John was the first to realize that the bear was going to inadvertently turn the furnace on from this alone and ran over, snatching up a thin piece of rebar on the way. He knew hitting it would do nothing, so he skipped right to trying to jam the metal into the back of its neck.

Freddy let out a low groan as the metal slipped past the gap in its fabric and struck against its metal neck. At first it tried to twist its neck to get the annoying piece loose, claw scraping along the inside of the furnace as it tried desperately to reach the puppet inside. John used all his strength to pull the rebar down, which started to peel the fabric on the back of its head upwards. Once he saw an opening, he jammed it in harder.

Its blue eyes flicked in malfunction before it finally turned its attention on the man. It pulled its arm free from the furnace and swung back so hard that it knocked all the wind out of John, and he landed flat on his back on the tiled floor. It shifted its head and neck around like it was uncomfortable as it stiffly shuffled to face him. Then, without warning, it grabbed for him by the shoulders and started to drag him close.

John fought against the tight grip as the claws dug against his shoulders. Both of its teeth filled maws were aimed towards him as it pulled him closer, shoving his cheek against the cold metal teeth of its belly. Lamar ran in to try to grab for his friend while Carlton started to dig around through the scrap for any sort of weapon. But they were running out of time, as evident by the bear's trembling teeth.

It was now that Charlie dared to come out of the furnace. Bracing herself, she scrambled across the conveyor belt and jumped off behind the bear, grabbing the rebar and trying to yank it down with her weight.

Twisted Freddy's eyes flickered again and once again it shoved John down onto the floor, knocking Lamar back. It swung its body around and Charlie attempted to hold on, only to be slung over the conveyor belt again. Freddy turned to face her as she turned over to climb off the other side of the belt.

She just wasn't fast enough.

Freddy's arms collapsed upon her and its fingers dug into her jacket. It then began to yank her back off the conveyor and smooth into the opening on its belly. She tried to thrash and fight against it as her hands grabbed the edge of the conveyor belt. Her music blared louder in growing panic as her legs grazed past the faux teeth and into its storage tank.

"Charlie!" Jessica shrieked in horror. She snatched up an old, footless, animatronic leg off the ground and started to swing it against the bear's arm. "No! No, no, Charlie, no!"

Charlie grew frantic as her knees hit the back of the bear's storage tank. She was forced to bend them and was slowly pushed into herself like she would fit into a tight box. All the while she reached back to claw at the bear above her. She managed to get her hand onto his lower jaw and fit some of her strings into his teeth, slowing the process by forcibly holding herself up, but she just wasn't strong enough to hold long. Steadily, Freddy continued working her into the darkness of his gullet.

The others rushed in. Next was John, then Lamar, then Marla and Carlton at the same time, grabbing what they could off the floor to use as tools. Some tried to distract the bear, such as Marla who threw whatever she could at its head and Lamar who prodded the legs in an attempt to trip it up. John and Carlton came up with the same idea and started to jam longer pieces into the gaping maw to try and pry it open, as it was slowly closing the further Charlie got inside. Jessica dropped the leg and grabbed Charlie around the chest to try and drag her out.

But it was in vain. Twisted Freddy gave a slow swing of his arm and even though he wasn't too much taller than them, even though he moved so sluggishly he knocked Carlton and Lamar off in one swing. His other arm moved a little faster, going for John and Jessica. She managed to duck while the claw caught John by the head. It could've crushed his skull, but it did nothing more than shove him back.

Then Freddy got his large hands on Jessica and slowly pushed her back. It was sadistically slow; if not for the dead look in its eyes, she would've assumed it took some pleasure from ripping Charlie out of her grasp. Soon she only had ahold of Charlie's arm, and in this second Freddy's body seized and his torso lurched, tossing the Security Puppet further back into it. It then bit down to seal her away, with only that single arm still able to fit out through the teeth.

The ringing no longer resembled any semblance to music. It was loud, sharp, sounding like a panicked wail. Jessica realized quickly that Charlie was screaming.

The only noise loud enough to overtake it being a strange electrical noise followed by a loud clang that came from one of the doors in the room. The ringing was then deafened by the shriek of chiming music.

All at once, something black and white flew through the air and hit the bear directly in the chest. Though it almost looked like Twisted Freddy staggered before he was hit, like something invisible hit him beforehand. There, now clawing at its chest and trying to pry open the faux mouth was the puppet she recognized from Foxy's, Marionette.

As it had been with Charlie, Freddy seemed almost fixated on Marionette and swung at him, but this puppet was quick. He easily swung back out of the way before pouncing on its arm when it was left vulnerable, wrapping his strings around it, crawling around its back, nearly spinning around its other arm to get it tangled, and then tightening its strings to tether the arms together. He slipped between its legs, pulled tight enough to drop it onto its back, and climbed up its belly to try prying it open again.

"Get back!" a new voice called. Jessica looked over in time to see Mike sprint by and go for the bear as well. He still had his taser in hand, which he had used to get the door open, but one look at the situation Charlie was in made him realize he couldn't use it. He attached it back to his belt with a swear and began trying to help Marionette pry open the mouth. Even though the teeth were for show they were sharp and painfully dug into his palm as he tried to pry the hatch open.

In the end it wasn't a mouth though, it was just a storage tank, which meant that it wouldn't hold forever. Not once Mike grabbed up one of the dropped items and began using it as a lever to get Freddy's gut open. Slowly the mouth was opened, and Marionette reached inside while Mike grabbed Charlie's free arm. They began to pull together and mixed with Charlie's own attempts to push herself until she was dragged out of the body of the fallen beast.

Marionette released his strings from Twisted Freddy long enough to get Charlie back away from it. He clutched her to his chest, her stumbling over the unreliable footing with a wild look in her eyes. Mike waited to make sure the strings were fully recoiled before he took his taser off his belt again and moved in. If his suspicion was right, then this one too would go down from a good jolt of electricity in the right spot.

It wasn't until Mike got within arm's reach that the hideous Freddy suddenly reacted. It swung at him with a vicious but slow swing, claws cutting through the air as easily as they would clothing. The security guard easily stepped out of the way and looked for an opening as the massive bear turned its arms back to push itself off the mound of scrap metal. As it sat upright its blue eyes stared right past Mike, and to his dread he realized it was still staring down the puppets. Marionette held Charlie tighter and she stared at the bear in horror.

Mike had no intention of letting Freddy get anywhere near them, let alone the others in the room, and he wielded his taser tightly as he tried to think through a plan. As it wobbled onto its feet, he realized that its metal spots were limited. Either he was going to have to shock the claws and hope it carried the current into its body or he would have to risk sticking his arm back into the open cavity in its belly.

It stood upright and took a single heavy step towards them. It could get no further than that before there was a loud banging noise as something landed heavily on the floor. He looked back to see that Baby had leapt down the short stairs in a single bound and was now staring down the twisted animatronic. Mike caught one glimpse of her glowing green eyes and stepped aside.

Baby quickly skated towards the conveyor belt and, avoiding the scrap heap all together, hurdled herself over it. She raised her claw in a position to strike and, as he only had eyes for the puppets, he never saw her coming until she struck. But instead of lashing out blindly as she usually did, Baby had a plan. She grabbed Freddy's wrist in a vice grip, stepped halfway past it, and used her raw strength to twist its arm and throw it onto its back again. She went for its neck but her claw struggling against the thick fabric.

Mike realized that this was his chance and ran over. "Hold open his chest!" he commanded. Baby looked to him, looked down at the maw, and then surprisingly obeyed. She easily forced the storage tank open to its fullest extent. With the bottom of the metal storage tank open to him, Mike gripped the taser tighter and shoved it inside. He delivered a firm shock to the storage tank and through the endoskeleton inside.

The deformed bear began to seize like it was made of springlocks and the mouth on its belly tried to slam shut. Suddenly something that had only been dolled up to look dangerous became a very real threat. If Baby wouldn't have been able to stop the hatch from closing it would've sliced straight through his arm in one swift motion, so it was beyond fortunate that the metal teeth on the suit were apparently not connected to the endoskeleton, meaning she didn't get a residual shock.

Mike still held the taser to the back of the bear's tank until the lights abruptly faded from its eyes. He then yanked back his arm and Baby let go, letting it slam shut on itself. For a moment they just stood there, crouched in Mike's case, and looked down at the down animatronic.

Then without warning, Baby suddenly raised a skate and stomped down on Freddy's face, smooshing in its nose and breaking both of its eyes. As if one last act of defiance before she hastily turned and skated around the conveyor. She glided past her onlookers smoothly and seemed to leer at them as she did. Jessica especially felt her gaze linger and it almost startled her, if the clown's appearance didn't do it alone. She made it to the stairs and quickly climbed them in a few large steps before skating past the window and disappearing.

Mike was staring after her when he was brought out of it by a voice behind him. He recognized it as Marla. "Did- Did you kill it?" she asked. He tried to ignore the surge of panic- _Good God, they saw Marionette moving_ \- and turned back towards them with what looked like a moderately annoyed look, covering his much less composed feelings once he counted up how many witnesses were standing behind him.

"Yeah, and I would've gotten away with it too if it wasn't for your meddling kids," Mike dryly said as he turned to them with his hands on his hips. "What _in the hell_ are you kids doing down here?" Their silence was telling, almost as telling as the fact that while some of them were looking towards Charlie, none of them looked shocked to see her. The almost looked at her with concern and familiarity, which was a red flag. He huffed and asked, "Let me guess, you all figured out the big secret of what makes Foxy and friends so 'lifelike'. That's just great."

Jessica had been looking towards the two puppets and was starting to put the last few pieces together. What Charlie said mixed with seeing Mike and the puppet together filled the blank spaces.

She looked to Mike and said with no uncertainty, "You really didn't do it. You had nothing to do with any of the children going missing, not at Freddy's, not at Magictime Theater. All this time the only thing you were hiding was that the animatronics were alive, and you hid it because Charlie became one after she died."

"You're right, I _didn't_ do it. I don't know what evidence Burke has other than me being suspicious, but I don't see that holding up to a reasonable doubt," Mike said matter-of-factly, deciding not to comment on the rest. he noticed Carlton in the bunch and narrowed his eyes at him. "I should've known you'd be involved somehow."

Carlton gave an awkward smile, mostly because of everything he just witnessed. Lamar leaned close to his shoulder and quietly whispered, "Was that the clown?" He shook his head curtly and Lamar's eyes widened.

"We came to find the truth. We heard about what Clay was doing and it didn't add up… And then we were attacked by Bonnie and Charlie saved us, and that's how we found out," John explained.

Charlie felt that creeping dread at the reveal and wondered if Marionette was terribly disappointed. He wasn't moving at all and his grip did seem uncomfortably tight. It wasn't until she started to stand on her own that she realized he wasn't gripping her in anger. He was as stiff as a statue and unable to move. It was his programming, he couldn't handle all the unfamiliar stares, causing him to go dormant.

Ignoring the conversation around them, Charlie wrapped her arms back around Marionette and gave a few quiet rings, both out of apology for what she dragged him in to and thankfulness for what he dragged her out of. She kept her voice quiet as she assured him, "They're not going to tell. I already explained why they couldn't... I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen, but I couldn't let them get hurt." Marionette slightly nodded. "If you and Mike wouldn't have gotten here… Thanks."

As she trailed off, he held her more securely, giving a low trill. He wasn't fighting to speak but he wanted her to know how happy he was that she was alright. She unexpectedly drew away and slowly started to step towards her friends, drawing him by the wrist. He knew what she was doing and was reluctant, but he didn't resist it. He just forced himself to move like he would on the showroom floor.

"Everybody, this is Marionette. He's the one who brought me back and he and Mike were the ones who rescued the kids at the arcade, including Jason and Chrissy," Charlie introduced. Marionette forced himself together to give a decent introduction, not willing to leave a bad impression. In these circumstances he had to be as human as possible. So, he gave a greeting chime and a short bow, one like he would give from his stage. It was easier if he pretended that they were just an audience.

"I knew something was off with the Puppet…" Carlton mumbled. Of course he had thought it equated more to Mike, not that he would see it moving on its own. Marla, who was beside him, barely acknowledged this as she took a step closer. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the striped animatronic and for her everything suddenly made much more sense. She stilled herself enough to speak.

"So… So, you saved Jason. Thank you," Marla said. Her voice sounded overwhelmed, though probably more from the fight that just ensued instead of him. She managed a smile. "He's my brother you know, and if anything would've happened to him… I love him so much. We wouldn't have been able to go on without him." Carlton put an arm around her to help comfort her as it sounded like she was becoming emotional. That managed smile became much warmer. "Thank you both, really."

Marionette chimed as his answer, so Mike spoke for them both. "No need to thank us. We're just glad the kids were found safe," he said with more honesty.

"But… What's going on down here?" Marla added a little more desperately. "What are those things? Are they animatronics? Why are they hunting us?!" She pointed towards the downed Freddy and Mike leered at it.

"I don't know, but if you saw Bonnie then that means the gang's all here. We took out Chica in the other rooms and Foxy's in the vents. The Foxy that's like this I mean, Freakshow Foxy… I think they might be guarding something. I don't know if you ran into any of them, but there's traps rigged up too, and that mixed with these makes me think someone's trying to keep us out," Mike said as he crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Not that the locked doors and snares do anything other than keep us in."

"We didn't find anything in here other than Bonnie. I'd say we covered good ground on the first floor too," Jessica explained with a disappointed tone. "Have you checked the rest of the basement? Are you sure there's not something that might've been missed?"

"There's always a chance but I've been walking all over this basement and nothing's jumping out at me except robots."

Marionette leaned closer to Charlie and whispered to her. His voice was skipping and staticky, still effected by his programming, but he asked, "Di- you go upsta-rs?" She sent him a confused look and he pointed up.

That was when her mind went back to the stairwell, along with the stairs in the hallway that she saw leading upwards. She looked between Mike and her friends. "Isn't there a second floor? Did anyone check it?"

Mike raised his brows thoughtfully. "We didn't. You all?" The group members shook their heads and the security guard dropped his arms. "Then that settles it. That's where we're heading next." He started heading to the door before stopping and looking back, pointing his taser at the younger humans. "Just to clarify, 'us' would be me and these two." He pointed to the two puppets. "You all should take off while you still can."

"We've come this far, that's too far to turn back now. There's no leaving while we're all a part of this. We know too much to walk out with a clean slate," John said as he looked to the others for validation. Jessica gave a nod of agreement and neither Carlton, Marla, nor Lamar disagreed with him. He looked back to Mike. "And you need backup." Mike quirked a brow almost in a challenge. "An alibi backup. Who's to say that whatever is here just gets covered up right after you find it? It would be your word against the police."

"And your word against your own word," Carlton added in. Mike looked to him in confusion. "Dad's been tapping your phone."

"You better be kidding," Mike muttered. Carlton gave a sympathetic half smile and shook his head. So that was how he knew about the animatronics. Mike took a moment to process that information, emotions flittering across his face before he looked to Marionette, who was now turned away from them and looking towards him. Most likely because his mask shifted to a look of equal horror, lips pressed tight and eyes wide. Realizing they were stuck with limited options; Mike began to cave to the idea.

" _They're Charlie's friends, they're not going set us up if it means getting her in trouble. Not with how they all acted at the funeral…"_ Mike took a deep breath. "Alright, we'll all go. Happy?"

"Not especially," Lamar chimed up. "It's like we're damned if we do or damned if we don't."

"Yeah, well, welcome to my life," Mike muttered as he headed out the security door. "Stairs are back this way. Stay close."

Marionette took Charlie's hand and began to follow him silently. He kept her close protectively and after all that happened she didn't draw away, simply taking care to make sure her friends followed.

It didn't take long to get back to the first floor. Even though Mike had taken the stairs twice he was careful as he climbed them and stepped into the hall cautiously. Seeing no sign of 'Freakshow Foxy', he began to lead them towards the stairs, Marionette now following closely beside him. Right when they were about to climb the steps, the distant sound of laughter suddenly echoed through the hall.

Carlton's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened as he realized that he recognized that laugh. He stopped on the spot, as did a few of the others.

"What was that?" Jessica asked, disturbed by it. It was understandable though considering what they had faced. It was much less unsettling for the puppets, who exchanged uneasy looks.

"Don't worry about that. That's just Scott looking around. He's on Burke's hit list too so he's walking around in a full Freddy Fazbear getup trying to fool anything he runs into. Just him getting into character," Mike smoothly lied as he started up the stairs to the second floor. The others seemed a little uneasy but followed, all except for Carlton.

He was still staring back down the hall when Marla noticed. "Are you coming?" she asked.

"…Actually… I think I'm going to stay down here and keep an eye out," Carlton excused. He turned back to her. "Just in case one of those things comes back we'll have some warning. You go ahead."

"If you're sure. Just… Be careful." She kissed him on the cheek and turned to climb the stairs, only to stop abruptly. "Oh _whoa,_ wait a minute." He thought from that tone that she caught on, but then she looked back to him in shock and whispered frantically, "The Puppet's not moving his legs at all! It's just floating up the steps!" Carlton leaned over to see past her.

"You're right," he deduced. "…Okay, still not weirdest thing I've seen today, but it's up there." He didn't make a big deal out of it though and instead just watched Marla head up the stairs with the others.

For a moment he wondered if he was making the right decision, but he needed his own answers. So, once they were up in the second floor he turned and headed down the hallway, following the laughter.

As he got closer, Carlton realized that he could hear two voices. One of them sounded like the other man he heard on his father's recordings, Scott, which would go along with what Mike said. The second sounded just like that laugh, which went along fine with what Charlie had said. The clown was here with them. He eventually tracked the voices down the hall and back towards the front room. He was standing just past the elevator when he noticed the opened double doors and realized he could see something standing just outside them.

It looked like a Freddy Fazbear but taking in Mike's words explained this. Especially when the voice still resembled the one on the tape. "-But even though they didn't want the risk that had become associated with Afton Robotics, they really didn't want to put in the effort either. Henry and Will really were the drive behind making the animatronics and Fazbear Entertainment was just… A boardroom that bought out Freddy's once Henry was out of the picture… And then pretty much sold itself back to Will without knowing it," Scott was explaining.

Carlton leaned in a little more so he could listen but not enough that he could be seen.

"So, even though it looks like they dropped everything and left, I think they just, you know, they did that but just because they were abandoning the business. I don't know if you got a good look at Chica, but she didn't look… She looked old and dusty, but she didn't look like she's been wandering around long. Like she was closed-up in a room somewhere, you know? Too clean." Scott trailed off for a moment. "I hope the cats are okay…"

"I don't know. What would they be charged with? Cat-napping? Im-purr-sonating an officer? Ha ha, aww don't worry, Scott! They'll be fine! You're the one they want to throw in jail."

"Oh right, I forgot. That makes me feel a lot better," Scott said but sounded at least a little amused. Mostly nervous though. "Hey, uh, be careful with that. I think that's for drilling in bolts."

"So, you're saying I _shouldn't_ stick it up to my eye…?" There's was a crackle of laughter that followed, familiar laughter. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna blind myself! If I did, how would I get to see you rocking your Freddy ensemble? Hey, we're bringing that home, right? I could use that for next Halloween!"

It was so strange. When Carlton had heard the clown in the sewers it was mocking and seemingly aggressive, but here it was chatting away like nothing, like Charlie had been. He had to get a closer look and see the rest of it, see if it was just some little clown that squeezed itself into the sewers and had been trying to scare him off.

Right then he heard something that almost sounded like a cart being wheeled behind him and turned back to look. His eyes met a pair of glowing green ones. He jumped back with a quiet 'gah'.

It was the female clown from earlier now standing right behind him. Much to Carlton's horror, he recognized her traits as being very similar to the Circus Baby animatronic he had researched before.

"Hello again. You don't know me, but I know _you_ ," Baby spoke. Her voice was deceptively quiet and calm, but no less threatening. It sent a chill down his spine as he froze under her gaze. Her eyes slowly slid over to the door before returning to him again. It was less like she was even looking and more just doing the motion to signal to him. "Watching him again? That can be dangerous."

How did she know about him seeing the clown? Had she been there too, hiding in the sewer? He swallowed thickly and attempted to speak, "I'm just-."

"You are just getting in the way. You and your father. Especially your father," Baby sourly spat. She rolled closer and his eyes dropped to the large claw clamped at her side. It wasn't easy to forget that she had been capable of taking down Twisted Freddy on her own, so he was aware of her strength. She could tear straight through him. "I don't care if you are one of Charlie's "friends". Stay away from him."

"Uh, the clown?" Carlton nervously asked.

"Yes, _the clown_. I know about you watching him. You stay away from him." She became more threatening as she rolled in closer. "We have been through too much to have you and your foolish father ruin it." She was only becoming more agitated, twitching lightly and a low static growing in her chest, rolling only closer. It was loud enough that it almost dulled the creaking sounds slowly growing in the elevator.

"I'm not going to do anything to him. I just saw him and I couldn't-."

"Even imagine what you were looking at. You still can't. You and your friends are in too deep," Baby bitterly reminded him. She glanced downwards for a moment and away as her voice grew quieter. It was clear that she was irritated and yet this wasn't helping. She was restraining herself to deal with him like a human, like everyone would want her to be, and yet it wasn't enough. "She's not like you anymore."

Carlton got a more confused look, realizing that she meant Charlie but not knowing why or what she meant. Baby realized she said too much and fell silent momentarily.

It was during this pause that they both noticed the sound of the elevator doors opening. Baby raised her head while Carlton looked past her in confusion, especially when the doors opened to what looked to be a dark and empty shaft. The clown slowly turned her head to look back as well and cocked it slightly when she heard something clatter inside.

A long hook suddenly lashed out and dragged across the tile floor with a screech.

A heavy head full of sharp teeth fell out of the elevator as the other hand grabbed at the side. Its body lurch up and out, crawling out onto the floor, revealing its rotten fabric and gaping metal pieces. This had to be the Twisted Foxy that Marionette had warned her about and as it raised its head, eyes glowing aggressively, she knew it was going to be a problem.

Suddenly it lunged upwards and got its feet underneath itself in a heartbeat, running towards the two of them while its eye stayed on Carlton. Baby was quick to move out of the way just enough to swing out and clothesline it when it got too close. Carlton stumbled back against the hallway wall as Twisted Foxy, now downed continued to crawl towards him. Baby came up behind it and swung her claw down on its back, knocking it further down onto its belly, and almost taking it immediately out of commission.

But this Foxy was not ready to give up. Even though it didn't seem to notice her, it did notice that something was attacking it. It swung its hook back unsettlingly close to her neck and she yanked back. In this moment the mutated fox completely rolled itself over, bowed its head down, and unexpectedly rammed into her headfirst. The strength was enough to send her wheeling back across the hall and careening into the elevator.

Baby gasped in shock as she tried to stop herself but could direct her skates in time. Once the first one dropped in she was falling. Her upper half landed heavily on the ledge and she barely hooked her clawed arm around the edge of the door to hold herself up. It wasn't a good grip and all her weight was currently threatening to pull her down, even as she scraped her feet on the side of the shaft, struggling for footing.

This left Carlton entirely on his own with Twisted Foxy. It continued to crawl towards him and he was forced to turn and run for the double doors. It was only then that Foxy clamored to its feet and began shuffling after him, slower than him but faster than Twisted Freddy had been.

Carlton got to the open doors and was about to run through to safety when he was stopped in his tracks by an equally horrifying sight. There, standing in the room close to the Freddy Fazbear suit, was the clown.

Except even with his glimpses of the clown, he never expected it to be as terrifying as it was right now. It was taller than a human, about seven feet and least, and its body was a mess of wires tangled and laid together to give it a human-like structure. Really the only thing that looked like a clown was that mask, and in this light Carlton could even see the sharp teeth hiding behind it.

It was staring him down too, as was the man dressed as Freddy who gave a gasp and started to stutter over his words. Nobody moved fast enough to avoid Twisted Foxy suddenly diving into Carlton's side and sending them both sprawling to the tiled floor. He tried to push back and his fingers sunk into the fabric like it was a wad of dough. The animatronic reeked of stagnation that now seeped into his clothes.

Before Carlton could really fight, the hook was swung down and pressed up against the center of his throat. He could barely swallow without the point pressing deeper into his skin. Foxy leaned in closer and spread its wide jaws threateningly, showing the deep maw behind it, and went still with its mouth poised right above his head. It had plenty of time to move and attack, but instead it just kept him pinned, silently threatening to gore him if he moved even an inch.

Both Scott and Ennard saw when the deformed Foxy tackled the young man past the door. Scott gawked in horror and looked to Ennard, expecting him to spring into action. Instead the clown was uncharacteristically stuck in place, body and loose wires twitching after a few seconds. "Ennard?!" the man blurted out. Finally, the amalgam looked at him, but his glassy gaze looked distant. Almost like he was in shock.

Scott knew what this Foxy was capable of. In moments he could have his hook lodged into the young man, so Scott knew he had to do something if Ennard wasn't going to. Running on adrenaline, he ran through the doors- as much as he could in the suit- and took only a second to see Twisted Foxy pinning Carlton before trying to shove it off. The disfigured fox wobbled but kept his hook poised at Carlton's throat.

"Ennard, we need your help!" Scott called out as he boldly reached down and grabbed at the fox's wrist. It was clubbed and gnarled like a knot of wood, but spongey like costume fabric, and he started prying it back.

Just like when Baby started to step in, Twisted Foxy's aggression suddenly switched to Scott. It ripped its arm back before taking a long swing behind it. Scott ducked back to dodge the hook, but it was too quick and lodged itself into the equally old fabric of the plush suit. But to his horror it didn't slice straight through, but get stuck inside of it, and as Scott staggered back the mangled Foxy was still dangling off.

Its weight was holding him back as he tried to pull himself away. Panicked, he reached forward to shove Foxy back, and it craned its neck sickeningly and bit into the suit's arm. The teeth sunk in so deeply that he could feel them brushing his skin before they stopped, holding him in place as it started tugging at the fabric its hook was stuck into. The weight was suddenly too much as Scott stumbled and fell against the wall.

He gave out one more panicked cry, "He's got me!"

That was what finally did it. He heard the thundering footsteps before wires were suddenly tangling around Twisted Foxy. Ennard wrapped his arms around the fox, some of his wires coming free and forcing their way into its cracks and crevices, as his hand grabbed the clubbed wrist and twisted it enough to free the hook. He then tightened his arms around Twisted Foxy's neck, shifting strangely, almost completely silent as he shifted and fit further around him. Scott watched in silent horror, not sure what Ennard was doing but realizing that Twisted Foxy was starting to fight back.

Until suddenly all Ennard's wires tightened around the fox. There was a sickening cracking noise as its head twisted slightly and its eyes grew dark. Once the wires started to loosen, its body fell limply to the floor while its head stayed in the clown's hands. Ennard gave a static filled hum, one that almost sounded like a sigh, and simply dropped the head to the floor. He then slowly turned his head towards the onlooker.

Carlton had gotten himself off the floor but now he was practically trapped in the corner. He knew without a doubt that this was the clown he had seen in the sewer. Ennard stared back at him with that same, uncharacteristic silence. Scott was still trying to catch his breath against the wall when he noticed the scene and silent stare.

"I need help." Baby's voice caught Scott off-guard and he looked over to see the situation she was still stuck in. He choked on his breath and started to hurry over, only to stop and come back for Ennard, knowing he would need him. He tugged his arm to get his attention.

"Ennard, you have to get Baby," Scott said firmly. Ennard looked to him, then past him, and finally reacted when he saw Baby still hanging in the elevator shaft.

" _ **Cr-Cr-Crrriipes!"**_ Ennard crackled in his undisguised voice. He then made a mad dash over to the elevator to help her up. He planted one foot against the wall and grabbed her claw and hand to pull her up.

With that being dealt with, Scott turned back to the young man who was still standing there and seeing everything. He put the pieces together and realized that it had to be one of Charlie's friends. He tried to keep calm as he asked, "Were you hurt?" The younger man gave him an uneasy look and Scott raised a hand in defense. "It's okay. This is just a suit, see?" He pushed up the head enough to show part of his face. "You're safe, okay? Just… Trust me. They're not- They're not like…"

"He already knows," Baby suddenly chimed in. Scott looked back towards her. "He's already seen Charlie and Marion… Among other things," she murmured as she glanced towards Ennard. He was back to staring dead ahead at the unknown young man and being uncharacteristically silent. Even around strangers this seemed odd, though Scott hadn't seen him around many strangers. Save the employees of Foxy's when they had been in the basement, but in that case he had known they would be safe.

It wasn't until Scott looked back to Carlton when he suddenly remembered that earlier Ennard had blatantly warned about 'watching for a redhead'. Somehow, he knew at that second that there was something Ennard hadn't told him, and the only reason he didn't dwell on it long was because he realized he recognized the young man from somewhere. Maybe from the Pirate Cove Halloween party.

"Well, uh…" Scott cleared his throat and evened his tone. "As I was saying, you're safe… Or, uh, safer. I mean, as long as we're in this place… I'm sure you've seen some of what's going on. This place isn't exactly safe, but if you stay with us, you'll have a better chance."

But Carlton was barely listening. He was too busy rethinking everything about the clown, about Mike and Scott, and about his father, because he was starting to see a different picture painted before him.

" _Wait, was Dad listening to Mike and Scott because of the animatronics? He's already got Freddy in the basement…"_ His eyes widened silently. _"Is that it?! Is he trying to find these animatronics, is that his plan?!"_

"Hey, uh… You are okay, right? The hook didn't get you anywhere?" Scott asked. He was clearly concerned by Carlton's silence, more so than the clowns currently standing on guard behind him.

Carlton shook his head before forcing out, "I'm alright… Just a little shook up."

"That's understandable. Let's get you up." Scott offered his gloved hands and helped him to his feet. He then started to usher him out to the front room, sending a quick glance back at the two clowns and hoping they would keep a safe distance. "We'll just wait out here where it's… Less dangerous."

As soon as they were out of the hall, Baby looked towards Ennard. "You will need to be more careful. The only reason he won't talk is because of Charlie," she said. The amalgam was remarkably silent as he stared at the floor. "…But for now you are off the hook. Charlie already let herself get seen."

"She held out longer than I did," Ennard said as he switched to his usual voice again. "At least I got to traumatize him for life."

Baby wondered if that would work with Charlie's other friends. Somehow she doubted it would keep them away now that they knew everything, and that disappointed her immensely.

* * *

 **Mable: Looks like Baby's going to have to share her friend… Such a shame that Baby's not exactly on board with sharing.**


End file.
